My lazy life as the protagonist's brother

Rian

7 months later

Mother is giving birth today. It was a bit early, but we have several light mages and father, the best light priest, on standby. Screams and groans erupted from the room, and father clutched my hand tightly as he paced in anxiety. I knew, even if father never said so, that he had moved on from my birth mother. It was a political marriage to begin with, and when I first saw my mother, her eyes were incredibly sad. It was likely that she never wanted to give birth to me, but was forced because her family wanted her to establish a place in the household. But even after she birthed me, her life wasn't any easier, as she died during an assassination attack.

Father met Silvia when I was two years old. She was a new maid who took care of me when nanny was busy and worked as father's temporary aide when Bastian needed a vacation. Father saw her talent and decided that she was a fitting mother figure for me, so they married. I don't know if father loved her, but he definitely cared about her very much.

I tugged his sleeve and stopped his pacing. "Don't worry, dad. Mother will be fine."

He stopped and smiled wearily. "Thank you, son. You've had it hard too. Don't worry, no one can replace you in my heart. I'll always love you."

For some reason, my parents thought I was scared that I would be replaced, which is why they reassure me everyday. I'm not worried though. I knew they genuinely loved and treasured me, and I was excited for a new family member I can play with.

"My lord! Congratulations, it's a boy!" The doors slammed open and the midwife bursted out with a smile. "The lady and her child are healthy and safe!"

The servants who lined around the hallway with us all cheered, and father broke into a relieved smile. I pulled on his hand and went into the room. It was a bright, sunlit room. Mother was barely awake, sweat beading her brows. In her arms, she held a bundle of cloth. No, not cloth, but a baby sleeping. He had soft silver hair and a peaceful expression on his face. "Can I see him?" I whispered quietly, not wanting to wake him up.

Mother sat up and tilted his face towards me. He yawned and mumbled a bit, and I could see his eyelashes flutter. "D-dad! I think he's waking up!" I let go of father's hand to get a closer look. "What will we name him?"

"Well, son, we decided to name him Rianna if he was a girl and Rian if he was a boy. Do you like it?" Father asked, rubbing mother's shoulders.

"Rian?" I mumbled, feeling as if I knew that name from somewhere. "It's a beautiful name." I walked even closer and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Rian. I'm your brother, Augustus."

His plump cheeks twitched, and he opened his eyes. I froze. They were red as roses. Instantly, I felt pain all over my body and fell to the ground as my light element emerged to protect me. I tried to resist, not wanting to hurt my new brother. Then, I saw blood. My blood, as red as Rian's eyes. They dripped out of my mouth and onto the floor. "Augustus!"

"Darling! Are you alright?"

"What happened?" There was a scream.

"His eyes! They're demonic eyes! The eyes of darkness!"

"Protect the young master!"

"It's a demon!"

"Young master, wake up!"

"Son!"

Rian, I know that name. That was the last thing I thought of before I fainted.

***

"Brother! Look, I got a new book for you!"

I raised my head at the familiar voice. "Little sis, you're back?"

"Duh, stupid brother. Of course I'm back! I got off work early just for you, you know?"

"What did you bring this time, my lovely sister?"

"It's a book!"

"A book?"

"It's a romance book called the Eyes of Rose. It's the most popular novel nowadays. I had to wait three hours in line to get one!"

"What is it about?"

"The protagonist is called Rian. Rian Bedivere, the youngest child of the Bedivere family in Camelot. He was born with eyes red as roses, and it was a sign of the power of darkness. His parents and brother ignored him and the servants secretly abused him. The story begins when he goes to the Academy of Magic, where he meets the other heirs of their respective houses and enchants them with his beautiful eyes and kind personality. The male lead is prince Caiser, who was cruel and handsome. He saved Rian when he was bullied and fell in love with him at first sight. They engage in a dangerous relationship while trying to protect each other from malicious forces."

"Isn't the plot kind of cliche?"

"Shut up, stupid brother. You don't understand the appeal this book has to young girls like me. I'll read it to you, so listen up."

(time skip)

"That's the first half of the book. It's not bad right?"

"Yeah," I quickly nodded, knowing that she will hit me on the head if I don't. "I really liked Rian's brother."

"Augustus? Why? He's barely mentioned."

"But he had a happy ending. I would consider him the most successful character of all."

"Huh. You're thinking process is really weird."

"I'm your weird brother, after all."

She giggled. "Yeah."

***

I opened my eyes. That's right. Rian is the protagonist of a book, and Augustus is the older brother of Rian. Rian had silver hair and red eyes, while Augustus had golden hair and blue eyes. There's no way this is a coincidence. It seems...I have really reincarnated in a book.

Gasping in excitement, I sat up quickly. Does this mean I can live out my life with enjoyment? Even though I said I wanted to be a useless heir, I was still worried about our house. Now that Rian's here, I don't have to! In the book, Rian ended up succeeding the house because Augustus was forced to be engaged to a foreign princess by the king. He lived out the rest of his life in enjoyment, though little about him was mentioned afterwards. I smiled with anticipation. My lazy life, here I come!

"Kyaa!!!" I turned my head to look. A maid looked at me with wide eyes and a bleeding nose before shouting at the top of her lungs. "The young master is awake!" Stomps were heard from all areas of the house, and in moments, everyone was crowded around me.

"Young master!"

"Are you alright, young master?"

"Here, drink your medicine!"

"Ah, you're so angelic!"

"I'm so glad you're awake, young master!"

"Your face is so pale!"

"Bring the desserts we prepared!"

"Ah! My nose is bleeding again!"

My parents finally bursted into the room and hugged me tightly.

"Son! Are you alright?"

I moved my arms and legs around. "Yeah! I feel great!"

Mother collapse onto the ground while embracing me, breaking into great sobs. "I'm sorry, my baby! Mommy's so sorry! To actually cause you to vomit up blood! My precious child!"

"It's okay, mother. I'll always love you!" Even though she wasn't my biological mother, I still felt immensely attached to her. When her tears fell, my heart started hurting, so I quickly comforted her. She cried for a few more minutes before wiping away her tears, and hugged me to sleep. From the beginning to the end, Rian wasn't mentioned. It was as if he has never existed to begin with.