Chapter 3The Choice I Make This Time

You can't choose your biological parents, so if they're garbage, you're stuck with them.

But I could choose an adopted brother. Naturally, I was going to pick one that suited my exact needs.

I have a severe allergy to stupidity, so anyone dim-witted was immediately disqualified.

Ugly ones were out too; it ruins the appetite.

The most important criteria were a good personality and a genuinely kind heart. I absolutely refused to deal with a second ungrateful, backstabbing brother.

After scouring every orphanage in the city, I finally found a boy who met all my requirements. What really sealed the deal was the faint glint of fierce determination hidden deep in his eyes.

In my past life, I dealt with monsters and demons of all kinds. A kid with that kind of edge would be hard to control if I met him as an adult, but grooming him from a young age? That sounded incredibly rewarding.

"My brother got lost. Do you want to be my brother?"

I pulled a piece of premium milk candy from my pocket and placed it in his slender hand, my voice soft and sweet:

"I have so many toys and snacks, and I can share half of everything with you. Do you want to come home with me?"

No little boy could resist a kid as cute as me, and he was no exception.

He carefully took the candy from my hand, making sure his fingers didn't brush against mine, seemingly terrified he might get my hands dirty.

I, however, proactively grabbed his hand and happily paraded him in front of my parents.

"Mom, Dad, I really like this brother."

My parents were pleased with his appearance. After asking him a few questions and finding him to be exceptionally well-mannered and polite, they agreed to the adoption.

...

I gave him a new name: Julian. Julian Vance. Because his eyes were as beautiful as a starry night.

He moved into the bedroom directly across from mine. The layout was identical to my room. It was the room my parents had been saving for my biological brother, but now, it belonged to Julian.

At the dinner table, he sat in the seat to my father's right—the seat that used to belong to my brother.

Gradually, he truly replaced my brother's presence entirely. My parents started taking him everywhere out of habit. Even in private conversations, they casually referred to him as "our son."

At first, Julian was a bit timid, but under my influence, he grew outgoing and fiercely confident.

However, my initial display of adorable vulnerability must have left a permanent imprint on him.

Because of it, he truly treated me like a fragile little sister who needed constant protection.

Every night, he read me fairy tales until I fell asleep.

He would quietly transfer the vegetables I hated from my plate onto his and eat them without a word.

If I accidentally bumped into a table and bruised myself, he looked like he wished he could absorb the pain for me.