“Are you okay?”

Sonnaught asked with concern. Knowing better than anyone how angry Latil could get at Rean, and how well Rean could talk, he seemed worried.

“We can’t keep delaying it.”

Latil responded indifferently. Latil still didn’t consider herself a lord. Because that’s ridiculous.

But the abilities arising in her were bothering her. It was just nice when she became able to read people’s hearts. But as the number of these abilities increased, she was scared.

Why is my power growing so strong? Why am I seeing such illusions? Why am I getting good at smelling blood?

It was when she was going to meet her brother.

“I would have had to meet him once anyway.”

Latil, who got on a passing carriage, went to the palace where Rean was staying.

Even after the incident occurred, Latil deliberately did not send her brother far away to observe his actions nearby, and she was now seeing the effects of that.

When the carriage arrived in front of the palace, a soldier who had been watching Rean under the pretext of escorting him approached.

“Who are you?”

When Latil silently took off her cloak, the soldier was surprised and stepped aside without causing a fuss, opening the door wide.

The carriage went inside.

Latil, who got off the carriage, ran into a few people as she entered the building, but nobody stopped Latil until she arrived in front of Rean’s room.

Latil, standing in front of the room, knocked on the door without having a moment to prepare her mind. ‘Knock knock’ She hit the door with anger, and not long after, a voice from inside asked, “Who is it?”

“Me.”

“Okay. You guys.”

Rean halfopened the door and sent an awkward look, but Latil, without even asking how he was, just pointed to the parlor with her chin.

“Come out. I have something to ask.”

Rean, who came out of the room, was wearing soft pajamas. He was even wearing fluffy fur slippers, and Latil was unreasonably angry.

“Coffee?”

As Rean asked as if they were still on good terms like siblings to Latil, who was sitting on the parlor sofa, her anger grew even more.

“Get lost.”

“You called me.”

“I came to ask something.”

Rean sat on the opposite sofa and gestured as if to tell her to speak.

The hesitant servant quietly approached and placed a steaming cup of cocoa in front of Latil and Rean, then Latil asked coldly.

“When did you start thinking of me as a lord?”

“You’re curious about that? Suddenly in the middle of this late night?”

“It’s because it’s late at night. I was trying to sleep but my gut was churning. I couldn’t sleep.”

It was a lie, but Latil didn’t even blink. Latil glared at Rean, and handed the cup of cocoa to Sonnaught, who was standing behind the sofa.

“Isn’t it a bit off to guard while drinking this?”

Sonnaught muttered softly, but took the cup with both hands and blew on it.

“Really, I’m flushed from time to time while working. No, let’s say it’s a stranger if it’s a stranger. Why would you think of that while growing up with me?”

“There were a few signs.”

“What signs?”

“Minor signs. The moment I became aware of them was when Hyacinth had a rebellion and went back to his country. But those signs were appearing when you were together with him. So I was confused. Whether those signs were appearing from you or from him.”

Latil tightly closed her lips. She had guessed it would be like this, but it was more unpleasant to hear.

“Later I realized that Hyacinth had nothing to do with it, but I still didn’t want to think of my little sister as a cursed being. So I just kept delaying and investigating.”

The sound of Sonnaught blowing on his cocoa kept coming from behind. But the sound of him drinking didn’t come.

“For the sake of the country, I had no choice, Latil. What would you have done if you were in my position? What if my existence harms the country and the people?”

Latil clenched her fist tightly.

“If you’re going to keep using that excuse, you shouldn’t have betrayed mom. The moment you worry about your brother while betraying mom, you can no longer use that excuse.”

Even when Latil cursed, Rean just smiled calmly and asked calmly as if he wasn’t hit at all.

“That’s right, Latil. Let’s say I’m as doublefaced and selfish as you say.”

“It’s not a ‘flaw’, it’s like this.”

“You? What about you?”

Lean brought the teacup to his nose. He stared at Latil as if looking beyond the horizon with the teacup between them.

“What would you do if you found out that you, yourself, are a being that harms the nation?”

“Why should I think that way if I’m not such a person?”

“Suppose you are.”

“Then I would find a way not to be the sun.”

“What if whether you become the sun or not is irrelevant to your will?”

“Hmm. Even if I become a dangerous and terrifying existence, I wonder if I would be worse than someone who tries to kill a close sibling with just suspicion, or betrays his own mother in public.”

Latil sneered, but Lean’s face remained completely unaffected. He seemed to believe that he was right to a surprising degree.