“Lysianthe Countess?”

Upon hearing Derek’s words, Cassis showed the first surprised expression. His pretty blue irises sparkled like glass beads.

“Hehe.”

Derek, noticing his younger brother’s interest, smirked in an instant. The boy energetically continued talking, protruding his round belly.

“Yeah! Isn’t it amazing?”

“Indeed.”

Cassis agreed readily.

Among the three sons of the viscount’s family, the story of the Lysianthe Countess was quite an intriguing topic. It was all because of their mother, Hazel.

Cassis recalled the day when his mother and siblings gathered together to sleep.

“Mom, mom. I can’t sleep. Can you tell me an interesting story?”

“Alan, be quiet. You’ll scare away the sleep if you keep talking like that.”

“Hmph! Sleep won’t come anyway. Cassis, aren’t you a fool?”

“Of course, it would be you who’s the fool.”

Between the bickering of the second and third brothers, the viscountess sighed.

With no other choice, she began the story.

“Well, then, I’ll tell you about the most interesting person I’ve met in my life.”

“Wow! Who is it?”

“The Lysianthe Countess.”

“Oooooh!”

Even for the children of the viscount’s family, the story of the only countess in the kingdom was quite fascinating.

The viscountess told her sons about the time when, before the countess got married, the debutante ballroom was decorated entirely with star-shaped candies. She described how fantastic and beautiful it was.

With a mischievous grin on his face, Derek grabbed his mother’s finger.

“Does she also have a child?”

“…She did.”

“And now?”

“Now she doesn’t. She died.”

The viscountess’s light brown eyes were filled with sadness. Witnessing that, Cassis, who always saw his mother as dignified, was freshly shocked.

It was rare for their aristocratic mother to express such overtly sorrowful emotions.

“As you know, the Lysianthe Countess doesn’t have a successor now.”

Cassis, who scrutinized his mother’s face, cautiously asked, “What if the countess’s child were alive?”

“She would have become the only daughter of the countess.”

“The only daughter!”

The word ‘only daughter’ sounded so cool that Alan shouted with his chubby fists clenched.

“I want to become a lady too!”

“Alan, you fool. How can you become a lady when you’re a boy?”

“Why? I also want to be a lady!”

“Then, are you going to wear a dress with lots of lace like a girl? Then, I won’t play with you anymore.”

“Brother is too mean!”

Puffing up his cheeks, Alan soon stuck out his red tongue with a disgusted expression.

“Eat this!”

“Alan, you…!”

“Stop both of you.”

To the silly fight between the two sons without an heir, the viscountess commanded sternly.

“It’s time to sleep now. If you keep fighting, I’ll immediately send you back to your rooms.”

“Chet.”

“Hmph.”

Derek and Alan glared at each other but turned away.

However, both boys wanted to sleep with their mother tonight.
Afterward, the boys who closed their eyes and fidgeted fell into a deep sleep one by one, and the stories of that day seemed to fade away like that.

However, after that day, the story of the ‘possibly alive noble lady’ that Lady Viscountess mentioned occasionally became a topic of discussion among the three boys.

Since all the boys had encountered the Lysianthe Count, a large and intimidating adult man, the ruler of the southern region, and the only Count in the kingdom, it became a fascinating subject.

“Being the daughter of the Count, it’s so intriguing.”

Derek spoke to Cassis, who seemed lost in thought.

Cassis, disturbed by the recollection, frowned. Derek countered as he gently stroked the silver hair that Cassis had spread out.

“But Mom said the lady died. It’s strange for her to suddenly appear.”

“Why? Maybe the Countess had more than one child.”

“That…”

Cassis, who was about to say it was still strange, soon realized that Derek’s words made sense.

Even in the case of Viscount Hyacinth, there were not three sons. If the Count had another daughter, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Derek’s brown eyes sparkled.

“How do you think she looks?”

“I don’t know.”

Cassis said in a nonchalant tone. He added, “If she resembles the Count, she would be a much taller and scarier girl than us.”

“Wow…”

Derek widened his mouth as if unfolding the wings of imagination according to Cassis’s words. The missing fangs were darkened.

“A girl who looks like the Count… Hmm… It seems scary.”

The image of the noble lady formed in Derek’s mind.

Jet-black hair. Blood-red irises.

A much larger physique and a fierce demeanor than her peers. Even a rough personality.

“Uh?”

Wait, this is too scary.

Derek shivered.

Cassis looked at his brother with a pitiful look and asked, “How old do you think she is?”

“I don’t know!”

“What do you know?”

“What? Why are you talking like that to your older brother!”

“Anyway, if she’s only three years older, what kind of brother is that?”

Cassis laughed lightly.

Derek couldn’t stand it and pinched his annoying brother’s cheek.

“What are you doing? This. (What are you doing? Let go.)”