When Sedloy was young, their family had left the duchy to stay in the capital.

King Elmert had been close friends with the Duchess of Valterminster since childhood, and her husband, the Duke, had also contributed much to national affairs. Therefore, it was common for the entire family to stay in the capital for extended periods.

Sedloy and Verbo grew up socializing with King Elmert’s children, enjoying a worry-free childhood.

The death of the Duke and Duchess of Valterminster occurred when Sedloy was ten, and his younger brother Verbo was six.

With the occurrence of that event, Sedloy’s fate had completely flipped.

Carriage accident… Sedloy could not understand the words conveyed by the King’s secretary.

He was not too young to understand the words, but he was not old enough to accept that such an event had happened to him, and to his parents. But one thing was clear.

A palpable sense of dread and anxiety was there. Now there was no one in the world who could unconditionally protect him and Verbo.

[I will protect you both.]

King Elmert sat the young brothers down, comforting them by stroking their heads as if they were his own children. Verbo cried in her embrace, but Sedloy could not even cry. It felt like his small head was about to explode.

What would happen next, what should be done? The world that had surrounded him seemed to have vanished entirely. The walls, which he thought were so solid that they could never collapse, had turned to sand and crumbled overnight, and all sorts of unknown, frightening things seemed to be gathering around him.

Sedloy and Verbo spent two years in the palace without returning to their duchy. The tender-hearted Verbo often woke up crying in the middle of the night, causing the maids’ hearts to ache.

But Sedloy did not cry. Even while consoling Verbo, he did not cry. For some reason, he felt that he should not cry.

Tears only burst forth when King Elmert suggested that he could help Sedloy and Verbo join the royal family.

[Come here, Sedloy.]

Crying, he staggered towards the King. As he sobbed and struggled, King Elmert silently embraced him and patted his back.

[You have not cried for two years. But yes, now you must cry. Sedloy, it is wise to know when to cry. Cry to your heart’s content. You will be able to think after you have cried.]

As always, King Elmert’s words were correct. After crying enough to feel drained, he felt as though his mind had been cleared. It was even refreshing.

[What will you do?]

King Elmert gave the twelve-year-old Sedloy a choice. Sedloy did not hesitate.

[I will become the next Duke of Valterminster. Your Majesty, please grant me your permission.]

The King said nothing for a moment to Sedloy’s words. But her expression seemed to have expected Sedloy to answer like that.

King Elmert officially declared that Sedloy would succeed the Duke of Valterminster when he turned fifteen.

It was an extraordinary event, but considering the horrific accident that had happened to the Duke and Duchess, which was widely known throughout the kingdom, there was no opposition. Even if there had been, King Elmert would have dealt with it.

Sedloy realized this only later.

In the year he turned sixteen, the new Duke of Valterminster returned to the duchy he had left six years ago. He had imagined that everyone might have left and that the mansion would be in ruins.

Verbo, who had just turned twelve, playfully joked that if vines and trees had covered the mansion, they could clear it and live like wolves.
But what unfolded before Sedilroy’s eyes at the ducal residence was far different from what he had imagined. Not a ruin; not even a stray weed marred the garden. Just as they had left it six years ago with their parents, it eerily remained unchanged.

‘Jocelyn……’

Sedilroy still couldn’t forget the expression Jocelyn had worn while looking at him that day.

How should he describe it? He had yet to find an answer. Her icy expression was a tangle of countless emotions—uncontrollable anger and sadness, a sense of futility that seemed as if she could give up on life, and paradoxically, a sense of thrill and joy. Contradictory? Yes, but it was the truth.

[Your Grace.]

Jocelyn deeply bowed before Sedilroy without a moment’s hesitation and said so.

[I have been eagerly waiting for the day of your return.]

Were those words truly meant for Sedilroy? He strongly felt that Jocelyn was seeing something—or someone—else. Such moments still occurred now and then. But never as intensely as that day when he had returned to the duchy as the new Duke of Balthaminster.

A short sigh escaped Sedilroy’s lips. Fields of wheat stretched before him, ripening lusciously under the summer sun. He thought of Ariante’s face, followed by Mayana’s.

He thought about her pouring imaginary tea in a living room lit by the soft glow of a lamp. Ariante’s eyes twinkled as if she were receiving a festival gift, recalling events from just last night.