Ariante’s eyes blinked several times. It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand Cedelois’s words; she understood but couldn’t comprehend.

“Brother…? Why do I have a brother now?”

“Let’s talk about that later. Just think that you’re getting a brother. How does that sound to you?”

“Is he really my brother, Father? Do we have to live together?”

“Well, it could be, or it might not be. If the child wishes, they might leave this place someday. But yes, it’s possible that we’ll continue living together. We’ll become a family.”

The child’s azure eyes finally gave in to confusion.

“Someone else can become Father’s child instead of me?”

Cedelois, knowing it was futile, couldn’t help but correct Ariante’s statement.

“It’s not that another child will become Father’s child instead of you, Ariante. Absolutely not. It’s just that both you and another child might become Father’s children. Do you understand?”

“But then…”

A deep furrow appeared between Ariante’s eyebrows. Her whole face was wrinkled as if forcing herself to swallow a bitter medicine. She breathed heavily, and her fists on her knees trembled.

She wanted to shout that she didn’t want it right away. Ariante’s lips actually quivered several times, as if she was about to say something. She also looked at Cedelois with eyes that seemed to be complaining and expecting him to say, ‘It was all a lie.’

A tear swelled in Ariante’s eyes as she lowered her head. The tear silently dripped down onto her clothes.

Cedelois hugged Ariante tightly, turning her body. Only then did the two women’s faces meet.

Ariante’s chubby cheeks were stained with tears and flushed with fever. Tear-soaked pupils trembled in her round eyes.

“Ariante, look at me.”

However, Ariante didn’t easily lift her head. Tear beads fell silently onto her clothes, seeping in without a sound.

Cedelois gently wiped Ariante’s head, nodding. There was a mixture of earnestness, resignation knowing she wouldn’t get what she wanted, and a hint of resentment in Ariante’s gaze.

Tears welled in Ariante’s eyes as she kept her head down. With protruding lips, she spoke.

“If… what if that child is more liked by Father than me?”

Cedelois gestured for Ariante to speak. Still not looking at Cedelois, Ariante hesitated for a moment before speaking with a voice mixed with tears.

“If Father likes that child more than me, what should I do?”

After a brief hesitation, Cedelois spoke slowly.

“Ariante, look at me.”

However, Ariante still didn’t easily lift her head. Tear beads fell silently onto her clothes, seeping in without a sound.

Cedelois hugged Ariante tightly, turning her body. Only then did the two women’s faces meet.

Ariante’s chubby cheeks were stained with tears and flushed with fever. Tear-soaked pupils trembled in her round eyes.
If Ariante were a few years older, she might have retorted, “How can you guarantee that?” or “Would you say that if the child is more outstanding than me?” However, Ariante was still too young, and so she had no choice but to believe what Cedelois said. In the first place, Cedelois was not a negotiable subject for Ariante.

“When will that child come here, Father?”

Before Cedelois could answer, Ariante spoke again.

“Will they come tomorrow?”

Cedelois tilted his head with a faint smile.

“No, it will take some time. It might even take a very long time.”

“How long? Can they come after I become an adult?”

If only that were the case… Ariante thought. If that child comes after she becomes an adult, everything might be okay. She didn’t consider that the child, who might become her ‘brother,’ would also become an adult just like her.

However, Cedelois’s answer was not what Ariante expected this time either.

“It won’t take that long. The child is currently alone in the capital and needs to decide where to go soon.”

Adopting a non-relative child was not a simple process. Perhaps someone else among Swan’s relatives could fight for the guardian position, surpassing Madame Duplée or Viscount Hessel. Therefore, for Cedelois, who was not a relative, it was reasonable to assume he had almost no priority.

Even if King Elmerat sided with Cedelois and extended a helping hand, the situation might still become a year-long dispute or longer. It depended on Cedelois’s determination to adopt Swan.

Considering Swan’s position, Cedelois was willing to take the child as a foster child right away. However, as Maiana pointed out, the problem was not simple when considering the potential harm to Ariante. It was also for Swan’s future.

Swan was young. Therefore, at the moment, Swan might only wish to become Cedelois’s foster child out of simple emotions and a desire for safety. However, when that child became an adult, the situation would change.

Cedelois hoped that Swan would inherit everything from the Glordon Viscount. However, for that to happen, someone needed to take charge of authority and property on behalf of Swan until the child became an adult.

“Father, when will that child come and be my brother?”