An hour before Clemens and Dianne bumped into each other in the hallway.

Clemens, who had arrived earlier than scheduled, had heard the news of his arrival from Cailrius.

“Father!”

Clemens’ eyes drew a pretty curve at the sight of his father after a long time.

The gently curved eyes and the upturned lips seemed to show the elated mood of a child who was finally in high spirits.

“Oh, Philen is here too?”

“Yes, my lord. It’s been a while. For the record, I didn’t choose to be here since dawn.”

Philen, who had come to work since the early dawn, replied with a groaning sound.

At this, Clemens laughed merrily.

“Has Father been well all this time?”

Clemens, who was sitting in a chair and swinging both feet, looked no different from other children of his age.

At the sight of his son, Cailrius spoke indifferently.

“You came earlier than I thought.”

“Yes, I saw the letter from Father. But I was already preparing to come to the mansion because I missed you so much.”

“It looks more like curiosity about the child I brought, rather than missing me.”

At his words, Clemens chuckled shortly.

“That too. It was surprising. I thought the twins were the last.”

It had not been long since the news about Dianne had been conveyed to Clemens and the twins.

Considering the schedule after the news was conveyed, he was expected to arrive three days later, but he arrived suddenly today.

“You must have heard the news elsewhere.”

“My roommate. He’s more interested in my family than I am. As soon as the gossip about my family was published, he came and told me.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he’s quite meddlesome.”

Even though it was a boarding academy, it was not common to assign commoners and nobles to the same room.

Especially in the case of highranking nobles or royalty.

That is, Clemens’ roommate was also a son of a house not unlike his status.

Cailrius thought for a moment who his son’s roommate was.

He easily recalled one person. Cailrius smirked briefly.

“Like father, like son.”

After their short conversation, a silence hovered.

Philen smiled awkwardly. When Clemens laughed as he was now, he and Cailrius looked nothing like father and son.

Clemens was a boy with bright blonde hair and a bright smile, in stark contrast to Cailrius.

Even aside from his appearance, Clemens’ usual kind and gentle demeanor really did not match Cailrius.

But Philen knew.

How well the boy’s face, without that angelic smile, blended seamlessly with the Duke.

After the conversation ended, the smile that had crossed Clemens’ face disappeared in an instant.

The face of the boy, from whom the smile had disappeared, was closer to the appearance of a lifeless cold doll.

The boy’s appearance, with a suddenly chilly atmosphere, looked strikingly like Cailrius.

‘The nobles must see that look.’

The reason they opposed Clemens was that he was an adopted son, not sharing a single drop of blood with the Duke.

However, they should know that the two looked very much alike, to the extent that birth itself wouldn’t even come to mind.

Clemens, who had revealed his true self in front of his father, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As if he had been waiting for this moment when he didn’t have to force a smile.

To Clemens, Cailrius was like a unique refuge.

Cailrius, knowing such feelings, chose to wait quietly until the child spoke again.

The two greeted and welcomed each other in their own way for a moment.

It was when the steam rising from the tea in front of them was gradually cooling down.

Clemens turned his head slightly, as his father did, and looked at Cailrius.

“So, Father.”

Clemens asked, putting down the tea that had completely cooled.

“Do the nobles understand what is being said?”

Unlike at first, Philen swallowed dryly at the now chilly tone of the heir.
Kyleius raised the corner of his lips slightly.

He replied in an indifferent tone.

“Same. If they understood what was said, they would have done it sooner.”

“It’s a pity. I wanted to take them all the way to the end if I could.”

“There are plenty of families that can replace them and perform that role anyway. Finding them in advance could be a way.”

It wasn’t something to discuss between a father who had just returned from the academy and his son, thought Phyllene quietly to himself.

“Father, where is my new sibling?”

“Probably still asleep. The child doesn’t know you’ve arrived.”

At that moment, Clements noticed something strange in Kyleius’s expression.

If my guess is correct, it seemed that father had a rather good impression of my sibling.

‘It’s a bit surprising.’

In fact, Clements coming home earlier than planned wasn’t just because of the newly arrived sibling.

He had finished the exam early with excellent grades, and so he had set out early, arriving much sooner than expected.

But seeing father’s expression sparked a bit of interest.

‘What kind of child could it be?’

To know the other party, one first had to break down their defenses.

Clements expressed that he wanted to have breakfast with his sibling.