Instinctively sensing that he shouldn’t encounter him, Rublion quickly stepped aside. Then, with his head slightly turned, he said.

“I didn’t know there was a guest. I apologize for the intrusion.”

There was no need for the simulated greeting. He tried not to be flustered, but the child’s small heart was sending out danger signals frantically.

“Oh……”

He vaguely guessed the identity of the man who was watching him with great curiosity.

Though young, he was a child who knew everything he needed to know.

“Come here.”

Rublion felt intimidated by him, who ordered without hesitation in informal speech. His feet were frozen and he couldn’t move.

“I said come here?”

The man’s voice was forceful, with a face similar to Uncle Askal’s, no, similar to his own face that he saw every morning.

Rublion carefully took a step. The man clicked his tongue with a curse.

“You’re not hard of hearing, are you?”

The child shook his head vigorously. The unfamiliar body that wouldn’t move as he wished felt strange.

“Come here quickly! What’s with a boy being so cautious?”

At the shouting roar, the child’s small heart pounded furiously. Rublion stopped with a frightened face.

“Surely they haven’t made such a fellow the heir to the family?”

Rublion’s fists clenched. He realized there was a reason the maid told him not to go.

The man abruptly stood up and approached. The child looked up at the gaze as high as Askal’s and gulped dryly, his stiff figure reflected in the stern eyes.

“Hey, kid. How old are you this year?”

“Ten…… years old.”

“I see.”

The man stroked his dark chin, unshaven for a few days. Then he slowly narrowed his eyes.

“You, could it be Hegel……”

It was then. Schmidt, who had come down to the reception room, stood blocking in front of Rublion.

“I came down urgently when I heard a guest had arrived. If you had made an appointment in advance, I wouldn’t have kept you waiting.”

Schmidt gently pushed Rublion’s arm, hiding him slightly behind her back.

“You seem to have sweated a lot, so you’d better wash up. Go on now.”

The pink hair tickled Rublion’s forehead as he hid. Her back, standing firm, felt more reassuring than any warrior.

The child brushed away the hair touching his forehead and replied.

“Yes, mother.”

Until just now his hands had been trembling, but strangely, as soon as Schmidt appeared, he became calm.

“Hah, really…… Am I going to eat him or something?”

The man stepped aside and looked at Rublion. The small heart that had just calmed down thumped again.

“We’re late in welcoming the guest. Shall we go sit over there?”

Schmidt requested with a polite but firm attitude. The man frowned and turned back.

The child stared intently at his back as he returned to his seat.

“Take the young master to his room.”

The maid who had been hovering behind quickly approached and stood by his side. As Rublion was led out by her hand, he anxiously watched Schmidt’s pink crown through the slowly closing door gap.

“What? Someone came to the mansion?”

To Askal’s question, Baron Tirel replied, ruffling his hair.

“Aron, that person is here.”

“Damn it.”

It hadn’t even been an hour since he arrived at work. Today of all days, his legs felt unusually heavy, so he had dawdled before coming out.

It seems he had a premonition that something like this would happen.

“Postpone the morning schedule. I need to go to the mansion right away.”

“I can only free up about two hours. You’ll have to resolve it within that time.”

Askal rose from his seat. Then he tapped the shoulder of Baron Tirel, who was answering resolutely.

“I regret finding out like this that the Baron is not competent.”

“……I’ll postpone all morning schedules.”

Askal nodded with a serious face.

Hurriedly coming out of the government office, the coachman who had been waiting for him to emerge bowed deeply. Askal roughly loosened his tie and got into the carriage. The butler inside explained the situation again.

On the way to the mansion by carriage, Askal worried if Rublion might have met him.

‘If it’s that kid, he’d probably notice that Aron is his biological father.’

He was a child with intelligence incomparable to his peers and quick-wittedness to boot.

Though he had never mentioned it out loud, Askal knew that Rublion didn’t want to meet his biological parents who had abandoned him. So the current situation was not welcome. The child wouldn’t be mentally prepared.

After time passed full of various worries, the carriage arrived at the mansion twice as fast as usual. Askal, who got out hurriedly, headed straight for the reception room without even having the presence of mind to grab his top hat.

In the corridor, some servants who knew Aron were gathered with worried looks.

“Is he inside?”

The head maid nodded at his question. Askal roughly grabbed the door and opened it.

“My lady!”

Schmidt, who was in the reception room, opened her eyes wide. She was surprised to see him, who should have been at the government office, appear with sweat beading on his forehead.

“Your Grace?”

Following Schmidt’s startled question came Aron’s voice.

“It’s been a while, little brother.”

Askal, who had strode in and stood beside Schmidt, spoke with clenched fists.

“Get out right now. Don’t you have no right to set foot in this mansion?”

“……I knew you’d say that.”

Schmidt quietly rose from her seat and spoke with her hands neatly folded.

“As I’ve been saying, there’s no reason for you to stay at the mansion. So I’d like you to leave now.”

“I’m also a member of the ducal family, yet there’s no reason for me to stay… You speak quite hurtfully, Duchess.”

“Shut that mouth. Don’t speak my wife’s name!”

Askal’s words were coldly sharp. He truly hated his brother who had fled, making excuses that he didn’t want to take responsibility for what he should have handled himself.

Of all things, to create a new life and then flee.

What could have been so important that he would abandon the woman he loved and his own child?

“Leave right now. Otherwise, I’ll use force.”

“I heard you’re getting married.”

Aron’s lips curled into a subtle smile as he gave an irrelevant answer to the expulsion order.

“It’s been a long time since I cut ties with the family, but I couldn’t ignore the rumor that my only brother is getting married.”

“Nonsense.”

Schmidt gently grasped Askal’s fist, which looked ready to swing at any moment. Her black eyes met his briefly before looking away.

“What do you want?”

He asked calmly, suppressing the emotions rising violently, unlike before. Aron watched Askal with interest before glancing at Schmidt and answering.

“Nothing in particular. Does a brother need a reason to visit his sibling? While I’m here, I’ll see the Duchess and collect some living expenses.”

Askal gritted his teeth, thinking he should have known.

“You piece of trash.”

Aron didn’t even blink at the harsh insult. He had a talent for getting on people’s nerves.

“I apologize, but I manage the internal affairs of the ducal family. So let’s talk to me.”

Schmidt suddenly intervened between the two. Askal pulled her with surprised eyes.

“My lady, please don’t even exchange words with such human trash. I’ll handle this.”

“You go see Rublion.”

At her words, Askal’s eyes flashed sharply. As soon as he realized something had happened before he arrived here, Schmidt grabbed his hand again and whispered.

“Rublion seemed… frightened. You go and reassure him. I’ll take care of this. Okay?”

“That bastard might do something to you.”

Schmidt pointed to the knights guarding around the reception room.

“You’re being quite affectionate in front of people.”

Aron muttered, watching the two with his arms crossed.

“Can we talk to anyone?”

Schmidt gently pushed Askal, who looked reluctant. Then she walked with clicking steps and sat on the sofa.

“Please sit, guest.”

She had no intention of calling him the former duke, even by mistake.

Schmidt recalled memories of successfully repelling the highest level of problematic guests as she wiggled her fingers.

She had no intention of easily giving in to whatever the man in front of her demanded.

Askal, who had come to the second floor under duress, quietly observed Rublion, whose mood seemed more subdued than usual.

The ends of his hair, not long after bathing, were slightly damp, and the child sitting on the bed in clothes more carefully arranged than usual looked somewhat unnatural.

“Rublion.”

At Askal’s call, the child slowly raised his head. Worry and anxiety were nestled in the black eyes that resembled his own.

“About the guest in the reception room.”

As he opened his mouth, Rublion flinched. It was indeed because of Aron.

What words should he say to reassure him?

Askal racked his brains over and over before finally deciding to say what came to mind.

“He’s probably getting scolded by my lady right now. For scaring my son.”

Rublion’s eyes widened. He shrugged, saying it might sound like a joke but it was true.

“After that, I plan to go and scold him. Very fiercely.”

He raised his hand to mime taking off his gloves while glaring. The child smiled slightly, knowing what that meant. Then he immediately drooped his shoulders and said with a hardened face.

“……The guest who came to the reception room. I think I know who it is.”

At the low mumble, Askal felt the blood draining from him.

“For me, it wasn’t that I was scared of that person himself. He’s a person of the ducal family, so he could come here. I even thought I might meet him someday. But Uncle……”

Rublion, who had always called him father without fail, suddenly called him uncle and continued speaking.