Mikael followed the children upstairs.

I gathered clothes suitable for a guest and went to Louis’s room.

When I opened the door, Mikael was sitting on his knees on the floor.

“Why are you sitting like that?”

“Ah, the floor is warm…”

The heated floor is indeed nice.

I nodded and extended the things I’d brought.

“Please sit comfortably. These are clothes and slippers for you to change into.”

“……Thank you.”

He looked shy even while accepting something.

Soon after, a growling sound came from a stomach.

The source was Mikael.

“Once you’ve changed, I’ll prepare something for you to eat.”

“……Yes. Truly thank you……”

“No more thanks allowed.”

Mikael looked grumpy, deprived of his opportunity to express gratitude.

‘It’s late, let’s keep it simple.’

I went downstairs to the kitchen while he changed.

‘Would an egg sandwich suffice?’

I mashed boiled eggs, sprinkled mayonnaise, and seasoned with pepper and salt.

It was a nutritious snack for us: bread filled with plenty of egg mixture.

Though the recipe was simple, the amount of mayonnaise used changed the flavor significantly.

I returned to the room with a plate of sandwiches with the crusts cut off.

“Here you go.”

“……What’s this?”

“It’s an egg sandwich. And milk.”

I found Mikael around dinner time.

If he’d been wandering since noon, it’s natural for him to be hungry.

Mikael’s eyes couldn’t leave the sandwich.

Observing for a moment, Mikael carefully took a bite of the sandwich.

“……!”

His small murmuring mouth stopped, and stars sparkled in his eyes.

A moment later, he abandoned his timid demeanor and devoured half the sandwich in three bites.

“It’s really delicious. The eggs are soft…… It goes well with the bread. It doesn’t clog my throat, and it’s a taste that makes me want to keep eating.”

His blue eyes sparkled, making his already beautiful face even more lovely.

‘Is this a royal characteristic?’

These royals really knew how to express flavors in a way that was pleasing.

“Eat more if you’d like. And drink some milk.”

Even in his hurried eating, he was graceful. A male lead is a male lead, I thought.

‘But why does he resemble the third?’

It felt like finding a lost twin sibling.

As Mikael finished eating, Louis approached.

“Mikael brother, let’s do this together.”

What Louis brought out was ‘Rexsha,’ a board game similar to chess.

Mikael couldn’t take his eyes off Rexsha.

He seemed interested, yet uneasy about someone approaching him.

“I haven’t played that kind of thing before……”

“I’ll teach you.”

“Uh, th, thanks.”

Led by Evan’s hand, Mikael moved toward the table.

The original two chairs had one added.

I looked at the gathered goldenhaired figures.

‘Getting along well.’

Especially, Evan seemed to be taking good care of Mikael.

Louis, who was watching, proudly boasted about Evan.

“Evan teaches well, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, Louis, you have a good brother.”

“Hehe.”

Louis giggled.

Evan pointed at the board, as if to focus.

“This part is difficult.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll pay attention.”

The rules were unfamiliar to a beginner.

‘It will take time to teach him.’

I decided to borrow Louis for a moment.

“Lord Louis, could you help me for a moment?”

“Huh? Sure!”

“Only Lord Louis could!”

“……Did you just hear that?”

Louis proudly announced himself to Evan and Mikael, then abruptly stood up.

“I’ll be back soon. Both of you, keep playing.”

“I’ll be back!”

With that, Louis waving his hand was the last thing seen before the door closed.

I entered an empty room with Louis.

Roaming inside, Louis hurriedly approached me.

“What can I help with?”

“Uh, actually, I have something to ask.”

“Huh?”

Louis, who caused a big incident with such a cute face, was quite impressive.

‘Actually, Mikael’s mother and Kashar have a contentious relationship. So, wouldn’t Kashar want to kill Mikael?’

However, I couldn’t say this to a child.

I suppressed the truth rising in my throat and smiled.
“Prince Mikael, how did you become close?”

Mikael being in the duchy was already late news.

However, the circumstances under which he and Louis became friends seemed worth listening to.

“Ah, that. I can’t say.”

As expected, Louis made a “hmm” sound and covered his mouth with his hand.

But there was a way to make him spill it all.

“Prince Mikael looks troubled. I think I can help if I know why.”

“……Uh, right.”

Louis opened his eyes wide and then nodded his head.

“My brother was struggling. He was actually crying at the time.”

Louis and Mikael had met on the balcony of the philanthropist party hall.

While exploring the hall, Louis opened the balcony door and discovered Mikael, who was crying alone.

The two immediately recognized that they were both siblings and royals.

“My brother also failed to awaken like me. So he couldn’t join the royal gathering, and he said he was sorry to our mother.”

Receiving indifference from those around him, Mikael had always been lonely.

He had eagerly awaited his awakening at the age of fifteen as his last chance to gain recognition from others.