On that day, Erina hinted at conditions to Terik, telling him to think about it until she returned to Medelia.

There were only two conditions she told Terik.

That the only position available was a collateral title without succession rights, and that they would clearly sever their relationship.

Erina thought she had made quite a demand, but Terik smiled brightly and asked if that was all.

When a surprised Erina nodded, Terik said he would wait for the day she returned to Medelia and left.

Erina placed her hand on Terik’s shoulder, who was still bowing his head, turning her back on the shocked Romdrik and Viana.

Then Terik raised his head.

Looking somewhat unburdened, he was smiling brightly for the first time.

Behind the two amicable people, Romdrik could be seen flapping as if he would collapse by grabbing his nape at any moment.

“Terik.”

Terik’s body turned around.

The one who had suddenly approached and called out to Terik with a glare was Camille.

In fact, Camille had anticipated that Terik would leave because he had visited the day before and said many perplexing things.

But she couldn’t understand how he could go to Erina, who had pushed her family off a cliff.

“Lady Zillon.”

Camille’s face turned pale at Terik’s words, addressing her by her title rather than as mother.

“Terik! How dare you!”

“After all we’ve done for you, an orphan, you betray us like this!”

Terik remained unmoved by Camille’s rebuke.

Terik truly intended to turn his back on his family.

Erina looked at Romdrik, Camille, and Viana in turn, who were unable to recover from the shock, then looked up at the sky.

The hazy sky had suddenly cleared.

“Uncle, it seems it’s time for you to leave.”

Erina’s voice, as clear as the sky, broke the silence.

At Erina’s words, Baroon, who had been standing quietly behind, threw a single bag in front of the three people.

“His Majesty has shown mercy. This is what he has allowed for you who must return to the Zillon barony with nothing.”

The bag Erina threw as if giving alms was not so large that even Viana could carry it.

Romdrik’s face turned pale.

This single bag was all he had to show for 18 years of building up Medelia.

Romdrik simply couldn’t accept it.

“This can’t be. It’s impossible!”

The agitated Romdrik suddenly rushed towards Erina, but was quickly subdued by Baroon.

“Aagh!”

Baroon silently grabbed Romdrik and forced him to kneel.

“Uncle.”

Romdrik looked up at Erina standing in front of him with a dazed expression.

“Don’t feel wronged. I’ve only done to you exactly what you did to me.”

Erina looked down at Romdrik coldly.

He was the one who had taken everything from her, leaving nothing in her hands, and married her off to the Iolls family.

He should have been grateful to even be left with a bag.

Erina turned her back on the three stunned people.

There was a mountain of work to be done at the Medelia mansion.

Romdrik saw Erina turning towards the mansion.

Behind Erina, he could see all the luggage he had packed so carefully being returned to its place.

“No, no. How can I… after all I did to get that…”

Romdrik, still held by Baroon, suddenly screamed and writhed.

“After what I did to get that position, after all the things I did!”

“Darling!”

At Romdrik’s scream, Camille approached him with a pale face.

“I, I… my brother…!”

“Stop it!”

Camille suddenly rushed forward and slapped Romdrik hard on the cheek to silence him.

Erina, who had been walking slowly, stopped at the strange behavior and words of the two.

As Erina turned to look at them, Camille hurriedly picked up the bag thrown on the ground and pulled Romdrik.

Romdrik, seemingly realizing his mistake, followed Camille with a face turned blue.

As Viana stood dazed by the sudden actions of the two, Camille urged her.

“Viana, what are you doing? Come quickly!”

Camille hurried away from the mansion with the two in tow.

She hastened to leave Erina’s presence as if afraid of being caught.

Erina watched the three people quickly disappear.

She had clearly heard Romdrik mention his brother.

Romdrik’s brother was Erina’s father.

Romdrik’s strangely significant words bothered her.

“Shall we bring them back?”

When Heila, standing beside her, quietly asked, Erina shook her head.

If it was suspicious, she could always look into it later.

“Let’s go inside.”

Erina entered the mansion under the gaze of maids and servants busy organizing the luggage that had been loaded onto the carriage.

Passing through the main gate and the small garden, she saw the mansion with its doors wide open.

Entering the mansion, she saw the interior as empty as a house that had just been moved out of.

“My, how thoroughly they tried to pack everything away.”

Heila commented on the excessively clean mansion.

Erina, having expected this to some extent, moved with a calm smile.

Her destination was none other than the study.

The study was likewise empty, with only a single desk remaining.

Erina quietly looked around the study and slowly ran her hand over the desk.

Though the wallpaper, floor, and desk had all changed, in Erina’s mind, she remembered the time when her father stood there in her childhood.

Strangely, the cherished moments that had been hard to recall after Romdrik took over this room now came back vividly.

The desk that seemed enormous to her young self, her father’s portrait, her own picture hanging in a frame.

Erina thought she would cry when she reclaimed this room, but oddly, she just felt like smiling.

“Erina.”

When she turned at Heila’s call, the room was full of people waiting for her.

Erina, startled back to her senses, spoke.

“Now then, first, Heila, please check if the remaining maids and servants have properly organized the luggage in the mansion.”

“Shall we gather when it’s finished?”

“No, dismiss them all.”

Heila answered with a bright smile, saying she understood, and left.

The servants, unaware that the mansion’s owner had changed and unsure whose orders to swiftly follow, were as good as useless.

“Then we shall divide into teams and briefly inspect the surroundings and interior of the mansion.”

“Thank you, Baroon.”

As Baroon moved with the knights, only Terik, who had quietly followed, remained in the study.

“Terik.”

“Yes, Lady Countess.”

Terik answered and stood before Erina.

Erina felt that the thread of darkness that had always enveloped Terik had disappeared.

Erina, who was about to ask if he had any regrets, swallowed her question and smiled.

“I shall bestow a title upon you. Under the Emperor’s permission, in the name of Erina Bril Medelia, I hereby grant you the non-hereditary title of Baron Semul.”

Terik knelt on one knee before Erina, placed his right hand on his left chest, and bowed his head.

Originally, only the Emperor could bestow titles, but with imperial permission, it was possible to grant non-hereditary titles of a family’s collateral line.

“Thank you.”

“Rise, Baron Semul.”

As Terik stood, Erina suddenly extended her hand to him.

Though puzzled, he quickly grasped her hand.

“You asked to work by my side. From today, please serve as my temporary aide.”

“Lady Countess.”

Terik’s eyes widened.

The position of aide was given only to those who were trusted.

“It’s temporary, Baron Semul. If you want to work officially, you’ll have to strive hard.”

Erina knew that he had consistently ranked first at the Academy, which only heirs of noble families attended.

That was partly why she had earmarked Terik as an aide early on.

The reason Terik, who wasn’t an heir, went to the Academy was a bit absurd.

It was because Viana, the heir, strongly refused to go to the Academy.

So, in case Viana inherited the family in the future, Terik went to study at the Academy instead to work as an aide by her side.

Romdrik and Camille made excuses that they asked because they trusted Terik, but that only frustrated him more.

Erina knew what he desperately wanted.

He wanted to stand in the world as his own person, not as someone’s substitute.

Erina knew this, so she intended to use him.

“Baron Semul, I-”

“I know, Lady Countess.”

Reading Erina’s hesitation, Terik instead smiled brightly and interrupted her words.

“You may use me for anything, anytime.”

“It could be disadvantageous only to you.”

“It’s fine. If I think of it as payment for the hope you’ve given me, it’s incredibly cheap.”

Terik spoke jokingly to lighten the mood that was becoming heavy.

Nevertheless, Erina’s face remained downcast.

“Lady Countess.”

“Baron Semul, I kept you simply to show others that I’m different from them.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Unlike them, who wouldn’t hesitate to abandon a young niece for power, I’m doing this out of a base desire to show that I embrace even those I dislike if they have ability.”

“I understand.”

“It’s my greed to remain flawless even though it doesn’t suit me.”

Terik gently turned the hand he was shaking and carefully covered the back of Erina’s hand with his own, patting it.

“You can be greedier. You don’t need to feel guilty about this. The fact that you’ve acknowledged me, with that alone, I thought I could live however I wanted.”

At Terik’s kind words, Erina blurted out, overwhelmed:

“The vile pointing fingers of ignorant fools might be directed at you. They might spew filthy words, saying you’re leeching off your family.”

“All within expected range.”

“Brother Terik.”

“Just remain as my hope, as you are now. That’s enough.”

Erina wanted to ask why he would go so far, but also didn’t want to ask.

It was because she dared not measure the value of the hope Terik held.

The two stood for a long time in silence, their backs to an invisible, faint portrait.