Lilienne was giving him a long, piercing look. Sedrick was so surprised that his mind went blank, unsure exactly what he’d done wrong. His sister’s gaze was normally gentle and downward cast. Her eyes were as blue and fresh as the early morning sky. However, those blue eyes were now glaring at him, and Sedrick felt like he’d committed a grand atrocity.

A complete orphan... Her words echoed in his head. He’d never thought of that before. If something happened to him, then she’d be all alone in the world with no one else who shared her bloodline.

“I-I see...” he muttered, feeling a bit ashamed.

The two of them stared at each other, realizing that neither of them were total orphans because they weren’t alone. They had each other. The feelings of hopelessness, the crushing weight that he was feeling—it wasn’t simply from this huge new burden of leadership.

It was also because he’d been afraid that he was all alone in this vast, bleak world.

The Islar family had always been lacking in heirs, so theirs was a fragile existence. Each generation narrowly passed on the mantle to the next, precious, single heir. There were also no other blood relatives outside their immediate family. And if blood was so important...

It dawned on Sedrick that right here in front of him was a member of his own blood, his one and only remaining family. A strange relief washed over him—it was as if he were stepping back on land after a long voyage at sea. It was almost ridiculous how much better he suddenly felt. Also...

She sounds concerned about me. Was she feeling the same way as him right now? He felt his chest tighten with emotion and before he realized it, he found himself stretching out a hand to gently tousle her hair.

“Brother?”

Lilienne looked shocked, but she didn’t avoid his touch, so Sedrick let go of his trepidation and continued to pat her. Her head felt even smaller under his hand, and her hair was soft and wispy. He was instinctively careful, her hair feeling so fine and fragile that the strands might snag on anything.

And she just recovered from a serious illness.

The thought weighed on his mind that this small thing in front of him, his little sister, had nearly been snatched away before he could have even realized what he’d lost. The thought chilled his blood.

How dangerous that period was... Lilienne had no idea what her brother was thinking about. Her concern had only increased when he’d suddenly started stroking her hair. It was a highly uncharacteristic move for him. I don’t think he’s going to listen to me, but...

Lilienne took a deep breath to steady herself. “I changed my mind,” she said firmly. “I do need something from you.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“I need you to take a nap.”

Sedrick’s hand stopped moving, but Lilienne kept talking, adding more to her demand.

“You must sleep for at least three hours. You’ll grant me this request, won’t you?”

He looked at her silently.

“I do hope that the Marquis of Turine, the leader of the Islar family, will grant me this request, as he offered?”

Her words didn’t have quite the effect on him that she’d expected.

“Ha... Ha, haha!” His face lit up as he burst into genuine laughter.

Lilienne was speechless. I had no idea he could laugh like that.

Still amused, Sedrick relished in her surprised expression. Now that the preternaturally calm look had been wiped from her face, she looked more like the child she actually was.

“Yes, okay, I will rest,” he said, still grinning. “If that’s what you wish, then I will do it.”

If anyone else had asked, he wouldn’t have even pretended to listen, but since it was Lilienne, he thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give in to her, at least just this once.

She was his only remaining family, after all.

* * *

Sedrick hated dishonesty. For him, it was unthinkable to say one thing and do something else, so even this promise to a small child was carried out exactly according to her wishes. Sedrick slept for three whole hours, and when he woke up he felt a lot more refreshed and alert.

“You look much better today, my lord,” observed his butler.

“Alan,” said Sedrick, acknowledging him with a nod.

Sedrick had inherited the head butler, Sir Alan Hayworth, along with the rest of the estate when he’d become the new lord of the castle. The man came from the Hayworth family—an aristocratic family that had exclusively served each Marquis of Turine from generation to generation.

Alan was not just an aide but also a viscount in his own right. He was in charge of all domestic affairs in Turine and also acted as Sedrick’s personal escort and right-hand man. As his closest aide, Alan never suggested the young lord try to rest more, knowing that he would never listen.

“I worried you might end up collapsing from overworking yourself. I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”

Sedrick pretended not to hear him and said, “I’d like you to make a rearrangement within the household.”

“Yes, my lord?”

Sedrick handed him a few documents without a word, and Alan glanced through them.

Household accounts? His eyes grew wide. He’s completely changing Lilienne Islar’s income!

He was shocked at the new amount his lord had stipulated. It was five times greater than the original.

“My lord?” Alan said, his question unspoken.

“She’s the only remaining Islar other than myself, even if she was born from a different mother,” said Sedrick in a clipped voice. “She will also soon be royalty. Thus, her current income is insufficient.”

“I... I agree, my lord.”

Even so, for her household budget to be increased fivefold was completely unprecedented. Alan glanced at his lord, who was already busying himself with other papers. He looked as if he would brook no argument.

Something’s happened, Alan realized. Even so, he knew his lord would never share with him what had changed. How much a lord compensated each individual member of his family was a private matter, and Alan had no desire to pry.

“I understand, my lord. It will be done right away.”

“One more thing,” said Sedrick, stopping Alan as he began to rise from his chair.

“Yes?”

Sedrick dipped his quill into the ink pot and wrote on a new piece of parchment, the scratching sounds filling the room.

“Who is looking after the child now?”

“I believe it’s the maid who used to care for her late mother, sir.”

His stepmother’s maid... Sedrick frowned.

“The maid always held your mother’s interests close to her heart,” added Alan, making his opinion about her quite clear.

Lilienne’s nanny, her mother’s old maid, had often tormented Sedrick in small, irritating ways, always gleeful to do the bidding of her mistress. Both Alan and Sedrick knew her nasty temperament and greedy ways.

“Hmm,” said Sedrick, frowning more deeply as he thought it over. “Observe the two of them carefully for now.”

“Yes, my lord.” Alan nodded sharply and stood up, moving to leave. “Again, I don’t know what got you to take a break finally, but I’m very glad to see it. Thanks to you, I now don’t have to avoid my mother’s reprimands today.”

Alan’s mother, Madam Hayworth, was the head maid of the castle, and she had once been Sedrick’s nanny. Being rather overprotective, she often berated her hapless son for not taking care of their lord whenever she saw how overworked he looked.

Sedrick couldn’t help but sigh. His people really were too meddlesome, always overly concerned and coddling him. Well, I suppose it’s all for the better...

There was one major difference between their empire and the other kingdoms—it was the existence of the seven prince-electors. Before the Rupenwein family had ascended, each of the princes had ruled their own domains, but had been coaxed under the Rupenwein banner in exchange for immense power and privileges. That was around when their former prince-elector, Sedrick’s father, had been born.

The princes had an unusual amount of control within the empire. They were able to cast votes to accept or veto the power of the current Rupenwein ruler. If the princes voted unanimously to reject the emperor, then he would immediately be deprived of his title and all his authority.

The Marquis of Turine was one of these princes.

Not that a unanimous veto has ever occurred yet. Even if it had been, in practice, a nominal honor so far, it was still a great privilege to be able to deny the emperor his right to rule.

The illustrious Islar family, as well, had a family tree that stretched back to a time even before the formation of the seven domains, and the weight of the family name was now all on his shoulders. Sedrick now had to deal with the extreme burden of his responsibilities while also projecting the power and majesty of the Islars. In the middle of all this, his younger sister had thrown a tantrum upon hearing that she was engaged and then had taken to bed, seriously ill.

There had been no time for him to take things slowly, nor anyone to guide or even compliment him on a job well done. The work was so much that on most days, he couldn’t even get all of it done. Night after night, he’d fallen asleep after an exhausting day but had then been haunted by the sight of his father, railing at him with bloody tears flowing down his cheeks.

You’re a disastrous wreck!

Sedrick would jolt awake in the middle of the night, his scant few hours of sleep ruined by nightmares. As a result, Sedrick buried himself in his work and did nothing else. He often felt breathless and choked by the weight of filling his father’s shoes and also knew that he would not be able to let down this burden for a long time. Sedrick merely nodded at Alan.

“Thank you as always for your service,” he said.

“I’ll have less to worry about if you continue resting more, my lord,” said Alan dryly.

Sedrick didn’t reply. Alan peered at his lord a moment longer, watching him become deeply immersed in his pile of work. He knew he could do nothing to help.

He let out a deep sigh and backed out of the room, closing the door quietly.