“So you let go of your old nurse?” Sedrick asked, out of the blue.

She’d known this would come up sooner or later. Lilienne poured tea into Sedrick’s half-empty cup. It had taken a herculean effort to drink at least half of that awful tea, and he felt himself flinching before he could stop himself. Luckily, his sister didn’t notice.

“Ah, you heard.”

“Yes... Just recently.”

His sister’s demeanor had almost completely changed after she’d been sick. Sedrick was glad for all of it, but the thing he liked the most was that she was always collected and never looked shocked by anything he said. Knowing this might be a sensitive subject, he felt extremely relieved that she was responding so calmly. But since she looked willing to talk about it...

“I would like to ask why.”

Lilienne’s old nanny, who’d been allied with her mother, had always been the first to torment the young Sedrick. He’d known the kind of person she was and had been determined to get rid of her at the earliest possible chance, but he’d hesitated to take action because, ironically, he’d been worried about Lilienne. His younger sister was only twelve years old, and she had recently lost her mother.

Perhaps it’s because of the loss that she has matured so speedily...

Sedrick had hesitated to cast the nanny out of the castle because he was concerned that his sister might still be dependent on the woman who’d been with her since childhood. He’d decided to wait, telling himself that he didn’t want to unduly hurt his sister’s feelings, and instead only ordered his butler to carefully observe the woman from afar.

His butler, however, had returned with a surprising message.

“You don’t need to concern yourself with that woman anymore, my lord.”

“What do you mean, Alan?”

“Lady Lilienne fired her a few days ago.”

It was splendid news, but rather than cheering with joy, Sedrick had been shaken. Only good things seemed to be happening lately... Surely, they would soon come to an end.

“Did it, perhaps... have to do with me...?” He was worried that she’d acted against her own interests because she’d cared for her brother’s feelings above her own.

Lilienne didn’t know why Sedrick looked so hesitant, but she decided to speak her mind plainly.

“Truthfully, I can’t say no,” she said, and Sedrick’s face darkened. “What?” She looked at him quizzically.

“You...”

Unable to refuse the teacup his sister was pushing his way, he picked it up and took a small sip, his tongue immediately growing numb from the acrid taste. “There was... no need... You shouldn’t feel the need to act on my behalf,” he said, finally managing to get the words out.

Oh, no. Lilienne finally understood what her brother was so concerned about. He had misunderstood the situation and thought that she was going out of her way to please him. In one sense, he wasn’t wrong—she was trying to please him, but obviously Sedrick was now silently berating himself for being such a poor guardian that his younger sister had felt the need to step up and protect him.

Lilienne let out a deep sigh.

How do I solve this? She first decided to pry her brother’s icy fingers apart and place the warm teacup back into his hands.

In an assertive voice, she said, “Don’t misunderstand me. It wasn’t only because of you, brother. She was not a loyal caretaker.”

“Oh... really?” Sedrick found it hard to believe his sister’s words, but a new thought occurred to him. He frowned and Lilienne looked at him, confused again, but Sedrick didn’t answer. He was lost in his thoughts as he ran through recent events in his head. His sister had taken to bed with a debilitating illness, being so sick that she had lost consciousness for a week.

But then she turned the nurse out of the castle as soon as she woke up, saying that it was because she hadn’t been ‘a loyal caretaker’? Sedrick felt his anger flare and he gritted his teeth. How poorly did she treat the sick child?

His sister was incredibly affectionate, being extremely generous to a brother who’d treated her all her life as if she hadn’t existed. How much more love and affection would she have for someone who’d always been there for her?

How negligent had this woman been, to spur this child to kick her out of the castle as soon as she woke up? His fury was palpable now, but he tried his best to keep it at bay so as not to frighten his sister. Tamping down on his anger, Sedrick said, “There may be complications if you fire people without warning. In the future, please come talk to me so I can help you with whatever you need.”

What he was really saying was, Don’t trouble your pretty little head about these matters. Your big brother will take care of everything for you.

“Yes, brother,” she said, nodding complacently. Sedrick felt practically sick with regret.

If he’d only paid more attention to her from the start, then she wouldn’t have gotten into this situation at all.

It’s all my fault. He felt acutely embarrassed at the way he’d been preening and flaunting his wealth, tossing expensive things her way while she’d had to deal with this situation all by herself. This whole time I should have been paying more attention to how she was being cared for.

He was almost in pain at how foolish he’d been. Of course, Lilienne had no idea that Sedrick was now berating himself. Assuming that her brother was more experienced in these matters, she figured he wanted to deal with these issues instead of her.

“I did give her a generous severance fee, but you’re right—there could have been some unforeseen consequences,” she said, trying to sound understanding.

Sedrick thought that it was astounding how nonchalant she was, discussing issues that were well above her age. He worried for her. She was almost too smart and capable for her own good.

Is this all just her pretending?

He didn’t want her to learn to pretend to be okay, no matter what. He realized, somewhat selfishly, that he wanted her to rely on him instead of fixing problems herself.

“You weren’t afraid of any backlash?” he asked. There was no reason for Sedrick to be worried about the actions of a lowly nurse, but she had been part of his stepmother’s retinue.

It was entirely possible that she could spread tales about the wrongdoings of Lilienne’s mother, which would harm the daughter’s reputation. When one’s honor and reputation were ruined, it was hard to fathom what could happen as a result. A smart child-like Lilienne would surely know that as well.

Lilienne, however, smiled and said, “Mm... Nope.”

“Not at all?”

“Why should I be afraid?” she asked, genuinely curious as to why. “My one and only brother is one of the seven prince-electors of our empire, the leader of Turine, and the head of the Islar family. Why should I, his sister, be afraid of a nanny who was fired from her position because of her own wrongdoing?”

Sedrick felt dazed. He struggled to process what he’d just heard. So she wasn’t acting as though she was completely on her own. She’d said that she wasn’t afraid because she knew she had her brother. She knew she could depend on me, her foolish brother.

He was happy. Probably too happy. He felt a huge wave of affection roll over him, so intense that for a moment, he couldn’t speak.

Lilienne, who of course had no idea that her brother was engulfed in a sea of emotions, laughed and continued to speak. “I don’t want to waste my time on silly worries.”

Worrying was silly because she had Sedrick. She didn’t say it to flatter her brother. She said it because it was the truth. She also wasn’t aware of how much impact her words had on him at that moment.

Gazing at her, Sedrick slowly considered how his sister felt about their family. Even under the protection of a mighty father, Lilienne Islar had been a weak, teary child. Sedrick had spent so much time avoiding her, just to make sure he didn’t accidentally make her cry. But now, this same child was relying on him and finding comfort in the fact that he was here.

He had a sudden thought. Perhaps I’ve been too haunted by failing to fill my father’s shoes. Perhaps... I am not actually a poor leader for the Islar family.

His chest felt tight. Perhaps his father would not have fully approved, but perhaps he was doing well enough so that his father wasn’t rolling over in his grave. Sedrick stopped himself from thinking further.

No, stop that... I cannot assume how someone would feel when they aren’t with us anymore. In his heart, Sedrick knew the real truth. He knew that the nightmares of his father were tied up in his own fear of failure and that now he wouldn’t be haunted by these visions anymore.

Now... Now I know there’s one thing I’m doing better than my father.

The sight of Lilienne in front of him was a testament to this fact. He was doing well, and he would continue to do well.

Sedrick sipped at his tea again, and the deep, crimson liquid seemed to pour warmth through his whole body. He was loath to stop the pleasant waves that were rolling inside him, finally putting his mind at ease.