Chapter 8
“I had a slight fever, so I was resting. I’m sorry I couldn’t come out to greet you. Were you… disappointed?”
Was he disappointed? Or had he… hoped?
Maybe, just maybe…
As he repeated those maybes in his mind, Rashid realized he had been waiting for her.
A faint, bitter smile formed on his lips as he reflected on his own feelings.
Unlike himself, confused and uncertain, Tericia—who had orchestrated all of this—seemed so calm, almost unaffected. It felt unfair.
“So, what brings you here?”
Her voice was gentle.
“I was curious about your new quarters.”
“Were you?”
Her indifferent response sent a chill through him.
“But now…”
“Now?”
“……”
Once again, he swallowed the maybes and the not yet. Rashid decided to set emotion aside and stick to the facts.
“I heard… you’re the one who arranged for me to return to the main house.”
Tericia didn’t answer.
She simply lifted her teacup and took a sip.
It was hard to count how many cups she’d had by now, but the delicate flavor still lingered in her mouth.
Rashid watched her for a moment, then asked again,
“…Why did you help me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard you’re also the one who brought my new tutor.”
“……”
“Why are you helping me?”
The boy with jet-black hair and golden eyes—the symbol of House Hespelt—looked at her with a calm but penetrating gaze.
“Do I need a reason to help my younger brother?”
“You’ve thought of me as your younger brother…?”
Rashid let out a quiet, scoffing laugh.
There was a time when he had believed it—when he thought they only had each other.
But that time had been short.
And without explanation, Tericia had disappeared from his life.
He had replayed that silence over and over.
How hope turned to bitterness, and bitterness into indifference—it hadn’t taken long.
They were family, and yet… not.
Tericia lowered her eyes, hiding the bitterness in her expression.
Rashid Hespelt was the heir to the duchy.
Not some outsider who’d stumbled in—
He had always belonged here, deeply rooted from the beginning, destined to become one of the Empire’s foundations.
Her throat felt tight.
“House Hespelt is yours, Rashid.”
Rashid’s brow furrowed slightly.
With Boren still holding sway, she would never relinquish her grip willingly. He had thought Tericia would be no different—that she would side with her mother.
“I don’t intend to take what’s yours.”
“……”
“But just because something is yours doesn’t mean it will be given to you.
You have to fight for it.
If it comes to you too easily—just because you were born the Duke’s son—then it will be taken just as easily.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Maybe that was what Adler had meant too.
Nothing belonged to those who didn’t strive.
In this world, only those who desired something and fought for it would attain it.
“If we can’t be family… then let’s be allies, Rashid. Make a pact with me. I won’t follow my mother’s ambition. But I don’t yet have the strength to defy her, either.”
Rashid said nothing and simply listened.
“I don’t want to take what’s yours. But I won’t live powerless either. I want you to inherit House Hespelt completely—wholly.”
“…You mean to help me become Duke?”
“Yes.”
Tericia took a sip of tea.
It had grown lukewarm and tasted more bitter than before.
Rashid waited until she set her cup down before asking again,
“And what will you gain from this, sister?”
“My place… as your older sister?”
At her response, Rashid’s brow twisted. Amused, Tericia chuckled. Which only seemed to annoy him more.
“You’re adorable, Rashid.”
“Nuuunim!”
“What I want,” she said with a smile.
Tericia spoke in a quiet voice.
“One day—not now, but once enough time has passed, and when you’ve gained the strength and the right to do so…”
“……”
“Grant me one wish, Rashid.”
“A wish…?”
“Yes. No matter what it is—just one. That’s all I ask.”
The complex expression on Rashid’s face suggested he was carefully weighing the hidden meaning behind her words.
As if trying to determine whether she was sincere, he let out a small sigh.
“It’s not like you’re going to ask me to give up the dukedom or anything.”
“Of course not.”
Rashid fell silent again.
His impassive expression only revealed how deep his thoughts ran.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, they saw only each other.
“…Very well.”
At last, Rashid spoke.
“When I have rightfully gained both the power and the authority—”
“……”
“—I will grant your wish, Sister.”
Tericia smiled faintly at his answer.
“Then it’s a deal. From now on, things are going to get busy. I’ve got a lot of chaos to stir up.”
“You’ve already caused plenty.”
Rashid’s tone sounded unimpressed.
When she saw his gaze linger briefly on her still-slightly-swollen cheek, Tericia laughed again.
For some reason, laughter kept slipping out today.
“I suppose so. I’ve already taken one hit.”
Rashid… my sweet little brother.
Rashid narrowed his eyes slightly without realizing.
For the briefest moment, the bright smile on Tericia’s face reminded him of the way she used to smile—long ago.
Maybe…
He forced his gaze away, barely managing to look elsewhere.
“Oh, and one more thing—I really hate Count Clu. Once you become Duke, make sure he can’t come within ten steps of me.”
“You want to use your wish on that?”
“As if. That’s just a favor.”
As he let out a long sigh, Tericia playfully smiled.
But her next words were heavy with meaning.
“I’ll help you in every way I can.”
“…Yes.”
He had so much to learn—so much strength to build.
He would have to make up for the time wasted and the time lost.
“Find your rightful place.”
It was then that Rashid finally realized, the feeling in her eyes as she looked at him was love.
A quiet, protective affection.
Something stirred in his chest.
Only two years apart. Just a two-year difference. And yet, that gap felt enormous.
Rashid clenched his fists.
“You too, Sister.”
His voice, still tinged with youth, trembled slightly.
“If there’s ever anything you need from me, please don’t hesitate. I will help you too.”
“Right. I forgot—you’re here too.”
Tericia’s laughter rang out, clear and bright. It was the kind of laughter that sounded genuinely joyful.
“I need your help too, Rashid. I don’t have power yet. But I’ll work to gain it.”
“……”
“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“Yes, Sister.”
Having said everything he came to say, Rashid stood up.
“I’ll come see you from time to time.”
He bowed politely to Tericia and turned to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he paused, as if remembering something, and looked back at her.
His eyes carried the weight of many swirling thoughts.
“Sister.”
Rashid spoke quietly.
“If… If this time, you—”
“Yes?”
“……”
He opened his mouth to say something but stopped short. Then, with a quiet sigh, he shook his head.
“It’s nothing. Please get some rest.”
And this time, he really did leave.
Once Rashid was gone, the room felt strangely empty.
Tericia sat still, not moving from her seat, lost in thought.
Was what she was doing truly the right thing?
Was this really for Rashid’s sake?
What if her interference only made things harder for him?
There was no way for her to know. But even if she didn’t have certainty, she couldn’t bring herself to stop.
She only wished she could’ve let Rashid enjoy his childhood a little longer.
But time was too short.
She had to ensure the future she remembered never came to pass.
So that in a new future, Rashid could survive and fully claim what was rightfully his.
The less certainty she had, the faster she had to move.
“I’m sorry I’m making you grow up too fast, Rashid.”
It was a soft whisper spoken after a long silence.
In the dim room, her apology—one that would never reach him—quietly echoed.
＊＊＊
As Harris approached Tericia’s room, he came to an abrupt stop.
In nearly twenty years of serving as the head butler, this was the first time he found himself instinctively pausing before entering.
His face remained composed, but inwardly, he was taken aback. Tericia’s room was a complete mess.
Dresses and jewelry were strewn across the floor, and Tericia stood in the middle, inspecting and sorting through them.
“This one can be sold… That one? Mother would notice it’s gone, so put it back. Oh, and that necklace was a gift from the Duke—keep that.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Mandy moved swiftly, following Tericia’s instructions to a tee. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were perfectly in sync.
“Harris.”
Tericia noticed his arrival and stepped forward.
“Please stay there, Miss! I’ll come to you!”
She stumbled slightly trying to avoid the piles of belongings, causing Harris to panic and rush to her.
“I’m fine. What about what I asked you for?”
Instead of replying, he handed her a ledger. Tericia received it and carefully flipped through the pages.
Her ease with the task was remarkable—but even more striking was how much she resembled her stepfather, the Duke, in that moment.
“Mother’s expenses are quite high.”
“She does have a fondness for extravagance.”
Tericia nodded, recalling how her mother always had to buy the latest dresses and jewels the moment they became available.
Baroness Boren sought to prove her worth through lavish displays.
“But something’s not right. Even considering maintenance of status, the spending is excessive.”
A page turned with a sharp rustle.
“Is there any reason to purchase this many jewels?”
“Well, that’s certainly…”
“Jewels can serve… other purposes too.”
“……”
He immediately understood what Tericia was implying. That Baroness Boren might be involved in something more—something beyond what was publicly known.
Exactly what, he couldn’t say—but one thing was clear.
“I wonder if Rashid will be all right.”
Harris glanced around, pretending not to know anything. Tericia, on the other hand, looked deeply troubled.
She had no authority to stop her mother’s actions.
As Duchess, her mother had every right to make those expenditures—especially if she claimed they were for maintaining her dignity and status.
“I didn’t know you could read ledgers.”
Harris finally spoke, surprised by how naturally she handled the finances.
Tericia froze for a moment. Then, a faint, bitter smile appeared on her lips.
“I didn’t know either.”
Her skill was far from a beginner’s. The way she checked incomes, expenses, and totals with precision she had clearly done this before.
Where had she learned it? No one had taught her, as far as he knew.
Harris swallowed the question before it could reach his lips.
