Chapter 1 – Different Dreams in the Same Bed

Returning to his hometown after several years, Lucien found everything both familiar and strangely foreign. As if piecing together a puzzle, he imprinted the slightly altered scenery into his memory, and only after a long ride did the carriage carrying Lucien stop in front of a grand mansion.

Even in the capital, where palaces and noble residences lined the streets, the historic Delaroz mansion was famous for its grandeur. Years had only added to its majestic and antique beauty.

“It still looks just as boring as ever.”

Even in front of an architectural marvel that everyone admired, Lucien muttered indifferently. It was a sentiment fitting for Lucien, known as the odd one of the Delaroz family.

The Delaroz family, renowned for producing distinguished scholars for generations, had Lucien as the exception.

Those bearing the Delaroz name were all known for their exceptional intellect, slender figures, and gentle, herbivore-like images. The eldest, a great scholar, and the second, a high official, both gave off a delicate impression, with tall statures that nevertheless always triggered the protective instincts of young ladies—a common trait of the Delaroz family.

Except for the youngest, Lucien.

Of course, his strikingly pale skin matched his brothers, but his muscular physique, befitting his height, and the calluses on his long fingers from years of training marked him unmistakably as a warrior.

While his brothers busied themselves with books and pens, accumulating knowledge, Lucien rolled on the dirt floor of the mansion’s unused training ground, learning swordsmanship and horsemanship. He grew up as a perfect predator through all sorts of physical training.

“Oh my, it seems you’ve grown even more. Truly, you’re my son, but I’m surprised every time I see you.”

“Is that something to say to your son after years apart, Mother?”

“Your face is just like your brothers’… So, how was the sea breeze?”

“Being in the navy doesn’t mean I’m always at sea. Most of the time, I’m stuck doing tedious paperwork at headquarters.”

Looking at her youngest, who grumbled as if he couldn’t sit still, Lucien’s second brother, Kyle, let out a small laugh.

“News keeps coming in about your success in the pirate crackdown. Seeing you act modest, maybe you’ve matured. Thanks to you, I have more work reporting to His Majesty, but still…”

“Oh, I’ll try harder so you’ll have to keep working overtime.”

“…Right. Of course, you haven’t matured.”

Unable to even praise him for a moment, Kyle clicked his tongue and turned away from his mischievous younger brother’s grin. In this unchanged scene, Helena, Lucien’s mother and head of the Delaroz family, felt her lips tremble with a smile.

Watching her youngest tease his elder brother with sly words, Helena was reminded of old memories, feeling briefly nostalgic and complicated.

‘Dear, whose personality does he take after?’

Her late husband had been even more faint-hearted than she, so it couldn’t be his genes. It was a mystery the more she thought about it. At least Lucien hadn’t grown up a scoundrel and had become a naval officer useful to society and the country. And he knew how to put on a polite face in public.

Though she pretended to scold him, Helena was still blinded by affection for Lucien, and among his good-natured brothers, Lucien remained the beloved youngest of the Delaroz family. No matter how much he shuddered and protested, it was a fact that would never change, much to Lucien’s misfortune.

Trying to stop the siblings’ bickering, the eldest, Serion, spoke to Lucien with a warm expression. He was the very person who had managed to bring Lucien here, despite his reluctance to travel, after years of absence from the mansion.

“I worried you’d be late because of the distance, but I’m glad you arrived right on time.”

“If I’d been late to the wedding, a certain witch would’ve cursed me for sure. She made such a fuss, I honestly think she would’ve cast a spell if I’d really been late.”

“A witch… Haha. Even so, calling Her Highness a witch is a bit…”

“She may be marrying you in a few days, but to me, she’s just a long-standing nemesis. Do you remember how many times she threw me into the pond to catch frogs for her magic potions when we were kids?”

Lucien, growling like an angry cat, smiled awkwardly as he recalled the past. He wanted to deny it, but it was all true. If Delaroz had Lucien, the Imperial Family had Princess Erisa. From childhood, Princess Erisa had never let Lucien win.

“Just call her a childhood friend, why make it so complicated?”

“Are you crazy? Who’s a friend? Don’t you see I’m getting goosebumps?”

Lucien shuddered at the word “friend,” rolling up his sleeve to reveal actual goosebumps on his sculpted arm. Only after seeing this did Serion shake his head. Even Princess Erisa herself reacted coldly to the word “friend,” so despite seeming mismatched, they somehow fit perfectly.

As everyone caught up around Lucien, a sudden sound from the door interrupted. With a brief silence, all eyes turned to the door, and the person entering stopped, looking startled.

“Ah.”

Their eyes met for just an instant. The startled gaze flickered away from Lucien and quietly moved aside. For the first time since arriving at the mansion, Lucien’s previously indifferent eyes showed a spark. There was something cool and mischievous about the newcomer, but this was the most lively Lucien had looked since his arrival.

“Serenia?”

“I’ve checked all the security around the mansion. I’ve also double-checked the guest rooms in the annex for the visitors, so I came to report… If you were in the middle of a conversation, I’ll come back later.”

“What are you saying? I was about to call you anyway. Unlike some, you matured so early. You don’t have to be so stiff.”

Helena’s eyes drooped in disappointment, and at Serenia’s awkwardness, Kyle gently touched his mother’s arm and shook his head.

The child they’d raised like a youngest daughter had grown up so quickly and was now so dignified, leaving Helena feeling a bit empty, but there was nothing she could do.

The more she tried to treat Serenia comfortably, the more uncomfortable Serenia became, and everyone in the mansion knew it. Even though they said it was fine, Serenia, always determined to repay the kindness she’d received, didn’t want to be a burden. So Helena suppressed her desire to see Serenia act childishly.

“Serenia, it’s been years since you saw Lucien, right? It feels like just yesterday you two were stuck together, training to become soldiers. You were so cute then…”

“How many years ago was that? I barely remember.”

Helena, who had started to reminisce with Serenia, frowned slightly at her youngest son’s curt and rude remark. The cold words made Serenia’s shoulders flinch and tense up, and Helena’s gaze toward Lucien became even more intense.