Enoch smiled broadly and patted Rania’s head. Indeed, it was worth going far to get it.

“Puppy, you’re really pretty. You’re the prettiest puppy I’ve ever seen. Right? Isn’t the puppy pretty?”

Honestly, Enoch couldn’t understand what was pretty about a cotton ball that still looked indistinguishable between dog and bear, but what did his personal preferences matter?

As long as Rania was happy and he was satisfied, that was enough.

“Then Lord Enoch, I’ll go to the knight order to receive reports and return.”

“Yes. Dame Jeanne. You worked hard.”

He planned to give separate rewards to Dame Jeanne, who had managed to find a dog with brown fur and gray eyes.

‘Now she’ll lose interest in Bellington’s bastard.’

He seated Rania, who was absorbed with the puppy, on the sofa. The puppy he seated next to her began barking and chewing on the expensive leather sofa, and Rania laughed giggling, finding that amusing too and encouraging the biting.

It was a scene that brought a smile to his lips just by watching.

But had he been too hasty in his joy?

“But Enoch. When can I get that child?”

“That child?”

“I mean the second son of House Bellington.”

When Enoch didn’t answer, Rania raised her eyes and stared at him intently. Defeated by the cute pressure, Enoch opened his mouth.

“Rania. If you had to choose between the puppy and Bellington’s second son, which would it be?”

“Obviously the latter.”

Rania answered without hesitation while fiddling with the puppy’s toes.

“Because puppies don’t live long, right?”

“Then should I take the puppy back?”

The words Enoch brought out were the worst move. Rania, who had been smiling brightly until just before, screamed loudly.

“I hate that! I want to have this one too, and I want to have Rian too! Both are mine!”

Enoch sighed while catching Rania, who almost fell off the sofa.

‘This is what Mother meant.’

In the past, she would have been satisfied with the gift she first embraced. Now she wouldn’t meekly fall for her brother’s intentions.

“Alright. I understand, so calm down.”

It can’t be helped. He had no choice but to bring that lowly thing before Rania with his own hands.

“It will take some time, but I’ll try to bring him.”

“Not try, bring him. Right? It’s a promise.”

“I promise.”

Rania smiled again and kissed Enoch’s cheek. It feels like going between heaven and hell. When Enoch complained briefly, Rania smiled coyly pretending to know nothing.

“BUt puppy, but what should we do about your name?”

“Woof!”

“Wait a little. I’ll give you the best name!”

Enoch stroked Rania’s hair as she played with the puppy, with complicated feelings. Rania, who had been giggling saying it tickled, climbed onto his lap.

“Enoch! You know what. I just wanted something else again! What should we do?”

At the mischievous question, Enoch completely forgot the bitterness of failure. He went down below the sofa where Rania sat and knelt on his knees.

“If there’s something you want, Rania. Demand anything of me.”

“Anything?”

“Yes. Anything.”

He kissed her small instep. It was an oath pledging loyalty. Rania accepted such an appearance from her brother very naturally.

Her father, her older brother, and dozens of knights loyal to Artua had already kissed her instep.

“I will bring the entire world beneath you.”

The sweet oath that followed was also familiar to the child.

***

A few days later, the boy from Bellington also received an unexpected gift.

It was for a lonely and pitiful child……

— Dear Rian Bellington.

Like a ray of salvation that came to a garden dark even in broad daylight,

— With memories of a warm spring day. From Rania Artua.

It was a seed that sprouted from one-sided love.

***

The Artua territory encompassing the vast lands and mountain ranges of the continent’s north.

The fertile south with its plains, the west where mining flourished, the east which was the stronghold of culture and arts, and the center that had served as their bridge using the river that ran through the continent.

Unlike other regions where various dynasties had existed based on their respective advantages before continental unification, the north had nothing.

The Artua territory was merely a land route for monsters descending south to devour people.

As time passed, the number of monsters increased rapidly, and eventually monsters descended south all the way to the center where the imperial palace was located.

The 6th emperor of the empire commanded Count Édouard Artua to guard the north by granting him territory and autonomy.

Lord Édouard headed north leading his knight order, and granted titles to ten knights who swore to protect the continent for generations together.

That was the beginning of the 300-year history of the Artua grand ducal house and the lineage of the ten great noble houses of the north.

By the present time, the number of northern nobles had increased several times with the addition of nobles who received single-generation titles or immigrated from the empire, but the most loyal and glorious houses of Artua could be said to be the original ten great noble houses.

However, there was a house that faced the crisis of extinction despite inheriting that glorious history, which was House Bellington where Rian had been registered.

In the north, which had neither vast estates nor abundant resources, talent was needed to maintain noble titles.

Houses with knightly talent could receive support from the Artua grand ducal house by dispatching their knights to regular subjugation forces.

Though various restrictions existed, it was also possible to dispatch knights to other houses or the Eclad Church, the empire’s state religion, and receive compensation.

Houses with commercial talent also accumulated wealth by utilizing the shortest trade route connecting the east and west.

Of course, they couldn’t accumulate as much wealth as the Artua grand ducal house, which had pioneered trade routes early, but their pro-commercial moves contributed to the north developing as much as the fertile south.

Bellington’s tragedy stemmed from the fact that their talent was entirely biased toward the former.

As if proving the historical fact that the first Viscount Bellington was exceptionally taciturn and righteous among the ten knights, in other words, not shrewd with calculations, his descendants had stubbornly tried to fulfill their duty by raising knights.

Until about 100 years ago, half of the upper knights of the Artua knight order were from Bellington.

However, when misfortunes such as elite knights dying one after another overlapped several times, Bellington fell uncontrollably.

The younger brother of the current Viscount Bellington, unable to endure the increasingly impoverished household, joined the winter subjugation force leading a knight order despite surrounding opposition.

However, an accident occurred where the subjugation force was annihilated due to his mistake.

After paying massive compensation, all that remained to House Bellington was barren territory and one villa famous as a ‘monstrosity.’

Unlike other noble houses’ villas gathered in the commercial district of the second city, Bellington’s villa was located inside dense coniferous forests, as if representing the desire to hide from the shame of poverty.

Therefore, all that could be seen through the window of the room on the third floor of the mansion where eight-year-old Rian stayed was dark green conifers.

The green scenery framed by the old wooden window was lonely yet peaceful.

It was peaceful but lonely. Since there was no grandfather cursing at Rian, no children throwing stones.

Rian was gradually getting used to the unfamiliar solitude. Since he still preferred quiet over loneliness, he always crouched on the small daybed with worn leather and looked out the window.

But today there was a visitor.

“Young master Rian. It’s butler Joel. May I come in?”

Rian, who had been imitating a mouse hiding in the mansion, looked at the door in surprise. He thought he had heard wrong, but the butler knocked on the door and announced his visit again.

“Pl, please come in.”

When he barely squeezed out his voice to answer, butler Joel with gray hair entered the room.

He felt complexity upon discovering Rian trembling against the wall.

It had already been three weeks since the child came here. He couldn’t expect him to feel at home, but he heard that the child got scared like this every time servants came to inform him of meal times.

‘How else would rumors spread that the young master might be an idiot?’

Of course, it couldn’t be said to be entirely the child’s fault. If anything, it was the fault of House Bellington for bringing the child saying they would register him and then neglecting him.

“A gift addressed to the young master arrived at the mansion a little while ago. It’s being moved from the reception room now, may I bring it in?”

“Yes? Yes, ye-es. No, huh?”

When Rian answered without properly hearing, servants who had been waiting in the corridor entered carrying large boxes.

Seeing ten boxes of various sizes and wrapping stacked neatly on the old table, Rian became anxious and fled to a corner of the room.

“Wh, what is that? Why is that……”

“They are all gifts addressed to the young master.”

“Gifts……?”

“The young noble children who met young master Rian at the grand ducal residence last time sent gifts saying they wanted to apologize to the young master.”

At the mention of ‘last time,’ Rian’s face turned pale blue.

It was the face of someone who had discovered a corpse inside the boxes.

***

That day, Rian was not a guest at the tea party. He had only stopped by the grand ducal residence with the viscountess to complete the registration procedures.