***

In the Basilinte main castle, the Grand Duke, Astrid, and Leticia had disappeared.

Fortunately, thanks to Astrid bringing Gaien back, there was at least one adult left to manage the Basilinte main castle.

Of course, the grandfather and the two grandsons left behind didn’t think it was fortunate at all.

“….”

“….”

“….”

Hilda stepped next to the dinner table filled with nothing but silence. The dining room that had been so noisy just a few days ago now seemed like a dream.

“We’ve received word that His Grace has arrived at Lady Isana’s.”

“And?”

“Lady Astrid and the prince are with him as well.”

Similar faces with identical expressionless looks stared at Hilda.

Honestly, Hilda found this creepy every time. The feeling that they weren’t quite human was too strong.

Tan frowned and said.

“I want to go too.”

The most honest child at the table repeated.

“I miss Leti. And Mom.”

Chamuka objected.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Do you think a five-year-old can leave the castle without a guardian?”

“Guardian?”

Tan’s vocabulary skills were quite good for someone who had just started learning to speak, but only Leticia bothered to use simple words for him. The Basilintes weren’t the type of people who would be considerate just because someone was young.

“An adult responsible for protecting you.”

“I’ll take Hilda.”

“Hilda can’t be responsible for you. If you’re done eating, go to bed. You can’t go.”

“Don’t order me around.”

Tan said with a sullen face.

“You can’t make me do things I don’t want to. Mom said so. You can’t. You’re not Dad.”

At those words, Chamuka’s head slowly turned.

Seemingly unafraid of Chamuka’s staring gaze, Tan stood up abruptly from his chair.

“I’m going.”

At that moment, Chamuka swiftly grabbed Tan’s leash that was sprawled across the table.

Hilda wondered why the second young master wore a leash, which wasn’t even an attachment necklace, something he hadn’t worn even when he was a beast.

“No.”

“Let go. Stop it. I warned you.”

“Do you even know what ‘warning’ means?”

“What you say before hitting!”

Along with Chamuka’s sarcasm, delivered in an impossibly calm tone, Tan leaped onto the table on all fours.

Regardless of whether the dishes broke or not, Tan lunged at Chamuka.

In an instant, the brothers collided and tumbled to the floor.

Tan bared his teeth, and Chamuka grabbed Tan by the collar.

Contrary to the expectation that Tan would be quickly subdued due to the size difference, Tan fought against his larger opponent instinctively, just like an animal.

Hilda was horrified by the savage atmosphere that could hardly be called a children’s fight.

“Young masters! Stop! Please stop!”

Tan bit Chamuka’s arm, and Chamuka strangled Tan’s neck. The way they attacked each other without hesitation made them seem more like strangers who had just met rather than brothers.

As the brothers’ fight showed no signs of stopping, Hilda finally shouted:

“Lord Gaien! Please stop them! The young masters will get seriously hurt at this rate!”

Gaien, absorbed in his own thoughts, didn’t even look at his grandsons hitting each other.

Hilda felt sad that this chaos was so familiar.

This family had always been like this.

Of course, in the past, it was usually Gaien and Ferik who fought. Chamuka would eat with his fork against the backdrop of the fierce father-son disputes.

One could say the scale had diminished now that the fight between two adults had changed to a fight between two children, but to Hilda’s eyes, it looked similar.

In the sense that it was a battlefield of madmen with absolutely no intention of listening to others.

“Neither of them has been properly trained, so they won’t get seriously hurt.”

At Gaien’s indifferent words, Hilda realized her mistake in appealing to the emotions of someone she knew was like this.

And she immediately corrected that mistake.

Instead of appealing to emotions, she switched to threats.

“Would it be alright if I relay what you just said to Lady Isana?”

“….”

“Should I tell her that you didn’t even try to stop her beloved grandson from getting hurt—the grandson she still visits regularly even after the divorce…”

Thud.

Gaien’s chair fell to the floor as he abruptly stood up.

Soon after, the two grandsons who had been fiercely fighting were each grabbed by one of Gaien’s hands.

No matter how fierce their spirit might be for children, they could only be subdued instantly in the hands of Gaien, who had decades of real combat experience.

“Stop.”

Tan shouted with a deeply furrowed brow.

“I’m going to Leti and Mom!”

“You can’t go. Maybe I could, but not you.”

In response to Chamuka’s sharp retort, Gaien said.

“Neither of you can go. I’m the one going.”

Looking at the three of them bickering behind the mess of the dining room, Hilda had the disrespectful thought that perhaps the mental age of the Basilintes never grew beyond five.

“I’m sorry, Lord Gaien. No one can go.”

She said with a bright smile.

“Lady Isana said that if you chase after her again, leaving your two grandsons behind, she doesn’t want to see your face ever again.”

“….”

***

The place where they had found the water vein was a dried-up valley.

No water was flowing, and the ravine was wide and deep enough to hold about twenty people.

Astrid narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the valley floor, then put down Leticia, whom she had been holding.

“Our Leti. Play with your brother for a moment. Master will make stairs for our Leti to go down and come right back.”

Brother…

Leticia glanced behind her.

Colin, who was about a hand span taller than her, smiled and replied politely.

“Don’t worry, Your Grace. I’ll take good care of him.”

“Thanks, I’m counting on you.”

With those words, Astrid nudges Ferik, who is standing beside her.

Ferik immediately picked up Astrid and threw himself down the slope.

Leticia was a bit startled, but Ferik landed steadily, put Astrid down, and took out a shovel.

And then he started digging… huh?

Leticia alternated her gaze between Ferik, who had begun making stairs by digging at an astonishing speed, and Astrid, who was quietly watching him.

‘If this was the plan, why did Master go down there? It’s not like His Grace’s digging speed doubles when Master is watching or anything…’

Surprisingly, Leticia’s absurd assumption was correct.

His work efficiency did vary greatly depending on Astrid’s presence.

Of course, Ferik didn’t know this fact, but Astrid did.

“Your Highness, would you like to rest over here?”

At the gentle voice of a noblewoman, Leticia raised her head from looking down into the valley.

A middle-aged lady sitting on a rock that served as a chair pointed beside her and said.

“Colin. Spread out the blanket you brought so the prince can sit.”

“Yes, Aunt.”

Leticia approached at the invitation of the former Grand Duchess, whom she had only briefly seen but never properly conversed with since arriving here.

The divorced former Grand Duchess, Isana Lefri, was a middle-aged beauty with an elegant smile that suited her well.

Light blonde hair, blue eyes, a slender figure with fair skin, and dignified, measured gestures and speech.

At first glance, she brought to mind the elegant mistress of a distinguished family.

“Would you like me to bring you some snacks?”

“No. Um… you don’t have to speak formally to me.”

“My, I appreciate the sentiment, but you are a prince.”

“Right now, I’m not a prince but Master’s disciple… so it should be fine, right? Colin doesn’t speak formally either…”

Isana asked with a pleasant smile.

“Shall I do that then?”

Looking at that smiling face, Leticia had a somewhat rude thought.

Why… do you look like a normal person? Even though you’re a Basilinte?