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“I made Ekaterina cry.”

After his sister left the office, Aleksei muttered in anguish and slammed his fist against the desk.

“I never wanted her to see something like that. Damn that Magna dog.”
“It’s rare for you to say something so pointless, my lord. You judged that letting the young lady enter the territory without knowing the situation would be even more dangerous, did you not?”

Standing beside Aleksei, Novak spoke in a stern tone.

“Yes. That child is clever. If she understands, she’ll avoid unnecessary danger. She’ll report anything she notices diligently, too. But seeing her cry is unbearable.”
“If it may serve as a little distraction, shall we put some pressure on Jurmagna? Sir Kimberley is sorting through the payments the former treasurer deferred, all of which are related to them. If we order that every one of those debts be paid immediately, I believe our intention will be understood.”
“That sounds reasonable for a first move. See it through. It’s merely the exercise of a rightful claim, but it’ll sting them enough. Collect it calmly, but thoroughly. If Magna starts whining about it before His Majesty, we’ll mock them for it. Also spread word among the noble houses and trade guilds that Magna’s finances may be unstable.”

Aleksei’s neon-blue eyes gleamed with cold light as he met Novak’s gaze.

“How long until the dog can be shown in public again?”
“It seems it’ll still take a while.”
“Hmph. He should’ve confessed before becoming unrecognizable. When the time comes, make sure he’s beaten until he’ll testify obediently. Kimberley, have you still not traced the flow of money to Magna?”
“My apologies. All the financiers who appear to have handled the transactions were found murdered and their buildings burned down… We haven’t found any way to follow the trail beyond that.”

Aleksei’s expression softened slightly as he looked at Kimberley bowing his head.

“…I see. Leave the rest of the investigation to others. Return to your proper duties. I’m sorry for making you do something unsuited to you, but you’ve done well enough.”
“As you command.”

Kimberley bowed again, looking slightly surprised but moved by his lord’s kind words. Then, patting the bag where he had returned the earlier documents, he spoke thoughtfully.

“Lady Ekaterina is truly kind and exceptionally wise. Even through mere lists of numbers, she seemed to perceive the hardships of the common folk beyond them. Even those who work in finance often fail to do that… As a lady raised in seclusion, her insight is extraordinary. One might say she possesses an intellect infused with humanity.”

Of course, that “secluded lady” happened to contain the soul of an overworked thirty-something office worker who once developed an accounting system, but that was beside the point.
Aleksei nodded.

“Yes, she is both intelligent and kind. She has courage too, but she’s especially considerate of the weak. …I must make sure to take care of myself. Should anything happen to me, she’ll be the Duchess of Jurnova—but there are far too many things I’d rather that gentle child never learn.”
“I’ll protect you, Your Grace, so that nothing happens. I promised Her Ladyship I would.”

While tidying up the desk, Yvan the valet spoke brightly.

“Right, you did.”

Aleksei smiled.

*”If something were ever to happen to you, Onii-sama…”*

Just the other day, Ekaterina had said that and then burst into tears. Moments before, she had astonished the mine supervisor Aaron with her keen insight, yet when worrying about her brother, she became like a little child—that contrast only made her all the more endearing.
That’s what one would call a *gap moe*.

“The young lady is kind to everyone, but the way she adores you the most is just adorable, isn’t it?”

“Yvan. Don’t put those documents away.”

Novak glared at the valet, snatching back the papers Yvan had tried to clear from the desk.

“Oh, my apologies. I thought those were finished.”

Yvan smiled as usual, though there was a faint sense he might have just clicked his tongue.
And that feeling, truth be told, was mutual with Aleksei.

“Your Grace. The matter of the young lady’s fiancé must not be postponed.”
“…It can wait.”
“We’re already behind schedule. After graduating, you can still choose from among younger ladies without issue, but for women, their partners are usually of the same age or older. If you wish to find a good match for her, it must be done while she’s still in school. If you truly care for her, you should act sooner.”
“Um, but, considering how beautiful and noble the young lady is, men would surely flock to her even if she were already engaged, wouldn’t they? So there’s no need to hurry.”

When Aaron, the mine supervisor, interjected, Novak gave him a sharp glare.

“You would let such a faithless man near her?”
“…My apologies. You’re absolutely right.”

Aaron withdrew sheepishly.
Still reluctant, Aleksei sighed, but Novak pressed on.

“As you said yourself earlier, without any wife or child of your own, the young lady is your current heir. Even if she marries, depending on circumstances, she may remain your successor. A poor marriage could bring Jurnova another disaster worse than during Duke Aleksandr’s time. The young lady’s engagement is a grave matter for this house, and you know it well.
“Moreover, considering her intellect—it would be a great loss to marry her off to another powerful family. We should keep her within reach—either marry her into the imperial family, or to a branch house. Those are the only two acceptable options, in my opinion.”

After speaking sternly, Novak sighed.

“As a subject of the Empire, I would wish for her to enter the imperial family. Who could be more fitting to become the mother of the nation one day than her? And if she did, she would be an invaluable ally in developing and implementing the prismite magic circle. However, since she herself has refused the imperial family, and you have permitted that refusal, so be it. Then we must either have her marry into one of our branch families, or take a husband and found a new branch. That way, she can remain close to you and continue supporting you.”
“…Indeed.”

At last, Aleksei nodded—the suggestion that would let him keep his sister near was acceptable.

“But is there anyone among the branch families worthy of her? …If Andrei were unmarried, I might have considered it.”

His tone turned teasing—unusual for Aleksei. Andrei was Novak’s son: a strong-featured but strikingly handsome man, talented both in academics and combat, and blessed with his mother’s strong magic. Unfortunately, he was already married.

“My son is not an option. If no existing branch suits, we must form a new one and bring in a husband from outside.”

That he dismissed the current branches so easily showed that even Novak saw no suitable candidates among them.

“From outside, is it?”

Aleksei’s gaze flicked toward Aaron and Khalil, head of commerce and distribution. The only other young, unmarried executive was Daniil, the legal advisor—but as a firstborn son, he could never marry into another family.

Aaron’s scholarly face turned red. Of the three, he was the most likely candidate. His family, the Kail Earls, was wealthy and influential. As the fifth son, he could easily marry into the Jurnova. He also had strong earth-type magic and refined looks. His single status was simply because he’d followed sir Professor Isaac Jurnova in geological fieldwork after university, missing his marriageable years—not due to any personal flaw.
Still, he was thirty-one—more than twice Ekaterina’s age.

Khalil was thirty-three, and clearly foreign-born.
Yet in wealth, his merchant family surpassed small nations. His exotic looks invited the eyes of young women, and sharp mind was unquestionable. Making him an in-law and head of a branch family wouldn’t be out of the question.

Even so, Aleksei only scowled and turned away, leaving both men to exchange faint, wry smiles—each privately cherishing an impossible dream.

Novak rubbed his temple, weary.

“If not a branch, then another noble house. Among those of equal standing and similar age, the most fitting would be Lord Vladimir of Jurmagna.”
“Absurd!”

Aleksei slammed his palm onto the desk.

“Out of the question! It’s an unspoken rule that the Three Grand Ducal Houses do not intermarry. And Magna’s treatment of women is abhorrent. I’d never send Ekaterina there!”

Indeed, the imperial family discouraged marriages among the three great houses, to prevent their ties from growing too strong.

“I’m well aware—of both the unspoken rule and their treatment of women. About sixteen, seventeen years ago, when the current inheritance law was amended to include women’s rights, Jurmagna was the fiercest to oppose it. It was right after Duke Georgiy took over, wasn’t it?”

Back then, Georgiy and his faction had fought bitterly against the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the then–Prime Minister Sergei—Aleksei’s grandfather.
In the ancient Astra Empire, women had no inheritance rights. “We must not defy the wisdom of the ancients,” Georgiy had declared.

“And when Lord Vladimir was born during that uproar, Duke Georgiy boasted that if a man strove diligently, he would beget sons. I remember it well.”

If Ekaterina had heard that, she’d instantly summon the spirit of some famous martial artist in her head.

“Utter nonsense.”
“Quite so.”
“Vladimir once told me his mother wasn’t even allowed to read a single book. He said, ‘I’m glad I wasn’t born a woman,’ looking so sad.”

Aleksei shook his head sharply, dispelling the memory, and turned back to Novak.

“Magna is outdated—they’ll collapse on their own. And you’d have me say, ‘Finish them off and offer the victory to Ekaterina’?”
“I know you wish to settle that matter eventually, my lord. If not an empress, then a duchess—the de facto ruler of Jurmagna. If you and the young lady stand side by side as dukes, it will be a historic triumph for Jurnova. A branch family might only yield an earl’s title, but this would be a rank worthy of her.”
“…Hmph.”

For a moment, Aleksei was tempted. Having his sister reign over the very house that had tormented their mother and her would be the perfect revenge. But he quickly shook his head.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. Even under the guise of ‘saving’ a ruined Magna, His Majesty would never allow Jurnova to gain such power. And even if that rank suits her, it would bring her no happiness. I won’t place that girl in such a dangerous position, surrounded by enemies. Besides—”
“Besides?”
“…Jurmagna is far away.”

Novak sighed deeply.