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That night, Aleksei went to bed later than usual.

.

The reason it was late was that his work had taken time. No—more precisely, not the work itself, but dealing with the people who had come pressing in after the work was finished.
It had become known that those who had engaged in wrongdoing during the time of Novadine and his father Aleksandr had been captured. That their titles and property would be confiscated and distributed appropriately from here on was easy to predict.

And so, many people had already begun to gather.

Petitioners who pleaded for the titles, for the property, to be given to them. Their justifications varied: the achievements of distant ancestors, their current poverty, injustices they had suffered in the previous duke’s era.
Whatever reasons they themselves gave, their true reason was greed.
They had contributed nothing to Aleksei’s rule. And yet they made demands. It was hardly unreasonable for Aleksei to feel disgust at their brazenness.

However, Novak said that he should not simply turn them away at the gate.

“If it were Duke Sergei, he would have listened to their stories, at least once through. It would become a good opportunity to grasp each of their circumstances and bring them under control.”

Grandfather Sergei had been a man of noble character, but not only that—he also had a calculating side. Nobility alone was not enough to serve as a ruler.
Aleksei nodded.

“If it were my grandfather, then if their reasons were legitimate, he would have offered relief. And even if not, if there were some way to make use of them, he could place them where they fit.”

Novak smiled in satisfaction.

“Indeed. Your Grace is becoming more like Duke Sergei.”
“No. I was just thinking what Ekaterina would say. She would have put it more gently… She is the one who truly resembles Grandfather.”

Aleksei gave a bitter smile, but Novak’s satisfied expression did not change.
In the past, Aleksei might have responded to the petitioners’ pleas only by cutting them down with harsh words. But after such a conversation, he responded relatively calmly, and in the case of those who had suffered financial damage from Novadine and the others, it was decided that, after verification, compensation would be provided.
This became the trigger for the reputation to spread that His Grace was, unexpectedly, a person who listened to others.

.

Even so, it was a tiring time. Those who had sound reasons for wanting a title were in the minority. Being forced to deal with illogical arguments was nothing but painful for the rational Aleksei.
At dinner time, Ekaterina’s absence weighed heavily on him. There was no gentle voice of his sister, who would immediately notice if her brother looked tired and show concern for him.
He had agreed to send Ekaterina away under the pretext of a proxy visit to the mountain temple precisely because he knew that Jurnova Castle would become noisy with desire-soaked petitions. And yet, after losing his grandfather, he had lived for so long without knowing family affection.
He felt as though he had become weak.

Perhaps because he fell asleep thinking such thoughts, he had this dream.

.

—Aleksei found himself wandering inside a gigantic building.

He knows it is a dream. It is one he has seen from time to time since long ago.
In this dream, he is still in the form of a child, and for some reason he is dressed formally.
Everything around him is heavy gray and hazy. Staircases and corridors should be there, and yet they waver, unstable.
Where is this? When is this? With nothing certain, he is searching for something.

There is pain in his chest.
If he finds what he is searching for, that pain will be healed. He knows that. And yet he realizes that he does not even know what it is he should be searching for, and Aleksei freezes in place.

There is no one.
There is nothing.
There is no sound at all.
How empty this place is.

Always in this dream, he does nothing but wander. Searching and searching, and finding nothing…

At that moment—

“Onii-sama!”

Sound is born in the empty world.

“It is me! Ekaterina is here!”

Aleksei turns around.
The only color in the gray world appears: a girl with indigo hair, wearing a dress the color of twilight.
In the splendid appearance she had at the banquet, she gathers her slender skirt elegantly and runs toward him at full speed. A hazy light like the Milky Way envelops her smiling, happy figure.
The Queen of the Night has come, bringing the stars with her.

“Ekaterina—”

He opens his arms, and Ekaterina leaps into them without hesitation.

“Onii-sama, I have longed to see you!”

.

“Ekaterina.”

Aleksei embraces his sister.
Though he had been in the form of a child, he is now the same eighteen-year-old as in reality.

“Ekaterina… Ekaterina.”
“Onii-sama.”

Looking up at him, Ekaterina smiles brightly.

“This is my dream. It is always a world where no one is here, so why have you appeared?”
“I do not know. But in truth, by chance I offered something to an ancient god. It pleased that god greatly, so perhaps they answered my wish to see you.”
“A god? The mountain god?”
“No, another one.”

Shaking her head, Ekaterina makes a mischievous expression.

“Onii-sama. Did you think it was lonely tonight, with me not there?”

At those words, Aleksei suddenly places a hand on his chest.

“So that’s what it is. This pain I feel here…”

So it was loneliness.
Ekaterina tilts her head slightly and gently places her hand over his.

“You have been lonely for so long that you did not even recognize loneliness as such.”
“That may be so. From when Grandfather died until I met you, I feel as though I carried it here the whole time.”

Murmuring that, Aleksei looks around. The world that had been hazy gray now takes shape within the faint light of twilight and stars.

“So this was the Imperial Castle.”
“The Imperial Castle?”

Ekaterina, who has never been there, looks puzzled. It is far from the image one would have of the Imperial Castle, so it is only natural.
This was in the Imperial Castle, in the shadow of a staircase.

“…Long ago, I had one friend. This was where I first met him…”

As Aleksei murmurs, Ekaterina gently takes his hand.

“You must have truly cherished that person. You are someone who does not easily open his heart to others, Onii-sama. Because of that, once you let someone into your heart, no matter how your relationship changes, you cannot cast them out of your heart.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. And furthermore, you are quite selective about people. From childhood you were raised surrounded by the excellent aides your grandfather appointed. It is only natural that children of the same age could not compare. If you thought of someone as a friend, then surely they were an outstanding person indeed.”

Perhaps because it is a dream, Ekaterina seems less reserved than usual. When told he is selective about people, Aleksei cannot refute it.

“That may be so. He was called a prodigy. And yet he was shy and lacked confidence… I thought I had to protect him.”
“You are someone who loves and protects those you let into your heart with all of yourself. Lord Mikhail is also an excellent person, but he is your lord. You thought from childhood that you must not let him into your heart. That must be why, this person became the first you’ve allowed into your heart…”
“But now you are here. The one I should love and protect with everything I have is you, and yet searching for him was foolish.”
“You always came here when you were lonely before. Your heart has learned to move that way.”

Aleksei smiles.

“You seem to understand everything.”

At that, Ekaterina pouts slightly.

“That is because this is your dream, and because you think of me as that kind of person. In truth, I am not so perceptive, you know.”
“Is that so?”

Aleksei breaks into a smile and lightly touches her lips with his fingertip.

“Even so, you seem to be the real Ekaterina. I have never seen such a lovely expression from you before. You have shown me a sulky face once before, but your face now is even more adorable. My beloved Ekaterina.”
“Oh, Onii-sama.”

Ekaterina beams.

“How is your journey? Have there been any dangers, any hardships?”
“None at all. There were unexpected things, but Sir Forli has taught me many things, and I have seen and heard rare things. I am traveling happily. How have you been, Onii-sama? You came here because you felt lonely so perhaps something painful happened.”

Placing one hand against his sister’s cheek as she looks worried, Aleksei smiles.

“I wonder? I am so happy to be able to look at you now that I have forgotten.”
“Oh, Onii-sama.”

Embracing the smiling Ekaterina again, Aleksei holds her close.

“Thank you for caring for me, Ekaterina. There is no one in this world who loves others as sincerely as you do. How fortunate I am, to have such a wonderful sister as you. It is painful that you are not by my side, but thinking that you cared even in my dreams, I will endure your absence. Please travel safely and happily, and return soon.”
“Onii-sama, I love you because you are more wonderful than anyone else. If you wish me to return quickly, I will do as you say. So please stay well and healthy, and wait for me.”

Wrapping her arms around his body, Ekaterina returns the embrace.

She answered her brother, who wished her a safe journey, that she would do just that.
That those words would become twisted—there was no way either of them could have known it then.