Chapter 82

T/L: Yumiko

I know, but...it's just...

I wish there were more things I could have shared with my brother.

I wish I could have told him that mother was always thinking about him.

His mother lived a short but peaceful life and had her fair share of fun, so he didn't have to suffer from the thought that his mother had died miserably.

I wish I could have said that to him.

I wish I could have told him that, even if it was a lie, but I'm sure my brother, who is intelligent, would have understood without a fuss. And he'll cajole himself a little to believe and pretend that he's happy with the lie.

I can't let him do that. I mustn't tell my brother a lie.

That's what I think, somehow.

"Ekaterina...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for asking you such a painful question. That's enough, so please don't cry. I'm sorry."

I wasn't crying.

However, when he hugged me, only then I realized that I had streams of tears flowing down my cheeks.

3rd POV

Oh, the fifteen-year-old Ekaterina is crying. It's been a while since she has cried.

"...There's nothing painful about it. I'm happy. I'm very, very happy to have you here with me, my brother." (Ekaterina)

"Thank you. I'm happy too, because you're here. You're so sweet, my goddess. My Queen of the Night. If you cry, the stars will be sad and drift away and fall. So please, please don't cry." (Alexei)

Ekaterina put her arms around her older brother's muscular body as he whispered, and hugged him. Her brother must have been so sad when he heard about his mother. No matter how mature he was, this man was still a child. He was a strong child who had fought entirely alone since he was only ten years old to protect everything his grandfather had left behind.

Seventeen and fifteen years old.

Two orphans, burdened with a vast dukedom, immense wealth, and a famous family with 400 years of history.

A woman who once had passed away at the age of twenty-eight sighed for the fate of the siblings, who were comforting each other, as she stood in a void away from her own self in this life.

...

In the The Duke of Yurimagna's residence in the Imperial Capital...

Of the three major dukes, or rather all of the powerful noble families that have mansions in the Imperial Capital, Yurimagna's mansion is the largest and most expansive. This is because the complex also houses a large knight's quarters, a training hall, and a library that holds one of the most extensive collections of rare books in the Astra Empire.

In the early days of the Empire after its founding, Yurimagna was prosperous. Its territory was the vast plains and lakes in the east. The plains were covered with arable farmland from that time.

Piotre the Great, the founding father of the country, gave his youngest brother, Pavel, the founder of Yurimagna, a territory that was easy to govern. It was a reward for his outstanding military prowess, which had often saved his brother's life, and was also a consideration for his younger brother, who was not so good at handling internal affairs.

Pavel was so gratified that he reaffirmed his loyalty to the Great Emperor. In order to pass on his gratitude to his descendants, he passed down the family tradition: As long as the Yurimagna family continued to exist, they would continue to support the Imperial family with their military prowess.

In addition, they learned from the wisdom of the ancients and their successors further groomed themselves on human qualities, rather than focusing only on martial arts.

Because of this family tradition, Yurimagna has been able to maintain the great order of knights that it was founded upon. That includes Astra Imperial Research Institute, which was established by the Founder.

The funds needed for these were generated by the vast farmlands of the estate.

About four hundred years have passed since then.