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In truth, the eldest young master—Altron, the heir apparent to the Marquis title—did not outright despise his youngest brother.
Rather, what he felt was caution.
Wariness.
It stemmed not from the boy himself, but from the shadow cast by his maternal lineage.
ARYNA ASTERRIX—the mistress and unofficial second wife of their father.
From what little was known, she was born into a family of merchants. She was the only daughter among her siblings—the eldest, no less. While her background was considered modest by noble standards, it was far from insignificant.
The noble society might not recognize the Asterrix name to the same extent as aristocratic houses, but within the vast network of merchant society, their influence was unquestionable.
The Asterrix family stood at the very pinnacle of commerce.
The patriarch—Aryna's father—held the position of Headmaster of the Merchant Alliance, commanding an information network that spanned the entire continent.
Their reach extended far beyond trade alone. With such authority, their family's influence rivaled, if not surpassed, that of certain noble houses.
By sheer power alone, they could have easily held ranks equivalent to Viscount or even Marquis.
And yet—
They refused.
The Asterrix family declined the Emperor's offer to enter noble society, choosing instead to remain as merchants. They deliberately kept their distance from political entanglements, avoiding the complexities of aristocratic life.
'Even so…' Altron reflected silently.
'From what I know, His Majesty still granted them a noble title—the rank of Count.'
Despite that, the title remained largely symbolic.
They never participated in noble gatherings, nor did they make efforts to establish themselves within aristocratic circles. Even Lady Aryna herself rarely attended social events, and when she did, it was only during grand royal banquets hosted by the imperial family.
Because of that, their status as nobility remained unofficial in the public eye.
Still, their influence could not be denied.
And perhaps—
That was precisely what made them dangerous.
The Asterrix family's perfect background and quiet power made them suspicious.
It was one of the primary reasons Altron—and even his siblings—remained cautious whenever their youngest brother was involved. His existence was a direct link to that mysterious family.
Then came her death.
Lady Aryna's sudden passing from an unknown cause only deepened the unease.
What followed was even more unsettling.
The Asterrix family did not intervene.
Worse—
They did not even attend the funeral of their own daughter.
That alone raised countless questions.
When Augustus ordered an investigation into their whereabouts, the results were… nothing.
No traces.
No sightings.
No records.
It had been five years since Lady Aryna's death and not once had the Asterrix family resurfaced within the Stellarus Empire.
It was as if they had vanished entirely.
Erased.
No matter how extensively the Chevalier household searched, the outcome remained the same.
Nothing.
That was what unsettled Altron the most.
'It's as if their very existence was deliberately removed…'
And because of that, they could not afford to act recklessly toward the youngest.
The risk was too great.
'We don't know their faces… nor the identities of the other family members. I even attempted to question Lady Aryna when she was still alive… yet she could neither speak nor write anything about them.'
That memory remained vivid.
From that point forward, Altron concluded that Lady Aryna might have been bound by some form of restriction—perhaps even a spell. Something that prevented her from revealing anything related to her family.
Otherwise, why would she remain silent?
Even in death, the mystery persisted.
'And now… Father intends for Mother—the current Marchioness—to confront Little Three?'
Altron's thoughts darkened.
In the middle of the night, no less.
Was that not reckless?
Or perhaps—
Deliberate?
Regardless, they had no authority to question it further.
Orders were orders.
'I can only hope… nothing goes wrong.'
...
......…..
..........
After leaving the dining hall, he returned directly to his room without delay.
The moment he stepped inside, he dismissed all the servants attending to him, his expression cold and unyielding as he ordered them out. He had no interest in allowing unnecessary eyes and ears to linger in his space.
The door shut behind them with a soft click.
Silence settled in.
'Tsk…'
His gaze swept across the room, sharp and calculating.
'You can't trust anyone in this household.'
The thought was immediate.
It was not paranoia.
It was certainty.
'What did I expect?' he continued inwardly. 'These people serve the Marquis Chevalier household… the main family. It only makes sense.'
His lips pressed into a thin line.
After all—
He was not, and never would be, one of them.
Eclipse moved slowly across the room, his presence measured as he considered his next course of action.
Ever since becoming a dimensional traveler, he had long since discarded any attachment to this identity. The name "Chevalier" held no meaning for him.
Not anymore.
Even now, after returning to this worldline, that fact remained unchanged.
His thoughts shifted.
Careful.
Deliberate.
There was one thing he needed to focus on.
That "rat" who had infiltrated the household.
A faint glint flickered in his eyes.
If used properly…
That piece on the board could prove useful.
Very useful.
However, at this moment, whether he liked it or not, this would be the last time he would make use of his identity as the third young master of the Chevalier household.
This one final opportunity would serve as his stepping stone—a means to break free from this suffocating place that he had long since abandoned in his heart.
He had no intention of remaining entangled with this family any longer. The mere fact that he had been sent back to his fifteen-year-old self—a second chance granted to him—was something he refused to squander.
'If it had been up to me,' he thought quietly, 'I would have preferred to be sent back to a time before my mother's death… at least then, I could have saved her. We could have escaped this place together.'
A faint bitterness surfaced within him.
'Even if returning to her family was impossible… their whereabouts were already unknown back then, and even now, I still have no idea where they are.'
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