Preparation for the Academy

"Big brother, are you going to Babylon Academy tomorrow?" Alice asked while we were playing after my training.

"Yeah, but there will be breaks too, don't worry," I said while patting her head.

'I've gotten quite used to her, haven't I? She's almost like my real sister now.'

"It's getting late. Do you want to stop playing now?"

"Yeah, if brother says so."

While walking to the mansion, I looked at the garden. I've been in this place for almost three weeks, and I must admit, this place and its people are really amazing. In this time, I've almost truly become one person with Lucian Astelhart, this body's owner.

"Brother?"

"Oh yeah, I apologize. Let's head in."

***

"Lucian, let's have a talk at my room after dinner."

My father who had been silently eating dinner, said so with a smile.

'It's probably a farewell speech."

Then father left without finishing his meal.

After finishing my meal, I went to my father's room. On the walls of the hallway there was paintings of Astelhart's ancestors. Astelhart is one of the seven great Duke families and it could even be the strongest in the empire so it's a given that It has a long history. After countless portraits of people I finally arrived at father's room.

(Knock, Knock)

"Father it's me Lucian, are you there."

"Oh yes, Lucian come in."

As I opened the doors I saw my father sitting at his table with a distressed look. After seeing me his expression changed into that of happiest person, his smile bright as the stars.

"You have become such mature boy Lucian, I as your father have been the happiest person in the world these past months."

"But even though I have desired so much to see you grow I wouldn't be able to it seems."

"WHAT!?"

'I knew it.'

I knew that the day mother died, father drunk a poison to kill himself on the day I would go to the academy. Being in the strongest family and yet not being able to save just that one person must've been hard for him. I knew it from the start, but even so maybe I just had the littlest glimpse of hope that my actions would alter it.

"I'm going to bestow my title of the great Astelhart family's heir to you right here right now." He said as he put the crown on my head

Suddenly after putting on a gloomy expression for a long time Dominique couldn't hold it back anymore and just broke down in tears while hugging me.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, even though I promised you that I would always be there for you."

I quietly left after hugging Dominique for a quite some time. I was so angry that I couldn't catch the words to say.

Angry at whom? The fate or the god I suppose.

'Even though I knew, it still hurts.'

A faint sound suddenly resounded through my room.

"Heh, heh I'm happy now. Thank you for killing your so called 'father' for me, my dearest love."

"…"

"Why aren't you saying anything Viktor? You said you would do anything right?"

"Anastasia, I'm tired please let me rest today."

"Okay."

'I might be able to sleep today, even though I didn't train or do any labor, today was the most tiresome day.'

Just as i was about to sleep corpse hands begun to pull me from under the bed. They itched their nails that was about to fall off into the deepest part of my arm muscle.

"Okay okay, I would be with you all night so stop scratching my arms."

'Today too I would suffer.'