“It’s gotten quite late. We should head back.”
Pernoa cut off the conversation and announced that it was time to go.
“Sona.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
At Pernoa’s call, Sona appeared from somewhere nearby.
“Take Riersha back.”
“Of course.”
Sona gave a small, respectful bow, then turned to look at Riersha.
“Come now, Miss Riersha.”
“Okay.”
Riersha took Sona’s hand firmly in hers and cast one last lingering look back at her family, reluctance plain on her face.
“Then I’ll see you tomowwow.”
She waved her hand as enthusiastically as her longing would allow. Pernoa let out a small, amused smile.
“Yes, get home safely, Riersha.”
Risideon waved back at her in return.
Behind him, Ricador and Riscal both urged her along, gesturing for her to hurry.
It seemed they intended to wait until they confirmed she had gone before leaving themselves.
“Mm-hm, bye. Sleep well.”
Riersha waved one more time and headed toward her room.
Just moments ago she hadn’t even realized she was sleepy.
…Sleepy.
Her eyelids grew heavy and drooped.
Nod. Nod.
As Riersha began dozing off mid-walk, Sona smiled faintly.
“You must be very tired today, Miss Riersha.”
“…Mm.”
“Shall I carry you, then?”
Instead of answering, Riersha stretched both arms out toward her.
As her body was lifted into the air, Riersha instinctively wrapped her arms around Sona’s neck and rested her cheek against her shoulder.
But still…
Had that flower — the one she’d been told appeared every year — really been left there by the gravekeeper?
The thought drifted through her mind, and then Riersha slipped quietly into sleep.
⁂
Riersha was busy in a whirlwind of activity.
All of her belongings from the annex had to be moved to the castle she had newly received.
“Wow, is this weally my castle?!”
“Do you like it, Miss Riersha?”
The castle was grand and bright, full of warmth and light.
She had to tilt her head all the way back to even begin to see the top of it, and its appearance closely resembled the ducal castle where Arcmund resided.
Apparently the castle hadn’t originally looked this way.
She’d heard that Arcmund had given special orders for it to be renovated to resemble the ducal castle.
That was precisely why her move had been delayed by so long.
“It’s so pwetty! I love it so much!”
“From now on, this castle is yours to decorate however you wish, Miss Riersha. A budget has even been allocated in your name.”
“A budget?”
“Yes.”
When an heir of Arachrene officially received their own castle, a budget was established so they could begin managing and furnishing it freely and to their heart’s content.
Of course, a full account of how the budget was spent was reported directly to Arcmund and Pernoa.
After all, only those who had experience managing money could be trusted to use it wisely.
By the time they came of age, they would be responsible for sums dozens of times larger — so cultivating the habit of handling significant funds from a young age was Arachrene’s own method of upbringing.
“Then how much is my budget?”
“From what I was told, the amount allocated for you this time is ten billion gold.”
“…Come again?”
“Ten billion gold.”
Riersha asked back in bewilderment, and Sona repeated it with added emphasis.
“Ten billion gold is actually not considered an especially large budget, in truth. Young Master Risideon is currently managing up to fifty billion gold.”
“…What?”
“Young Masters Ricador and Riscal manage a little less — around thirty billion gold each, I believe.”
Riersha’s mouth fell open.
No matter how little grasp she had on financial matters, she could still sense just how enormous those numbers were.
“Th-then what do my bwothers spend all that on?”
“Whatever they wish, I suppose?”
“Completely fweely?”
“Yes!”
Sona nodded brightly in confirmation.
Riersha hesitated, a flicker of confusion crossing her face.
Now that she had actually been recognized as an heir of Arachrene and granted all the authority that came with it, it felt like the air itself was pressing down on her chest.
An immense budget — and no one to stop her from spending it however she liked.
And beyond that, the authority she now held within the Arachrene family was a force that even Arcmund himself could not simply dismiss.
“…It’s scawy.”
“What is, Miss Riersha?”
“Just… everything.”
Riersha was afraid of being overwhelmed by everything she had suddenly come to possess.
Sona smiled gently, as though she understood.
“It’s alright, Miss Riersha.”
“But what if I do somefing wwong?”
“Then the Duke and the Young Master will be there to set things right.”
“…”
“So there’s truly nothing to worry about. Miss Riersha, you are going to do wonderfully.”
Could she, though? Could she really?
Riersha clenched her small fists.
This castle was genuinely hers to shape as she saw fit.
Separate from the ducal castle, anyone who stepped through the gates of Riersha’s castle would be expected to acknowledge and respect the rules set by its mistress.
“Miss Riersha, may we come in for a moment?”
“Who is it?”
She was inside the beautifully decorated room with Sona when someone knocked at the door, and Riersha looked up with a puzzled expression.
Having lived practically alone with Sona in the annex all this time, she wasn’t quite used to having visitors.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
The door opened, and a middle-aged man and woman entered side by side.
They were the head stewards of the castle.
“It is an honor to meet you, Miss Riersha. We are Amanda and Zeke, and we will be managing this castle going forward.”
Amanda had a rather cool, stern impression, but there was a straightforward honesty to her bearing. Zeke, on the other hand, radiated a kind and gentle warmth.
The two of them would oversee the servants working within the castle and report directly to Riersha whenever anything of note occurred.
“We are honored to serve you, Miss Riersha.”
“I’m happy to meet you too. Please take good care of me.”
“We will do our very best.”
The two bowed their heads respectfully.
Riersha looked at them and drew in a deep breath.
This was truly and properly the beginning.
⁂
The Tower of Truth.
The place where the heirs of Arachrene came to study.
“I have finally come to meet you here, Miss Riersha.”
Carden spoke with heartfelt emotion, as though overcome by the significance of the moment.
What she would learn at the Tower of Truth, on top of everything she had already studied, would be considerably more advanced.
To start, she would receive formal lessons in management — beginning with the internal organizational structure of the Arachrene family.
She would also come to understand the position of a ducal house within the Declair Empire, and engage in discussions about how to lead the family most effectively.
The idea was to foster a sense of competition among the heirs — pushing each of them to draw out the full extent of their abilities.
And then to report every result to Arcmund, without a shred of dishonesty.
That was, in truth, the real mission Carden was meant to fulfill.
“I’m happy to finally meet you here too, Teacher!”
She used to sneak in and eavesdrop on lessons in secret, back in those earlier days…
The knowledge that she had been officially granted access to the Tower of Truth filled Riersha with a joy she couldn’t quite contain.
“When will my bwothers come?”
“I’m sorry to say, Miss Riersha, but since you are behind the others in terms of progress, you will need to study with me one-on-one for the time being.”
“…”
“Are you disappointed?”
Riersha’s chin crumpled like a walnut.
She had thought that coming to the Tower of Truth meant she’d be able to study alongside her brothers.
As it turned out, that wasn’t the case at all.
“If I catch up fast, can I have class wif my bwothers?”
“Of course.”
Carden nodded without hesitation.
Though the young masters may find themselves feeling a degree of unease.
Carden expected even that to have a positive effect.
It couldn’t be a bad thing to let the heirs — who had been coasting along in relative comfort — feel a flicker of urgency at the possibility of being caught up to by a child so much younger than themselves.
The other heirs were no slouches when it came to learning, so it certainly wouldn’t be easy…
A glimmer of anticipation lit Carden’s eyes.
“Starting today, a new subject will be added to your lessons.”
“A new subject?”
Riersha sat alone at the long desk, tilting her head in curiosity.
Carden always provided study materials whenever a new topic was introduced.
She hadn’t received anything yet — so what on earth was he talking about?
