XX Fragment

"Your grandmother sent a letter. She wants you to come back for a visit."

His father's words rang out in the guard quarters. The familiar tone made him sit up straight without thinking.

"What?" he asked reflexively.

Although he had gradually grown accustomed to handling the weekly reports and to his father's businesslike tone, hearing such an "unprofessional" remark out of the blue after the routine report still left him stunned for a moment.

The guard quarters stood in a secluded part of Revival Palace. Compared with the noisy palace gates facing Renaissance Avenue and the awe-inspiring Hall of Stars, this place was neither noisy nor quiet. The atmosphere was just right.

His father spoke blandly, his voice hoarse:

"Your cousin is in poor health. In fact, very poor health."

"He's having trouble managing his fief and needs an assistant."

Grandmother. Cousin.

Those two long-unheard words echoed in his mind, leaving him dazed for an instant.

It was as though he had returned to a distant past.

An assistant?

But after turning the thought over instinctively, he replied without hesitation:

"No. I'm not going back."

Hearing his answer, his father folded his arms behind the desk and leaned back in his chair with the faint clink of armor. His eyes burned with the authority he had cultivated over many years.

This made him somewhat uneasy. It had been a long time since he had been alone with his father, discussing family affairs without a third person present.

But his father did not frown, nor did he show the slightest displeasure. He seemed to have anticipated this answer.

"Your grandmother's meaning is that if something happens to your cousin... someone will need to inherit the family's fief and title," his father said softly.

That made him frown.

A fief and a