"Because the one who ultimately won the right to become the next head of House Boreas was my elder brother-James."
"So, under that inviolable iron law of our family..."
"As the loser, I had to hand over my sons."
"Every male child of mine with inheritance rights had to be personally delivered to my elder brother while still in swaddling clothes, to become his 'adopted son.'"
Philip paused, a self-mocking smile tugging at his lips.
"These so-called 'adopted sons'... heh. In truth, they're hostages."
"From their earliest memories, my sons will know only James as their 'father.'"
"They will never, ever know..."
"That their uncle Philip is their biological father, the man in this world whose blood runs through their veins."
"The victor becomes king, the loser an outlaw. Since ancient times, that has been the truest, cruelest portrait of us high nobles."
"The victor-my elder brother James-can rightfully remain in the ancestral estate of the Boreas main family in the royal capital, Ars."
"He can hold office in Yalsdu, the center of power for the entire kingdom, enjoying supreme glory and authority."
"And the loser-I, Philip-was stripped of everything."
"Like a homeless dog, I was banished far away to a backwater like Fittoa."
"On top of that, I had to be deprived of every son with inheritance rights. I had to watch my own flesh and blood be adopted by the victor, becoming the foundation upon which he secured his position."
"This is the iron law that the Asura royal family and all the great noble houses with a thousand years of history must obey together... to preserve the stability of their families and the purity of their bloodlines."
"That is why our families only ever have a 'main house.' There are no so-called 'collateral branches' or 'branch houses.'"