My father’s family home was apparently the enemy’s stronghold.

The Vanklyft Family, once a marquisate, was of warrior lineage.

The head of the family had served as commander of the knightly order for generations—so renowned that they were said to be the king’s right hand. Even Lovell, ten years ago, had been an exceptional deputy commander at the age of ten.

It wasn’t just martial skill. Lovell’s ability to wield spirit magic played a huge role.

Despite the Vanklyft Family’s complete lack of connection to magic, Lovell was chosen by Origin—the Queen of the Primordial—giving her the world’s greatest magical power.

The former head of the family, who had served as knight commander, died at the front lines of the Monster Tempest. The eldest son vanished after traveling to the Spirit Realm—no one knows if he’s alive or dead.

Of course, no sensible reply would come from a spirit if a regular mage asked about Lovell. After all, Lovell was half the spirit king. That’s just how it works.

That Lovell was bound to a spirit who was also the spirit king was a matter of great secrecy among spirits.

Sauvel, the younger son left behind in the territory, was fifteen at the time. He’d been rather smug, thinking that as long as a steward—or even a temporary household manager—was sent from the nation, the family affairs and the estate would be fine without issue. But when Lovell heard the current state of the household from his subordinates, he pressed his hands to his head.

Sauvel, Lovell’s younger brother, had a decent skill with the blade, but since adulthood was only reached at sixteen in this country, the fifteen-year-old Sauvel hadn’t been allowed into the monster tempest suppression force.

Now, though, Sauvel had joined properly and climbed the ranks on his own, reportedly even becoming commander of the knightly order.

It was a point of pride for the Vanklyft Family that Sauvel had risen so high. But according to his subordinates, there was another issue.

(That woman’s at home...? )

Lovell clutched his head.

The "woman" causing Lovell's headache was, in fact, his former fiancée.

Agiel, the second princess of the Tembar Kingdom. She had two older brothers and one older sister. Agiel was the youngest, significantly younger than her siblings, and adored beyond measure.

When Lovell was sent to the front lines of the Monster Tempest, he broke off their engagement right then and there. "I might not come back alive," he'd said.

It would've made a lovely story—Agiel weeping, still waiting faithfully for his return, even after the breakup.

But Agiel was prideful to a fault, a spendthrift, and utterly arrogant. She looked down her nose at others, boasting about her royal blood, and had stalked Lovell the moment she fell for him at first sight.

The woman who forcibly seized Lovell—once hailed as the kingdom’s most handsome man—from his betrothed, waving royal decree like a banner.

Her personality? Just... awful. She once stood before everyone and declared to Lovell, “I am the one who will grace the viscount’s house. Be grateful,” using her power to claim him.

Even during the Monster Tempest, she tried to block Lovell’s involvement, brandishing her authority like a weapon.

But without Lovell—once the kingdom’s greatest warrior—this threat couldn’t be overcome. No matter how much she loved her daughter, the king refused to listen to her words.

The cost of surviving the Monster Tempest was steep. Lovell, at the forefront of that sacrifice, had nearly died—and was taken to the Spirit World for recovery. When Agiel heard she wouldn’t be returning for years, she didn’t wait around for her former fiancé’s return, of course.

Agel was furious—her pride had been wounded by the broken engagement.

She hadn’t even considered that Lovell’s broken betrothal might have been out of sorrow for those left behind.

In this country, when a fiancé dies, the surviving partner is treated like a widow—mourning for a year, and forbidden from engaging or remarrying for at least three years.

So it was standard practice for someone sent to the front lines to call off their engagement. The one who broke it off had to wait a year, while the one broken from had to wait only three months if no wrongdoing was found—nothing more than that.

People who heard of Lovell’s exploits and final fate were overwhelmed with emotion. The public grew drunk on tales of heroism, and voices grew louder in support of Lovell, of the Vanklyft Family.

The cruelty of Gadiel had become common knowledge, and with the public already turned against him, even Lovell’s breaking off the engagement ended up becoming something of a joke—perhaps because of that, it was hard to take seriously.

No matter the order, public opinion held that Lovell, who had shattered Gadiel’s engagement, had earned ill favor. Along with his father, he was sent to the front lines and never returned to defend the nation… that was the rumor circulating in the streets.

The Vanklyft Family was elevated in status, partly to calm the masses. That’s what set Agiel into a panic.

No woman could ignore the rising fame of the Vanklyft name—hero’s family, they called it. In this country, where adulthood began at sixteen, missing the marriage window by your teens meant you were left behind.

After waiting a full year for Lovell’s return, and seeing the despair around her, Agiel set her sights on her younger brother—just turned sixteen, just inherited the title.

She played the part of a merciless tyrant sending Lovell to the front lines, just to put on a show. To make it seem she wasn’t disrespecting the Vanklyft Family at all.

“So, she’s married in now, is she?”

“Couldn’t refuse a royal command…”

Sauvel and Agiel were the same age. The only reason Sauvel hadn’t married was because the law said you couldn’t wed before sixteen—no exceptions, male or female.

To be honest, even though Lovell had awakened after just one year, the reason he didn’t want to return to the human world was this Agiel.

I’d gone to all that trouble to break off the engagement—going back now would be like starting over from scratch.

I’d heard Lovell’s servant say Origin probably wouldn’t wake for a few years, so I’d been thinking of staying in the Spirit World until Agiel’s delay passed. But still… how could I not feel something when someone so devoted was watching over Lovell right beside me?

I was shocked to find myself half-spirit, but I’d always considered myself lucky to have such beloved people around me.

I never thought, though, that my younger brother would become the next sacrifice.

And Agiel’s obsession with Lovell—the hero of that country—coming back… that would be a crushing humiliation for Agiel.

"There is a daughter, Your Highness, between Sauvel and Agiel… um…"

"Looks just like Agiel, doesn't she?"

"Yes... well, that’s already—"

A child raised by that woman. Easy enough to picture.

Sauvel, like himself, had always loathed Agiel.

Lovell and Sauvel weren’t alike. Their parents had been called a beauty and a beast—so their features had split accordingly.

The younger brother took after their stern-faced father. The elder, on the other hand, looked so much like their mother that people often mistook him for a woman.

Sauvel, with his rugged features that already hinted at his father’s harshness, had once been mocked by Agiel—“Completely different from His Grace, aren’t you?”—and yet somehow she’d been forced into marriage. Makes my head hurt just thinking about it. Was she really that obsessed with fame?

Probably not just Agiel, though. The royal family likely wanted it too.

Granted, he’d been elevated to nobility, but the crucial Lovell was absent. Probably deemed too unworthy of proper bloodline, or so it seemed.

Two people with such history? They’d never get along. That much was obvious before even touching it. Having children had been nothing but a duty. Something expected of nobility.

Then Albert dropped another bomb.

“Sauvel’s been keeping a mistress in the commoners’ district. There’s a daughter from that one too.”

“…………”

After both father and Lovell had vanished one after another, just inheriting the family estate was already crushing pressure—now Agiel shows up too. The realization hit instantly: Sauvel’s peace of mind wasn’t to be found within the family walls.

I get the brother’s feelings, sure. But what the hell is this mess…? Lovell’s brow furrowed deep.

“The Vanklyft Family’s on fire because of Agiel’s extravagance…”

“…Did I send word I was coming back?”

"Of course."

Lovell sighed. If that’s the case, they’re definitely waiting for me.

Another headache bloomed behind my eyes—was I just the broth for Agiel’s exile?

But then again, I’ve been crushing my little brother under pressure for ten years. This much I should do as an older brother.

Sending my darling daughter back to her mother was the right move.

"...I have somewhere to stop first. I’m getting that woman out of here."

The vassals, catching sight of Lovell’s retreating back, surged forward with renewed resolve, shouting their reply.

＊＊＊

"Mommy, what’s Agiel like?"

"Try not to think about it. If I saw him, I’d throw a flaming rock straight at his face."

"...I get the picture."

So that’s what family’s like. His father’s family must be some kind of battlefield. Elen thought.