Older than Erilot.

Balzac’s face twisted abruptly.

“Perverted bastards. Erilot is only ten! Are they all insane?”

“Looks like it.”

“Of course.”

Joshua and Richmond agreed in cold voices.

Then, a grinding sound escaped from Daymond’s mouth.

“Crazy fools.”

By now, in the minds of Daymond and the three brothers, the saying “noble engagements are sometimes decided even before birth” had been erased.

Joshua added.

“Do you think it’s just their decision?”

“Or maybe—”

“Their parents took this chance to push it through.”

“Aiming for Erilot’s blessings and the Astra name.”

“That’s right. Since Father’s chances of becoming head of the family have increased, their greed only grew.”

“They’re nothing but idiots with shit for brains.”

Daymond glared fiercely.

Even if someone begged, flat on their face, for just ten minutes to meet, he’d tear their teeth out.

Trying to lure them with sweet words?

The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.

“Michelan, bring me my sword.”

Michelan, attending the meal, replied.

“I have orders never to hand it over if the master asks for it.”

“Who dares.”

Daymond and the three brothers frowned, staring at Michelan.

Michelan smiled faintly and continued.

“It’s for Miss Erilot Astra.”

“...Where were we, Joshua?”

“...We were talking about the families coveting Erilot.”

“...Those who wrote letters right away under their parents’ orders are a problem, too.”

Startled, Daymond, Joshua, and Richmond changed the subject.

Michelan silently chuckled.

The servants quietly swallowed their laughter and withdrew.

“At first, I was intimidated by the Astra family and Daymond’s house, but honestly, they’re easier to deal with than other families.”

“Michelan has organized the system properly, and serving the masters isn’t difficult.”

The servants exchanged knowing looks and nodded.

Of course, the masters were difficult.

Daymond and the three brothers had a terrifying presence that ordinary people didn’t have.

But at the top of the pyramid in this mansion was a bright yellow squirrel.

Most matters could be resolved at once by saying, “It’s Miss Erilot Astra’s order.”

“Now I understand why the servants from the manor smile so broadly at the young lady.”

At first, it was very scary.

After all, she was a girl with a dragon.

And the little lady who received the full love of Duke Astra.

They expected her to be very difficult and were tense...

But—

Erilot was a reasonable mistress.

She hired capable servants and trusted their work.

But to prevent power from concentrating, she established a system where servants could check each other.

“Still, as Daymond Astra’s daughter, she carried a strange aura of intimidation...”

She wasn’t someone who treated the servants specially.

But when they did a difficult job, she acknowledged it with a word or two.

The servants never forgot the day they first met Daymond’s bright yellow squirrel.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Erilot Astra. I’m grumpy, but I pay well.”

And truly, she paid well.

Really.

Seriously.

The basic eight-hour daily wage was higher than other mansions.

Besides...

Double hourly pay for overtime.

Triple hourly pay for weekends.

Additional pay for extra duties during “market hours” (whatever that was, but the lady called it that).

“Ah, Miss!”

“Miss!”

“Our lady!”

The servants remembered the recent paycheck with ecstatic expressions.

For servants of noble families, overtime, weekend work, and extra duties were natural.

But getting paid allowances meant earning twice what they did at previous jobs.

Thanks to the fancy paychecks, the servants’ loyalty soared.

The mansion shone spotless, and no work inside was leaked outside.

And whenever Erilot’s name was mentioned outside, fights broke out.

“Now I get Daymond and the young masters’ anger.”

“How dare they send love letters when she’s a year younger?”

“They must think they have an eye for her.”

The servants’ looks changed to those of a mother-in-law spotting a thief.

“Um...”

One maid raised her hand.

Daymond and the three brothers’ gazes shifted to the maid standing by the wall.

“Sorry to interrupt during the meal, master. I’m Kyni, in charge of purchasing ingredients for the dining hall!”

“Go on.”

“I heard something strange from the vegetable suppliers. They said Miss Erilot might be getting engaged soon.”

Daymond and the three brothers’ expressions darkened.

Richmond narrowed his brow and asked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Recently, servants from district one families were asking around if there were any engagement talks at the Astra manor!”

“Damn it...”

Balzac’s eyes burned fiercely.

He snapped his gaze at Daymond.

“Are you just going to let it be, Father?!”

Joshua and Richmond agreed.

“The reason servants are asking is obvious.”

“We have to deal with this before a marriage proposal arrives at the manor.”

Until now, Daymond had been silent with a grim expression, but slowly spoke.

“We can’t just let it be.”

Marriage within the bloodline is decided by the family head.

Once a proposal arrives at the manor, it’s unstoppable.

‘My daughter who’s barely taken her first steps.’

‘My baby brother who’s still an infant...’

The four men clenched their fists, imagining how terrified Erilot would be.

Joshua asked.

“What will you do if it happens—”

“Leave it to me!”

Balzac slammed his chest and jumped up.

“...To me?”

Daymond looked suspiciously at Balzac.

Balzac spoke confidently.

“I’ll kill them all.”

“...Hmm.”

While Daymond was pondering, Joshua said.

“Let’s leave it to Balzac, Father.”

Surprisingly, Joshua sided with Balzac.

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes action speaks louder than brains.”

Balzac might just beat up the rival boys.

It’d get noisy, but it would be quick and easy.

“Only Balzac will get scolded by Erilot.”

He’s the only one hitting them, not us.

Joshua smiled bitterly.

Daymond and Richmond’s lips curled crookedly as they understood his meaning.

“Fine. Balzac, it’s your responsibility.”

“Brother Balzac will do well.”

“Yes, Father.”

Balzac was the only one fired up, unaware of Daymond, Richmond, and Joshua’s sly intentions.

The next day.

Balzac arranged a meeting with the boys who sent the letters.

One by one, the boys began arriving at Astra’s second manor.

“Oh, Ted! You came too!”

“Hello, Prince Langro.”

“Yeah, uh... that’s the Zermo Duke’s carriage, right? Was Cassian invited too?”

Cassian Zermo, who stepped down from the carriage, nodded to the boys.

Even so, four more carriages arrived.

At the moment when eight boys were greeting each other warmly—

“Welcome, I am butler Michelan.”

“Yes, we met last time.”

“I’m glad you remember.”

But something was strange.

The expressions of the servants greeting with Michelan were somehow...

‘What’s with those mother-in-law looks like they’re staring at a thief?’

Wiel Langro, leader of the Archer Club, looked puzzled.

“Well then, come inside.”

“Okay.”

The boys felt the strange atmosphere and awkwardly followed Michelan.

But it was truly strange.

‘This isn’t the way.’

The more they walked, the stranger it felt.

Ted Madillo, the weakest boy, broke into a cold sweat.

‘This is weird.’

For some reason, it felt like being dragged down an alley by bad older boys (though he had never experienced it).

At that moment—

“Oh, it’s Balzac!”

At what seemed to be a training ground, Balzac was holding a wooden sword.

“Oh, Balzac! Finally going to spar?”

Wiel Langro said brightly.

Other boys greeted warmly.

“Ah, the training ground. Now that I think about it, Prince Langro requested a spar last time.”

“I asked to see the spar. So you invited everyone here.”

“Long time no see—”

Just as the boys greeted cheerfully—

Balzac, with the wooden sword slung around his neck, swaggered over.

“First.”

“...Yes?”

“First!”

“Fi-first.”

“Erilot is ten.”

“Er, Erilot is ten?”

“Second, that kid’s so busy there are no good boys in the western army.”

“Se-second, there are no good boys in the western army...”

The boys’ voices began to falter.

Balzac continued with a grim expression.

“Third, Erilot has three hot-tempered brothers, and her father is even worse.”

“Th-third... Erilot has...”

Only now did the boys realize why Balzac ‘summoned’ them.

‘It’s because of the letters.’

Most of the boys grew up under parental protection in the first district of the zodiac.

They couldn’t handle Balzac, who flew around battlefields on Astra’s orders.

Balzac smirked.

His handsome face, enough to make the maids sigh “haaa...” was terrifying to the boys like a monster.

“Come one at a time. I’ll deal with you personally.”

“...”

The boys swallowed their dry saliva simultaneously.

They were backing away slowly, looking for an escape...

“You there, you first.”

“Y-yes?!”

That was when—

“Brother Balzac?”

Erilot walked past the training ground, clutching a pile of books.

Balzac’s fierce glare at the boys completely changed.

“Ah, Erilot!”

“Looks like you invited guests again today.”

“Yeah. We’re friends now.”

Balzac quickly put his arm around the boy’s shoulder and whispered with a laugh.

“Smile, smile.”

“...”

“Smile.”

The boys forced awkward smiles.

Erilot smiled brightly.

“That’s good! Have a good time. You all too.”

“Ye-yeah... ha-have a good time...”

“Yeah! Take it easy at work, Eri!”

Erilot greeted and passed by them.

Balzac said.

“Shall we start now?”

“...Yes.”

So they got beaten up under the pretext of sparring.

...Regretting their arrogance from when they requested the spar.

The boys lay sprawled on the ground like corpses.

That monstrous Balzac Astra casually dusted off his hands.

“Don’t mess around.”

Saying that, Balzac Astra walked away.

The training ground echoed with sorrowful cries.

Sob.

Sniff.

Hiccup...

“Bastards.”

“Bad bastards... sniff.”

Even then, three boys’ eyes were still blazing.

Wiel Langro, Cassian Zermo of the Duke’s house, and Ted Madillo, the palace librarian.

The three thought.

“They say the western army is struggling because of lack of people?”

“If there are no people in the western army...”

“The western army, huh.”

The boys’ eyes ignited with fire.

Love originally burned stronger when faced with obstacles.

The western army administrator of the palace.

I sat at my desk, pondering.

“So it means I need 300,000 gold to participate in the ghoul extermination.”

Since there were no holy knights, more money had to be spent on weapons.

Embedding white jade was necessary to store holy power to eliminate incorporeal ghouls.

“Even if Dad says he’ll get the white jade as cheaply as possible...”

I was writing on parchment when I felt eyes on me.

Looking up, I saw the knight officers sneaking glances at me.

Of course, when our eyes met, they quickly looked away.

“You have something to say?”

Then the administrative chief, Golgo, said quietly.

“Miss, you have an office prepared inside the palace.”

“I know.”

“The western army administrator might be uncomfortable...”

“It’s more uncomfortable there.”

‘Because the other commanders are too close.’

I, who had completely fallen out with the central and southern commanders, casually glanced around.

“Am I that much of a bother?”

“Oh, no!”

“Of course not!”

“We’re grateful to Miss for working day and night for the western army...!”

Though they protested vehemently, their eyes told a different story.

They looked like they couldn’t breathe from discomfort.

“Hmm, yeah. If you’re uncomfortable, you won’t be able to work well.”

I stood and said.

“I’m moving my office inside the palace. Could you help move my things?”

“W-what?! O-okay!”

“Hurry and move!”

“Should I move this too? Ah, should I move the filing cabinet?!”

I chuckled.

Gratitude for my working day and night for the western army, my ass.

‘They’re happy I’m moving.’

The knights scrambled to move the things.

Clutching my documents, I headed to the palace.

As I passed the corridor with the western army knights carrying my things—

“Where does the western army compare to us? Haha!”

“Just relying on numbers.”

A familiar voice sounded.

It was Silin, the central army commander, and his general.

They were accompanied by many knights who looked like officers.

‘What the hell is all that?’

White jade was embedded all over their armor joints.

Even Astra wouldn’t spend that much on a knight’s armor.

As the western army knights and I stared in surprise, Silin turned to us.

“Oh my, western army administrator.”

The central army general also looked at us.

Pfft.

A clear sneer escaped his lips.

“Look at the state of you. Someone might think you’re gangsters from a back alley.”

His mocking words made the western army knights’ expressions harden immediately.