Joshua returned to his room.

But then, from inside the bedroom, there was a rustling sound.

Frowning sharply, Joshua flung open the door leading to the bedroom.

Balzac, who was rummaging through a drawer, flinched and stiffened.

“Oh, you’re here...?”

“What are you doing there?”

Balzac cleared his throat and answered awkwardly.

“You have a stirrup, right? The small one.”

“What?”

“Ah, the one Duke Lissian made for you...”

“Balzac—!!”

Joshua’s shout echoed through the room.

Balzac winced.

Joshua grabbed Balzac by the collar and slammed him against the wall with a thud.

“I told you several times not to «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» mention Duke Lissian.”

Lissian Astra.

That name was a shackle binding the brothers.

The biological father who tried to poison Daymond and betrayed the Astra family.

He stole a sacred relic owned by Astra.

Lissian’s death was also caused by the relic’s curse, leading to his untimely demise.

If the twins hadn’t been born with powerful Gaho, they might have been abandoned after Lissian’s death.

Thus, Lissian’s name was practically taboo for the twins.

Balzac muttered,

“It was a mistake...”

“How many times are you going to make that mistake?”

“......”

Joshua glared coldly at Balzac.

“If you’re dumb, keep your mouth shut. If you can’t, at least think before you speak.”

Balzac’s eyebrows twitched.

“Is that too harsh?”

“Your mind is what’s harsh.”

Suddenly, Balzac’s hands started to ripple with energy.

When he thrust his hand forward, Joshua quickly released his grip and stepped back.

The wave of power shot out from Balzac’s hand, striking the wall.

Bang!

The wall was dented in a large circular crater.

“Wanna fight?”

“Do you think you’re the only one with offensive Gaho? Dumbass.”

Balzac frowned and placed his hand on the dagger at his waist.

Joshua grabbed the sword hanging on the wall.

Balzac launched the first attack.

Just as the two were about to clash—

“Stop!”

Erilot hurried in and blocked between them.

Balzac startled and stepped back.

Joshua also took a step back.

The brothers scowled and looked at the child who had blocked them.

“Hey!”

Balzac shouted sharply.

“Are you crazy? Why do you jump between swords?”

You almost turned that tiny thing into a crushed nut.

“We’re fighting.”

Erilot, still blocking them, said.

“No matter how much you fight, you can’t jump between swords!”

“What’s it to you?”

Balzac and Joshua answered in turn.

“We’re not just fighting as brothers.”

“Astra is a place where brothers even kill each other.”

“......”

Joshua’s words left Erilot speechless for a moment.

Then, after some hesitation and a low murmur, he narrowed his eyes.

“Then, since we’re still babies, we fight in a way that’s not dangerous.”

Balzac snorted.

“Are you stupid? Where’s a fight that isn’t dangerous?”

“There is.”

“There is?”

“Yes!”

Erilot grabbed one hand each of Balzac and Joshua.

‘...!’

Joshua flinched, and Balzac too.

Balzac glanced at the tiny hand of Erilot holding his.

‘Why does she grab people like that?’

Except for when she was too little to button clothes, no one had ever grabbed him like that.

Only during sword training or physical contact with others.

But Erilot had no hesitation holding hands.

‘...Does she like me?’

Thinking back, it made sense.

She helped with the King God Ultra Generation Wild Horse, and applied medicine when I was itchy...

Balzac cleared his throat loudly on Erilot’s hand.

Erilot pulled both of them to the table.

She seated them opposite each other and had Balzac and Joshua face one another, holding hands.

“What is this!”

“Let go.”

The two jumped back as if touched by a bug.

Erilot said casually,

“It’s arm wrestling.”

“What wrestling?”

“Arm wrestling. You put strength like this and whoever knocks the other down first wins.”

She imitated arm wrestling with her own arms.

The brothers laughed dryly.

They couldn’t believe such a thing was called a fight.

Joshua frowned deeply.

“Get out of my room. Stop talking nonsense—”

“Hmm, looks like Joshua thinks he’s going to lose.”

“What?”

“He’s avoiding fighting. Balzac is stronger, right?”

Balzac wore a triumphant expression.

“Of course! I’m the older brother.”

Joshua boasted that even he couldn’t compete.

Joshua smiled coldly.

“Your foolish arrogance hasn’t changed.”

“You, who only reads books in your room, how do you expect to beat me?”

“Forgot? I won last time in swordsmanship.”

“You used dirty tricks.”

“You’re the dumb one for falling for them.”

Their eyes blazed as they clashed again.

Balzac slammed the table loudly.

“Let’s see who’s stronger.”

“I don’t play without stakes.”

“If you win, you’re the older brother from now on!”

Joshua raised an eyebrow.

The brothers sat down.

Erilot placed a chair between them and stepped on it.

Then, she placed her tiny hand on top of their locked hands.

“Then—start!”

As soon as she said start, she removed her hand.

The two tensed their fists.

I looked at Balzac and Joshua, whose arms looked like they might burst.

They’d been arm wrestling for at least ten minutes.

I was nervous, thinking they might break their arms, but they were putting everything into it.

‘Well, that’s good.’

It was worth provoking Joshua on purpose.

I’d been planning to search Joshua’s room.

He always locked his door when going out, so it was hard to get in.

‘Joshua’s behavior is just too strange.’

They ignored me and focused on arm wrestling.

I jumped off the chair and pretended to look around the room.

‘Joshua’s room is really tidy.’

The blue-decorated room had no unnecessary furniture.

The desk was neat.

True to his meticulous personality, all the desk drawers were tightly locked.

‘Nothing unusual here.’

While thinking that, my eyes caught the fireplace.

There were some half-burned logs.

‘Firewood in this weather...?’

It was hot during the day, though maybe they used the fire at night.

But some embers still glowed.

‘It’s not for heating the room. Something was burned.’

And if Joshua, a noble, was burning something, it was obvious.

‘Letters.’

I glanced at Joshua.

They were still immersed in arm wrestling.

“Now...! Give up...!”

“You... me.”

‘Dig more? Or not?’

If Joshua hadn’t caused trouble in the domain, I would have ignored it.

Getting involved might cause trouble.

‘But he caused problems in my territory.’

If he was targeting father or me, I had to nip it in the bud before it happened.

Then—

Crack!

The table split with a terrifying sound. It couldn’t withstand their strength.

‘Eek!’

I was startled, but Balzac shouted.

“I win! You were losing before the table broke!”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“No, you almost fell twice before.”

‘They seem like kids, but...’

They hid things, schemed, and desperately struggled for influence—kids who shouldn’t have to.

I sighed.

At night.

After a big dinner, I tapped my round belly.

“You seem to have enjoyed your meal, Miss.”

“Yes!”

Today I ate separately from the twins. Father ate with the managers.

So I enjoyed a leisurely dinner for once.

“I ate such big meat today.”

“Oh my, that’s great. Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yes.”

Heidi smiled and undid the buttons on my clothes.

“Now, say hooray.”

“Hooray.”

Heidi smiled blissfully and rubbed her cheek on mine.

“Our sweet little miss.”

After rubbing for a while, she suddenly stopped.

‘Huh?’

Usually she’d go on for five minutes, but today she stopped early.

“We should hurry up.”

I heard her muttering and tilted my head.

“Where to?”

“I need to prepare clothes for the two young masters.”

“Didn’t you bring Balzac and Joshua’s maids?”

“No, they don’t bring nannies. They hate having people nearby. But this time they came with Baron Jahabang.”

Heidi shrugged and continued.

“I heard Master Joshua dislikes it.”

Dislikes?

She’s protecting someone she hates?

“Why do you hate him?”

“Almost no one likes Baron Jahabang. He’s a power-hungry hyena...”

“A hyena?”

“Yes, I heard he only became an evaluation commissioner because he clings to power.”

“......”

“He follows Deconz around so much, he must have gotten what he wanted.”

“......”

“That’s probably too complicated for you, Miss.”

Heidi laughed embarrassedly and got up.

“Make sure to cover yourself well.”

“Yes.”

“Sweet dreams, Miss.”

After Heidi left, I flopped onto my bed.

‘There are just too many strange things.’

Even if I try not to care, I keep getting annoyed.

‘Then I have no choice.’

I sent magic to my dantian.

My vision flashed, and the window popped up.

‘I really don’t want to use Gaho.’

Last time, after using it during the Michelan incident, I felt terrible.

And above all...

‘Reading comments makes me furious.’

I wished Dalia would come quickly to change the atmosphere.

Because reading comments like these was creepy.

I sighed and looked at the window.

‘Huh? Why are there so few active chapters?’

I can’t see all the comments, only those on active chapters.

But...

‘Chapter 2?’

When Michelan was released from the palace, there were comments up to chapter 5 active.

I scrolled up with a puzzled expression.

The title and book summary appeared.

Balzac Astra, a tragic swordsman who lost everything because of his family.

Now it’s my turn to devour the family.

‘What is this fantasy novel-like summary?’

Originally, the Ice.Black.Hand summary was quite kind.

Wait.

‘Balzac? Balzac Astra?’

I gawked at the window.

I blinked several times and even slapped my cheek, but the screen didn’t change.

So, this was real.

‘This crazy... crazy author!’

The protagonist of the novel changed.

Yeah.

It’s common for failed serials on free sites to be completely rewritten.

If there’s a popular character in a failed novel, they might be used as the main character in another work.

‘But they wouldn’t possess me and do this.’

I held my head and worried.

Where did it go wrong?

Until now, Dalia had been the protagonist.

The number of comments and views was even higher than when it was still Ice.Black.Hand, though it was probably because of trolling.

So maybe the author’s mind broke?

‘Why did Balzac become the main character?’

No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t find an answer.

I decided to read the comments to see if I could find out anything.

I read comments on the active chapters.

Thanks for reading.

The family setting smells like an internet novel. Sniff sniff #1 in the world ranking BanhuiX

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Main character is a sicko. Twins died, so why go against the stepfather?

└Babies are dumb, what can you doㅠ

A messy work that can’t even follow the genre rules. I bet my stocks it won’t switch to paid.

└Samsung electronics three?

└Fits the main character requirements. Enough misery, chances to overcome, ability.

└Who asked?

└Said it doesn’t even follow genre rules.

└Don’t fight.

‘What is this?’

Frozen, I focused on one comment.

...Twins died, so why go against the stepfather?

‘Joshua’s going to die?’

Balzac thinks father is the culprit and confronts him?

Suddenly, a scene flashed in my mind.

Joshua’s uncharacteristic defense of Baron Jahabang.

‘...Something’s going on right now.’

I jumped up from bed.

I hurried out and went to Joshua’s room.

I pounded on the door hard, but no one came out for a long time.

‘Asleep?’

I knocked repeatedly, but there was still no sound.

Instead, Balzac came out of the next room.

“What’s up?”

“Where’s Joshua?”

“He must be in his room.”

“Not there!”

“Where did he go... That’s strange. I didn’t hear him leave.”

Balzac’s statement made me flinch.

When aura users manifest, they become very sensitive to presence.

Unless weakened by the red moon as before in the stable, Balzac wouldn’t have missed any presence.

I quickly looked around.

‘Is there anything I can grab?’

At that moment, I spotted a large gemstone on a decorative stand.

I grabbed the gemstone and pounded on the door loudly.

“What are you doing?”

Balzac looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Joshua’s in danger!”

“What?”

Balzac stared at me.

Then, seeming to realize my expression was serious, he came to the door of Joshua’s room.

“Step aside.”

He pushed me back a little and kicked the door hard.

The door, struck by a foot imbued with the Enhancement Gaho, flew open.

Balzac and I hurried inside.

Inside was...