As the two siblings are walking towards the entrance, Anastacius noticed his sister's hands clench tightly on her sides.

"Ari, answer me honestly," He spoke while keeping his gaze straight forward. "Do you think, the future is set in stone?"

Aristia glanced at her brother curiously before hearing the question. Her eyes tremble slightly, she froze on her steps.

'Does brother know?!'

Anastacius halted, he knows very well, how sensitive this topic is to the current Aristia. But he wants her to realize, what she really wants, without going through all the hardships in the original story. And, he doesn't want to reveal that he is also reborn... At least, not yet. He turned back at her with a soft smile, while walking back to her.

"Why do you look so terrified? You don't have to give an answer, right away..." he uses his hand to fix the strands of her hair, away from her face. "But I will share you, my thoughts on the future. If you don't mind hearing me ramble"

Aristia stares at her brother in wonder, her chest started to calm down from seeing his reassuring gaze. She finally regained her voice to answer her brother.

"Brother is a very wise person, and I may not be able to give a sure answer now. I will listen to brother!"

Aristia is sure that her brother is the kindest and the most reliable person, who gave his life for her. Her brother is who she wants to strive to be, since her first life. He is humble with his accomplishments, responsible, he always puts his family above everything and-

Her thoughts were cut off as she felt her hands being unclenched, her brother's warmth is covering her cold palm "The future is not set in stone, it keeps on changing, depending on the person's choices, values, and character."

She felt herself being pulled forward, with her hand in Anastacius' gloved palm. "The past does not define a person's future, if there are some regrets and nightmares that haunt you, in your sleep. Slowly let them go, conquer them... But if that is to difficult then, channel those thoughts into spite..."

They were nearing the entrance, so Anastacius decided to finish his little speech, "To persevere with whatever you want to be, not minding those who curse you.."

"Just follow your heart, Ari, no matter what you choose... Pa and I will support you, because we love you"

"-Because we love you"

The weight in my chest suddenly became light, as if those words carried magic.

'Right... Everything will be different now, I no longer desire the love from someone who has an ill perception of me... I have people who care about me and I didn't get the chance to return those feelings to them'

I greeted father, before taking his hand to guide me inside the carriage. I took a peek at my brother and father, seeing them discuss a few things before entering.

I don't know why, I've never noticed but... Brother does look like a copy of father. I let out a laugh from that thought and at the same time, both of them turned their gaze at me in an identical manner. Which caused me to laugh more.

"What's so funny?" Papa asked me, wearing a small smile.

"I'm curious to know about what made our little Ari, so happy. Or are you making fun of us?" Big brother accused with a playful serious look. I knew that he's only joking because his right foot is tapping in a slow rhythm.

I've noticed that habit of his, since my first life.

"I'm not making fun, I just noticed something!"

"Well whatever that, we're glad that it made you laugh. Isn't that right, pa?" Brother looked at Papa, he shook his head in agreement.

Brother suddenly looked behind him, seemingly staring at something inside the the building, we were at the entrance and there weren't that much people around us.

"Pa, we should hurry back, Ari still needs a small meal and a bathe before going to bed" He nudged Papa to enter the carriage, while I fixed my position to be more comfortable for the trip home.

"Right, you should also take some rest An, you said that your were going to be busy for tonight" Papa, faced brother, giving his hand out to help him get inside.

'Brother is so hard working, I wonder if I can do anything to help him'

"Thank you, I will take a nap on the road" Brother took his hand gratefully, as Papa pulled him in "I'm very sure that I'm going to need it"

"Brother, what will you be working on? Maybe I can help, before I go to bed" I offered some assistance, it might not do much since, I'm not that familiar with the way my brother's mind work.

"I am focusing on making a work plan for the knights in the Second Knights corps, to enhance their skills and highlight their talents" He spoke, adjusting himself beside Papa.

"But isn't our squadron, already competent with their current strategy?" I questioned, while looking at Papa, to see him surprised.

"Well allow me to explain my opinion, every person has a strength and weakness. There are knights who might not be suitable to the squadron even if they are actually quite good," He takes a chessboard out of his coat... He took a CHESSBOARD OUT OF HIS COAT-!? AND IT'S COMPLETELY ARRANGED!??

He placed it on his lap, the occasional bumps on the road does not move the pieces even for a bit, "You see this similar to chess, Ari, do you know what are the most important pieces to protect?"

"It's the king... And queen?" I answered with uncertainty.

"Correct and incorrect, the king is an automatic piece to protect. Yes, the queen is known to be the but in fact, there are pawns... People who can be whatever they want to be, once they reach a certain position" Brother smiled, which made me worry for some reason.

"For me, the king does not only symbolize the Emperor or royal family, it also represents the civilians who don't have the power to fight against battles"

The king does not only mean the royal family... It dawned on me, at that moment. There are people just like me out there, when I was still a foolish young girl who only knows the tip of how battles work...

"There are knights, rooks, and bishops. Those pieces are either born with that bloodline or they were pawns, you'll never know because it doesn't matter. What matters is the heart, ability and beliefs"

"There are some misconceptions, with how people see and use pawns. Pawns are seen as the weakest and the easiest to disregard which can also make them the stealthiest people. Pawns are just pre-talents, you have to cultivate them to a point where they realize what they are meant to be" He briefed, before yawning.

"Rest, An, I'll wake you up once we arrive home" Papa advised

"Pardon me, let's continue this discussion tomorrow, I have a long night ahead" He whispered before leaning his head to the side of the carriage, falling asleep with his neck bent.

°

°

°

The Marquis held his son's head, fixing his position to be more comfortable. Seeing his son in peace reminds him of the past, when Anastacius was still a young child. He knew that his children are special: the eldest loves to read books since the age of 2, he was even sent to a foreign country to represent the Castina Empire and the youngest is the child of the Prophecy, looks up to her brother. He held a fond look on his face while reminiscing those days.

"You know..."

Aristia faced her father, with a questioning gaze while tilting her head. Which greatly resembles her brother and mother.

"Your brother was just like you, at your age. But the situation was quite different..." He started, looking at the reaction of his daughter, "I told him, that he didn't need to try so hard to be something he doesn't want to"

Aristia was shocked, "Is brother forcing himself to be the heir of our household?" She whispered,

Marquis Keirean shook his head, "It's not that, when your brother was informed that he had to leave home for 7 years"

"The emperor said, that he sees great potential in him and sent your brother with a bunch of adult strangers, to a foreign land... He was very expressive with his emotions, you can see him smile a lot even if he's doing nothing"

(A/n: Are you sure he's not mentally ill-)

'Can I work just as hard as brother, to become useful?'

°

°

°

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, making me, open my eyes instinctively. I look at the person who owns the hand, to see my father.

"We're home, An"

"Thank you for waking me up, Pa" I muttered, trying to get my eyes to adjust from the brightness of the mansion.

"Brother have you eaten? Papa mentioned that you went straight to the Opera after an errand" I suddenly recalled the scenarios this morning, I went to an inn but rather than eating-I beat people up.

"Hm? I don't think so..." I trailed off, seeing the looks on both of their faces, "Why? What's wrong?"

"If there's nothing, then I'll be going, see you tomorrow morni-"

"An, you should eat some dinner before going to your studies"

°

°

°

Somehow, the whole mansion seems to have heard that conversation... My table is full of different meals-

I'm thankful for their worries but this is a bit much...

I let out a sigh, while walking towards my table. I set aside the gifts to make some space for my drafts.

"This is going to be a long night..."

I mutter, taking my pen to draft a blueprint for the obstacle courses and allotment of space in the training grounds. Which will be similar to those shows where the amount of time, completing a course, will be recorded.

(A/n: Rip to all the knights)

"Well this doesn't look too difficult, but this will improve all of their stats"

"Maybe I should make the bars, higher"

"I should add something to break their fall, just in case... Mud or sand?"

A series of suggestions and questions, come out of my mouth as I nibble on some salad. After a couple of hours, my hand became sore and I can feel some fatigue catching up. I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows and rotated my dominant wrist to relieve some stress.

"I need some coffee..."

He takes the stack of his plans, under his arms and left his study room. He felt like something slipped his mind, but he knows that he's skipped enough to take over the country so there's nothing to be afraid of.

Unbeknownst to the young La Monique, it was already day time and the De Rass family has just arrived. Everyone, Anastacius passed by, greeted him joyfully and he just nodded his head with a "Have a great evening" which made them all chuckle. He was confused but he didn't mind it.

"Sir Anastacius!"

A voice called out behind him, Anastacius turned around to see a young knight named Luca, who s running (Kaneshiro-).

"Hm? Is there a problem, sir Luca?" He questioned, while he is craving for the bitter taste of caffeine. He let the blonde knight, catch his breath

"Ah, there's no problem! I was just wondering if you need some help with planning the new workout draft for the squadron" Luca offered some assistance, while he looks up at Anastacius. Which he got stunned, there may be eyebags around his eyes but his expression shows a lazy bit charming look.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm already finished. I will just review these papers a bit more before submitting it to father" Anastacius gestured to the stack of papers in his arm, with a small smile and patted the young man's shoulder with his free hand.

"I'll be going now, have a good time" Anastacius turned away and went to the kitchen.

The maids and butlers were startled to see their young master in the kitchen.

"Sir Anastacius, what are you doing? You should've just asked us to do it" They cried in terror as they watched those porcelain hands pour hot water in a slightly larger mug.

'We failed to protect our young master!' They mourned inside their heads for their uselessness.

"It's alright, you guys are already busy as it is" Anastacius blinked, before taking out a tray of biscuits, "Well I won't disturb you anymore, have some snacks before going out"

He grabbed a couple of cookies, Macarons, his stack of papers, and a big mug of coffee before heading out, without waiting for the people in the kitchen to react.

"Our young master is so thoughtful!"

"I feel so lucky to be able to eat, what our going master made"

Anastacius was chewing on a piece of cookie, holding a small bag of biscuits and papers on one arm while twisting the handle of Father's study room.

"Good morning Pa, I'm here to-" he greeted while pushing the door open

"Well look who it is, if it isn't sir Anastacius!" a familiar voice, reached his ears making him halt and almost choke from the cookie.

He gave a light cough to moisten his throat, before meeting the gaze of a red head.

"A pleasant morning, Duke Arkint, I apologize for my sorry appearance to meet you"

The three people on the room, looked at the tired expression on Anastacius face. The latter is calmly sipping on his mug of bitter delight.

"Wow, it looks like you didn't have a nice sleep, young man" Duke Arkint mused, watching how Anastacius sit on the chair next to his father. With a straight posture and elegant aura, his wife will surely be proud of her student.

"I didn't sleep" He explained, looking at his best friend Kaysian with a small smile.

"Because I was drafting a new work plan for the knights in our squadron" he continued, before giving his stack of papers to his father.

The De Rass duo, was curious as to what Anastacius worked on that made him lose sleep. The Duke tried to take a peek but the Marquis quickly took away the draft from his view.

"Here's the draft for the knight's workplan, I've added space allotments, blueprints and time tables for the new exercises. But I will explain the details more thoroughly later"

"Anyways, what brings you esteemed guests to our humble abode? It seems to early to be an arranged appointment" Anastacius turned his attention back on the red heads with a blank expression. Resting his head on his hand. He already knows the reason but he respects manners.

The Duke, began to explain about the bad harvest and how riots have been happening. While the Duke's eldest son is gushing from the appearance of his best friend, looking so docile and lazy. (A/n: Should I add Kaysian to the harem? ⌓‿⌓)

The Marquis added some remarks here and there, while Anastacius made some suggestions to ease the load of their work. The Duke was surprised at his suggestions, though some are bizarre, it can actually work!

"Sir Kaysian, why don't you sit beside me? Let the adults have their talk, while we have our own" Anastacius suggested, patting the free seat beside him.

Kaysian looked amused with his attempts on escaping the attention of his father, The Duke. He gave Anastacius, a provoking expression while the latter gave him a look of betrayal.

Anastacius: 눈_눈

Kaysian: ☆⌒(≧▽​° )

"Now now, you're almost an adult, Anastacius. It's a great practice if you join the adult talks, but son, you can go sit next to your best friend" The Duke replied, waving his hand

Anastacius grunted, while making space for his so-called-bestfriend. Expressing dissatisfaction for not helping him.

"Since you're almost an adult, have you considered when you're going to join my squadron?" The Duke suddenly looked serious as he crossed his arms, studying Anastacius' reaction.

"I did not urge your son to join my squadron, but why are you doing that to my son?" The Marquis countered the older red head, slightly narrowing his eyes on contempt.

"Hey now, I'm just doing this for his own good. Some nobles have been speaking unpleasant words behind him for not being capable enough to work seriously, on becoming the next Marquis" Duke Arkint argued, feeling distressed with how toxic the society is. The younger red head, nodded at his father's comment.

"An, those people don't know you as well as we do. We're just worried, how this will impact you in the future" Kaysian propped his hand on Anastacius' shoulder, making them stare at each other's eyes.

Anastacius looked at his best friend's determined gaze, making him heave out a sigh in defeat.

"Thank you for your advice..." He took a glance at his father with a wry smile, he rests his hand on his best friend's in a comforting manner "I have decided to become a squire after the expedition, I want to gain some experience outside the capital before becoming an errand boy"

"That's the spirit!- wait did you just say errand boy?"

At that moment, the doors were pushed open to reveal a maid. And behind the maid, stands their little lady.

"Oh the young lady is here, just in time!" The Duke immediately forgot what Anastacius said and greeted Aristia.

"A pleasant morning Ari, did you sleep well?" Anastacius stood up, with his father, to go check up on their treasure.

"Brother, Papa! Did something happen?"

"Tia..." Aristia looked at her father and brother's faces, which looked a bit Grim. It made her feel unsettled and her dream... More like her nightmare, isn't helping the situation.

"... Tia, it looks like" The Marquis held his daughter's hand, "Papa has to go on an expedition in another land"

The Duke began to repeat the story to Aristia about the bad harvest and riots.

'A riot happened in the end?!'

Hey there my lovely kings and queens! Author-nim here

ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

And I have a request, if that's alright 👉👈 hehe. So I have an IG and Twitter account that is sorry of empty, if you don't mind, can you please follow me there?

(;'༎ຶٹ༎ຶ')

https://mobile.twitter.com/AssistantQuail

https://www.instagram.com/assistant_quail/

Anyways, thank you for reading my story! Comment here, with recommendations on adding people to the harem!!

Author-nim out! ∠( ᐛ 」∠)_