"Is my brother inside?"
"Yes. But..."
Before Sophie could finish, Lillian pulled a small, pinkish shell from her bodice.
"What is this... Hah! M-My Lady! Don't tell me this is...!"
"It's nothing special, just a cosmetic called Moonglow Pearl Powder. I was on a boat trip with Mother and thought of you, so I bought it."
Moonglow Pearl Powder was a high-end cosmetic that was out of reach with copper pence, and one would be lucky to acquire it even with silver shillings.
This small item was so precious that rumors circulated about young ladies from renowned noble houses pulling each other's hair out to obtain it.
With such a precious item in her hands, Sophie spoke with a resolute expression and voice.
"Just say the word, My Lady! This humble servant will dedicate her life to you!"
"Then, will you open the door for me?"
"Is there any question! The Young Lady is entering!"
Sophie threw the door open like a gatekeeper welcoming a triumphant general.
Thanks to her, Lillian easily entered the room and walked straight to the bed.
There lay Julian, looking as if he were dead.
"Is he still sleeping?"
Sophie quickly answered.
"No. He's pretending to have lost his mind."
"Hey!!"
Julian shot up and glared at Sophie.
Betrayed twice by the maid he had trusted, Julian felt like he would burst from the injustice.
"I'm definitely going to have you fired!"
"Waaah! My Lady! Am I going to be thrown out onto the cobblestones and live like a street urchin now?"
As Sophie hid behind her and her eyes welled up with tears, Lillian gently stroked her head.
"Don't worry. Sophie will never be fired."
"Says who!"
As Julian fumed, Lillian gave a light laugh.
"Says me, of course. Sophie's wages come from Father's pocket, not yours, brother."
"..."
It was so true that Julian had nothing to say.
With a deep sigh, Julian peeled the wet cloth from his forehead and asked with anxious eyes.
"Why did you come looking for me? Don't tell me... Father sent you to fetch me this time?"
"No. Does a younger sister need a reason to see her older brother?"
Perching on the edge of the bed, Lillian gently placed her hand over Julian's.
"It's just that, it seems I won't be able to see you much longer, so as your younger sister, I came to see your face."
"Ah... so it's finally begun."
Julian nodded as if he understood.
Large merchant powers like House Sterling, which dominated a region, tended to start their succession training early.
Julian, who naturally thought that the talent to lead the future of House Sterling was his diligent and smart younger sister's share, lightly patted Lillian's shoulder.
"I have no doubt that you will lead the house splendidly."
"Me too, brother."
"Yeah!"
Smiling and encouraging Lillian, Julian realized that his sister's gaze upon him was unusual.
"No... it can't be, right?"
As Julian stammered, Lillian's head moved very slowly from side to side.
And in the next moment, through the wide-open gap in the door, numerous servants entered, their arms full of bundles of ledgers and heavy tomes.
There were so many that the room was filled to the brim with documents and books.
"Wh-What is all this!?"
The flustered Julian's lips trembled.
"What do you mean? It's the basics of estate management and commerce that you, brother, who will lead the future of House Sterling, must learn. For starters, that's the ledger of vassal merchants. There are a total of one thousand five hundred clients, and eleven trade guilds to manage. And that is..."
Julian got up from the bed.
"Brother, where are you going?"
"I have to go see Father! It seems Father has gone senile!"
Julian's two feet, which hadn't even walked at a fast pace, let alone run, for the past few years, moved busily today.
Watching him with a pleased expression, Lillian giggled.
"I like that my brother is so simple."
******
"My Lord! The Young Lord has come to see you."
"Let him in."
As the heavy oak doors opened, Julian appeared through them, panting for breath.
Staggering from side to side, Julian approached Cedric and bowed his head in greeting.
"Did... you... have a... good... night... heok! heok! ...Father."
His words were interspersed with gasps for breath.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of our dear son, who is rumored to have a heavier presence than I, the Lord of the House, visiting this distant wing of the estate?"
"I have... hoooo—! something urgent to tell you."
Cedric put down the quill he was holding and folded his hands.
"Speak."
"Just now, I heard something from Lillian that I simply cannot believe."
"Something you cannot believe... This father is truly curious as to what that is."
"This is a terrifying story that could bring ruin to House Sterling!"
"Hoh! Such a big deal!? Don't beat around the bush and tell me quickly."
"It was the unbelievable and absurd statement that I would be receiving succession training!"
Julian spoke with a trembling voice as if he were about to deliver terrifying news, but Cedric looked at him with an expression that said, 'so what?'
"As you were born the eldest son of House Sterling, it is only natural that you receive succession training."
"Whaat!? But there's Lillian, not me!"
"That child still has things to learn, and with you, the eldest son, here, how could I make Lillian the ruling heir?"
"But look to the future. Father, if you had to invest all the house's gold and future between a product with absolutely no future value and a product with the potential to one day dominate all markets, which would you choose?"
True to being a merchant's son, Julian posed the question by comparing himself and Lillian to products.
'Of course, I'd invest in the latter. On what grounds would I entrust the syndicate to a lazy bum like you?'
The words he wanted to say rose up to his throat, but Cedric, befitting the head of a house, exercised strong self-control and swallowed them back.
In a stern voice, Cedric said.
"The value of any product cannot be known until it is put on the market. Wouldn't even the laziest person in the world become diligent if placed in a situation where they have no choice but to move?"
"Father! Are you truly determined to ruin the house!?"
"If you become the lord and House Sterling is ruined, that too is the family's fate."
At Cedric's unyielding firmness, Julian collapsed and sat down on the spot.
The piles of ledgers that filled his room swam before his eyes.
"Ah! And start preparing to go on a trade expedition soon. Since it's your first time, I've prepared a light caravan trip that's only about two months round trip, so don't worry too much."
"T-Two months..."
It was a caravan journey of a duration that Julian could not even imagine.
'At this rate... I have no choice but to run away!'
"It would be best not to think about running away. The estate's outstanding guards will be watching you day and night."
"Father...! What on earth did I do wrong?"
"Wrong? You are only doing what you are supposed to do. Did you really think you could play and eat for the rest of your life? In this world, there is no such thing as happiness without a price."
Like a true merchant, Cedric put a price on happiness.
As Julian, with nowhere left to retreat, stared blankly with a half-dead face, Cedric, who had been waiting for this moment, spoke as if in passing.
"Well, it's not like there aren't other ways."
At the single sentence Cedric threw out, Julian reacted with uncharacteristic lightning speed.
"What is it!?"
That's right. To avoid succession training, Julian was prepared to do anything.
"Learn the sword."
"...Th-The sword?"
Except for swordsmanship, that is.
As Julian, who had no confidence in living the strenuous life of an aura knight, spaced out again, Cedric soothed him and continued.
"Master Vaelor is one of the most skilled swordmasters in the Empire, so it won't take you long to learn his aura arts. If you can achieve a level of skill that Master Vaelor acknowledges, then after that, I will not interfere with whatever life you choose to live."
"Does that mean... you won't make me the heir?"
"That's right. If you become a swordmaster with outstanding skills, Lillian will lead the house, and you will protect her by her side. But if you dislike even this, then we have no choice but to start the succession training from today."
To show his resolve, Cedric crossed his arms and slowly closed his eyes.
When no answer came from Julian for a while, Cedric peeked with one eye.
Julian, who had been sitting collapsed, was biting his lip with a pained expression.
If one didn't know the circumstances, he would have looked like a warrior contemplating a life-or-death decision.
After much deliberation, Julian finally opened his mouth.
"I've decided."