SHC10.C10 The Kikunoi Family Situation
C10 The Kikunoi Family Situation
Once upon a time—well, not that long ago—maybe six or seven years back…
A man met a woman at a party in a noble’s mansion.
The man was of noble blood, sure, but he was the penniless second son of a low-ranking noble family, barely scraping by. The woman, by contrast, was from one of the wealthiest houses in the Empire.
Normally, a man like him wouldn’t have even been invited to such a party. But the host was his direct superior and happened to take a liking to him, so he had little choice but to attend.
The moment the wealthy noblewoman saw him, she was smitten.
She tried every trick she knew to win him over, but he wouldn’t budge.
And for good reason: he had already promised his heart to someone else.
The woman was furious.
As a daughter of a count, she had never been denied anything. No one had ever rejected her—not in love, not in life. She was used to getting exactly what she wanted.
But this man ignored her entirely. He devoted himself only to the woman he had pledged himself to.
To her, that was unforgivable.
She waved money in front of his parents and older brother—and they, delighted, betrayed him without hesitation.
So the man renounced his family and went to live with the woman he loved.
But when she couldn’t control him, the noblewoman’s love turned to hatred. In the end, she used her family’s influence to crush his lover’s household.
That family—noble in name only—had no hope of surviving once a powerful count’s house turned on them.
To protect the woman he loved, the man agreed to marry into the count’s family—as a son-in-law.
Though he despised the woman, a year later they had a child: a son.
Under Imperial law, once a nobleman produces a legitimate heir, divorce is strictly forbidden.
The woman thought she’d finally gotten everything she wanted.
But the man smiled too—just as bitterly.
Taking full advantage of the fact that divorce was now impossible, he ignored his wife entirely. He took the woman he had wronged as a concubine and left for a separate residence.
“So… the man in that story is my father. And the woman is my mother.”
“That is correct.”
“Which means I… am the legitimate heir, the very reason they can’t divorce…”
Welp. I’m screwed.
There I sat, facing Ms. Rottenmeier and Professor Romanov in the drawing room, trying to digest it all.
If my tone sounded a little too casual, it wasn’t because I was joking. It was because I desperately wanted to escape this reality.
My head hurt. Honestly, that was the truth of it.
And unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst of it.
“In his letter, your father mentioned that the lady at the separate residence recently passed away from a seasonal illness… and that he’ll be bringing her child—a three-year-old boy—here to be raised. Preparations are already underway.”
“Huh!? Wait, a child!? I—I have a younger sibling?!”
“A younger brother, yes. And it seems one of the maids who served as his caretaker will be coming as well.”
“What the heck!? But this is the main estate of a count’s house—in the middle of nowhere, sure, but still!?”
“That is… well…”
So this is… what? Am I at risk of being disinherited?
Oh man. Thank goodness I already picked up a few useful skills…
But I’m five. What would I even do if they threw me out?
I stared down at the table, anxiety creeping in—until Professor Romanov finally spoke, his voice calm but firm.
“You don’t need to worry, Hotaru-kun. Things won’t go as you fear. Under Imperial law, a child born to a concubine cannot inherit the title of a household that the father married into. It would be seen as an attempt to usurp the family—and the backlash from noble society would be severe.”
Apparently, the nobility in this Empire are basically sustained by pride and reputation. Getting blacklisted by high society is about as good as a death sentence.
So if this isn’t about the heirship… then what?
To tear a young child away from the only home and memories they’ve known—especially to bring them to the home of the woman who destroyed his mother?
What if they die from the trauma or neglect? “What if he’s abused!?” screamed the “me” inside, the one from my past life.
“If I had to guess… I think I’m the target.”
“Huh?”
That brought me back to reality.
I looked up to find Professor Romanov wearing a pained smile. Ms. Rottenmeier beside him looked equally uncomfortable.
“You probably didn’t know, Hotaru-kun, but… I’m actually fairly well known. Both as an individual and as an educator.”
“Wait, really?”
“Really. Though, to be honest, I didn’t expect to find a child who didn’t know about ‘Alexei Romanov the Elf Adventurer.’ That was humbling.”
“Ah… um, sorry.”
He reached out and ruffled the cowlick on my head with a gentle chuckle.
“At first, I was going to turn down the offer to be your tutor. Even after hearing your situation from Ms. Rottenmeier, it didn’t really spark my interest. But once I met you… I realized you were a truly unique child. Now, I can’t imagine anyone else teaching you.”
“According to your father’s letter, he wishes for you and the young boy—Regulus, he said—to share a tutor. Specifically… he requested you, Professor Romanov.”
I appreciated his kindness.
But even if he wanted to refuse, how could a hired tutor defy the head of a noble household?
I tried to picture it: sitting side by side with a little brother I didn’t even know I had, sharing lessons.
The awkwardness was already overwhelming.
But whether I remembered or not, I was the older brother.
And in my previous life, I firmly believed that “older siblings look after their younger ones.”
Still… this whole situation felt oddly distant, like it wasn’t really happening to me.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
It was more like “I” was being overwritten by the memories and instincts of “him.”
Something about this didn’t feel right.
Feeling my sense of self slipping, I grabbed onto the one question that still lingered and turned to Ms. Rottenmeier.
“I kind of get why my father hates me. But… what about my mother? What does she think of me?”
“The Countess… well, she’s not much different from your father.”
“Because I’m the reason they can’t divorce?”
“That’s part of it. But… during her pregnancy, the head maid at the time strongly advised her not to travel. She went anyway, and that led to a premature labor. Both your lives were in danger.”
“So… she blames me for almost dying.”
“Yes… That would be accurate.”
Ahh. Yep. This is a checkmate if I’ve ever seen one.
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