By Zephyria 
Carlisle Graham was the perfect successor. Almost everyone who knew him had no objection to that fact.
Among the elderly vassals, there were many who were deeply moved by how the little baby, who only knew how to enjoy an afternoon nap in his father’s arms, using the voice of his older brother reading the classics as a lullaby, had grown up so maturely and filled the vacancy of the deceased without any flaws or gaps.
‘Come here, Carlisle. My little joy.’
Carlisle had heard that it was Jeremy, the original Young Duke, who had named him.
Instead of the Grand Duke, who almost always left all the work to his successor and stayed close to the Grand Duchess, spending every minute of the day with her, it was the Young Duke who was waiting for his younger brother who had searched the genealogy for days and nights, and who had carefully chosen the name of a blessed ancestor who had lived peacefully without any worries or concerns throughout his life.
After the uneasy and turbulent succession competition and the unnecessary conflicts that resulted from it were all over, the young Carlisle, who came like a gift, was a pure joy to everyone in the Grand Duke’s family. So his childhood was full of peace. He was just happy, not knowing what was going to happen.
Until his beloved older brother, Jeremy Graham, appeared before him as a cold corpse.
The tragedy, which didn’t dare to interfere in Carlisle’s blessed life, suddenly barged in like an uninvited guest. The shoes of the uninvited guest were soaked with the red blood of the kind Young Duke, Jeremy Graham, whom everyone loved.
The identities of those who assassinated the Young Duke were one of the shadows of the destroyed kingdom that had been aiming for the throne of the North along with Graham. Graham was also a shadow of the kingdom, but he was able to pacify the North because he had the strongest power among the many shadows. Although he could not establish an independent monarchy as a state annexed to the Empire, he still ruled the vast territory as a Grand Duke.
The Grand Duchess, who had not recovered from her weakened state after giving birth to Carlisle, could not accept the death of her beloved eldest son and cried for days and nights before quietly passing away. The Graham Grand Duke, who was already suffering enough from being a disgraced parent who had lost his son, also lost his partner who had been with him for half his life. The Iron-Blooded Grand Duke could not collapse, even so. He must not collapse.
‘Ah, Father… Mother, Brother….’
Because he still had something to protect.
It was from that moment that a murderous glint began to return to the Grand Duke’s eyes, which had been quite imposing in his youth but had gradually softened with age. The Grand Duke could no longer cherish Carlisle Graham, his only remaining precious treasure, as a delicate leaf. He chose to be a father resented by his son rather than a father who would lose his son.
“Don’t be weak, Carlisle. As the sole heir of this Graham, you must become a successor worthy of the title.”
Young Carlisle’s face was filled with the sorrow of losing his mother and siblings, but no one wiped away his tears anymore. Whenever Carlisle showed weakness, the Grand Duke would instead fiercely scold his son.
In that way, Carlisle shed his childishness and became the sole Young Master. He was only about ten years old at the time.
‘I have to be perfect, enough to satisfy Father. No, even more than that… stronger than my brother, more flawless than my brother…’
Time flew by quickly. Carlisle Graham was already fifteen, and in the meantime, the obsession with becoming a more perfect successor had long since consumed his entire mind.
But where did the flaw begin?
“Young Master. Are you reading boring books again?”
“Quiet.”
“You can’t just study like this every day. When you’re young, you should be out in the sun, running around.”
“I said be quiet.”
“I can’t have it. Come with me to the garden!”
Before he knew it, a lively voice began to mix into his life.
“Hurry, get up!”
“L-l-let go…!”
“Wow. You’re small, but why are you so strong? Come on, hurry!”
He should have reprimanded the impudent servant who dared to grab the heir of the great Graham so rudely and severely punished him to prevent such insolent behavior from happening again, but…
“Isn’t it nice to come out like this?”
“…….”
“Even if you make that grumpy face, I know everything.”
“…….”
“Hey, don’t just stay like that, you can comfortably say you like it if you do.”
“…Such an impudent fellow.”
“Ah, yes? You’re saying thank you? That I’m the only one for you?”
Carlisle Graham couldn’t shake off the touch of this lively person.
The first time the servant suddenly burst into his life was when he was hiding in the garden, trying to rest his weary mind, as on any other day.
This garden, where peonies and roses bloomed profusely in all seasons, was personally created by the Grand Duke for the Grand Duchess, who especially loved flowers. Carlisle used to love taking walks in this garden with his sturdy brother, Jeremy Graham, holding his hand tightly before going to bed. When he walked hand in hand with his brother in this place, which was particularly sunny and had a warm atmosphere, the majestic scenery of the castle, which looked quite frightening to a child, and the steep, aloof mountain scenery looked as cozy and charming as a backyard hill in a fairy tale.
Jeremy Graham, never tired of his younger brother constantly asking for stories, would whisper various old tales in a gentle voice every time they took a walk. Carlisle’s favorite story was about how many magic stones the Grand Duke had poured into creating this garden, and how the Grand Duchess, while liking it, also rolled her eyes at the excessive waste. Hearing the stories of his seemingly perfect parents bickering like ordinary lovers never failed to make the corners of his lips turn up.
Already within Graham Castle, the story of the unfortunately deceased eldest son and the Grand Duchess was forbidden, and of course, all items related to them had long been burned. This garden was nothing less than the only remaining mementos of Carlisle’s brother and mother.
So, whenever he particularly missed them, it was his long-standing habit to shut himself in this garden whenever he had the chance, recalling and replaying the fading memories.
The day he met the servant was no different. As the anniversary of his brother and mother’s death approached, his heart stirred again, and he spent the whole day listlessly in the garden. The Grand Duke, too, was immersed in his own grief, so he pretended not to notice Carlisle holing up in the garden around this time.
But then, a servant he had never seen before fearlessly strode into the garden. That alone told Carlisle that the servant was an outsider. None of Graham’s servants were unaware that the inner garden was a place reserved only for Young Master Hamilton.
From the sound of his footsteps, he felt uneasy, and the servant nearly dropped the heavily laden tray in his hands. It wasn’t an uncharacteristic act of consideration that made Carlisle catch him. It was because he hated the thought of the garden being soiled by spilled food.
When he first caught him, he had intended to severely reprimand him and sternly warn him not to set foot in the garden again.
‘T-thank you…’
He would have certainly done so if that expression of gratitude, barely muttered as he calmed his startled heart, hadn’t sounded strangely familiar.
While Carlisle was racking his brain, trying to figure out where he had heard that voice before, the servant quickly backed away and repeatedly bowed his head.
‘I’m really sorry… I’ve committed a terrible sin…’
As he spoke longer, Carlisle finally remembered. It was definitely the voice of the person who had helped him in the capital last year.
Hearing Duke Grachio’s wife, who resembled the deceased Grand Duchess as if she had come back to life, murmur that she wanted to see daffodils before she closed her eyes, just like the Grand Duchess had done right before her death, he had impulsively rushed out without a penny in his pocket, only focused on sneaking out without anyone noticing, and had been forced to wander around cluelessly after getting lost. It was the very day he had acted so foolishly and immaturely that he was ashamed of himself even now. It was the voice of the very person who had helped him.
Although they hadn’t had a long conversation back then, all he could recall was the voice, as his face had been completely covered by a hood. So, for a little over half a year, that person’s voice had remained vividly in Carlisle’s mind.
‘…Well, it’s not exactly a terrible sin.’
He had received help too, so he could let it slide once. Once.
At first, he had only thought that.
But strangely, as the days went by, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. It was strictly forbidden for Graham’s direct line, who had not yet undergone ‘growth,’ to meet outsiders.
Even if he was a subordinate, he wasn’t a member of Graham, so he should reveal his identity at this point and warn him not to approach any further…
Every time he heard the servant calling out cheerfully, “Young Master!” his lips would tighten.
The servant seemed to mistakenly believe that he was just a young nobleman from the north who was relying on Graham Castle, but Carlisle didn’t correct the misunderstanding.
Just one more day, tomorrow for sure… As he kept putting it off, he began to feel empty when he didn’t hear the servant’s chattering voice.
His blind greed gradually grew.
The servant was affiliated with Count Hamilton’s family, who were visiting from the capital for a while. He would be returning soon anyway. So, for a short time, there was no need to make his benefactor uncomfortable, was there?
“Young Master, I have something to tell you today.”
“What is it?”
“I’m…”
Yes. That’s all it is.
“I’ll be leaving soon.”
He didn’t know why his heart was shaken by just those words, even though he was telling himself that was all it was.