Hyeong Daesung—or just Dae, to his friends—was poring over his personal notes while he worked on the next revision to his main project. His jobs as the headmaster of Jiaguo’s academy and the nation’s chief magical researcher kept him quite busy, but he was happy with both roles. As happy as he’d ever been, really—he was safe among friends in a place that they had built together, and free to pursue whatever interesting magical concepts he liked.

It was everything he’d ever wanted, but now and then he felt a strange sense of melancholy. A homesick feeling for a home he’d never really had. His master had raised him and provided for him, but even at the best of times Do Hye lacked the warmth of a father. He was a strict teacher, and Dae still valued the lessons he’d learned under his wing, but with the benefit of hindsight, he knew that he had put the man on a pedestal.

The comforts of his past were born of ignorance, and ignorance was the enemy of any scholar. Still, part of him couldn’t help but miss that blissful innocence.

A knock on the door snapped Dae out of his brooding, and he was thankful for the interruption.

“Come in!”

Dae received many visitors throughout the day—students and professors, mostly, but he also employed a few assistant researchers who reported to him. There was also Yoshika, of course. It was quite charming the way the empress still doted on her friends after so many years. Whether she stood at the top or the bottom, she paid little heed to status or station.

Today’s visitor, however, was more rare and unexpected. Hyeong Aecha, Dae’s twin sister, entered silently and shut the door behind her before bowing in greeting. She still wore the uniform of a Goryeon palace servant, and carried a covered basket that smelled amazing.

“Good afternoon, Master Hyeong. I hope I’m not interrupting?”

“Not at all, Aecha! It’s good to see you. Though, as always, you needn’t be so formal with me.”

“And, as always, while I appreciate the sentiment, I find polite language more comfortable.”

The siblings exchanged a brief smile. That exchange was practically a special greeting for them. They hadn’t known each other growing up—in fact, Dae hadn’t even known they were blood relatives when he discovered her while looking into his master’s affairs.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, dear sister?”

Aecha raised the basket in her hands.

“Young Mistress is busy with Princess Seong Eunae, while the Little Miss is off doing...whatever mischief she gets up to when left alone. I made too many portions for lunch, out of habit.”

“Ah! How kind of you to think of me, then!”

Dae ushered his sister into his office, and she approached to place the basket on his desk. With her package delivered, she bowed politely, then turned on her heels to leave. Dae held out a hand to stop her.

“Wait! You’re just leaving it here? Why not stay and share lunch?”

Aecha hesitated, then shook her head.

“Thank you, but I’ve already eaten.”

She was difficult to read, sometimes. Dae could never tell where she was hesitating due to propriety, or where she was genuinely uncomfortable. There was often a lot of overlap, and she made a point of keeping her true feelings hidden.

If he insisted, then she would stay, but he didn’t want to force her. It was rare enough for Aecha to visit of her own volition, and Dae didn’t want to discourage that by abusing his authority.

“Hold on...”

She stopped and turned back to him, standing at attention as she awaited his next command. Dae sighed. He was probably overthinking it, but getting his sister to make her own decisions was like pulling teeth.

He inspected the basket to find it filled with steamed buns, rice cakes, and simple dumplings. Far too much food for three people, even if one of them was Lee Narae. Moreover, everything was easily portable, could be eaten with one hand, and left little mess. It was a thoughtful gift, and one that had been intended specifically for him. Aecha hadn’t brought leftovers she’d cooked out of habit—she’d gone out of her way to make him lunch.

That was about as close to expressing herself as Aecha got, and it would have to do.

“Stay here for a bit, would you? There’s too much for me to eat on my own, so you should bring back whatever is left for when the girls return. Besides, my own thoughts aren’t making for very good company today, and I could use a friendly ear.”

Aecha bowed, a tiny smile and the subtle movement of her tail barely indicating her approval.

“Very well, Master Hyeong.”

She took a seat and, despite her earlier excuse, helped herself to one of the rice cakes.

“What troubles you?”

Dae sighed and took a steamed bun for himself while he composed his thoughts.

“I’m not sure. I always wanted to be a scholar at the forefront of magical research, exploring new frontiers and preparing the next generation to carry on that legacy. This is my dream, where I’ve always been destined to end up.”

Stolen story; please report.

“And?”

“And now I’m here. I’ve always got new ideas to pursue, and improvements to make, but I find that I have relatively little to strive for. As a unified cultivator I’ll keep my youth far longer than usual without ascending to xiantian, and even as my peers progress beyond me, I find myself far less enthusiastic about chasing that path.”

Aecha chewed on her food delicately, as if trying to pretend that she wasn’t eating at all. Dae didn’t know what kind of training she’d gone through as a young girl, but it pained him to see her so furtive over something as basic as sharing a meal.

“Then what do you want? If cultivation and research are not satisfying you, then what desire has been left unfulfilled?”

That was an interesting question—and not one Dae expected from Aecha, of all people. To him, she seemed like the last person who would worry about personal fulfillment.

He considered it seriously, and his mind drifted back to his earlier musing about the home he’d never had.

“A family, perhaps? I’m hardly lonely here, but the man I considered my father ended up being an ancient demigod planning to use my body as a convenient vessel for reincarnation, you and I are barely more than strangers, and it’s been years since Princess Haeun stopped calling me ‘big brother.’”

“You told the Young Mistress not to. Repeatedly.”

“Well, yes, but I didn’t mean it. Surely you of all people can identify with that.”

Aecha pursed her lips, tensing up slightly. Had that been a touch too far?

“Maybe. Still, it’s probably for the best. The Seong clan can’t be too happy about their star child cozying up to an enemy of the state.”

Dae chuckled.

“I doubt anyone really pays that formality much thought. I suppose you’re right, but the point I’m trying to make is that I’ve been feeling homesick for a place that never existed, so perhaps the answer is to create it. To build a new home and start a real family.”

“Would you like me to call you ‘big brother’?”

The question caught Dae so off-guard that he almost choked on a meat bun.

“I’m sorry?!”

“If you crave familial connection, then I can be the first member of your new family.”

“I thought you were more comfortable with polite speech.”

Aecha shrugged.

“We are siblings. There’s nothing impolite about me calling you big brother. Or do you only like it when little princesses say it?”

Dae blinked, too stunned to think straight for a moment before he noticed the little smirk on her face, and the twinkle in her eyes.

“That was a joke. You’re teasing me.”

She inclined her head.

“A little. I was serious about being part of your family, though.”

He wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or impressed—her deadpan was impeccable.

“Well then, I’d be honored. I suppose our family has to start somewhere.”

“Hm. On second thought, perhaps you should find someone other than your sister to start a family with.”

“That’s not what I—you—that was another joke, wasn’t it? This is an unexpected side of you.”

Aecha giggled softly—and it was the first time he’d ever seen her laugh.

“I’m a professional, Big Brother, not a corpse. And it’s my day off.”

Dae sighed and shook his head. He wasn’t sure he was prepared to bear the brunt of whatever years of self-suppression had done to his sister’s sense of humor, but he was glad to see her opening up for the first time in nearly a decade.

“You know we’re the same age. Who can say which of us was born first?”

“It’s more convenient if you were, so let’s just go with that. I spend enough time being a big sister as it is...”

“I can only imagine. I don’t envy you the task of taking care of our not-so-little-anymore princesses.”

Aecha took a breath, looking like she was going to say something, then stopped herself. Dae watched as she struggled internally with years of unspoken complaints. Already loosened by their conversation, the professional facade never stood a chance.

“Promise me that this conversation will never leave this room.”

“I swear it.”

“Lee Narae isn’t so bad. She’s a troublemaker, but she’s independent—it’s the Young Mistress who causes me the most grief.”

Dae blinked in surprise—that was almost the opposite of their reputations on campus. The two were nearly inseparable, but Haeun was far more composed and mature—usually putting out the same fires her counterpart caused.

“Really?”

“Yes! I swear, she’d forget her own head if it wasn’t attached! Always lost in her own little world. I’m worried what she’s going to do without me.”

“Without you?”

She paused, then averted her eyes, realizing she’d said too much to refuse further elaboration.

“Seong Haeun is nearly an adult now. I don’t know when, but some time soon she’ll be recalled home to Goryeo. I...don’t plan to go with her.”

That was surprising. Hyeong Aecha had been the princess’ handmaiden for nearly the entire time he’d known her, only briefly attending to Eunae before that. She had insisted for years that it was the position that she was most suited for.

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

Aecha stared into her lap and bit her lip, her ears drooping slightly.

“I’m grateful for everything Mistress Eunae and the Young Mistress have done for me, but they have always told me that I am free to choose my own employer. I’d be happy to serve either for the rest of my life, but I cannot be handmaiden to a queen and there is no future for me in Goryeo.”

“I see. What will you do, then?”

“Mm. I don’t suppose you’re hiring?”

Dae laughed, but Aecha’s expression didn’t change. He sobered quickly and furrowed his brows.

“You have my support, of course—but I wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping you as a servant. That’s no way to treat family.”

She sighed.

“I see. Thank you anyway. Well, perhaps while you help me look for employment, I can help you find someone suitable to start that family with. You know, I’ve heard High Arbiter Yan Yue is going to be seeing suitors soon.”

Dae grimaced.

“No! She’s...lovely, but we don’t get along. Besides, I think it would be best if I found a wife with less international renown—founding this nation was more than enough drama for a hundred lifetimes.”

“Hmm...you had a crush on Lee Jia once, didn’t you?”

“She is already married and you are going in the completely opposite direction of what I just said.”

Aecha covered her mouth and laughed.

“I suppose we’ll figure something out.”

“I suppose we will. Thank you for bringing me lunch, Aecha.”

“Thank you for inviting me to share it, Big Brother.”