January 1st, 1809

A few months had passed as the Ivanovich and Whitemore families tried to move on after the death of their loved one, Jonathan Ashford. Though the pain and grief lingered, everyone managed to find their footing—everyone except for Xavier, who had kept himself locked in his room all this time.

Early in the morning, Xavier's maid, Anastasia, came to his room to deliver his breakfast. She knocked on the door and asked if she could enter, but there was no response.

"Is he still sleeping?" Anastasia wondered to herself.

She then closed her eyes, focusing a significant amount of ethereal force into them, enabling her to see through the door to check on Xavier. Seeing that he was still in bed and awake by the way he was breathing, Anastasia sighed in relief. She turned to one of the knights guarding Xavier's room and asked, "Would it be possible for you to hold onto Young Master's breakfast and give it to him if he asks for something to eat?"

The knight replied, "Yes, I can do that."

Anastasia smiled gratefully and added, "If he doesn’t ask for it after a while, please feel free to bring it back. We don’t want to serve him cold food."

The knight nodded in response, and Anastasia thanked him once more before calmly returning to her other duties.

As the hours passed and the sun began to set, Violet, who had just returned from a visit to the capital city of Moscow, knocked on her grandfather Graviil's office door, asking if she could come in.

Graviil and his butler, Viktor Mirovich, warmly welcomed her. Graviil asked his beloved granddaughter how her day had been.

"It was wonderful, Grandpa!" Violet replied.

"That’s great to hear, dear," Graviil said with a content expression.

Violet continued, telling him about her visit to the family’s Emperiel Church and how everyone she met had been very kind to her.

Graviil smiled, pleased to see how happy his granddaughter was, as she shared her experiences with him and Viktor.

When she finished, Graviil asked if she had seen her older brother that day. Violet answered that she had visited Aleksander at the training ground, but he seemed too focused on his training to take a break and talk to her.

"And he smelled awful, drenched in sweat," Violet said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Graviil burst out laughing at her comment. "Why don’t you join him in training?"

"I don’t really want to," Violet responded.

"And why not?" Graviil asked, puzzled.

"Well, after Father died, I lost my drive and desire for strength," Violet admitted.

Viktor, the butler, asked, "Then what will you do?"

"I want to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor," Violet replied.

"A doctor?" Graviil and Viktor echoed, surprised.

"Yes, a doctor," Violet repeated. "I want to use my powers to treat and heal those who are sick or can’t afford medical treatment. And even help soldiers during battles and wars."

Viktor pondered for a moment before saying, "Well, since your contractor's powers align with your goal, it’s certainly possible for you to become a doctor."

Violet nodded enthusiastically. "I can’t wait to start."

Graviil then smirked and asked, "Oh, by the way, dear, how is Xavier doing?"

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Hearing the question, Violet's expression turned somber. "He's doing... alright, I suppose."

"I checked on him this morning, and he seemed to be sleeping."

Viktor then commented, "I heard Young Master hasn’t eaten all day."

Graviil sighed, taking slow, deep breaths. "The boy's traumatized. But even so, I can’t just sit back and let my grandson, whom I love very much, starve himself."

Violet protested, "But he’s only a child, Grandpa! It’s normal for him to act this way. Even though he’s been locked away for months, we need to give him time to heal and support him as he overcomes his depression."

Graviil calmly replied, "But, dear, you’re a child as well. I know you’re traumatized too. You don’t need to hide it by pretending everything’s fine, Violet. It’s okay to cry; you’re only eleven years old. Even I cried at your father’s funeral."

Knowing her grandfather was right, Violet fell silent, which made Graviil worry. "Is something wrong, dear?" he asked.

Violet forced a smile, claiming she was just tired. She bid her grandfather and Viktor goodnight and left the office.

As she left, Graviil sighed in frustration, unsure of what to do. His aura subconsciously activated, causing the atmosphere around them to thicken.

Feeling the heat and struggling to breathe, Viktor calmed Graviil down, reassuring him that everything would be fine and there was no need to stress.

"I hope so..." Graviil murmured as he regained control.

Later that night, Violet walked the palace hallways, heading to the kitchen to clear her mind. When she entered, one of the maids noticed her and was surprised to see her there so late.

The maid bowed and greeted Violet, asking if she was hungry and offering to cook something for her.

Violet nervously assured the maid she didn’t need anything, explaining that she had come to the kitchen just to free her mind.

Understanding the situation, the maid bowed again, wished Violet a goodnight, and quickly left to give her some space.

"Now, should I bake something? Or would it be better to cook?" Violet mused to herself. "Oh well, why not both?"

Meanwhile, in his room, Xavier tried to sleep but couldn’t, as hunger gnawed at him. He quietly left his room but was immediately startled by the knights guarding his door.

"Is everything alright, Young Lord?" one of the knights asked, kneeling to check on Xavier.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit hungry," Xavier replied nervously.

"Would you like us to ask one of the palace maids to cook something light for you?" another knight offered.

Xavier quickly declined, insisting they didn’t need to wake anyone up. He said he would find something to eat on his own.

The knights offered to accompany him, but Xavier refused again, assuring them he could protect himself.

Reluctantly, the knights agreed, and Xavier hurriedly left, promising to be back soon.

As Xavier walked through the hallway and reached the kitchen, he suddenly heard a woman’s voice, crying. He peeked through the door and was shocked to see Violet standing by the kitchen window, quietly sobbing.

"I miss you, Papa," Violet whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I miss the times we would bake cakes late at night together. Why did this have to happen? First Mother, and now you. What did I do to deserve this much pain and suffering?" she cried out.

Xavier stood there in disbelief. It was the first time he had seen his older sister, someone he looked up to as strong, appear so broken.

Sensing someone behind her, Violet quickly wiped her tears and turned around, surprised to see Xavier.

"Oh, what’s up, little brother?" Violet said with a forced smile. "Why are you up at this hour?"

Xavier remained silent, still in shock from what he had witnessed.

Suddenly, his stomach growled, and Violet jokingly asked, "Are you hungry?"

Xavier nodded shyly, embarrassed by the timing of his stomach’s growl.

Violet giggled. "What would you like me to make for you?"

But to her surprise, Xavier suddenly rushed toward her and hugged her tightly.

"What’s wrong, Xavier?" Violet asked, taken aback.

"I’m sorry," Xavier said in a sorrowful tone.

"What do you mean?" Violet asked, confused.

"I’m sorry for shutting myself off from everyone for so long," Xavier continued, tears welling up in his eyes. "I’m sorry for being so selfish, thinking only about myself and not how everyone else felt. I thought I was the only one suffering the most, that no one would understand what I was going through. But I was wrong. Everyone else was suffering just as much, if not more."

Tears now streaming down his face, Xavier added, "I’m sorry, sister... I’m sorry for making everyone worry even more because of me."

Violet’s heart ached at his words. She hugged Xavier back warmly and said in a gentle voice, "It’s okay, Xavier. You don’t need to worry anymore. Everyone makes mistakes; that’s what makes us human. What’s important is that you’ve finally overcome your depression and taken a step forward. So don’t cry anymore, because big sis will always be here for you."

Gently wiping Xavier’s tears, Violet asked again with a bright, genuine smile, "Now, tell me, Xavier, what would you like me to make for you?"

"Pancakes," Xavier replied with a faint smile.

"Chocolate caramel pancakes, your favorite?" Violet asked.

"Yes, please," Xavier said, sounding more cheerful.

Violet rolled up her sleeves with a grin. "Then leave it to big sis!"

Aleksander, who had overheard the entire conversation between Violet and Xavier while sitting on the palace roof near the kitchen, took a deep breath and slowly stood up. His eyes glowed a burning crimson as he muttered to himself with a cold, serious expression, "Percival, your days are numbered.