It was a bit shocking to Dia to learn that this entire ordeal was just so that she could become the Salvation Star. Just what did her brother see? What outcomes was he hoping for when he embarked on this insane gambit that required her to do certain things perfectly? After all, if she hadn’t killed the Sixth back then, she would never have become the Salvation Star; that would have rendered all his efforts pointless.

“There are some suspicious points, though.” Farah narrowed her eyes. “For one, just how does Dia being the Salvation Star stop a hexa-folder? She’ll need to be one in the first place, and…”

“This is her home, though?” her father replied. “There are treasuries waiting for her to finish off.”

Dia shivered. The memories of stuffing her face full of lifestones weren’t pleasant ones, and she grimaced. “Do I need to eat everything? How long would it take? My tastebuds are going to die too, if you keep stuffing them full of sweet stuff.”

“It’s fine,” her father replied. “Don’t worry.”

“Oh, you have other ways of absorbing lifestones?”

“I’ve hired more people to feed you these lifestones. All you need to do is to keep your mouth open while you sleep. They’ll feed you all day and all night until you have enough lifeforce to enter the ranks of a hexa-folder.”

The overwhelming sweetness that she had associated with downing innumerable lifestones seemed to touch her tongue once more, and Dia felt a bit queasy. However, she didn’t know how to react to her father’s sincere words and considerations, and Dia was also certain that everyone would definitely call her crazy or think of her as a wastrel if she bore any objections to it.

Her tastebuds would need to be mistreated, evidently.

“Nice,” Farah replied. “That should do it. What’s the nature of that monster anyway?”

“It’s something that normal hexa-folders apparently cannot defeat,” her father replied. “My son was annoyingly vague about the whole thing, though.”

“I see.” Schwarz paused. “Hmm. I’m a bit curious about something, though. Very curious, actually.”

“What?” her father asked.

“…Okay. Calm down, and don’t panic,” Schwarz began. “Now, listen to me slowly. What is the name of your son, Duke Lustre?”

“The name of my son? Why, he’s—” Her father paused. “His name…I…seem to have forgotten his name for some reason. Hang on. Let me get someone over. Butler!”

As a neatly dressed man entered the room, Schwarz turned to Dia. “What about you? What is the name of your brother?”

Dia repressed the surging chills in her heart. She could remember…no, she could only faintly remember what her brother looked like. In fact, now that she thought back on it, her mind couldn’t even bring up the appearance or mannerisms of her brother. She could only remember a small pat on her head and a whispered apology during her Second Tutorial.

Other than that, he…only seemed to exist as a concept.

“You can’t remember him either, it seems.” Schwarz frowned. “As I thought. You two are truly father and daughter, in a sense. Both of you knew about the existence of the prince, but the details regarding him seem to be very sketchy. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it’s definitely not a good thing.”

Risti bobbed her head. “For him to not truly exist as a person…Duke Lustre, I suggest you question everyone in your palace and ask about details on the Lustre prince. You should also consider sending a missive or something to the Grandis Emperor asking about this…”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“The Emperor? Like he’s going to bother.”

Dia glanced at her father, who was frowning outwardly. However, she could see his body tremble slightly when he focused his thoughts, and a hint of fear seemed to reside just under his façade of deep thoughts.

Did her father also worry like this when she fled? What thoughts did he have when she vanished, seemingly after disobeying his words? What emotions did her father have in his gaze when he watched her flee the dukedom back then? And what did he think when Aunt Lumine returned with news of her?

These questions roiled around her head as she looked at her anxious father, and the final bits of her resentment faded away. As the others started discussing the weird phenomenon of her missing brother, she walked up to her father and said, “He’ll be fine.”

“Mhm. He’s the cautious kind. I’m sure he’ll do well, no matter where he is.”

Dia bobbed her head. “Still, was it really necessary for me to do all this? And now that I’m back here, he’s just missing…how am I supposed to withdraw from the succession?”

“Right. Daughter, your brother beat you to it. He renounced his right to succession around two years ago.”

“…What.”

“So you’re, by definition, the anointed successor of the Lustre Dukedom,” her father added.

“Wait, what?” Dia blinked. “Wait, he withdrew without me on-site? I thought there are laws and rules against that!”

“That’s a very good point, my dear daughter. You see, there’s a problem with this,” her father replied. “That problem happened to be me forgetting about that. He was very persuasive, saying things like how he had to make it up to you, and that he didn’t want to be viewed as using this to get you out of the way.”

“You forgot.”

“Yes.” He paused. “Seriously, what is with you two kids, though? Why are both of you so eager to throw aside this dukedom? Do I need to find a new wife and get a new heir before you two are satisfied?”

“You seem rather lonely, father. I think I won’t mind if you got me a nice stepmother,” Dia replied. “And after seeing so many Moon babies waddle around, I also want to hug a baby.”

“Then get married!”

Farah and Risti turned to him as those words left his mouth, and the duke shuddered. “Weird. What a cold gust of wind…where did it come from?”

He glanced at the butler, who was standing silently behind him. “Did you feel that?”

“No, milord.”

“Mhm. Might have been my imagination, then,” her father muttered. “Anyway, I’ll think about finding a new duchess, then. I thought you would dislike the idea or something, seeing as how it hasn’t been a decade yet…”

Dia bobbed her head. “True, it’s only been a decade. Why not wait for next century, then? You can choose a new candidate for Duchess Lustre next century. By then, I should be fully fledged, and you can have an adorable little kid by then.”

“Okay.”

“You guys really like to say the scariest stuff,” Schwarz remarked, walking over with a raised eyebrow. “A century before Duke Lustre can remarry?”

“My lifespan is around four thousand. It’s fine.”

Schwarz froze. “Wait. What. Four thousand? As in, four thousand years?”

“Did I stutter?”

“Then how did you even end up becoming Duke Lustre if everyone is as long-lived as you?” Schwarz asked, curiosity in his words. “If all the Duke Lustres have such long lifespans, I can’t quite see you taking the seat…”

“Oh, my father threw the throne to me and decided to find some ruin of the Third Godsfall,” he replied. “Then he died. I’m not sure where or why or if he actually died, but your grandfather has been missing for a very long time. Maybe he’s not dead or something, and that he’s in this weird gathering of really old people who faked their deaths to get out of their obligations, but who knows?”

“That’s awfully specific…” Schwarz replied. “Is there even such a thing?”

“Just to put it out there,” Dia added, “but I’ve no intention to inherit. Watching you slave over all these things is scary, and my brother was always more eager and better in running this dukedom. Please reinstate his claim and make him your heir.”

“Seriously, what is wrong with you kids?” her father replied. “Out there, there are crooks who would kill to be the sole inheritor, and you guys are throwing it to each other like it’s poison.”

Dia rubbed her nose. “Well…”

“Don’t you dare say it’s poison, or I’ll ground you, young lady.”

The words that she had been about to say turned into a sneeze magically, and she rubbed her nose. “Anyway, my brother’s renouncement is invalid, so he is still in the running. I don’t care.”

“You two don’t, but I do…”

Before Dia could reply, a younger butler entered the room and handed a small file to the butler standing behind her father.

“Milord, it seems that everyone has either forgotten or does not know the name of the young master,” the old butler muttered. “Indeed, there is something wrong with this.”

“What do you suggest?” her father asked.

“It’s something I’ve never heard off before, but there may be skills that have such an effect.” The butler paused. “I suggest writing to the Folders’ Association for aid in this regard.”

Dia turned to Risti. “Alright, you’re up!”

“Me?” Risti blinked. “Sure. I don’t mind…”