Chapter 01…
Kevin received the news that his elder brother, Lucio, had passed away, and he immediately set out for his family home.
The house was in turmoil, and he could hear someone crying.
After asking where his father was, Kevin headed to the study.
“Father, what do you mean that my brother has died?”
Inside the study, there was not only his father but also another person.
It seemed his father was comforting Lucio’s wife, Catherine.
“Ah, Kevin. Lucio apparently drowned in the lake.”
“The lake? Which one?”
“Our estate’s lake. He tried to save a child who was drowning. The child was saved, but…”
So his brother drowned to death.
“Then we’ll be going to the estate for the burial, correct?”
Since the burial would take place on their estate, there was no need to hold a funeral in the royal capital.
“Yes. But Catherine will stay here. She’s carrying Lucio’s child.”
Kevin couldn’t help but glance at Catherine’s stomach.
It must have been a recent discovery—there was no sign of a bump yet.
Lucio and Catherine had been married for only five months.
“Father-in-law! Please let me go with you!”
“No. A two-day carriage ride could cause you to lose the baby. It’s Lucio’s only remaining legacy—please take care of it.”
Catherine had apparently come to the study to plead to be allowed to go to the estate.
But a long carriage journey was out of the question for a pregnant woman, especially in the early months.
Catherine broke down in tears.
Her husband had died—of course she was devastated.
Kevin hadn’t realized his sister-in-law cared so deeply for his brother.
He felt pity for Lucio, who had left behind a wife and unborn child.
Kevin was the second son of the Carmine family.
His brother Lucio was intelligent, kind, and the pride of their parents as the rightful heir.
Kevin, on the other hand, had been mischievous and often scolded; his parents had little expectation for him.
But when a teacher praised Kevin’s swordsmanship, he set his sights on becoming a knight—and eventually did, moving out of the family home.
Now, with his brother gone, he wondered what would happen next as he urged his horse toward the family estate.
His parents would arrive later by carriage.
Kevin had no desire to share that carriage with them.
Arriving at the estate ahead of them, Kevin came face-to-face with his brother’s lifeless body.
“Brother… how could this happen…”
Lucio had always been a bit timid, but Kevin deeply respected him.
Even though Lucio couldn’t swim, he must have rushed in without thinking to save the drowning child.
“Was the child my brother tried to save from the town?”
He asked one of the servants.
“Most likely, sir. But apparently, while Mr. Assem was pulling Lord Lucio out of the lake, the child disappeared. So no one knows who they were.”
“I see.”
Assem was Lucio’s attendant.
They had been very close, so the loss must have hit him hard as well.
