"You are lost, Roman," Eilika said, her hand moving the final piece to seal his defeat.

"Mama, you’re so good with everything," Roman remarked, looking at the board with genuine pride rather than frustration.

"You’ll become good in this as you grow," Eilika replied, offering him a tired smile. A sudden yawn escaped her, and she quickly covered her mouth with her palm.

"Mama, why don’t you sleep for sometime?" Roman asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, already reaching out to slide the chessboard off the bed and onto the nightstand. "I’ll make a space for you."

Eilika watched him with a softened expression as he smoothed the heavy velvet covers and plumped the silk pillows.

"Thank you, Roman," she whispered, shifting her weight to lie back.

Roman tucked the duvet around her shoulders with a seriousness that mirrored his father’s. "I’ll stay right here. No one will disturb you."

Eilika’s breathing slowed as the plush mattress finally allowed her muscles to uncoil. After a restless night spent on a stiff bed, and the even more unsettling tension of Damian’s presence, this silence made her feel better. Within minutes, she drifted into a deep sleep.

Roman moved like a shadow, carefully stacking his wooden blocks and tucking his books into their shelves. He didn’t want to wake her, but his mind was loud with the conversation he’d had with his uncle. The idea of a sibling had taken root in his mind.

’I shall ask Father to give me a sibling,’ he decided. ’It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. I will be a good big brother.’

He slipped through the door, closing it with a faint clink. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Damian reached the bottom of the stairs, his brow furrowing as he processed his son’s blunt demand. Maurice, usually the picture of professional stoicism, had turned his head away, though his shoulders shook slightly with a suppressed cough.

"Father, I want a sibling," Roman pronounced.

"Roman, what are you even saying?" Damian asked, a sharp frown creasing his forehead.

"I don’t want to play alone, Father. I heard that with siblings it’s much more fun. Then, I recalled the friends from Varos. Many of them have more than one sibling," Roman stated, his small face set in a mask of pure, logical determination.

"You can’t suddenly demand a sibling," Damian countered. His mind immediately went to the quiet chamber upstairs. He wondered if Eilika had planted this seed during their long, tense night, or if this was merely the result of Roman observing the families around him.

"But my father is a duke. He can have everything he wants," Roman said, stopping by a heavy oak chair and leaning his weight against it. He looked up at Damian with wide, earnest eyes. "I get bored being alone."

"Who put this into your head, boy? You can’t get a sibling simply because you want one," Damian asserted.

"Is it that difficult?" Roman asked, undeterred by the tone. "Even for a Duke?"

Damian felt a rare surge of heat crawl up the back of his neck. He glanced at Maurice, who was suddenly very interested in the grain of the floorboards. "It is not a matter of rank, Roman. It is... complicated. Go back to your room. Your mother is resting."

"She is," Roman nodded solemnly. "That’s why I came to you. I didn’t want to wake her with the request."

"Just give him a sibling," Louis remarked, snapping his fan open and smirking behind it.

Damian’s eyes narrowed instantly. He realized this "cunning fox" was exactly the one who had planted the idea in Roman’s head.

"Uncle, Father says it’s complicated. How is it complicated?" Roman asked, his curious gaze darting between the two men as he tried to bridge the gap in their conversation.

"Only your uncle can clear your confusion. Your father is busy at the moment," Damian told his son.

"Roman, come with me. Uncle will teach you something," Louis said, extending a hand to the boy with a playful glint in his eyes. But Roman shook his head and dashed toward his father instead.

He hugged Damian’s leg abruptly, looking up with a pout. "Father, you said this was a vacation for us. Then why are you working? Mama is sleeping because she’s tired and she can’t play with me. Why don’t you play with me?" He pulled away slightly, staring directly into his father’s eyes with unwavering expectation.

Maurice stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Young Master, the matter—"

He cut off instantly as Damian raised a hand, silencing the bodyguard. Damian looked down at his son, his expression softening.

"Roman, we are indeed on a vacation," Damian asserted, his voice steady and grounding. "I will play with you as soon as I finish giving these instructions to my bodyguard. Until then, go play with Uncle Louis. I’ll join you shortly. I promise."

"Okay," Roman said, finally mollified. He stepped back and walked toward Louis, though he kept his gaze on his father until he reached his uncle’s side.

Damian stood up and fixed Louis with a sharp, cold stare. "Don’t teach him anything inappropriate," he warned.

"Fret not, Duke," Louis said, flashing a wide, mischievous smile before ushering Roman out of the cottage.

Once the door clicked shut, the playful atmosphere vanished. Damian turned to Maurice, his expression regaining its usual cool authority. "You may use my full authority when issuing those orders," he instructed. "Also, I’ve decided we are returning the day after tomorrow. Make the necessary arrangements for our departure."

"Consider it done, Your Grace," Maurice replied, standing tall. He offered a respectful bow to the Duke before turning to carry out the command.

Left alone in the quiet of the room, Damian took a deep breath. He looked toward the stairs, thinking of Eilika sleeping above.

"I will have to tell Roman not to mention a sibling in front of Eilika," he murmured to himself. The last thing he needed was his son voicing Louis’s provocations to her, especially given the fragile state of their current arrangement.