Early in the morning, Brandon was awakened by the sound of Danni getting dressed. Reluctantly, he climbed out of bed. Mittens, the bck cat, was unhappily sharpening her cws on the bedpost. Brandon, in a habit he'd long established, gave her a few pyful swats on the rear to stop her from destroying things. Having grown accustomed to being alone, Brandon hadn't slept well the previous night. He felt uneasy with an extra person in the room and decided that some changes needed to be made.

  At breakfast, as Brandon was calcuting how to begin speaking, his older brother Adam spoke up, addressing the Duke, “I want an attendant too.”

  Before the words had even finished, his second brother chimed in, “I want one too.”

  The Duke didn’t even gnce at them, dismissing their requests with a single word: “No.”

  Adam immediately protested, “That’s not fair! Brandon gets one, why can’t I?”

  His second brother followed with, “Exactly!”

  The old saying about fairness—it’s not the ck of resources that’s troubling, but the inequality—came to Brandon’s mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. He then gnced at his older sister, who seemed eager to join the conversation, and at his younger sister, who had been squeezing between him and Mittens these past few days. He sighed, then said aloud, “They’re right!” He casually brushed his younger sister’s hair away from her face.

  The Duke, with an unyielding tone, repeated, “No.”

  Adam’s temper fred. “Bias! It’s because Brandon’s an idiot that you’re so nice to him! It’s always been like this!”

  The words struck a chord with both the Duke and Duchess, invoking some guilt, but also greater displeasure. The tension in the room was palpable. The Duchess scolded, “How can you speak like that about your brother!”

  “It’s fine,” Brandon interrupted, quickly cutting off his mother. “I know. It’s not bias.”

  Brandon fshed a grin at his mother before continuing, “The truth is, our family is poor. Because we’re poor, there aren’t enough resources to go around. That’s why I have an attendant, but you don’t.”

  Adam fumed, “You’re talking nonsense!”

  “It’s true,” Brandon expined further. “I’m an idiot. Everyone thought I wouldn’t survive the adulthood trial, so they’re just compensating me. But you’re different. Adam, Eric, Sister, and even you, little one—you’re smart and strong. You’ll all return from the adulthood trial with glory.”

  His words caused an unexpected silence to fall over the room. Even Adam, still angry, murmured softly, “I didn’t mean to call you an idiot.”

  “Well, I’ve only recently stopped being such an idiot,” Brandon grinned, then continued, “But seriously, it’s because we’re poor. You know, the equipment for an attendant needs to be provided by the person they serve, right?”

  At that moment, Brandon felt someone tugging at his shirt. He looked to his little sister, Cire, who wore a worried expression. “Are you going to die?” she asked with wide eyes.

  Before Brandon could feel touched by her concern, she delivered a blow that left him speechless. “When you die, can I have Mittens?”

  Brandon stared at his little sister’s hopeful face and sighed, reluctantly replying, “Alright.”

  He then turned back to the table and continued, “Just look at Danni—do you know how much her equipment must cost? Our family is poor, so we can’t afford that many people.” He repeated Danni’s expnation about the cost of her gear from the previous day. Suddenly, after being distracted by his sister, Brandon’s mood had lightened. He grinned at the Duke, feeling a sense of vengeful satisfaction surge within him.