IJSMC 03

Chapter : 03

But when she thought about it, it wasn’t all that surprising that he knew who she was.

No matter how poor her circumstances were now, she was still the Duke of Rode’s daughter—or Lady Elena.

Sirius didn’t seem particularly interested in her as a person either; his gaze was fixed elsewhere.

Elena followed the direction of his eyes. There stood her room.

“Is that your room?”

Because the door was wide open, the inside of her room was completely exposed.

Sirius should have turned his head away. Even if he was the emperor’s younger brother, Elena was still a high-ranking noble, and they were of opposite sexes.

His youth wasn’t enough of an excuse for this to be easily overlooked.

At ten years old, one should already know that level of etiquette. Yet Elena didn’t stop him.

She didn’t particularly care if Sirius looked into her room.

That was because there was nothing special about it.

Inside the square room sat a slightly creaky bed, with a desk and a wardrobe beside it.

Everything was old and plain, but she had neatly organized it all and kept it clean.

In short, it was just a room.

And that was precisely what made it strange.

First of all, it didn’t suit the youngest daughter of a powerful duke at all.

Moreover, there was no maid assigned to care for the room, so Elena had to do everything herself with her small hands.

“Similar.”

After a moment, Sirius offered that brief assessment. But Elena couldn’t understand what he meant.

‘What is similar?’

Curiosity flared up inside her, but she didn’t ask him.

She wanted to avoid prolonging their conversation at all costs.

‘Did he mean it’s similar to what he imagined the room of a duke’s youngest daughter would be like?’

If so, that was even stranger. Elena pressed her lips together and thought.

Maybe people who were a little unhinged imagined things differently from the start.

When people thought of a young noble girl’s room, they usually imagined it filled with cute, frilly things.

A cozy bed draped in a pink canopy, an adorable sofa sized for a child, jewel-studded toys.

Someone with an especially vivid imagination might even picture a merry-go-round spinning inside the room.

In fact, there was a room exactly like that in the Duke of Rode’s castle.

That lavish room was currently being used by Courtney.

But Elena’s room was bleak by comparison, and there wasn’t even a single stuffed teddy bear on the bed.

But so what?

As absurd as it might sound, Elena didn’t envy Courtney at all.

Her thoughts didn’t change even knowing that room had once been hers.

To have a lavish room, one had to prove oneself.

For example, proving how well one suited the name of Rode.

Elena deliberately stepped aside, almost as if to show him.

If he could just take a quick look and leave, nothing would be better.

“Judging by the way you answer properly, you don’t seem completely lacking.”

However, her behavior seemed to pique Sirius’s curiosity instead.

He pulled his gaze away from the room and looked at the silent girl.

Her black hair looked a little rough, but the face beneath it was already quite beautiful.

Most striking of all were her clear, golden eyes.

Sirius instantly understood why the golden eyes of Rode were said to be the greatest treasure of the family.

They were eyes like jewels.

‘Even the Duke of Rode I saw earlier didn’t have such vivid gold.’

Sirius naturally recalled the duke’s face.

Then he thought of the siblings he’d glimpsed in passing.

No matter how he compared them, Elena Rode resembled the duke more than any of his other children.

Yet her face gave an entirely different impression.

Unlike the duke, who seemed so sharp that even a honed blade couldn’t pierce him, the girl before him looked soft.

Sirius stared at her with an expressionless face.

Among everyone he had met here, Elena was the most peculiar.

She looked the most like a Rode, yet appeared the most fragile.

Which meant, to him, that she wasn’t worth paying attention to.

“Useless.”

After staring at her face once more, Sirius reached that simple conclusion.

Then he left without hesitation.

The moment Elena confirmed that not a single strand of silver hair remained in sight, her legs gave out and she sank to the floor.

“The reason I have gathered you all here is to introduce a guest.”

Normally, the two siblings would have already started picking on Elena, but they were quiet.

They were being introduced to an interesting guest, and more importantly, their father—the Duke of Rode—was present.

They looked up at the duke with eyes full of reverence.

Having reached the level of a master through endless training, the Duke of Rode had seven children, yet looked far younger than his age.

His jet-black hair and handsome, intelligent features were notable, but nothing made him stand out more than his reddish eyes tinged with gold.

“This is His Highness Sirius Hyperion, younger brother of His Majesty the Emperor. Show proper respect.”

Courtney and Joseph stepped forward in turn and offered their greetings.

Though their voices were polite, their eyes openly measured Sirius as they passed over him.

Finally, only Elena remained before Sirius.

“May glory like the sun shine upon the future of Hyperion. I am Elena of House Rode.”

This made it the second time Elena had introduced herself to Sirius.

Yet no one pointed that out.

In other words, both of them were keeping silent about having already met.

“I am Sirius of Hyperion. May light accompany your future as well.”

Once the children had exchanged greetings, the Duke of Rode moved straight to the point.

“His Highness will be staying in this castle from now on.”

“May I ask the reason?” Courtney asked cautiously, being the eldest.

Since it was something that had to be said anyway, their father answered readily.

“His Majesty has entrusted me with Prince Sirius’s education. His Highness will remain here and study alongside you.”

“So Father has become His Highness’s tutor. Congrat—”

“Congratulations, Father.”

Joseph quickly cut in and stole Courtney’s words.

The duke glanced at him once and let out a faint chuckle.

But the smile did little to ease the tension—if anything, it made it worse.

‘Way to kill the mood.’

An atmosphere thick enough that someone could die in it hung around the duke.

This was the usual scene in House Rode.

Elena stared intently at Sirius, who had been thrust into an unfamiliar environment.

For a brief moment, a strange light flickered in her golden eyes, but there was no way to tell what Sirius thought as he watched the situation unfold.

In any case, he was an unusual person.

Despite being abruptly driven out of the imperial palace and placed under a duke notorious for brutal heir training, he showed no reaction.

He merely remained expressionless as the Duke of Rode continued.

“Your Highness must follow the educational policies of House Rode. This is a direct order from His Majesty.”

“I shall obey His Majesty’s command.”

“If you have no objections, then from now on I will be only your instructor.”

The gazes of the three siblings, including Elena, naturally gathered on Sirius.

In a way, they were now in the same position.

The Duke of Rode was both their father and their teacher, and at times, he tested their limits.

Sirius would now experience the same.

“Is that acceptable?”

It was typical of the duke to drop honorifics immediately after declaring himself a teacher.

But Sirius answered without the slightest wavering.

“As you are my instructor, Duke Rode, there is no need for you to treat me with formality.”

“A textbook answer. How dull.”

The duke dismissed it curtly—his way of speaking always left people flustered.

Once again, Elena narrowed her eyes and watched Sirius’s reaction.

Anyone would have been shaken, yet she could see nothing.

Strange… how was that possible? Her eyes had never been wrong before.

“We will do our best to assist Your Highness.”

“If possible.”

Courtney boldly spoke up, only to receive a cold, indifferent reply.

But anyone present could easily grasp the hidden meaning.

Courtney’s offer of help carried subtle hostility, and Sirius’s careless response held a faint trace of mockery.

“Dismissed.”

Leaving behind those words, the duke turned away and left the children behind.

Just before he passed her, Elena felt a cold gaze brush past her.

It was unmistakably filled with contempt.

‘Useless.’

It felt as though a voice echoed in her ears like a hallucination. But she couldn’t afford to lose focus.

“My father gave me a small challenge.”

When Courtney lifted her head, sparks flew in her eyes.

The duke had practically sneered at her—saying he wouldn’t stop her from trying to crush Sirius, but questioning whether she could actually do it.

“Sirius, Your Highness.”

As expected, Courtney addressed Sirius the moment the duke left.

She stepped closer, deliberately trying to appear intimidating.

It was a decent opening strategy.

Courtney was much taller than most fifteen-year-olds, and ten-year-old Sirius would naturally have to look up at her.

“If we were in the capital, it would be proper for us to speak formally to Your Highness. But this is House Rode.”

It was the unmistakable beginning of dropping honorifics.

Using informal speech was more effective when trying to break someone’s spirit.

It also clearly established hierarchy.

Even though Sirius was the emperor’s brother, everyone knew he was a fallen prince.

Moreover, it was common knowledge that the emperor wanted Sirius dead.

Perhaps because of that, Courtney behaved even more boldly.

“We rank ourselves according to the order Father acknowledges. And I hear Your Highness was assigned the very lowest room?”

Elena focused all her attention on Sirius’s next move.

Would he really just stand there?

No matter how many times she thought about it, that didn’t fit his temperament.

She quietly stepped back.

She was curious about what would happen next, but in situations like this, slipping away unnoticed was the best option.

She turned carefully, planning to leave quickly and run straight back to her room.

…But why are you following me?

Elena doubted her eyes when she saw the shadow stretching behind her.

Sirius had left Courtney behind and was trailing after her instead.