"Ruben! What brings you here?" The black-haired Duke gets up abruptly from his desk and stumbles to his brother.

The doctor was ready to give him an earful, but seeing his big brother with weary eyes and a wrinkly suit stopped him short. Avirral looked like he hadn't showered in days, and by the staggering amount of stagnant cigarette smoke in the room, it looked like the duke hadn't stepped out of the room in days, too. 

There's so much that Avirral is responsible for, and with Sable sick, Helena's situation is unfortunate but inevitable. It was sad and unfair, and it made him feel frustrated. 

At the very least, the child's health must be cared for. He thinks to himself. 

"Brother, your child has lost weight. Did you know that?"

The Duke looks alarmed for a second and then furrows his brow. 

"How do you know? The last time you saw her, she was a tot."

Ruben feels shocked. It seems his brother doesn't know that Helena has been visiting the hospital recently. 

"That child volunteers at the hospital often. I've been keeping my eye on her when I could spare it. She was well-nourished the first time I met her, but it's been three weeks since then, and I can confirm she's lost at least a few pounds. That's very dangerous for a little kid, Avirral."

Avirral wheels from a sudden wave of nausea. Imaging his child somewhere unbeknownst to him makes him feel like he's standing over a ledge, ready to leap off. 

"She leaves the mansion?! She's not supposed to leave without me knowing." 

Ruben can tell his brother is agitated, so he tries to calm him down. As overworked as Avirral already is, being pressured could lead to fainting or worse. 

"Brother, take it easy. You are also in poor health. Are you sure no one has told you?"

Avirral recalls a blurry memory of Madam Laura coming to report some things about his daughter over what he thought was four weeks ago, but it could have been just last week. He couldn't be sure if he was listening or not. Since he can't even remember what day it is, he's sure he wasn't listening anyway.

"So she volunteers? Is she safe?" He asks. 

Ruben somewhat smiles, thankful that as bad as his brother was at being a parent, he wasn't bad on purpose. Sable and Avirral wanted the best for Helena, but many obstacles kept them from giving their best.

"Madam Laura and I are with her. She is plenty safe. But brother, please try to eat at least one meal with her. How could you not even spare thirty minutes for that child? I've told you more than once that I can help with the Duchy-"

"No," Avirral interrupts sternly. "Your job is important. You have to focus on being a doctor." 

Both brothers look defeated and burdened, but comfort in each other's presence helps them stand tall. 

The Duke sighs disappointingly and says, "I have time now, but lunch is over." 

Ruben smiles and replies, "No, it's not. She just went down to eat something not that long ago. After I examine Sable, I'll join you guys," he gestures to the door and finishes, "Go on then." 

"Good," the Duke retorts but then stops and thinks. "Hopefully, I have enough things to say while we wait for you."

Ruben tries to stifle his laughter while he says, "Pfft. She's five, Avirral. I'm sure if you can talk to the Emperor, you can talk to your daughter for a few minutes."

Avirral feels his soul is about to leave his body, but he says, "We'll see, I suppose." 

Walking into the dining room, the Duke expects to see little Helena by her lonesome, but alarmingly, he also makes out his beautiful red-haired wife.

In alarm, he exclaims, "Sable! What are you doing out of bed?!"

The Duchess ignores her husband's alarm and says evenly, "Oh, I was waiting for Fanny to bring me a cup of tea, but she was taking so long. I went down to see if something had happened. That's when I saw our daughter all by herself." 

Sable narrows her eyes and inquires, "Laura?"

"Yes, Ma'am?" The maid swallows. 

"Why is my child only now eating? And is it me, or has she lost some weight?"

From the dining room threshold comes a different voice in response, "It's the latter."

"Ah, Ruben, you're here already. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until I see this child through a meal," she informs him sweetly as she ruffles Helena's red mane. 

The doctor scoffs, "That's alright. Now that we are all here for once, we should all have a meal." 

Laura beams suddenly, observing Helena smile. This will be the first time since forever that the whole family is together for a meal. 

The maid hurriedly says, "Yes, right away," and then leaps into action to get their meals. 

"She lost weight, how? Laura is a perfect nanny. I don't think she neglects Helena," Sable says.  

Helena finds her voice and confesses, "She didn't. She begged me to take breaks to eat, but I was too busy."

Avirral dubiously asks, "Busy? You're five. What do you have to do but play?"

"I'm taking classes. I have etiquette Monday through Wednesday, along with the history of the Empire, English, and mathematics. Then, on Thursdays, I have writing, art history, violin, basic science, and..." 

The girl stops short, seeing the blank stares of the adults slowing, turning alarmed. 

"And Mana Regulation for small children," Laura says, returning from the kitchen with a swarm of maids behind her and their food. 

"WHAT!?" Sable jumps up and exclaims. "Avirral, did you know about this ridiculous schedule? Or at least the Mana regulation class?" She turns to her husband, now darkly shadowed with yet another worry. 

"Laura, you mentioned this in the last report?" He softly asks to confirm. 

The head maid knows that the Duke has difficulty remembering everything, so he can't help but ask for confirmation. She takes no offense.

Laura firmly answers, "Yes, I did, but Mana Regulation has only recently been added."

"Mana? Our House has always had at least one practicing mage in every generation, but why did it have to be you, Helena?" Her mother says as she starts to mull over the complications that have yet to arise. 

Ruben doesn't like the turn of his sister-in-law's complexion and warns her, "Sable, you need to stay calm. You're in no condition to exert yourself."

"I'm doing it for us," says a small voice amidst the anxiety around her. 

"I have to do it all because, as much as we would like a baby boy, we don't know the future. I can't wait while doing nothing. Besides, learning magic could be useful to everyone. If I get good, I can cure Mommy of her cold and work with Uncle in the hospital." 

"Hel," her father says with great affection as he walks over to her chair and kneels before her. 

"You are too young to bear such a weight. I won't allow such a ridiculous schedule anymore, and I'd like to sit in on these Mana Regualtion classes. For now, can you show me something with your mana?" The Duke asks cautionously. 

The little one does the same as she did when she showed Laura. She snaps her fingers and blooms to life a flame. 

"How did you make the fire?" 

Helena thinks about it and answers, "I called it." 

Suddenly, Sable sits up straighter and worriedly says, "A witch?! Not a sorcerer but a witch." 

Avirral gets up and sighs with burden as he says, "Sable, calm down. It's going to be okay. Her foundation could change over time." 

"But if it doesn't, she'll be sought after. The Empire will inquire about her and never leave her alone. They'll take her from us, and we won't be able to see her as we like. We already don't, but it isn't fair!" the Duchess says distressedly. 

"Sable-" The Duke gets up to console his wife, but little Helena beats him to it. 

"Mommy, am I your daughter?" She questions the Duchess. 

Without skipping a beat, Sable replies, "That's right."

"Then stop worrying. I'll stop doing too much, and I'll ask for help. I don't like seeing you get worried because I was wrong. I did things that you didn't know about until now. I won't make you scared like that anymore," her voice is full of love as she runs to embrace her mother for the first time in a long time. 

"Oh, you silly child. Please don't grow up. Please just stay small like this. Don't grow up," Sable cries. 

Meanwhile, inside, she's cursing the sickness that keeps her from her child. She feverishly stares at Ruben and pleads with him through her eyes to cure her as soon as possible.  

Ruben feels heavy. He had been away as a doctor and hospital director for too long, trying to research Sable's illness without any real leads. In doing so, he neglected his brother and left him to run the Duchy alone. With an ailing spouse and a small child to raise, it was a grueling task. Avirral must have been so alone, and Sable must have felt so helpless. He silently thanks the little one for bringing him full circle back into his family's affairs. 

"Good grief, such a scene at lunch. We must be a family," Ruben says, smiling while sipping lemonade and enjoying Helena's face as she spends time with both her parents.