There were certain things in life that were difficult to accept.

This was one of them.

Staring at the baby named Lorenz, Julius couldn't utter a single word. The shock was plainly on his face.

"It's… really not a girl?"

Sabine looked at him as if he had just asked whether the sky was green.

"Julius," she said, "unless something has gone terribly wrong with basic biology, no. He is very much a boy."

She adjusted the child in her arms, Lorenz letting out a soft sound, blissfully unaware of his uncle's existential crisis.

Julius swallowed hard.

His mind kept reaching for a name that wasn't there. A future that no longer existed. A child who had been real once, enough to hurt even now.

"I see…"

The words came out flat, but inside, something was quietly collapsing.

Sabine regarded him for a moment longer.

"Why?" she asked. "Did you want a niece? I didn't take you for someone who'd let something like this mean so much to you."

"It's not that."

Sabine raised a brow. "Then what is it?"

Julius let out a heavy sigh.

How could he explain that in another life, another timeline that no longer existed, this moment had been different? That there had been a girl once, calling him uncle as if it were the safest word in the world?

"That I was mistaken," he said. "About something I thought was… certain."

Sabine frowned. "You're really pissing me off now. First time I've seen you in, what, over a year? And the first thing you do is act like you get a say in what my baby should be?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" she snapped. "Because from where I'm standing, you show up out of nowhere, look at my child like he's some wrong answer."

Julius didn't deny it.

After a pause, Sabine sighed.

"This is my son," she said. "If you're going to be in his life, I won't have you looking at him like he's a mistake."

Julius nodded silently.

Sabine turned away, adjusting the child in her arms.

"If you're done being weird," she said, "you can at least say hello properly."

——Lara, didn't I tell you not to make a mess?

——H-Happy Father's Day, Uncle Julius.

"...."

That small girl, who was about to be scolded, only to catch him off guard with a mess she had made just to surprise him.

——T-Thank you for being the father that stepped up… I'm sorry about the mess, though…

Julius hesitated for a second, then forced the memory back where it belonged.

"Hello, Lorenz…"

The baby's fingers twitched.

And for all the certainty Julius had lost, that small, wordless response was real.

"If you want a niece so badly," Sabine said, "why don't you just get yourself a daughter?"

"You make it sound like I have someone special."

"With your looks and your money, you could have anyone," Sabine said with a chuckle. "Some of my celebrity friends were trying to get your number, you know?"

"Eh. Can't be bothered." Julius waved the idea away.

Sabine smiled as she watched him settle into a pool chair.

"Right," she added after a moment. "And don't forget, you still have to submit that report. Unless you want the Directorate breathing down your neck."

"...."

"You really owe me a lot, Juli," Sabine continued. "Do you have any idea how much I had to defend you?"

* * *

Despite waiting for some time, Jeremy never came home. Sabine offered for Julius to stay the night since it was already late, but he declined and left shortly after.

Inside the car, Julius leaned back against the seat and glanced out the window. The city lights of Germany blurred vividly. It hadn't been that long, yet it felt like a different place entirely.

"…What is that?" he asked.

In the distance, a long bridge that shouldn't be there stretched across the darkness.

The driver followed his gaze and elaborated.

"That? That's the Himmelssteg der Helios-Stiftung," he said. "Construction finished while you were abroad, sir."

"A bridge?"

"Yes. It connects directly to the launch sector. Designed to handle heavy transport and restricted traffic. Officially, it's for logistics. Unofficially…" He trailed off, choosing his words carefully. "It's part of Germany's next phase."

Julius watched the bridge disappear behind them.

So things had moved forward after all. Even in his absence, the world had not waited.

Julius took out his phone. There was no news regarding the USSR at all. It was as if the entire incident had been wrapped in silence.

He lowered the phone and turned his gaze back to the passing city lights, his thoughts drifting to a single name.

…Yuliya.

Her death did not shake him as much as it should have. When he searched himself for feelings that might've been there, there was nothing.

Like a summer fever dream, Yuliya was gone before he realized it had already ended.

Julius closed his eyes for a moment as the car continued forward, the bridge lights streaking past like stars.

"...."

He clenched his fists.

"I really am a hypocrite."

And laughed at himself.

* * *

"Your quarters have been prepared, Young Master."

Julius nodded once and gestured for the caretaker to leave. The door closed behind him.

Apparently, his father had assigned staff to manage his room during his absence. A precaution. Or more accurately, an inspection of some sort. Johannes had always preferred to verify things himself rather than trust reassurances. If there was anything hidden, it would have been found.

But Julius had been careful.

There was nothing sensitive left behind or worth uncovering.

He sat down on the couch and took out his phone. After a second, he dialed a number.

It rang once.

Then twice.

Then a third time.

The call continued without anyone answering.

Julius stared at the screen, then lowered the phone. It made sense. It was already late, and whoever was on the other end had no reason to be awake.

He leaned back, exhaled, and let the silence stretch before deciding to get up.

Julius crossed into the adjoining apartment and knocked.

But there was no answer.

He knocked again, but still nothing.

After hesitating for a moment, he tried the doorknob. To his surprise, the door opened easily.

"...."

The room beyond was empty.

"...Doctor Isolde?"

For some inexplicable reason, Isolde had moved out.

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