Five more years passed in the blink of an eye, and Vivian turned eight this year.

Three years ago, they welcomed the birth of Vivian's younger brother. His mother named him Edward.

Vivian was very happy to have a little brother.

He stayed by Edward's side all day and played with him whenever he could.

Strangely, Edward almost never cried when Vivian was near him.

As long as Vivian was there, Edward would smile, grab his finger, or quietly watch him.

They would play until both of them grew tired and fell asleep together.

Because of this, their mother finally had time to rest.

She did not need to worry too much, since the brothers stayed together most of the day.

She only had to watch over them from time to time.

Sometimes, she would take them to the administrative office to meet their father and grandfather, where Vivian would run around while Edward rested in her arms.

Life passed calmly and peacefully.

"Mom, do I really need to go?" Vivian asked softly as he poked Edward's chubby cheeks.

"Can't I stay and play with my brother?"

Edward was already asleep.

His small chest moved up and down as he breathed, his face peaceful.

Their mother sat beside the bed. She had just finished feeding Edward, and as usual, he fell asleep right after.

She gently adjusted the blanket around him before looking at Vivian.

"Yes, you need to go," she said with a warm smile. "You are the future head of the house."

"But… but Edward can become the head too when he grows up," Vivian said.

His voice was shaky, like he was trying to avoid going there. "I can help him, can't I?"

Hearing this, his mother looked at him. Her expression became serious.

Her voice was still gentle, but there was a hint of scolding in it.

"Listen, Vivian," she said. "You are the eldest brother. And as the eldest brother, you have responsibilities."

She continued calmly, "One of those responsibilities is to make your little brother's life easier."

"Edward also has his own responsibilities, and he will fulfill them in the future. But if you want to be respected as a big brother, you must face your own duties first."

Hearing her words, Vivian slowly lowered his head.

His lips pouted, and his eyes started to shine, as if he was about to cry.

His mother noticed this and let out a soft sigh.

"Why don't you want to go?" she asked gently. "Playing with Edward isn't the only reason, is it?"

Vivian hesitated. He did not answer right away.

Seeing this, Elena spoke again, her tone softening.

"If you tell me the real reason honestly," she said, "I will let you put Edward on your shoulders."

"Really?" Vivian looked up at her at once. His eyes shone brightly.

Seeing his reaction, Elena smiled helplessly.

Since Edward was born, Vivian always wanted to put his little brother on his shoulders and walk around with him.

This habit came from his father.

When Vivian was small, his father often walked around the estate with Vivian sitting on his shoulders.

Vivian wanted to do the same for Edward.

But he could not.

Edward was still heavy for him, and Elena did not want Vivian to grow careless confidence.

If one day she was not nearby and Vivian tried it alone, he might fall.

If that happened, both brothers could get hurt.

That was something she could never allow.

"Really, Mom? Can I really?" he asked eagerly.

"Only if you tell me the truth," Elena said with a small smile.

Hearing this, Vivian's eyes shone brightly at first.

But after a moment, the light in them faded.

He turned his head and looked at his little brother, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed.

Vivian stayed silent.

There was conflict in his eyes, as if he was thinking hard about something.

After a long moment, he finally spoke in a low voice.

"I don't like her."

The room fell quiet.

Elena looked at him in surprise. Her smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a calm and careful look.

"Who is 'her'?" she asked softly.

Vivian clenched his small fists. He did not look at his mother. Instead, he stared at the floor.

"The princess," Vivian said quietly, still looking at the floor. "I don't like her."

Elena frowned slightly. Confusion showed on her face.

"When did you meet her?" she asked.

Right now, they were inside the royal palace.

They had come here because the royal family invited them to celebrate the eighth birthday of Princess Charlotte.

That was why Elena was confused.

This was Vivian's first time in the royal palace.

He had never been here before. He had never met the princess either.

Elena herself had only met Princess Charlotte once, when the girl was five years old.

Back then, the royal family had visited the Zenithara estate as chief guests for Vivian's sixth birthday.

But Vivian had fallen ill that day. The ceremony was canceled, and he never saw the princess.

So Elena looked at her son, waiting for his answer.

Vivian stayed silent for a moment. Then he spoke softly.

"I saw her when we entered the palace," he said.

"She was scary. When she looked at me, her lips moved. She said something."

"Said what?" Elena asked, her voice calm but serious.

"I didn't hear it clearly," Vivian said, his voice trembling a little.

"But I saw her lips. It looked like she said, 'Don't come. I will bully you.'"

He finally looked up at his mother. His eyes were wet.

"And her face was scary too," he added quickly. "Please, Mom… let me stay here."

Hearing him, Elena let out a small chuckle. She knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"And why do you feel she is scary?" she asked gently.

Vivian looked at his mother and answered honestly, "Her eyes and her hair are red."

"Just that?" Elena said with a smile. "The Queen has the same hair and eye color."

Vivian suddenly became flustered.

"A-and… and…" he stammered, waving his hands. "Her nose wrinkles like the witches in the storybooks. And she has that look… like those witches who do bad things."

As he said this, he truly believed it. In his mind, the princess was a witch who would use him in some strange ritual if he went to the celebration.

Because of this thought, he did not want to go at all.

Elena chuckled again and shook her head lightly.

"You misunderstood her, Vivian," she said softly. "She is just a little proud. She is definitely not a witch."

Then she smiled teasingly.

"And who knows? Maybe she was inviting you to her birthday and wants to dance with you."

The moment Vivian heard this, a cold shiver ran down his spine.

An image appeared in his head of himself dancing with that evil-looking princess.

His face turned pale.

"M-Mom, please let me stay here," he said hurriedly.

Before Elena could reply, a cheerful voice came from the door.

"If you don't go, I can ask her to come here and dance with you. How about that?"

Vivian froze.

He slowly turned his head toward the door, his eyes wide, his body stiff like a wooden board.

A woman stood at the door with a cheerful smile.

She had red hair and red eyes, and she wore a red dress that matched her bright features perfectly.

Seeing her, Elena quickly stood up and was about to bow.

Before she could, the woman waved her hand.

"You don't need to do that, Elena," she said warmly. "We've known each other since childhood."

Elena relaxed and smiled. "It's been a long time since we last met," she said, no longer bowing.

The Queen nodded and walked into the room. Her eyes soon landed on Vivian, who was nervously looking around.

From her appearance alone, Vivian understood something very important.

This woman was the mother of that evil princess.

And from what she said earlier, she had clearly heard everything.

The Queen's eyes sparkled as she walked toward him. She bent down and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"So you are Vivian, huh?"

Sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Y-Yes, my name is Vi—"

"You're so cute!" the Queen said happily, not letting him finish.

She pulled him closer and rubbed her cheek against his face.

"Elena, he looks exactly like you," she said with delight. "How did you make him this cute?"

Hearing this, Elena lifted her chin proudly. "It just happened," she replied calmly.

The Queen continued rubbing her cheek against Vivian's, clearly enjoying herself. Then, as if saying something very normal, she suddenly spoke again.

"How about you marry my daughter?"

The room went silent.

Vivian's eyes widened. His mind went completely blank.

In his head, the image of the scary red-haired princess appeared again, her nose wrinkling like a witch from a storybook.

His legs began to shake.

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