In Birain, there were six families, all descended from the reincarnations of the first King, Ionian Laertes Raviseul.

Those of the first bloodline had the privilege of holding the Raviseul name, as the second king recalled himself as once being Ionian, the first king. While power often shifted between the families, they held the throne more often than not. Historically, they were fair rulers, though their political power declined as the years went on as their numbers dwindled with every generation. Due to their proximity of being closest to the first king, most of the other families resented them, which has caused no small amount of conflicts.

The second bloodline were named the Claridieu. During the era in which they came to be, the third king had to vanquish some great evil that befell Birain, partnering up with a cleric from the temple of Tulilith. The two fell in love and married, resulting in that bloodline having very close ties to the country’s religion. They were in constant conflicts with the first family about the right of rule; it was always a fight of divine right versus birthright. They led the coup that disrupted the political landscape of the country, in recent times.

The third family, the Virelli, a disgraced group of nobles who fell from position due to being the ones accused of trying to rig the king selection process all those years ago. They had recently become merchants, clawing their way out of the gutter and gaining traction as a business-minded family. One did not conduct business in Birain without hearing about the Virelli Company.

The fourth family were called the Raubannes. They were the military power of Birain and very loyal to the Raviseuls, their two families linked through a marriage between them. They earned themselves the title of Shields of the King, because of their loyalty and stalwart nature. Even during the siege that caused the death of the most recent king, they continued to defend their cousins and allies. Their forces had retreated to their keep in the north, biding their time and regrouping.

The Angeteuil came to be during a time of peace, where artistry and industry flourished. The king that reigned during their time was one with strange, but revolutionary ideas. They rarely ever vied for the throne, cherishing more their peace. This also meant that they held no particular side, staunchly staying neutral to avoid conflicts. They were suspiciously absent during the coup.

The Verisey, the last confirmed bloodline born of a reincarnation of Ionian Laertes Raviseul, were also part of the controversy involving the king selection process. While neutral on the surface, they were a family that wavered between whoever was in power, having no loyalties to the other families. Their loyalties laid only in power and they built their own over the years, through political unions with families from other lands. Only the youngest son of the previous generation, held any genuine love for the Raviseul rulers of Birain; he rose alongside the former king, becoming his right hand as prime minister.

At this very moment, there is a search for the missing rightful heir to the throne of Birain.

Of course, the identity of this person was left up to interpretation, due to the strange nature of the king selection process.

It could be the missing heir to the recently deceased king, Ulysses Laertes Raviseul, whose body was not found nor identified after the coup at the capital.

The new heir could also be a member of any of the other bloodlines, who had claims to being related to the first king.

However, occasionally, an heir was chosen by someone blessed by the goddess without them being related to the first king either by blood or spirit. The temples assumed those reborn would bring with them divine messages and revelations, which was the reason why they always sought out individuals who met the rebirth criteria.

The amount of those reborn was actually very small, a paltry percentage of the world. Most souls in this world were brand new, living for the first time. In a single temple, you would find a single soul who had been reborn, working for the clergy; more than five, if it is the larger headquarters. The second king’s wife was one such individual and so it became imperative to secure every goddess blessed child so that they could be educated from an early age, the right disposition expected of them. If not to be the ruler, than someone who stood beside them.

However, they were treated very poorly.

While the illustrious bride of the second king had willingly entered the temple of her own free will, subjected herself to intense training and a modest lifestyle, it was still her choice.

Under the divine edict determined by the greedy wants of a few, families were driven apart. Even destroyed. All for the faint hope that one bloodline could seize power once more. Yet in recent years, not a single reborn soul had been found. As if the goddess herself wished to withhold her love of the people of Birain, which resulted in the crown being passed from father to son for a few peaceful generations in the absence of a divinely chosen leader.

But of course, no one could leave it well enough alone. Unhappiness festered all the more easily.

And so Ulysses lost his home and was now hiding in Ceralde under the guise of a boy named Yule. And it so happened he had someone clearly blessed by Tulilith living under the same roof as him. What a strange turn of events.

Penelope really was too defenseless, he thought. The first night they shared a tent he really couldn’t comment on it, but looking back on it now, she truly did not have a sense of the danger she could have been in. Sense of responsibility came over him as they traveled together and now began living together.

She had more hidden behind the truth she had already shared with all of them. He was sure his aunt felt it, too. There was more to be found out about this girl blessed by the goddess. As if what they had managed to glean wasn’t already shocking enough.

He could never imagine what it was like not to have loving parents. The concept was foreign to him, though he did admit everyone had different experiences. His father, while distant, was always proud of his children (Yule’s heart clenched at remembering he had no siblings left, save for one) and his dear mother could not go a day without telling him she loved him. Ulysses had all the support one could want, from his parents and other adults alike. Of course, the latter may have had to with his position as an heir to the throne, but he had never lacked for much.

From the sounds of it, Penelope did. Depressingly so. He could recall nothing more than wanting to spend afternoons having lessons with his father, despite how busy he was ruling a kingdom. Pouting and sulking until he would eventually get his way. And some days, simply receiving something on a whim, because his mother simply thought of him.

And never mind being pushed into a marriage so young. Not since the fifth king’s reign had marriages between adults and children had been allowed, not even to arrange them between royals. A royal engagement was selected at age fifteen, then courtship happened until their 17th year and, if all went well, it would be officially announced at age 18 to the entire court.

The world was filled with despicable people; only a scant few had noble hearts and they were the ones trodden upon the most. Used and then tossed aside, or done away with if they stood in the way of another’s goals.

Yule’s heart burned with so much vengeance and it took everything in him to keep it from erupting around Penelope. She did not deserve to see it, nor to be victimized again by the problems of someone else.

She was so weirdly happy about things and now he finally understood why.

The private rooms behind the shop were few; Minerva and Cynthia shared one, while he and Penelope were relegated to a guest room. Even the same bed, though he made sure to stay as far from her as possible. It made sleeping uncomfortable as he almost hung off the edge of the bed, but he was not the only one doing so.

It was a step above what had happened though. Better for them to share the one bed in the guest room than to be the only one sleeping on one. Penelope had insisted on sleeping on the floor with a single blanket and a pillow. And when she offered to create a second bed, he had shot that idea down, too, as there would be no room for a second bed.

Yule had shared a bed before, with his siblings. He had two little brothers and one little sister. His sister had been the one who constantly snuck into his bed.

The night he lost everything, she had been snugly nestled by his side. And she had taken the brunt of a plot for assassination when his would-be killer thought the lump underneath the blankets was him, not her.

He could never forgive himself for letting that happen. He had only gone away for a moment; he had heard a noise and got up from bed, after tucking his sister in. And then…

Penelope didn’t need to sleep so far away, neither did he, but this was not his sister, after all. It was not appropriate. But no way was he letting her have the floor. He was not some heartless jerk!

The blanket slipped off of Penelope’s sleeping body and she shivered, however, she did not move to reclaim the blanket. Yule frowned. He picked up the corner of the blanket and dragged it back up to her chin.

Geez. Even in her sleep she’s hopeless.

Going a step further, he coaxed her more towards the middle of the bed, so she wouldn’t topple over. Penelope mumbled sleepily, but otherwise moved under his prodding.Her body was soon curled up away from the edge of the bed. Of course, he would inevitably need to sleep on the side…

A night without being fully comfortable wouldn’t hurt him. The road to Ceralde had been much, much worse.

Yule watched Penelope for a few moments longer before turning around and closing his eyes, doing his best to will himself to sleep. He tossed a few more times before settling down, facing Penelope.

Her face was really peaceful. Was she having good dreams? What kind was she having? Were they filled with the memories of something terrible from her past, or did sweet things enter her mind?

Penelope’s eyes fluttered blearily open for a moment. Surely, she was not truly awake, as a mindless smile spread on her lips and she reached out to hold his hand.

“There…there…sis has got…you.”

Ah.

Even after everything, Penelope still thought about her family. Yule didn’t know whether to pity her or not.

Exhaling softly, he squeezed her hand and closed his eyes again.

“Let someone else look after you for once,” he whispered, before falling asleep.