The doors of Duke Aktaris' study closed heavily behind Kel.
The deep metallic sound echoed softly through the enormous northern corridor afterward while distant winter winds brushed against the mansion windows beneath the endless snowfall outside.
Silence followed.
Cold.
Heavy.
Yet strangely calm.
Kel quietly walked through the dimly lit hallway while silver mana lamps flickered softly across ancient black marble floors beneath his boots.
Inside his mind—
Sairen remained completely silent for several seconds.
Then suddenly—
She burst into laughter.
Not elegant laughter.
Not restrained.
Actual laughter.
"You…"
Another laugh interrupted her.
"…you really are his son."
Kel's expression immediately flattened.
"…What?"
The silver-haired spirit continued laughing inside his consciousness.
"No."
Another pause filled with amusement.
"I was trying to understand where your personality came from all this time."
Kel calmly continued walking through the corridor.
"And?"
Sairen immediately replied:
"Your father."
Another laugh echoed afterward.
"You are literally his younger version."
Kel quietly narrowed his eyes.
"I'm nothing like Father."
The spiritual guardian sounded deeply unconvinced.
"Really?"
The northern winds howled softly outside the mansion windows while Kel continued walking through the enormous dragon-carved halls.
Then Sairen began counting calmly.
"Both of you hide emotions behind cold expressions."
Another pause.
"Both terrifyingly value silence."
"Both refuse explaining yourselves properly."
Kel silently walked forward.
"And both of you speak like every sentence carries military authority."
Kel sighed quietly afterward.
"That means nothing."
Sairen immediately continued mercilessly.
"You even sit the same way."
Kel stopped walking briefly.
"…What?"
The silver-haired spirit sounded completely amused now.
"When your father leaned back in that chair earlier?"
Another pause.
"You copied the exact posture unconsciously."
Kel immediately denied it.
"No."
"You absolutely did."
Kel resumed walking again.
Meanwhile—
The massive Rosenfeld corridors stretched endlessly ahead beneath ancient chandeliers and dragon statues lining the walls.
Servants quietly lowered their heads as Kel passed.
Yet his thoughts now felt far less heavy than before entering the study.
Because somehow—
The conversation with his father changed something.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Enough to crack apart old assumptions buried within him for years.
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly spoke softer this time.
"…You expected disappointment."
Kel remained silent briefly.
Then quietly—
"Yes."
The silver-haired spirit understood immediately.
Because throughout their time together—
Kel rarely spoke about his family emotionally.
Whenever House Rosenfeld surfaced in conversation—
He always treated them more like distant authority than blood relatives.
Yet tonight—
That image shifted.
Meanwhile—
Sairen softly continued.
"But your father never looked disappointed."
Another pause.
"He looked proud."
Kel's footsteps slowed slightly afterward.
Because honestly—
That was the exact thing unsettling him most.
Not hostility.
Not rejection.
Pride.
The Duke of the North looked proud seeing him return alive.
And somehow—
Kel still didn't fully know how to process that.
Meanwhile—
Sairen's teasing returned immediately afterward.
"Though honestly…"
Another amused pause.
"The resemblance is terrifying."
Kel ignored her.
Yet she continued anyway.
"Even your eyes narrow the same way."
Kel calmly walked past another enormous window overlooking the snow-covered estate grounds.
"…You're exaggerating."
"No."
The spirit sounded delighted now.
"I finally understand why northern knights fear your father so much."
Another laugh.
"You both radiate pressure naturally even while standing still."
Kel quietly looked outside afterward.
Snowstorms drifted endlessly beyond the estate beneath moonlight while dragon banners moved against the cold winds.
Inside the reflection upon the glass—
For a brief moment—
He unintentionally saw similarities too.
The posture.
The eyes.
The calmness.
Even the silence itself.
And strangely—
That realization felt unfamiliar.
Because for most of his life—
Kel avoided comparing himself to Duke Aktaris.
The distance between them always felt too great.
One was the Slaughter Dragon.
The ruler of the North.
A living legend.
The other—
A cursed dying child.
Yet now—
That gap no longer existed.
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly spoke quietly.
"You know what I think?"
Kel resumed walking slowly.
"What?"
The silver-haired spirit became softer afterward.
"I think your father always knew you would survive."
Kel's eyes slightly narrowed.
"…That's impossible."
"Is it?"
Another pause followed.
"Think carefully."
The mansion corridors remained silent around him.
"Would someone like Duke Aktaris truly allow his dying firstborn to wander anonymously for two years…"
Another pause.
"…if he genuinely believed that child would die?"
Kel became quiet afterward.
Because honestly—
That thought never crossed his mind before.
At the time—
He believed the anonymous journey merely represented final freedom before inevitable death.
Yet now—
After hearing northern villagers speak.
After seeing Helena's tears.
After facing his father directly again—
The past itself began looking different.
Meanwhile—
Sairen suddenly laughed again.
"And another thing."
Kel already sounded tired internally.
"What now?"
The spirit immediately answered:
"You inherited his terrifying habit of answering questions vaguely."
Kel sighed softly.
"That's called caution."
"No."
Another laugh.
"That's called being frustrating."
Meanwhile—
Kel finally reached another long corridor leading toward the private family chambers.
Several armored knights standing guard immediately bowed deeply seeing him approach.
"Young Master."
Kel nodded once calmly before continuing.
Inside his mind—
Sairen kept speaking almost endlessly now.
"Your father even smiles the same way."
Kel quietly replied:
"I barely smile."
"Exactly."
Another pause.
"One tiny corner-lip movement and suddenly everyone nearby feels honored."
Kel nearly rolled his eyes internally.
The spirit sounded far too entertained tonight.
Meanwhile—
As he continued walking—
Memories of the study resurfaced quietly.
"Are you ready to walk the path of House Rosenfeld's heir?"
The words still lingered heavily inside him.
Because now—
The anonymous journey truly ended.
No disguises.
No hidden identities.
No escaping responsibility.
From this point onward—
Kel von Rosenfeld would finally stand openly within the Empire again.
The heir of the North.
Yet beneath that identity—
Countless hidden truths remained buried.
Dragon Emperor.
Mercenary King.
The being who erased Divine Generals.
The one fate itself could no longer observe properly.
And somehow—
Those two existences now needed to coexist.
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly softened again.
"…Are you worried?"
Kel quietly stopped near one balcony overlooking the snowy estate grounds below.
Then calmly answered:
"Yes."
The silver-haired spirit became silent briefly afterward.
Because that answer itself carried weight.
Kel rarely admitted uncertainty.
Meanwhile—
Cold moonlight illuminated the estate below while snow drifted endlessly through the night skies.
Then quietly—
Kel continued internally.
"I know how to survive."
Another pause.
"I know how to fight."
The winds brushed against the balcony curtains softly.
"But…"
For the first time tonight—
A trace of uncertainty entered his thoughts clearly.
"…I don't know how to be their son again."
Silence followed afterward.
Long.
Gentle.
Then finally—
Sairen softly replied:
"Maybe you don't need to become who you were before."
Kel quietly listened.
Meanwhile—
The silver-haired spirit continued.
"Perhaps…"
Another pause.
"…you just need to stop thinking they only loved the cursed child out of pity."
The snowstorms outside intensified softly afterward.
And standing beneath the dragon banners of House Rosenfeld—
Kel von Rosenfeld quietly stared into the northern night while realizing something frighteningly simple.
Returning home…
Might become harder than conquering other realms.