Snowfall had started early yesterday morning and it hadn't stopped since.
I sat by the window in my fire warmed room, watching the outside world disappear beneath a thick white sheet.
Four months had passed since we made our plans.
And just like that... my first winter in this world had begun.
Around here, people don't count their age by birthdays.
They count winters.
Which means I'm now four years old.
It might sound short, but to me... it's been both too short and far too long.
I took control of this body when I was three, and since then, a lot has happened.
I started a soap business. A famine broke out.
The quiet life I thought I'd have was torn to pieces.
The worst part?
We still haven't found the person who poisoned the land.
The famine isn't just an excuse anymore. It's real and brutal.
Our storehouses aren't even a quarter full.
We had hoped to earn money through soap production, but in Godfrey's Cross, barely anyone bought any.
People had no choice but to spend everything they had on food.
Only the wealthy showed interest.
Still, according to Raymond's reports, our soap sold well in other cities.
I poured every coin of profit into buying food.
If I had been the kind of person who still thought about his own wealth in a time like this…
Maybe life would've been easier.
But I couldn't. I never was that kind of person.
"We did everything we could," Mnex said.
Did we, though?
Maybe... if I had cared just a little more.
Maybe... if I had acted just a little sooner...
"Listen to me," Mnex said, his voice soft but steady.
"This isn't a movie, Hal. And you're not the hero.
You did what you could.
If it weren't for you, that number wouldn't have stopped at four."
Mnex hadn't been nagging me lately.
Today, too, his voice held support instead of sarcasm.
Just for now, I thought.
Because winter had only just begun…
And in the very first week, we'd already lost four people.
Three died alone, found frozen and starved in their homes.
One succumbed to both hunger and cold.
"Okay, maybe the chicken farm isn't doing as well as we hoped," Mnex admitted.
"But it's still better than nothing."
Better than nothing.
But some nights... even that doesn't feel like enough.
"Hal, I swear, if I have to keep looking at that face, I'm going to snap.
I get that you're sad. Really. But what exactly is tearing you up so badly?
In your last life, you couldn't do anything.
Now? You actually did something.
Those four people… they didn't die because of you.
They died because this world is cruel."
He was right.
Back then, I couldn't change anything.
But now...
"And you still can't," Mnex cut in, sharper this time.
"Just because you learned one spell doesn't mean you can save the world.
You did what you could.
The rest isn't on your shoulders.
And don't forget... death is just as much a part of life as living.
Now go.
See your mother.
And meet your new baby brother."
Right…
I hadn't visited them yet.
After wandering through the manor for a while, I finally found the room.
This was the place where I had first opened my eyes in this world.
I was born here.
Just like my brother now.
Maybe even my father was born here. Or my grandfather.
My mother was sitting up in bed, cradling the baby in her arms.
She looked exhausted, her eyes were sunken, her face pale.
But her smile...
Her smile was warm and full of love.
She looked at my brother like the world beyond him didn't exist.
And strangely, I felt... jealous.
Just a little.
Along with the jealousy came something else, something unfamiliar.
I'd never had a mother before.
And of course… never a sibling either.
Part of me still wanted all of her attention, just for myself.
Sure, I was twenty eight years old mentally, but…
"Mom" was a brand new concept to me.
My first.
On the other hand, the idea of being a "cool" older brother?
That was kind of awesome.
Being the first one he'd run to when he got into trouble…
Teaching him everything I knew…
Just imagining it made me feel proud.
"Henry, come meet your brother, Rodric," my mother said.
I'd zoned out by the door.
She reached out her hand, calling me over.
Roderic, huh.
My mother wasn't alone in the room, Agatha was there too.
But my father was nowhere to be seen.
I climbed onto the bed and got my first real look at my little brother.
"He's going to be better looking than you," Mnex said without hesitation.
Roderic definitely took after my mother.
He was blonde.
His eyes were still closed, but there was no doubt, they'd be blue.
Both my parents had blue eyes.
"And his facial structure is already more defined than yours at birth. That makes him…"
Got it, Mnex. Thanks. That's enough data.
"Well? Isn't he adorable?" my mother said.
"Just like his big brother… Roderic will grow up to be kind and clever."
She was smiling.
But her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
After a few seconds of silence, I asked:
"Mom… why are you crying?"
Maybe it was just post birth exhaustion… maybe something hormonal.
But something inside me tightened.
"Ah!" she said, quickly wiping her eyes.
"Henry… can I ask you something?"
"Anything, Mom."
I meant it.
Anything you want, always.
"Please, be a good brother to Roderic.
Spend time with him, okay?"
Mnex? Run a diagnostic. Full scan. Now.
"Mom? Why are you saying things like that?"
"Based on current vitals, your mother shows no obvious signs of illness," Mnex replied.
"But a more detailed analysis would require a blood sample."
My mother interrupted before he could finish.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must've scared you… my little prince."
"Mom's just a bit tired today.
Why don't you go play in your room for a while?"
I didn't need to be a genius to figure it out.
She wanted to be alone.
I stepped down from the bed and made my way to the door.
I could hear Agatha's quiet footsteps behind me.
We walked in silence for a while after leaving the room.
Once I was sure we were far enough that my mother couldn't hear us, I stopped and turned to her.
"Agatha? What's wrong with my mom?"
She avoided my gaze. She clearly didn't want to answer.
"Agatha? I asked you a question."
This time, I made my tone firmer.
"Young lord… there's nothing wrong with your mother. Please, don't worry," she finally said.
But her voice…
It was practically shouting that she was hiding something.
"Agatha, please. I can take anything. Just… don't treat me like a fool."
"Never!" she said, panicking.
"I would never think that of you, young lord. It's just…"
She hesitated.
"Just what?"
I pushed her to go on.
"Your mother… was hoping for a girl."
What?
What does that have to do with anything?
All this tension… because of that?
"I'm sorry, Agatha, but… I don't understand," I said honestly.
"How do I put this…"
She paused again.
"It's because of the Royal Law."
"Royal Law?"
A cold unease crept up my spine.
"Yes, young lord.
According to the laws of the kingdom, every noble's second healthy child is to be given to the Janisarion Order.
These children are taken from their families at the age of seven…
and raised in the royal capital under special training.
Just like your uncle, Sir Arthur."
What...?
So my uncle didn't choose that life?
It wasn't voluntary?
The king... takes children?
"Hmm… There could be several reasons behind it," Mnex said.
"There were similar systems in your previous world, too."
"What do you mean? What kind of king takes children from their homes?"
"Actually, it's not as strange as it sounds.
And using nobles for it is a rather strategic choice."
"Mnex… save the admiration. I need useful information.
We're talking about my brother here."
"Right. Let me put it this way:
You've heard of the Ottoman Empire, haven't you?
They had a system called devshirme.
Children were taken at a young age and raised to serve the crown.
They became viziers, janissaries, royal guards,
loyal to the core."
"So the king's basically turning kids into ultra loyal soldiers?"
"Exactly."
"Agatha... Is there no way to stop this?"
The urge to resist was growing inside me.
If there was even the slightest chance… maybe I could start planning.
"I'm sorry, young lord.
Your father, Lord Godfrey, has likely already sent the notice to the Crown.
If the law is violated, your entire family would be charged with treason and executed.
There's only one exception:
If the second child is a girl, the law does not apply."
So that's why...
That's why my mother wanted a daughter.
If Roderic had been born a girl…
maybe she could've escaped this fate.
I quietly thanked Agatha and made my way back to my room.
My thoughts were a tangled mess.
The world I thought I understood…
the laws I thought I knew…
They were falling apart.
I'd learned a lot over the past few months.
But now...
I realized I'd need to learn even more.
Because this world wasn't something you could fix with soap, chickens, and clever ideas.
This was a place...
where they could take your little brother away at the age of seven.