Luxembourg-1990
"There are two things the Sols follow in life," Jules heard his grandmother say as he sat by her side, holding her hand. "Happiness… and satisfaction."
"I know, Grandma, 'The Sol Principle', Always do what makes you happy and satisfied." He squeezed her hand, "Please don't leave me, you're the only family I have."
"You have to learn to let go, Jules," she smiled faintly and patted his head with her free hand, "I learnt that lesson a long time ago when your Mother and Father died. My husband died ten years ago, and I am starting to forget his voice, and I miss my own parents. Live a long and fulfilling life, my Boy; make a big family; help as many people as you can; you must die in front of a crowd of people, unlike me. Explore the world, meet a lot of people, have fun, and help others along the way."
The six-year-old didn't know what to do. Tears spilled freely down his cheeks. He had never known his parents; his entire small world had consisted of just him and his Grandma. And now she was leaving, and he would be completely alone.
"Little one, look at me." He lifted his gaze through the blur of tears. She gently wiped his cheeks with her thumbs and spoke softly but firmly, "When you look back on your life one day, I want you to see no regrets. Promise me that."
He gave a small, trembling nod. "I promise." "Good."
She lay back on the bed, smiling softly, as if she had finally set down every weight she had carried in life.
The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor, beep… beep… beep—until the sound stretched into a single, endless tone.
Doctors and nurses rushed into the room and tried to pull the wailing boy away. He kicked and clawed, twisting out of their hands, screaming for his grandmother as he fought to get back to her. But he was only six, and there were too many of them.
"Let me handle him," said a blonde girl of about eighteen. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into her arms. He thrashed and tried to break free, but she held on, locking him in place as he cried into her chest.
On December 1, 1990, at 7:43 p.m., Cecilia Valérie Sol, the Matriarch of the Sol family, drew her final breath, leaving Julius Desmond Sol as the last heir of the noble Sol bloodline.
***
Elise Beaumont
"I knew Julien André Sol. We served in the Irish Guards together, though I could never keep up with him, even back then. To think his family now stands on the brink of extinction is truly heartbreaking." Grand Duke Jean was a simple man, lacking the distant air of nobility one might expect. He folded his hands before him. "Now even Cecilia is gone. You understand that the Sol line depends entirely on you."
"I am aware of my duty, sir." Elise straightened her posture. "When the Countess took me under her wing, she prepared me for everything that would follow her death. I have been trained relentlessly for this day."
"I know. The youngest female graduate of HEC Paris, Cecilia, spoke highly of you." His gaze sharpened. "You will be managing approximately 530 million euros, and that sum will only continue to grow."
He was right. The Sol family was renowned across Europe. Their legacy began with Julien André Sol, who founded Desmond & Co., widely regarded as the finest law firm on the continent, and recently got into Real Estate across the world. Cecilia Valérie Sol later established the Sol Lex Archive, a private legal vault preserving and verifying sealed records for families and institutions whose affairs must remain confidential and continuous.
These alone were valued at nearly 530 million euros. When combined with the family's other holdings, the total worth of the Sol Family approached 700 million euros.
"Well, all that aside, I hope you raise Julius well. I'll be keeping an eye on him." They walked down the hallway to where Julius sat alone on a bench. The Grand Duke looked at the boy one last time, then turned to her. "Take care of him."
"I'll do my best."
He nodded and walked away.
Elise turned back to the child. His small frame was trembling, his shoulders shaking as he tried and failed to hold back his tears. She walked over to him slowly and sat beside him.
He stiffened at once and wiped his tears away. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice sharp with lingering anger over her holding him back earlier. In his hand was a small metal tiger, clutched so tightly his knuckles had gone white.
She reached out and gently placed her hand over his. She was grateful he did not pull away. "Don't be so angry, young lord," she said softly. "I held you back because the doctors needed to check on Madame Cecilia. You were interrupting them."
He pulled his hand back, turned his face away, and shifted farther from her.
She chuckled and moved closer. When he noticed, he slid away again. She followed. He moved once more, and she followed again, until he reached the edge of the bench. She sat down right beside him. He grumbled under his breath but did not speak. She only chuckled again.
"May I ask what you're holding?" She nodded toward his hand. He loosened his grip on the tiger. "Is that a gift from the Countess?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Grandma gave it to me last year." He held up the little tiger. "We got it from a guru in Tibet."
"Madame Cecilia told me," she said gently. "You received it from Guru Pathik, in the Himalayas, didn't you?" His eyes brightened at once. "According to her final wishes, we must send her ashes to him."
"Oh." The light in his face faded instantly. "I see."
She felt a sting of guilt for telling him, but there was no avoiding it. She had to explain what they were going to do with her. It was his right.
"Jules, may I call you that?" she asked. Madame Cecilia used that name, too. "It sounds cute."
"Yeah… you can." His face flushed red at once. She laughed softly and patted him on the head.
***
One Month Later
They had taken residence at the Sol family's main estate. She got to work as soon as they got comfortable. She prepared a list of all the open positions: maids, a butler, a cook, security guards, private tutors, and a chauffeur.
She handed him the list. Jules tried to read it, then looked up at her helplessly.
"Hey, Elise, you know I can't understand half of these words, right?" Julius tilted his head toward her innocently. For a moment, she had the absurd urge to pinch, or even bite, his cheeks; they looked like soft little marshmallows. "So… what do you want me to do with them?"
She lifted him by his sides and set him on her hip. "Jules, now that we live here, we'll need many people to look after such a large estate. You and your grandmother lived almost like hermits, but now it's time for you to begin a proper education. This is the Sol family's main estate, and I couldn't think of a better place for you. You understand that. So we'll need maids, a butler, a cook, security guards, a private tutor, and a chauffeur."
He nodded. "Grandma said I have to go to a place called school one day and make friends." His face brightened with excitement. "She said there will be people my age I can play with."
She cooed and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing a long kiss to his cheek. He was just too cute.
Then a guard carrying a rifle passed by, and the warmth faded from her thoughts. A school had very little real security—enough to stop normal civilians or petty troublemakers, perhaps. But if armed hitmen or trained assassins ever came for him, what could an ordinary school guard possibly do?
Even now, their security was provided by the government—and that protection would soon be withdrawn. She would need to add several security positions to the list.
She looked into his eyes, and they seemed as though the very idea of beauty had been etched into them. The irises glowed an impossible, crystalline blue, like a frozen sky lit from within, shot through with streaks of white light that shimmered like distant stars. They felt less like human eyes and more like windows into something vast and otherworldly, bright enough to be unreal yet soft enough to draw you in.
Messy black hair fell into his face in soft, careless strands, framing those luminous eyes and the expressive dark brows above them. With features so gentle yet striking, who could ever say no to a gaze like that? But she had to. It was her duty, and the purpose of her life.
She closed her eyes and blurted it out. "I'm sorry, Jules. You can't go to school just yet." She forced herself to open her eyes and met his tearful gaze. Her heart shattered.
"Why?" His voice trembled. "Why can't I go to school?"
What was she supposed to tell him? That assassins would kill him if he went to school? That there were men in the world who would hunt him down simply for existing?
"School isn't going anywhere," she said softly. "But first, you have to learn here, with me. When the time is right, I promise I'll take you."
"You promise?" he asked in a small, fragile voice.
"I promise." He rested his head against her shoulder and hugged her tightly. "I'll make sure you'll have a lot of friends here too," she whispered.
"Okay."