In a room, there was only a bookshelf filled with various books along the wall to the left of the door, a large round rug in the center, and a desk where Arthur usually handled family or work-related tasks.
There he was, but instead of working, he was restless—struggling to find a way to solve the enormous problem his family was facing. On one side stood his wife—the person he had promised to protect, care for, and love for the rest of his life—and on the other, his daughter, whom he had sworn from the moment of her birth to protect, no matter how dangerous the threat. Her mere presence filled his heart with a joy as intense as that of his wedding day—in fact, with a happiness even greater than that very occasion.
To make matters worse, the "vultures"—or rather, the elders—pressured him in every possible way to resolve that terrible impasse. And those who had always coveted power gave him a one-year deadline to fix all the mistakes made up to that point; otherwise, according to the rules, he would be expelled along with his wife and daughter and deposed as the leader of the Radiance family.
"Ah, damn! What the—"
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
"Huh...? Who—"
"Dad?"
At the sound of Sophia's voice and upon seeing her before him, Arthur's spirits immediately lifted. Smiling, he said:
— Oh, darling, what are you doing here? I thought you didn't like coming to this room.
Sophia moved slowly toward him and took a seat on a chair on the other side of the table, saying:
— …You know I don't like being watched, Dad, and that there are so many guards out there.
"Ah, is that so? But tell me, why did you come here this time?" he asked.
"Well… I know that you and Mom are hiding something from me. I also know that she hasn't been well for a while… And I know that now I'm causing you a big problem."
Arthur was quite taken aback by what he had just heard, but trying to cover it up, he replied with a smile:
— Of course not, my daughter, you've never caused me any trouble.
"Then does that mean Mom is really in trouble?!" Sophia asked.
Startled by how his own words were turning against him, Arthur exclaimed:
— What! No, no, no, that isn't true. So you don't need to worry, okay?
"(Sighing) Dad, you're terrible at lying."
"What? Of course not, I'm great at everything… but obviously, everything I said is true."
"(Sighs) Come on, Dad, you know very well that I'm not a child anymore. Quite the opposite: soon I'll be sixteen, and following the tradition of other families... I'll probably get married."
In this world, the age of majority is reached at 15, and most families—or at least the most influential ones—prefer that their daughters marry at 16, usually to someone from another family of equal status, or even to someone of a slightly higher level, be it political or financial. This is the way to stay at the top or even rise further—especially for families that are stagnant or in decline.
"That is not going to happen, no way! You will only marry when you want to, if that's what you desire. For I do not believe there is anyone in this world worthy of spending their life by your side. And even if such a person exists, you will marry only the one you choose. I will not interfere or give any opinion on the matter… I mean, I won't give any opinion at all about it."
"Ah, I know, so I..."
"Only after you turn sixteen, don't forget!"
"Understood!" Sophia replied, smiling.