Unlike my brother, my father welcomed me with a smile as soon as he saw me.

He walked over with such enthusiasm that he almost seemed ready to embrace me.

“I regret that we didn’t have a chance to see each other during the wedding. It’s good to see you now.”

Years before Albert took over the Medici barony, Father had kept a bit of a distance from us due to political considerations.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care for all his children equally, but it was easy for others to misunderstand if he did. If people started speculating that …