CH 124

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

After sending Duncan away.

Kyle was deeply troubled.

For a while, he sat motionless, his body sunk deep into the sofa.

Chubby and One-eye were standing with one on each side of Kyle, shifting their eyes to each other and conversing (a higher-order conversation more complex than sign language).

Chubby shifted his eyes and blinked.

‘Aren’t we supposed to find the culprit, One-eye? We need to inform her quickly that the culprit is the Grand Duke. Then we will wipe out a rival.’

One-eye blinked back.

‘Because it’s a shameful way. Master must be in trouble.’

“—It’s a concern.”

Right then. With a heavy heart, Kyle opened his mouth.

One-eye shrugged his shoulders, thinking about his master’s fair conscience.

“Perhaps the master became sympathetic to Grand Duke Hyacinth?”

“……!”

“……!”

No, Master, wasn’t the grand duke such a disrespectful person?!

Belatedly, Chubby hurriedly looked at his master, and saw that his green eyes were enveloped in a subtle madness.

‘Ah, Master again…’

The members of Larva were all amazed at the same time.

Kyle commented, stroking his chin.

“He’s a naughty bastard, but it’s really good that he dug his own grave.”

One-eye, who was proud to know the master well, secretly revived his argument.

“Doesn’t the Master not like such cheap methods?”

“Originally, love is something that can only be achieved through dirty and cheap ways, and by any means possible.”

“……!”

‘Oh, you’re pretty good?’

For a master who was ignorant of love, it was great progress.

Kyle continued quietly.

“It was thoroughly realized on the island of Bayonaire.”

While the two were fighting, the shocking behavior of Heinrich, which led him to be held in Annette’s arms like a fox cub, gave him this enlightenment.

“…Sister.”

“…I was so scared.”

In addition, these days, the crown prince was using his position (this was what it looked like to Kyle) to invite Annette to the Imperial Palace from time to time.

“Everyone is fighting with all their might, regardless of means.”

At first he thought they were just crazy people, but as time went on, he understood.

He realized that everyone was like that because they have the same mind as him.

‘We’re desperate.’

They thought they couldn’t be without her.

Their entire selves, they were dedicating their whole lives to her alone.

“…….”

So there would be no concessions either.

The only thing he worried about right now was…

If he revealed the identity of the informant, she would be hurt.

This wasn’t actually an opportunity to eliminate a rival, but the end of a ‘request’ she made.

Annette had a right to know about this case, and it was morally right to say it.

However…

She would be seriously hurt.

Kyle pressed a hot hand to his tired eyes. A deep sigh poured out of him.

‘Yes, that’s a concern.’

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

“Porridge. Your Highness.”

I was at the Imperial Palace.

After Sislin claimed that his symptoms got better when he was with me, he called me frequently.

When it became too frequent, I eventually declared.

“I won’t come here anymore unless you’re in a situation where you’re sick enough to only eat porridge.” 

Then today, suddenly, I got a call. That it hurts enough to eat porridge.

‘You’re such a fool.’

I stared intently at Sislin.

“…….”

Sislin calmly leaned on the bed and just looked at me with his characteristic sharp eyes.

Maybe it was the fever that made his eyes look more tired, but that was all.

‘It doesn’t look fatal.’

Then, Sislin ran his hand slowly across his defined neckline.

It was only because of the heat, but from Annette’s point of view, it seemed a bit provocative.

His slender jaw casted shadows over his deeply engraved collarbone.

I rolled my eyes slightly and held out the tray of porridge.

“You can eat it yourself.”

“What are you talking about. You have to feed me.”

Sislin’s eyes widened, then he smiled softly.

“Baby.”

It was a sweet but terribly low voice, so it sounded strange for some reason.

“You’re being too harsh on a sick person.”

It’s unavoidable to be sick, but it’s hard to kid yourself using that as an excuse.

‘If you let go of your mind, you will be swept away.’

I said sternly.

“You can eat this much yourself, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

It wasn’t a disease that makes your hands and feet fall off, right, Your Highness the Crown Prince?

“Are you ordering me to feed you?”

I asked, deliberately narrowing my eyes.

If that’s the case, I would have no choice but to answer no. This was what I had my eye on. If it was Sislin, he wouldn’t give orders to me.

Just as expected.

He laughed as if he had heard something funny.

“No.”

“Then I will call a maid to help you eat. I’ll pull the string.”

“If you don’t have the strength to eat with a spoon.”

I said deliberately, teasingly, then got up and brought my hand to the calling cord on the bedside table.

It was a little far.

As I stretched out my hand a little more, a strong arm wrapped around my waist.

“……!!!”

Falling over the Sislin was instantaneous. His face was right in front of my nose.

For the first time, I vividly recognized the fact that this was a ‘bedroom’.

It was only the two of us.

It was a dangerous situation from the beginning.

Perhaps the fever had risen a lot; sweet and hot breath flew past the nape of my neck. However, the large hand that gripped my waist felt tight. As I tried to move, strength entered my arm.

His red eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Stay still.”

The low voice pierced my heart.

“It’s an order.”

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Heinrich sat in the drawing room of Grand Duke Valentino and looked around.

The marble floor was covered with the finest carpet, the buffalo leather sofa was comfortable to sit on, and the family emblem engraved on the pillar was decorated with gold and rubies.

‘He’s still eating and buying well.’

He was a little bit perplexed.

Heinrich’s biological father, Belsac Valentino, lived in the mansion of the grand duchy outside before he was selected as one of the nine archmages of the Magic Tower.

That was the place little Heinrich went to in search for his biological father, but even then…

‘It was gorgeous.’

Heinrich was so discouraged.

Belsac was a man who always ate and lived well.

—But why?

‘Why abandon Mom and me?’

Heinrich gently clenched his fists and frowned. It was then.

“As people get older, they tend to dwell on past mistakes… It’s late, but I can’t imagine how much he would’ve thought of a son who he didn’t treat well?”

A phrase from the conversations the servants had that came to mind.

“…….”

The fist that he clenched was loosened a little.

Heinrich clasped her chin and exhaled slowly.

At that moment, the heavy drawing room door opened and a tall man appeared.

“……!”

Belsac Valentino.

He was wrinkled for a middle-aged age, but he looked quite a bit like Heinrich.

He had a much more masculine line than Heinrich, who was as beautiful as his mother, but they were the same in one feature…

‘Haughty eyes’.

It was clear that he had passed that onto Heinrich.

“…….”

The moment he met his father for the first time.

The second he saw him, he felt a strange feeling, like his toes were tickling.

Belsac sat down and looked at Heinrich, who had not said a word (he appeared a little stiff), and then took a seat across him.

Badump, badump.

Heinrich’s heart beat a little faster.

‘What would your first words be?’

Asking for forgiveness?

Regretting the past?

Contrary to Heinrich’s complicated thoughts, Belsac’s words were unexpectedly simple.

“Duke Hyacinth, you had a hard time coming.”

“…….”

‘He left me with my mother since the umbilical cord was attached, and that’s the first thing he said face-to-face?’

Heinrich smiled ‘cheekily’, but there was a glint in his eyes and his facial muscles stiffened.

The courteous attitude he used to treat strangers was irritating.

The brazenness of calling his adoptive father’s family name casually.

So the honesty that Heinrich would never have said normally jumped out.

“To the useless livestock that you threw away, are you going to apologize now?”

“…….”

Belsac’s face hardened a little at the unrelenting and stinging remark.

But that was it.

Belsac was just looking at Heinrich with an unfamiliar face, with purple eyes that looked just like Heinrich’s.

“Don’t you think it’s too late to be a father?”

Heinrich had a habit of speaking more crookedly when he was in pain.

“When I’m in the womb of a mother who’s not an aristocrat, I’m like trash…”

“…….”

“Now that it seems I’ll be the next tower lord, I guess I look useful, isn’t it?”

“No.”

Belsac bluntly denied it.

In an instant, Heinrich felt his eyes get wet.

When he saw that face, he knew.

His father did not call him to apologize.

At the same time, he judged soberly. A self-deprecating laughter came out of nowhere.

‘It was a hopeless dream.’

Heinrich’s gaze was focused to one side.

A ‘family portrait’  hung in the middle of the drawing room.

Belsac, his wife Ariadne, son Eric, and youngest daughter Marina.

—It was a solid and perfect family.

There were no regrets at all for a woman or a child that was thrown away in the past.

“I’ve never thought of you as my ‘son’.”

Belsac slowly clasped his arms and leaned his body back.

“I’ll be blunt.”

“…….”

“Resign from the candidacy of tower lord. A lowly fellow like you doesn’t deserve it.”