Ch.112Befitting a Praester (5)

“….I already told you….”

Daisy spoke to her father in a weak voice. Count Hexter sat with a troubled expression and did not answer.

“……..”

“….So…I already told you….!”

Daisy only grew more frustrated with her father’s silence.

The reason for their conflict was a letter that had arrived at their territory.

The letter had come from Helen, the head maid of the Praester Family, saying she was delivering news to Daisy, his fiancée.

It contained the wonderful news that Caden had been found.

He was alive and reportedly without any major problems.

Daisy’s initial screams of joy and surprise were short-lived.

As she continued reading, her expression gradually hardened.

While she was overjoyed about his survival, once that fact had fully settled in her heart and her excitement subsided, she began to think about what came after.

It was common knowledge that the Hexter Family, located less than a day’s journey from the Naita Forest where Caden had disappeared, had offered no assistance.

Of course, the Hexter territory had been suffering from plague and famine, which provided some excuse, but Daisy couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Moreover, she learned that Judy Ice—Caden’s former fiancée—had been involved in his rescue.

At this point, her trip to visit Caden was a foregone conclusion. She had been preparing to depart for the Praester territory for several days.

As meaningless time passed, her anxiety only grew.

….What if she lost Caden like this?

Would all those memories become meaningless—when he first gave her flowers, taught her the flutter of romance as a woman, protected her as her escort, and built a connection through their conversations?

His former fiancée Judy had saved his life while she had merely stood by, so she couldn’t complain if things changed between them.

Above all, she feared earning his hatred.

If he asked what she had been doing while he, her fiancé, was missing in a forest near her territory…she would have no answer.

Of course, this wasn’t what she had wanted.

She had tried to persuade Count Hexter for days on end, but each time, he simply repeated that there were no soldiers to dispatch.

He claimed they lacked not only the manpower but also the equipment and provisions needed for such a mission.

Daisy knew these were all excuses. Ever since Caden had been expelled from his family, her father had been nurturing his anxiety.

The anxiety that Caden had simply become a commoner. The anxiety that even if he gave his daughter to him, they wouldn’t benefit from the Praester Family’s power.

If that wasn’t what he thought, he wouldn’t have neglected the Praester Family’s eldest son and her future husband like that.

He would have somehow squeezed out the manpower to help him despite their difficult circumstances.

Perhaps he had been convinced that Caden was dead. The initial letter from Vensrak had stated they had even found his body.

…..Daisy knew that now that Caden had returned alive, nothing would serve as an excuse.

She dreaded facing Caden.

While she was overjoyed that he was still alive, she simultaneously felt ashamed and sorry for not being able to support him.

For the first time in her life, she found herself resenting her own family.

Why did this wretched plague have to strike her family? Why didn’t they have enough resources to dispatch help?

….Why couldn’t she somehow persuade her father?

She even had nightmares.

Dreams where the once-kind Caden turned away from her, disappointed by her family’s decisions.

At such times, even someone as strong and unwavering as her would wake up drenched in sweat.

She wasn’t ready to be hated by the first man she had developed feelings for.

If this was what the twins had felt for Caden….she could almost sympathize with them.

As she spent time waiting for the remaining servants and soldiers to complete their preparations with her mind in turmoil, Count Hexter finally spoke.

“……..We won’t be able to avoid the Praester Family’s reproach.”

And at those irresponsible words, Daisy could no longer contain herself.

“….I already told you….”

“…….”

“….So…I already told you….!”

“…….”

Daisy wanted to resent her father completely, but she couldn’t.

Because she knew nothing would change even if she did.

In the end, she had no choice but to leave quickly to try to appease the Praester Family’s anger.

Daisy was prepared to endure any punishment.

As long as Caden….didn’t push her away. As long as he didn’t request to break off their engagement.

****

Even after feeding porridge to Asena and Kirsy, my day wasn’t over.

The grandmother who could now support herself, Sir Lawrence, Helen, Tein, and various servants from different families had gathered to discuss the details of the incident.

Lawrence was the most agitated.

Unable to contain his boiling blood any longer, he repeated everything he had heard from me in an outraged voice.

“….Is that really true, Caden?”

And Lawrence’s emotions spread like a contagion.

Grandmother looked at me with fierce eyes. These weren’t the eyes of someone who had struggled to even stand up until this morning.

“……The Payne Family…..attacked you?”

“….It’s unbelievable.”

“A hunting dog biting its master?”

“If Master Caden hadn’t returned alive, we wouldn’t have known about the Payne Family’s actions.”

Not just Grandmother, but everyone present murmured in agreement.

“….So they harbored resentment against you and Asena?”

Grandmother asked once more for confirmation.

I nodded.

“Since I was expelled from the family, they probably came with personal grudges. It was an attack against me rather than against the Praester Family.”

I offered a different perspective for everyone blinded by anger.

“………”

And those words were enough to make Grandmother pause momentarily.

She was clearly thinking about Asena, who had expelled me from the family.

Just when it seemed Grandmother might withdraw from the conversation, she shook her head and spoke loudly to everyone present.

“That’s no excuse. Regardless, it’s been revealed that the Payne Family was hiding their second daughter and harbored resentment against you and the family head, Asena. I won’t stand by and watch this.”

Sir Lawrence nodded and muttered in a low voice.

“This means war.”

Although I had anticipated the conversation would flow in this direction, I still flinched when war was mentioned in this decision-making setting.

The deep-seated compulsion within me—to avoid causing trouble for the family—surfaced again.

I, a commoner by birth, had penetrated deep into the family and was now causing tremendous upheaval. The decisions we made would affect tens of thousands of people in our territory.

One by one, they nodded at Lawrence’s words.

“…We should teach them a lesson.”

“…A dog that bites its master must be slaughtered.”

Before the conversation could drift in an even stranger direction, I raised my voice.

“Wait a moment!”

All eyes turned to me.

Yes, if it had been Asena, Kirsy, Grandmother, or Lawrence who had been attacked, I too would have advocated for war.

They are all precious to me, and they were originally members of the Praester Family.

But if it happened to me….I could endure it.

The cycle of hatred never stops, and I too had nurtured anger toward Shallon Payne…but I alone could bear it.

My life aside, the lives of the many soldiers I had crossed swords with, and even Lawrence’s life here, would not be endangered.

In summary, while I too desired war against Payne out of hatred, I didn’t want war out of concern for the family members and a desire not to shake the Praester Family any further.

“…..We don’t have a just cause.”

I said quietly.

Grandmother exclaimed in outrage.

“What do you mean we don’t have a just cause! They attacked you, so the cause is more than—”

“—I’m not a Praester!”

For a moment, the meeting hall fell silent. I continued speaking in that silence.

“Don’t forget. Asena expelled me, and I am no longer a Praester. Especially in the eyes of other families.”

“……”

“Besides, with the family head Asena collapsed like that, how can we make a decision for war without her permission?”

“….Asena would want war too.”

Grandmother said.

Now it was my turn to be silent.

“….Right. And you spoke well. We can’t make decisions without the family head….That’s correct, Caden.”

Even though I sensed her taking a step back, I felt a strange pressure. It was clear that what followed wouldn’t be good news for me.

“…..Then we need to find an acting head. Someone to govern the Praester Family while Asena is incapacitated.”

Grandmother looked at me intently.

“You will take over as acting head in Asena’s place.”

“What?”

I stood up and questioned her. How had the conversation led to this?

“How can I, who is no longer a Praester but just a commoner—”

“—No one here believes that you’re not a Praester.”

In that moment, I met the eyes of everyone at the meeting. They were looking at me with unwavering gazes.

“….And if not you, then who?”

“……”

“Should it be me, old and weakened? Or should it be Kirsy, who cannot speak? Should it be the knight Lawrence? Or Helen?”

I couldn’t find words to respond.

Her words had completely overwhelmed me.

“…….”

“….For the time being, you are the head, Caden. Understood?”

I reviewed Grandmother’s words. They left no room for argument.

Rationally, it seemed right for Grandmother to be the acting head, but I wasn’t ungrateful enough to drag her back into politics.

So, neither Grandmother, nor Kirsy, nor anyone else could do it.

It had to be me.

No matter how much I proclaimed I had been expelled from the family, it truly had to be me.

“….Everyone is waiting. Answer, Caden.”

Unlike when we were alone, Grandmother was always resolute and charismatic in these meetings. Following her words, I looked around again, and everyone was waiting for my decision.

“…….Only until Asena wakes up.”

I finally answered with difficulty.

“Then, it’s war.”

Grandmother declared as soon as I finished speaking.

“….What?”

This wasn’t what I expected from Grandmother, who knew I wanted to make the opposite choice.

But she spoke calmly.

“What family would remain idle when their head has been attacked?”

“……..”

“Caden, do you want our family to appear so easily pushed around? I know you care deeply for the family members, but now is not the time to think about the damage that might come from war. We must consider our anger and pride.”

“……”

As I remained silent, Grandmother asked in a cold tone.

“…..Are you afraid, Caden?”

“What?”

I could feel the provocation in her question. It was clear she was trying to provoke me.

But I wasn’t ashamed to show my weakness. Especially not in front of them.

As she said, I was afraid of family members dying for me.

“Of course I’m afr—”

“—Act like a Praester.”

Grandmother said with flashing eyes. She seemed like a different person.

“….Even if acting, you are the head. So among us, you must be the most Praester-like.”

“………”

For some reason…..that one statement greatly moved my heart.

The weight of being the family head suddenly overwhelmed me.

Grandmother wasn’t wrong. As the acting head, I was the face of the Praester Family.

It was only natural that I should be the most Praester-like.

“…….”

Asena came to mind instantly. Asena was truly Praester-like in everyone’s eyes.

Was this why she wore a mask when others were watching?

Did she only remove that mask and return to her true self when we were alone for this reason?

She must have carried this burden all along.

“…..Hah.”

Thinking of it as a burden Asena had carried, it suddenly felt much lighter.

If this was a weight I needed to carry for my sister, I could gladly bear it.

“….Like a Praester…”

….Yes, I couldn’t be afraid anymore.

Grandmother said.

“….It’s war, Caden. Make a clear decision. We all want this war. We need to show those who dared touch you who we are.”

I raised my head.

…..Like a Praester. I repeated to myself.

“…Understood. Let’s do it, war.”