Ch.117Smoothly (7)

# “Evan Fried, I Trusted You”

Would it be easier if I just died? Evan couldn’t bring himself to look up, feeling as though his entire body was being stabbed.

Finding himself drinking alone with the Duke, without even Irene present. The Duke had discovered that Irene was pregnant, and Evan could only tremble like a rabbit before a predator.

What if a bottle comes flying at my head? If he dodged, he’d surely be grabbed by the collar next. Thinking he should take whatever blows he could, Evan squeezed his eyes shut as a bead of cold sweat rolled down his cheek.

“…I’m deeply sorry. I’ll take responsibility somehow—”

“Shut that filthy mouth before my last shred of patience crumbles.”

Garoth snorted roughly as he glared at Evan.

Pregnancy—he could understand that. They were in love, and eventually they would have joined bodies, so wouldn’t he see grandchildren someday? But of all things, to get her pregnant before marriage?

Crack—the glass in Garoth’s hand shattered, unable to withstand his grip. Watching the glass turn to powder and scatter across the floor with the alcohol, Evan swallowed hard.

If he said the wrong thing, would he end up like that glass?

Evan flinched, and Garoth, who had been staring at him indifferently, bulged his eyes and pushed the broken glass aside.

How should he deal with this trash? He wanted to lock him in the basement and whip him, but he was concerned about his daughter’s reaction.

If he treated him too harshly, she would surely have something to say. Garoth wasn’t a fool. He knew his daughter’s priorities had already shifted to Evan, and if he mishandled this, he would be the one to suffer.

But, but…

How could he possibly tolerate this? A premarital pregnancy. And with a girl who had just become an adult!

“D-Duke.”

“I trusted you! I trusted you because my daughter trusted you! And this is how you repay me…!”

Momentarily losing his composure, Garoth grabbed Evan by the collar and shook him.

Hadn’t he told him he could call him father-in-law? He had been that generous… and this was how he was repaid.

Ungrateful didn’t begin to cover it. This was just despicable.

A good-for-nothing, trash who probably had his eyes on other women!

After shaking Evan like a wet rag, Garoth threw him to the floor and rolled up his sleeves.

Just one punch, could he get away with just one punch?

Should I even let him live? He’d heard the pregnancy was eight weeks along.

He’d heard about their official relationship three months ago, yet Evan had impregnated Irene after just one month of dating.

Finding this fact unbelievable even as he experienced it firsthand, Garoth laughed bitterly. He swung an empty bottle around and threw it roughly toward where Evan was.

Crash!

Evan avoided the fragments and knelt in place.

Though the chances of being forgiven by begging were slim, now was the time to do something.

Should he bow his head to the floor? As Evan pressed his forehead to the ground, glass fragments on the floor scratched his forehead, drawing blood.

“I’m sorry, father-in-law.”

Calling him father-in-law was a mistake, but upon hearing those words, the Duke felt as if the tension in his neck suddenly released.

Something hot burst at the back of his head, and Garoth staggered and collapsed into a chair, groaning.

He had tolerated Evan because Irene liked him, only for it to come to this. If only he could turn back time, he would have thrown out that knight guard or whatever immediately!

But Irene was already eight weeks pregnant, and if he were to throw Evan out now, his daughter would likely follow him out of the Duke’s residence.

Unable to do anything as he wished, Garoth roughly loosened his tie and threw it aside, bringing a bottle of whiskey to his lips.

Gulp—gulp—

The alcohol burned his throat, but not as much as the flames in his chest. Rather, the alcohol cooled his chest somewhat, allowing him to look around more calmly. Seeing the blood flowing from Evan’s forehead, Garoth gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger.

What was done couldn’t be undone. After briefly looking at Evan, Garoth finally pointed to the seat in front of him and spoke.

“Sit… for now.”

Evan sat down without even wiping the blood from his forehead. Honestly, when he first heard that Irene was pregnant, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now he could somewhat understand the Duke’s anger.

What would he do if his daughter came back pregnant after being with a man?

As Evan sat down, Garoth took out an empty glass and placed it in front of him. Then he placed one in front of himself as well, pushed the bottle forward, and gestured toward it with his chin.

“Pour yourself a drink.”

Glug-glug-glug—

Staring blankly at the yellow liquid being poured into the glass, Garoth eventually rubbed his face with both hands and let out a heavy sigh.

If only all of this were a dream. Sadly, reality proved that all of this was true. His daughter would give birth to a child in eight months, and he would inevitably become a grandfather.

“Wipe that blood. What would Irene say if she saw it?”

“……”

After wiping the blood, Evan quietly put the handkerchief back in his pocket. Being a Master, the wound had already cleanly disappeared.

Even if Garoth were to raise his fist and beat him thoroughly, not a single wound would remain. Knowing this, Garoth’s fist trembled, but he tried his best to suppress his anger.

Reason over emotion. If only he hadn’t ruined Irene’s childhood.

Garoth was resisting the urge to hit Evan’s head with the bottle through superhuman patience.

“I’m sor—”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. You know that a few apologies won’t end this matter.”

Whew.

Exhaling a breath mixed with intoxication, Garoth stared intently at Evan. Though Evan was watching his reactions, Garoth knew there had been no problems with his usual conduct.

The hero of the Empire, the knight who had contributed the most to defeating the Extinction. Diligent, with proper conduct and appearance, a model for all knights.

And… the thief who had impregnated his daughter before marriage.

As these two contradictory images continued to clash in his mind, Garoth clutched his throbbing head.

Fearing that his violent tendencies toward Evan would only increase if he continued thinking, Garoth took another drink and spoke.

“Have you been taking good care of her?”

“…Pardon?”

“Irene. I know pregnancy is no ordinary matter. If you’re not looking after her, who will?”

“Ah, I’m trying my best.”

At the word “trying,” Garoth’s brow twitched, but Evan continued calmly despite noticing.

“I’ve been giving her warm water instead of her usual tea, making sure she avoids strenuous exercise, and taking walks with her. Whenever she says she needs something, I go out and get it myself, and I personally manage and select all the food she eats.”

Garoth nodded quietly at Evan’s words. This showed that he was making an effort.

If Evan hadn’t been doing these things despite Irene’s pregnancy, Garoth would have seriously considered hitting him over the head with the bottle.

As Garoth set down the bottle, Evan, who had inwardly sighed with relief, looked at him.

“Though an apology won’t change anything now, I will… take responsibility.”

“I once said I would take responsibility too.”

Tapping the edge of the empty glass with his finger, Garoth smiled bitterly.

Anyone could say they would take responsibility. He had once said he would take responsibility too, and now, recalling his partner who was no longer in this world, Garoth closed his eyes.

“But few truly follow through.”

“……”

“Two months until the lunar eclipse, eight months until Irene gives birth. You’ve already died once—is there any guarantee you won’t die again?”

Evan couldn’t confidently answer that question.

Having died once in the battle with Biltain, he couldn’t easily say he would never die again. If the Extinction succeeded in reviving the ancient dragon, he would have to fight risking his life again.

“I’ve been through this once, and having suffered, I’m more anxious than even Irene. Though I made a big mistake when Irene was young, I’m still trying to be a father now.”

Garoth’s wife had been frail when she gave birth to Irene.

Though she showed a strong face to her family, Garoth knew she was slowly becoming ill inside. When he finally lost his wife, Garoth clung to Irene to forget his grief.

So that no one would be sad anymore, so that he wouldn’t lose anyone else.

He had repeated with his own hands what he had suffered as a child and vowed never to repeat.

All he could do now was suffer inwardly for the indelible wounds he had inflicted.

What was the reason Irene hadn’t told him about her pregnancy? Though she knew Evan would face his wrath, the biggest reason was that her father hadn’t been fatherly.

Having lost his wife and now abandoned by his daughter. Though he tried to smile, that smile was close to a lie.

“Someone once told me, don’t live on your knees, die standing.”

Garoth shook his head. That was wrong.

For someone with nothing left, perhaps. But for someone with much left, they had to live somehow.

Now with Irene as his lover and even a child on the way, the knight named Evan should never risk his life carelessly.

“If you make Irene a widow, I will follow you even if I have to take my own life.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll chase you to the ends of hell and curse your ears. Until you want to drown your own soul in the River Styx, I’ll make you eternally regret your death.”

As Evan nodded slightly, Garoth emptied his glass again and shook his head vigorously.

The way he discovered Irene’s pregnancy was trivial. She had been drinking lemon tea instead of her usual Darjeeling, and holding books instead of swords—suspecting something, he had pressed a maid for information.

When he first found out, he was furious to the tips of his hair, but…

Now he could no longer treat Evan Fried, who was clearly designated as his son-in-law, harshly.

Aside from Irene getting angry, he didn’t want to be angry anymore because he had always thought well of him. All he could do now was trust him—if he vented his anger and put pressure on him, it would only backfire.

“Heh heh…”

Having given up on being angry, all that remained was hollow laughter.

Laughing while looking into empty space, Garoth rubbed his eyelids and swallowed the sighs that kept escaping.

It was something to celebrate, something to be happy about, so why did he feel so empty?

Perhaps he instinctively sensed that the time had come for him to step back.

When Irene gives birth and Evan officially becomes her husband.

Perhaps it was time to pass on the shield.

After Irene and Evan’s wedding, it would be enough to just smile a few times when his grandchild was born.

It was a much more modest future than the ambitions he had held in his youth, but Garoth wanted such a future a little more.

Defeating the Extinction and becoming a hero, standing tall at the center of the Empire’s five great families.

All of that was good, but what meaning did it have now?

Though he was still too young to be called a grandfather, Garoth felt skeptical about this reality.

The faction that Irene had recently created would surely remain a solid force supporting Yuris even after he stepped down.

With a little time, she could certainly become the head of the Yuris family—thinking this, Garoth leaned his head against the chair.

“The alcohol is bitter.”

Yet his face looked much more comfortable than before.

The smile on his lips was one without any lingering attachment.

Soothing the rising intoxication with mana, Garoth spoke to Evan.

“When will you hold the wedding?”

“…It hasn’t been decided yet. After dealing with everything regarding the Extinction, I think the ceremony will probably be held after the child is born.”

What bride would want to wear a wedding dress with a swollen belly?

Though he planned to propose before the child was born, he intended to hold the proper ceremony after Irene had given birth and her condition had improved.

He wouldn’t change his mind no matter what anyone said.

Unless Irene herself said she wanted to hold the ceremony earlier, Evan was determined to stick to this plan.

“I’m not in a position to argue about that. So, I’m becoming a grandfather.”

Every time Garoth opened his mouth, Evan felt as if his own mouth was burning up.

Though it didn’t seem like he was bringing it up to scold him, being in the position of having committed a sin, every word pierced and dug into his heart.

Even drinking alcohol didn’t feel like drinking, and he just wanted to leave this place and go to his room.

Irene would understand this feeling. As Evan tried to soothe his burning insides with alcohol, he desperately hoped time would pass quickly as Garoth’s expression gradually improved.

“…Well, I think I’ve said all I needed to say to you today.”

Seeing the completely empty bottle, Garoth said this, and Evan slightly bowed his head with a solemn expression.

Though he wanted to leave this place, he knew exactly why Garoth had said those things to him.

Engraving in his heart the words of a man who had lost his wife and was even hated by his daughter, Evan supported Garoth’s body and slowly rose from his seat.

“You’re not planning to tell Irene about the blood that flowed from your forehead earlier, are you? If you have a conscience, that is.”

“The wound is already gone. I won’t tell Irene separately.”

“…I’ll be watching. Remember that I’ll be keeping my eyes on you to see if you’re really the right person for Irene.”

As Evan nodded, Garoth, sitting on the bed, rubbed his reddened cheeks.

Though he could remove the effects of alcohol with mana, today he just wanted to remain intoxicated.

However, remembering something he had forgotten, Garoth pondered for a moment and then spoke.

At eight weeks pregnant, it was about time to determine the gender—shouldn’t he know whether it was a grandson or granddaughter?

“So, is it a boy or a girl?”

“…Ah, about that.”

Evan, who had slightly moved toward the door, didn’t answer for a moment and watched Garoth’s reaction.

Whatever reaction the Duke might show after hearing this answer. But imagining any outcome led to disaster, so Evan smiled awkwardly and moved his lips.

“Twins… I heard. That is, one boy and one girl…”

“Twins.”

“…Yes, twins.”

Heh heh.

Letting out the laughter that escaped his lips, Garoth smiled warmly.

Then, grasping an empty bottle beside him, he threw it toward Evan and roared.

“Evan- Fried!”

At the momentary thunderous shout that shook the Duke’s residence, Rophena, who was waiting below, sighed.

When would the Duke calm down?

Perhaps unless Irene herself intervened, the Duke’s wrath toward Evan would never cease.