Ch.316Honor (2)

King Friedrich, or rather, the former king who had now become the royal father, was visiting. The mansion became extremely busy with the news of his arrival. It was even more noticeable than when Queen Maria visited.

The employees had been busy cleaning every corner of the mansion since this morning, and the same went for me. I’d been up early getting ready and couldn’t properly do anything else.

It made sense—regardless of having abdicated the throne, Friedrich was still a former king. Since the handover probably hadn’t been properly completed yet, he would still maintain his full authority.

Because of this, Adelia was having the hardest time. She was not only my personal maid but also Friedrich’s hidden illegitimate daughter. This was a fact everyone had learned through the letters.

Mother suggested that since things had come to this, we might as well dress her up nicely, but Adelia firmly refused. She said she could handle wearing a maid’s uniform, but absolutely could not wear a dress.

When I asked why she disliked it when even Nicole wore dresses for official events, she said it brought back memories that made her uncomfortable.

The story was that while in the palace wearing a dress, she had once overheard gossip calling her a half-wit pretending to be royalty.

Since then, she had avoided dresses, and it was one of the decisive reasons she became a knight.

With so many unpleasant stories emerging about her past, even Mother had no choice but to back down. Instead, Adelia received some simple makeup.

In truth, she was so naturally pretty that she hardly needed makeup. Just a simple cream to give her skin a glow, and that was it.

Unlike Cecilly or Rina, she didn’t have strong features, but rather a modest, puppy-like appearance, which suited her well.

“Are you nervous?”

“It would be a lie to say I’m not.”

After all preparations were complete, Adelia and I waited briefly in the bedroom. Currently, Friedrich and Hyria were talking with Lara, who had been staying at our house as a guest.

Since it seemed like they might be having a serious conversation, we planned to enter after they finished talking.

Like Maria, who was now queen, Lara had done nothing wrong. Honestly, this whole situation was unfair to her from the beginning.

“What do you think Friedrich will say, sis?”

“Well… I’m not sure.”

About 20 minutes after Friedrich and Hyria had arrived at our mansion, Adelia and I were discussing future matters in the bedroom.

The most important point was why Friedrich had come to the mansion and why he had abdicated the throne to Queen Maria.

I was also curious about why Laos hadn’t come, but that was less interesting compared to the other questions. Lara was already at our mansion, and if Laos came too, there would be no one left in the Kingdom of Teres.

Since the handover probably hadn’t been fully completed yet, it would have been awkward to leave Maria alone. That was understandable.

“Why did he come here? He could have just stayed put…”

Adelia mumbled in a timid voice while fidgeting with her clasped hands. Her usual confidence had completely disappeared.

Friedrich was the source of her trauma. I recalled how she had been when facing her family a year ago.

Just looking at them had made her break into a cold sweat and show extreme anxiety. If her siblings had affected her that much, how much worse must Friedrich be?

Moreover, during the trial, Friedrich had directly denied Adelia’s existence. Though she had expected it, it must have left a deep wound in her heart.

‘Honestly, I do feel resentful.’

I could understand Friedrich’s position. As a king, if his honor and dignity were damaged, hidden hyenas would come running.

But if he had set aside his honor for a moment and simply admitted his mistake, the situation might have been somewhat different.

He could have been someone who, despite making mistakes due to youthful passion, at least knew how to take “responsibility.”

Moreover, for high nobles like Friedrich, “responsibility” is extremely important. Countless people have met their downfall by denying everything to the end.

In that sense, Friedrich had dipped his foot in the pool of destruction and barely managed to escape, but my resentment remained unchanged.

If I hadn’t been Xenon, the situation would have flowed in Friedrich’s favor, and he wouldn’t have even acknowledged Adelia’s existence.

In many ways, this was not a situation that could be viewed favorably.

“Why now… It’s worse than not coming at all, why…”

Adelia seemed to be thinking similarly to me as she murmured dejectedly. I looked at her troubled expression and silently took her hand.

When I took her hand, Adelia flinched and then slowly raised her head to look at me.

I smiled as if to say not to worry, and Adelia returned a sheepish smile.

“Now that the situation has reversed, you can say whatever you want. Understand?”

“I know, but… I don’t think I’ll be able to speak when I actually see him. Sigh…”

Adelia let out a frustrated sigh. Her sky-blue eyes were clouded with worry.

I gently put my arm around her shoulders to help her calm down, patting her reassuringly.

Noticing my comfort, Adelia snickered and said to me:

“Are you comforting me?”

“What else would I be doing? If you really want, I could do something else?”

“Really… you’re so different from my first impression. I didn’t know you were this lecherous. Does Nicole know?”

“Rather than lecherous, couldn’t you say I’m warm?”

“If you couldn’t even talk, you wouldn’t be so annoying. But thanks anyway.”

As she spoke, Adelia subtly shifted her hips closer. Though her words said one thing, she was the one who most preferred emotional intimacy with me.

I moved my arm from around her shoulders to her head, slowly pulling her close until our foreheads touched.

Even without intense physical intimacy like lovemaking or kissing, Adelia was satisfied. For her, wiping away the stains of past wounds was most important.

After keeping our foreheads pressed together for a while, we pulled apart simultaneously. Then, looking into her sky-blue eyes, I spoke:

“Shall we go now?”

“Yes.”

We had been holding hands until we got up from the bed, but we let go as soon as we left the bedroom.

For a moment, deep disappointment showed on Adelia’s face, but she quickly assumed her role as a maid. She wore her characteristic calm expression with a slight professional smile.

How much training had she received from the head maid to make that expression? She had once complained that physical work would have been fine, but the mental strain was difficult.

But that was in the past now. She now perfectly performed her duties as a maid and acted as a solid shield protecting me when we went out.

Not only that, but she was also consistently training in martial arts under my father, so her abilities were steadily improving day by day.

‘I’m fortunate that Adelia is my guard knight.’

Since revealing myself as Xenon, I would likely have many guard knights hanging around me, but Adelia alone was sufficient. If it had been someone else, it would have been extremely awkward.

I glanced at Adelia following modestly behind me, then approached the reception room where Friedrich and Hyria were waiting.

Finally standing proudly in front of the reception room door where I had previously met with Queen Maria, I paused briefly before carefully knocking.

Knock, knock, knock-

“This is Issac Dukar Mayshall. May I come in?”

I spoke in a voice that was neither too soft nor too loud, so it should have been heard inside. Lara would probably come to greet us soon.

Creak-

“Ah, both of you are here?”

As expected, Lara greeted us with a bright face as the door opened. I responded with a smile to her ever-innocent demeanor.

She then looked back once before opening the door wide to allow us to enter.

Normally, this would be done by an employee, not Lara, but since they needed to have a private conversation, she did it herself.

“I’ll be going now. Father, and Sister Hyria. I’ll be off now!”

After briefly greeting them, Lara disappeared like a shot. I stared at the firmly closed door before shifting my gaze.

As expected, Friedrich and Hyria were sitting side by side where I looked.

While Friedrich calmly met my gaze, Hyria immediately lowered her eyes as if she had committed a crime when our eyes met.

‘But their condition is a bit…’

Friedrich also looked somewhat tired, but he was in better shape compared to Hyria. Hyria looked like she had completely adopted the appearance of a recluse.

Her dark circles, which couldn’t be hidden even with makeup, hung down as if ready for jump rope, and her noble and dignified demeanor had completely disappeared.

Her shoulders, which had been proudly straight, were now greatly shrunk. She looked just like Adelia when she had been suffering from anxiety a year ago.

I had expected this to some extent, but seeing it directly made me wonder if I had been a bit harsh.

‘I should sit down first.’

That’s one thing, and this is another. After making eye contact with them, I looked at Adelia.

Adelia understood the meaning of my gaze and moved carefully. I also moved toward the distinguished guests visiting the mansion as she moved.

The closer we approached, the stronger Hyria’s trembling became. However, she calmed down slightly when Friedrich took her hand and assured her it was okay.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, King Frie… no, Royal Father. As you know, my name is Issac Dukar Mayshall, the author of the Biography of Xenon.”

“I am Adelia Cross, the master’s personal maid.”

We didn’t forget to greet them politely before sitting down. I almost called him “Your Majesty” by mistake but managed to change it just in time.

“I am Friedrich Ducard von Curtures. It is an honor to meet the Xenon.”

“I-I am H-Hyria Ducard von Curtures, the s-second princess of the K-Kingdom of Teres…”

Unlike Friedrich, who introduced himself plainly, Hyria stuttered and barely managed to greet us.

I hadn’t noticed from a distance, but whether due to nervousness or not, she was not only sweating profusely but also had turned pale.

Her condition was so poor that I wondered if she might faint if this continued.

“Have you been well?”

Since they couldn’t lead the conversation, I brought up a topic first. It seemed like a somewhat awkward question, and it was.

With their likability already at rock bottom, good words couldn’t come from my mouth. They probably couldn’t respond much either.

Friedrich seemed to notice my feelings and gave a bitter smile at the difficult question.

“As you said, many things have happened. I’ve once again realized the power that the people hold, and how worthless honor is. Countless thoughts have crossed my mind each day.”

“…”

Friedrich started lamenting like an enlightened sage. As I listened to his story, I glanced at Adelia sitting next to me.

Though she appeared calm on the outside, her fists resting on her knees were tightly clenched. She probably thought it was pathetic.

As I said before, if I hadn’t been Xenon, she might have ended up like Jealousy in the Biography of Xenon.

Crushed under the enormous power of authority, she would have had her beloved man taken away before her eyes, unable to even struggle.

Of course, she had the strong support of Marie, but the situation would have been much more complicated than it is now.

“…My wife told me that people risk their lives for their name alone. That sometimes, one must set aside that honor.”

“…”

“That’s why I abdicated the throne. If I couldn’t let go of my honor as king, I decided to give up the throne instead. Thanks to that, I’ve realized many things…”

“Excuse me, but I’m going to interrupt you.”

I couldn’t bear to watch him continue making excuses. Friedrich had certainly grown. This was an undeniable fact.

If I hadn’t been Xenon, would this have happened? That’s just a hypothetical, so it’s meaningless.

What’s important now is the present. Friedrich has realized his mistakes and completely set aside his honor.

However, he still hasn’t “tied up the loose ends.” I didn’t let Friedrich and Hyria in just to hear such words.

“Royal Father Friedrich. What is your reason for visiting our mansion? Surely you’re not going to say you now recognize Adelia as family?”

“Absolutely not. Even if I did, I doubt that child… would accept it.”

“I will never go back. No matter what you propose.”

As Friedrich cautiously brought up the topic, Adelia responded in a voice that seemed to be suppressing anger.

Hyria flinched at her subtle anger.

“I am Adelia Cross, Issac’s personal maid. Don’t even think about giving me that pathetic surname.”

“You heard her, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Friedrich nodded with a bitter face at Adelia’s firm resolve.

“Just in case, if you’re thinking of using her…”

“I have no such intention. The reason I gave the throne to my wife was to prevent that in advance. My wife and Adelia are complete strangers without a drop of blood in common.”

“Even such strangers treated me well, but you…!”

Adelia, who had been holding back a lot of resentment, was about to explode. Her eyes were wide open, and her clenched fists were trembling.

Although she couldn’t fully burst out, her feelings were completely conveyed. I grabbed her arm to help her control her emotions a little.

Meanwhile, Friedrich reacted calmly to her fierce glare, but Hyria did not. She let out a shrill scream and trembled greatly.

“I-I’m sorry! I won’t ask for mercy, but please spare my life…!”

“No. Who’s taking anyone’s life?”

The revolution must have been truly frightening. I responded with an incredulous expression and then shifted my gaze back to Friedrich.

He blinked his eyes slowly and then quietly opened his mouth as soon as he met my eyes.

“So, that’s why I came here, to speak, albeit belatedly.”

Scrape-

With those words, Friedrich slowly pulled his chair back and stood up. As he rose, both Adelia’s and my gazes turned to him.

Eventually, he moved to Adelia’s side rather than mine and stared at her face for a while. Adelia also glared at him fiercely with a face full of complex emotions.

While this strange atmosphere flowed between father and daughter for a while—

Swish-

Friedrich slowly knelt down, and then—

“I’m sorry.”

He bowed his head to the ground and delivered words of apology in a calm voice. Even though he had abdicated, this was an act of throwing away all his pride as a king.

Just kneeling would be enough to tear his honor to shreds, but he even put his forehead to the ground.

“I sincerely want to apologize for causing trouble because I couldn’t let go of that one honor.”

“…”

“And…”

Friedrich slowly raised his face, and then—

THUD!!

“I’m sorry.”

He apologized while forcefully striking his forehead down, making a sound that echoed throughout the reception room.

If the previous apology was from his position as a “king,” this was an apology as Adelia’s “father.”

Moreover, he even struck his forehead forcefully, emphasizing the significance of his apology as a father.

“I’m sorry for treating you harshly to protect that mere honor. And for not acknowledging you as my child until the end.”

“…”

“I won’t ask for forgiveness. But I came to you, risking rudeness, because I felt that even this opportunity might not come if things continued this way.”

Adelia silently looked at Friedrich, who was bowing his head before her. I wanted to see her expression, but she had turned her head, so I couldn’t.

However, judging by her trembling body, she seemed unable to control her overwhelming emotions. Honestly, I would have been the same.

A heavy silence descended for a long time afterward. It felt like an hour had passed, but it had only been 10 minutes.

But during those 10 minutes, Friedrich remained with his head bowed, waiting for Adelia to speak.

After about another 5 minutes had passed—

“It’s… too late.”

Adelia’s heavily closed lips opened. Her voice sounded both tearful and angry.

Nevertheless, Friedrich did not raise his lowered head.

“All I wanted was something ordinary. Even if you couldn’t directly call me your daughter, I wanted to live normally. I wanted to laugh and talk like other children, to be loved by adults.”

“…”

“But you didn’t do that. You didn’t do it until the very end. Not being able to set aside that honor? No. You would never have acknowledged me even without that honor. Because you didn’t give me even a hint of the ‘affection’ I felt from others. I can never forgive you.”

Pent-up emotions can be resolved. But if the knot hardens, it’s impossible to resolve without completely breaking the emotion.

That’s exactly how Adelia is. Although I’m taking care of her now, the hardened wounds continue to torment her heart.

The hardened edges cruelly dig into her heart, and new wounds are carved where they dig.

Friedrich’s apology only serves to hurt Adelia’s heart. He might be able to tie up loose ends, but he can’t break the knot.

But it’s perfect for dropping any lingering attachments.

“Now that you’ve tied up the loose ends, disappear from my sight. Don’t come to me anymore, and don’t even think about approaching Issac. I will live as Adelia Cross for the rest of my life. Not as a princess of the Kingdom of Teres, but as Issac Dukar Mayshall’s personal maid.”

“…”

“And if, just if, you cause any harm to Issac…”

Adelia clenched both fists tightly and whispered softly, containing all the resentment inside her:

“I will become a sword of vengeance and pierce your hearts.”

“…”

“Like Jealousy in the Biography of Xenon, I will behead you and reduce the kingdom to ashes no matter what. So…”

Her voice choked, and she paused briefly before barely managing to continue:

“Please… don’t show yourself before me. Father.”

“…”

“Even if our relationship is worse than strangers, even if you’re the one who created my terrible past, I don’t want to kill my own blood. So…”

The lingering attachment that had been tormenting Adelia—

“Go now. Now.”

Today, it completely fell away.