Ch.59Reclaimed Spring Day (1)

After the affairs in the Carnar Kingdom were settled, winter came in full force.

As the new year approached, a strange heat rose in people’s eyes. Though the new year came every year, the anticipation that never seemed to grow old appeared to be human instinct.

Many events had transpired in the meantime, but the biggest change was that the imperial family had officially recognized the child of the deposed emperor.

The timing was good.

On the surface, I was the hero who had resolved the disaster in the Carnar Kingdom, and I was strongly supported by Lady Kanarin Rupenter and Second Prince Luca in particular.

It seemed that Serin had made some kind of deal with them… though I wondered how far she had foreseen when she requested their support for me.

Indeed, Serin was a frightening person.

Additionally, the faction supporting the deposed emperor, which had once dominated the empire, had collapsed thanks to my willingness to show goodwill toward the imperial family.

And so, riding this political current, I found myself here.

In the imperial palace’s banquet hall, where my achievements were being honored.

The banquet hall, which had been damaged in the past, was now perfectly restored to its former glory.

“I wish to express my respect for your efforts, Lord Rahilt.”

The Emperor spoke with dignity in the solemn atmosphere. Before him, I knelt on one knee and waited for his next words.

“As with your previous service. Will you pledge loyalty not to the empire of the past, but to the empire of the present?”

“I will pledge my loyalty.”

“Will you forget past grievances and live for the future?”

“I will do so.”

“Very good.”

After the Emperor’s satisfied response, the ceremonial imperial sword was gently placed on my shoulder.

“From this moment forward, you shall bear the name of ‘Elhader’ and serve the nation as the Grand Duke of the empire.”

Rahilt, Grand Duke of Elhader.

That was the new name and authority I now carried.

“Ordinarily, territories should be granted simultaneously, but as the Grand Duke of Elhader himself has refused them. Therefore, this matter shall be adjusted after a grace period of five years.”

Murmurs of surprise spread through the crowd. It was strange enough that the child of the deposed emperor had secured the title of Grand Duke, but it was even more mysterious that he had adamantly refused the territories offered to him.

Soon after, the Emperor concluded his speech.

“This concludes the conferment ceremony.”

I stood up and looked around. From all directions came undisguised exclamations of admiration.

From the child of the deposed emperor to the leader of the empire’s finest mercenary group. From mercenary leader to knight commander. And from knight commander to Grand Duke of Elhader in just a few months.

My tumultuous life story seemed to make me appear even more extraordinary.

Thump. Thump.

I descended the steps from the high seat. As all eyes turned toward me, the orchestra began to play.

The nobles exchanged glances.

Eyes full of anticipation to see who would make the first move filled the surroundings.

Those who had lived lives of plenty had little patience.

“Grand Duke… no, Your Grace…!”

The first to approach was a young lady. Her dress, adorned as if with winter frost, suited her remarkably well.

When I looked directly at her, she flinched and her cheeks turned bright red. Then, with trembling lips, she spoke.

“May I… request a dance?”

“Ugh…”

At the young lady’s small act of courage, other noble daughters let out frustrated sighs. This made my heart heavy, as I couldn’t accept her dance request for reasons that completely excluded calculation.

“I’m sorry, my lady. Regrettably, my first dance partner has already been decided.”

“What…? Could it be the Imperial Princess…”

“No, it’s not.”

Of course, I would dance with Serin eventually, but it was still too early. My first dance partner as Grand Duke had been decided long ago, from the moment it was determined I would receive the title.

“Rihart… no, that’s not right? Rahilt oppa!”

“Our Count Elenot.”

A young girl approached me energetically, bearing the gazes of countless onlookers. It was Eshtiel, who still called me by an anagram-level nickname even after I had revealed my true name.

Ordinarily, for a noble daughter, official dances would be reserved for after her debutante ceremony. But Eshtiel was a proper countess with a title, so there was no issue according to protocol.

“I’ve been waiting for today. My teacher says I have a passion. What kind of passion? A passion for dancing!”

“High praise indeed.”

I responded without enthusiasm. I had never once thought that Eshtiel would excel in the realm of arts and physical education.

Of course, Eshtiel, who took my words at face value, smiled brightly.

“Just right. I’ll lead you. Rahilt oppa.”

“Then I’ll be in your care.”

I bent down considerably to match Eshtiel’s height and made the gesture of inviting a lady to dance. Eshtiel took my hand with clumsy etiquette and expressed her excitement.

And so began my first dance as Grand Duke.

I was preoccupied with holding back my laughter, even puffing my cheeks to do so.

“Pfft, you’re, you’re dancing well. Eshtiel.”

“…”

“As expected of a countess.”

“…”

“Eshtiel…”

“Oppa wait a moment. I’m trying to concentrate.”

“Heh, khuh…”

Eshtiel’s eyes darted around in disarray.

Far from looking ahead, she focused all her attention on her feet, diligently following the steps. As a result, Eshtiel’s boast naturally became an empty promise, and I ended up being the one leading.

From around us came reactions that, though strange, conveyed a certain warmth.

“My goodness, how adorable. Don’t they look like affectionate siblings?”

“Whether he’s the child of the deposed emperor or the Grand Duke of Elhader, a person is still a person. Perhaps we needn’t keep such distance…”

“Our children are always bickering… As a parent, I’m quite envious of this scene.”

“Above all, the visual impact of both of them is no joke, which is what I like most.”

Everyone unanimously agreed with the last opinion. Then, some of the older noble ladies reminisced about the past.

“During the deposed emperor’s time, we used to joke that the greatest perk for palace maids and servants was seeing the faces of the deposed emperor and his consort. Regardless of their personalities, of course.”

“Indeed, being the child of those two, if he hadn’t been hidden behind a mask, he would have been discovered long ago.”

My ears naturally perked up at the stories of my father and mother, which I hadn’t known. Though I had no intention of dwelling on their infamy and ill reputation at this point, I was genuinely curious.

As if to draw my attention away, Eshtiel stepped firmly on my foot.

“Ow, ow, that hurts, Eshtiel.”

“Oh!”

“My foot feels like it’s on fire.”

“I-I’m sorry, oppa…”

“Well, I’m just kidding.”

“…!”

Eshtiel looked at me with a shocked expression. I tilted my head, completely unable to understand the cause.

Eventually, Eshtiel spoke with sincerity.

“Rahilt oppa… you know how to joke?”

“I’m human too, you know.”

“But you haven’t done that until now.”

“I guess it’s about time for a change.”

“Puberty?”

“That’s a phase you’ll be experiencing soon, Eshtiel.”

“That can’t happen…”

Eshtiel turned serious as if she’d suddenly lost her breath. I cautiously asked, puzzled.

“Why not?”

“Because puberty makes you bad. They say you don’t listen and just cause trouble.”

“Hmm…”

How would that be any different from now? I contemplated this serious question while outwardly nodding.

“Don’t worry about it yet. There’s still plenty of time before you go through puberty.”

Instead, I was worried about something else.

It was clear that Eshtiel, who was adorable even to me, would be constantly surrounded by members of the opposite sex. Like moths drawn to a bright lantern. Especially when the time came for Eshtiel to go through puberty, it would only get worse.

Most noble daughters begin seeking marriage partners and learning about the opposite sex during that time. I couldn’t help but worry about it. Eshtiel, with her beauty and the title of countess…

If only I could choose the perfect partner who would protect her for life. Unfortunately, that would be overstepping my bounds as family.

So I rationalized internally.

‘Even if I can’t make the decision, filtering out unsuitable candidates should be acceptable.’

No one would suspect divine intervention, so it seemed like a precarious but permissible line.

A moment later, as the music ended, Eshtiel and I parted. I awkwardly bowed and gently patted Eshtiel’s head as she grinned, careful not to mess up her meticulously styled hair.

As the distance between us grew, it happened.

“Rian.”

Serin, appearing from somewhere, naturally took my hand.

“I hope you’re not too exhausted from dancing with Tiel?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s good. I’ve been quite patient, you see.”

“Was there something you needed to be patient about?”

“Well, yes. In many ways.”

Serin shot a piercing glance around us. The women who had been fixing their gazes on us quickly covered their faces with fans and cleared their throats one after another.

I admonished Serin from a moral standpoint.

“I don’t know the reason, but intimidation isn’t good.”

“What? Rian is saying this?!”

“You’re not a tyrant, Serin.”

“I think there’s a misunderstanding. I can be a benevolent ruler anytime. As long as those thieving cats who covet what’s mine don’t lick their lips.”

“That would certainly be unacceptable.”

“Right? But sometimes there are people who don’t realize such obvious things.”

“Hmm…”

I still often found it difficult to understand what Serin was talking about. So I simply expressed unconditional empathy. I had learned from experience that somehow things would move on if I did so.

She casually asked me.

“By the way, Rian. There’s something I’ve been wondering about… may I ask?”

“By all means.”

I heard Serin swallow hard. It seemed my attention was so focused on her that I could hear it clearly even in the music-filled ballroom.

Soon, Serin voiced her question.

“About Rashera Ruat.”

“Ah.”

“Now that Rian knows the whole truth… don’t you have any thoughts about Rashera? You don’t seem to have taken any action so far.”

“Has that been bothering you?”

“Of course.”

“Hmm.”

I was pleased that she cared about my grievances as if they were her own. Perhaps Serin personally disliked Rashera, but…

At least it felt good to have someone on my side.

“I don’t intend to dwell much on an incident that’s already been undone… I did complete my revenge back then, after all.”

“What?! Are you in your right mind…”

“So I’m thinking of just giving her a minor punishment and moving on.”

Only then did Serin’s features gradually return to normal.

“Punishment?”

“Yes. A punishment that will continue as long as I live.”

“What is it? What is it?”

Serin urged me impatiently. She seemed quite curious about the punishment that would be inflicted.

Since it wasn’t something I needed to hide, I honestly shared it.

“Once a year. On the anniversary of Rodrick and Eshtiel’s deaths, I plan to strike lightning on places that Rashera values.”

“That’s…”

“Whether it’s Rashera’s private mansion, her business, a warehouse where her wealth is stored, anywhere…”

“…”

“Rashera once said that there are things more painful than death, and that she would help me achieve such revenge.”

A life of shame, more painful than death, like that of my father and mother.

She said she would make me live a miserable daily life where I would grasp at even the smallest ray of hope.

Then I should respond in the same way.

“It would be fortunate if rumors don’t spread about her being a woman cursed by the heavens.”

“Wow…”

“Why are you surprised?”

“No, it’s just… I’m a bit surprised. Rian, you’re surprisingly the type to hold grudges.”

“That’s rich coming from you, who encouraged this grudge.”

“Well, I admit I hold grudges, but I didn’t expect Rian to be so satisfyingly like this.”

“Do you dislike it?”

In response to my concerned question, Serin pushed the corners of her mouth up to her cheekbones.

She whispered very quietly.

“I like it very much.”