Ch.9595. Now, after everything else, I’m resorting to creating a family through imagination.

“Lucien, you’ve improved a lot, haven’t you?”

“….I still have a long way to go to catch up to you, Young Master.”

We entered the Forest of Death together with Lucien.

After hearing the term “Young Master,” I looked around once before speaking.

“It’s just us here, so why are you calling me ‘Young Master’?”

“Ah! Father, I’m sorry. I guess it’s become a habit since I always use that title when talking to people.”

“You talk to people about me?”

“Everyone only talks about you, Father.”

“What do they say?”

Lucien put her thumb to her chin, slowly retrieving her memories.

“He’s no longer a rake obsessed with women, who would have thought that a scoundrel who only frequented pleasure quarters would be invited to an Imperial banquet? When he was first exiled, he immediately hired female servants, making us think he’d never change his ways, but to think a person could transform so dramatically—”

“…That’s enough.”

“Huh? But there’s more.”

“Who said such things?”

“When you went to the Imperial banquet, Uncle Jawil Wilson took me sightseeing outside the village. I have good hearing, so I could hear everything the villagers were saying.”

“And?”

“I’d read many books but didn’t know what ‘rake’ meant, so I asked Uncle Jawil Wilson, and he answered me.”

I gave Lucien an artificial smile.

“Hmm, I wonder what Uncle Jawil Wilson told our Lucien?”

“He said, ‘Someone obsessed with alcohol, gambling, and women is generally called a rake!'”

Jawil Wilson, that bastard is unnecessarily honest.

He could have just said he didn’t know, but he had to go and tell her the truth.

I’ll need to give him some education after this hunt.

“Haha! Is that so? You must be disappointed in your father?”

“Not at all! Father, you’re not a rake!!”

Lucien’s words somehow touched my heart.

Now I understood why people sing praises of daughters over sons.

“I’m glad at least my Lucien understands.”

“You don’t know how many times I’ve told the villagers, ‘Our Young Master is not a rake.'”

I felt slightly angry but quickly calmed down.

If people gossip even when the Emperor isn’t around, what can you expect? Besides, what they said wasn’t entirely wrong, and in the end, it concluded with praise.

With a feeling of pride, my palm moved toward Lucien’s head.

“Indeed, there’s no one like my daughter, is there?”

“It’s just the truth, so it’s nothing to be praised for.”

“How are you so certain that your father isn’t a rake?”

“Dragons can sense human emotions as energy. We can usually distinguish whether someone is good or evil.”

“Then, have you sensed anyone with evil energy?”

At my question, Lucien pondered for a moment before snapping her thumb and middle finger.

“Ah! There is someone ambiguous.”

“Who?”

“Sister Luna. She’s the only one who confuses me strangely.”

Since I had expected Luna’s name to come from Lucien’s mouth, I continued without changing my expression.

“How does she confuse you?”

“Well… it’s very complicated to explain, but there’s definitely an underlying evil presence. But when she talks to me, I don’t feel any malicious energy. Rather, it feels warm, if that makes sense?”

“I don’t quite understand.”

“To put it simply, she treats me like you do, Father, like a daughter.”

Last time, Luna seemed jealous of Lucien, so I told her I felt like a father to Lucien. Does she now think of herself as a mother?

Now she’s creating an imaginary family.

“Hmm, is that so?”

“And I also sense a strong energy from her. Not as strong as yours or mine, but still.”

“So according to you, the person with the strongest energy is your father?”

“Yes! I think our father is the strongest!”

I don’t know how much stress I’ve been under since returning from the Imperial banquet.

And that’s not all.

I almost got trapped by that crazy woman from the Familia family.

But.

Talking with Lucien made my mind feel refreshed and healed.

With a gentle smile, I nodded toward the Forest of Death.

“Well, shall we resume our hunt?”

*

“Seri Familia is here to see Baron Alphonse.”

“You must be tired from your long journey.”

“Not at all. I should have come to greet you right away, but I’m quite late, aren’t I?”

“Haha! Of course, the Familia family must be busy as well.”

Seri Familia still felt dazed.

Why on earth was Leonard Alphonse in the place where Selden Alphonse should have been…

It felt like being possessed by a ghost.

Moreover.

If only she hadn’t said to Baron Byron, “Father, please allow our relationship,” she could have made Leonard look like a shameless person who entered her bedroom without permission…

It had been a series of misfortunes.

Seri Familia replayed the memories in her head once more.

It was definitely Selden.

She thought everything was perfect up to the point where she visited his room and talked to him.

And.

When she prepared the trap on the second floor and heard footsteps, it was definitely Selden’s voice.

But why was Leonard Alphonse lying on the bed?

Seri Familia was simply bewildered.

After the incident, after being scolded by Baron Rene, she immediately summoned the maid and tortured her.

If the maid had betrayed her, there was at least a small possibility that “Selden Alphonse” had moved according to a plan.

Honestly, even while torturing her, it didn’t make sense.

She hadn’t mentioned anything about Selden Alphonse to the maid in the first place.

She had only instructed her to go to the reception room and report that strange sounds were coming from the bedroom—how could the maid have contacted Selden Alphonse?

Still unable to resolve her curiosity, Seri Familia had come directly to the Alphonse family.

“May I call you Father?”

At Seri Familia’s words, Baron Byron hesitated before laughing heartily.

“Hahaha!! Yes, it’s not a bad idea to practice from now on.”

“Thank you for allowing me… But, Father, do you know about the strange rumors spreading in the Eastern Continent?”

At her question, Baron Byron’s face stiffened slightly.

Somehow, strange rumors had spread.

Seri Familia and Leonard’s beautiful love story had somehow transformed into rumors that she was pregnant, and recently, even that she had already given birth.

“Yes, since we’re proceeding with the marriage anyway, I didn’t pay much attention to the rumors, but you must have had a hard time.”

“How do you think the rumors spread?”

“I don’t know, but I just want you to understand that we didn’t spread them.”

“Father has no reason to spread such rumors. There’s no benefit in it.”

“Even if there were benefits, such actions shouldn’t be taken.”

The people Seri Familia suspected were Leonard and Selden, who had driven her into a corner.

First, Leonard.

Even from a brief conversation, it was easy to tell he was loose-lipped.

He probably went around talking about it after returning to his family.

Getting excited, he might have also explained how the marriage came to be arranged.

Then there was Selden Alphonse.

The mere fact that Leonard Alphonse was lying on the bed was suspicious enough.

Moreover, the look in his eyes as he stood with his arms crossed, staring at her at the end.

While both Baron Byron and Baron Rene were surprised, only Selden showed no change in expression, as if he had known everything.

And that wasn’t all.

According to the maid, she had encountered Selden Alphonse in front of the reception room door.

The reception room was at the dead end of the first-floor corridor.

There were too many suspicious points for it to have been a coincidence.

But.

Water already spilled.

If it couldn’t be picked up, there was only one solution.

To make the “water” evaporate without a trace.

Yes.

Seri Familia’s purpose in visiting the Alphonse family was to kill Leonard.

Wasn’t it the cleanest method?

Even if Selden Alphonse was already out of reach, it was the only way to naturally erase the marriage without any embarrassment.

Seri Familia reached into her pocket and fingered a small glass capsule.

It was a dispersible poison [散毒] created after research using corpses of humans and magical beasts.

Just one drop mixed into food or tea would make the victim suffer for about two weeks before finally taking their last breath.

Of course, there was no antidote.

Why would an antidote be needed for a poison created solely for killing?

Hiding her true intentions, Seri Familia put on an artificial smile.

“Yes, Father, I’ve decided not to worry about the rumors.”

“Well done. Once the marriage proceeds, such rumors will naturally subside.”

“That’s right! Since it’s already become known like this, I hope the marriage with Leonard proceeds quickly.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m consistently exchanging letters with Baron Rene even now.”

Pretending to be delighted by clapping her hands, Seri Familia looked around before turning her gaze to Baron Byron.

“By the way, where is Leonard? I’d like to meet him and have a brief tea together.”

However, Baron Byron’s short answer was unexpected.

“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”