-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Mad Dog and the Mutt of House Valliat
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#1. The Mad Dog and the Mutt of House Valliat
The Wofford Empire, perhaps the most peaceful nation on the continent today.
Before the previous emperor secured his throne, Wofford had endured countless conflicts, from the Continental War to the War of Ancient Relics, earning it the name "the land of blood and bone."
In this hard-won peace, four ducal houses, second only to the Celledors—the sun of the empire—shared the most power, supporting Wofford like pillars.
Valliat, Cardia, Deslin, and Notium.
Among them, House Valliat, my own bloodline, had the shortest history of the four.
Yet, despite its brief history, it had amassed a great deal of honor and many titles.
This was because my grandfather was the one who placed the previous emperor on the throne and helped the current emperor solidify his rule.
The family was also famous for accumulating the most wealth in the shortest amount of time.
It was no exaggeration to say that, excluding the family's domain and imperial lands, over a third of the capital belonged to the Valliats.
House Valliat was famous for two other things: one was my mother, the most capable person there was, and the other was my uncle.
…Mom’s the best!
Her story is precious, so I’ll save it for later.
My uncle is the empire’s strongest swordsman, a man whose skill is so exceptional that he is considered a weapon in his own right.
However, it’s also said that all his stats were poured into his looks and swordsmanship, leaving a significant part of his personality in ruins.
He is even more famous for the rumor that his rotten personality makes him so difficult to handle that even the current emperor is busy trying to placate him.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that stories about my uncle probably made up the largest share of all the rumors surrounding the Valliats.
Mom told me all of this.
So why am I, with so little regard for my own life, acting up in front of an uncle like that? Well…
* * *
“Uncle! No!”
“Let go.”
*Grind.* I heard the sound of teeth grinding again.
“I said no! Don’t go!”
I clung to my uncle's long leg like a cicada, wrapping both my arms and legs around it.
*He won’t be able to walk if I’m this heavy, right?*
His leg might even get crushed.
I felt sorry for the pain he’d be in, but it was better than the alternative.
*Going there now is the same as walking to your death, you idiot uncle!*
“Huh? Huh?”
But this monster started striding forward nonchalantly, as if I weighed nothing at all.
Fearing I would fall off from the motion, I bit down on his pants.
“Don’ gwo, pwease!”
At that, my uncle stopped dead in his tracks.
A moment later, a sigh so deep it could have cracked the earth came from above my head.
*Flinch.*
That low sigh had the power to make the very air around us sink.
The power to freeze me to the core.
*I have a lot I want to say, too.*
But a secret was something to be cherished and protected, no matter how frustrating it was to keep it bottled up inside.
It was a lesson from my mother, etched deep in my heart.
And above all, it was a precious secret I shared with her.
Mom was no longer in this world, but I didn't want to break our promise.
I couldn't make any more secrets with her now.
This was the last secret promise I had with her.
“Hey, peanut.”
At his call, I let go of his pants and quickly looked up.
My arms were tingling, and my mouth was wet with saliva.
“I’m not a peanut!”
*First, correct the nickname.*
“Get down.”
“No. You’ll leave if I get down.”
*Then, a little defiance.*
Still clinging to him, I subtly wiped the drool from my mouth on his pants.
*There, now your pants are dirty. You can’t go out, right?*
My uncle glanced at the drool on his pants and scowled.
“If you know that, then get down.”
“…Are you going to throw me if I don't?”
*And now, for a pitiful expression.*
“Hah, this is driving me crazy. Why do you have to pick a fight over every little thing? I told you to stay out of my sight.”
*Pick a fight? I’m doing all this to save you.*
*If you weren’t Mom’s blood, I wouldn’t even care!*
It was unfair, but he wasn't the type to believe me even if I told him, so I swallowed my words once again.
“…”
His viciously crumpled face softened, as if in partial surrender.
“Just like your mother. Stubborn as hell.”
“My mom is not stubborn.”
“Never backs down, do you?”
“Uncle.”
“What.”
*At least he answers.*
Though his eyes still looked like he could chew me up and spit me out.
“Uncle, I’ll give you all my snacks. Please don’t go. Okay?”
My uncle looked at me, bewildered.
“Wow, this is insane. Did the old man put you up to this?”
“Put me up to it? What’s that?”
“Get down before I throw you.”
I flinched involuntarily as he bit out each word.
But I couldn't give up here.
I tightened my grip on his leg and held on with all my might.
My fingers ached so much they felt like they were hardening from the heat.
*If he keeps this up, I’ll have no choice but to use that method.*
If I can't stop my uncle today, he’ll run into someone from House Hendel, one of the Valliats’ rival families.
“…”
“I said, get down.”
No, to be more precise, it wouldn't just be a chance encounter. The heir of House Hendel would pick a fight with him.
Then my uncle would get into a terrible mood and beat up the Hendel heir, and…
And then?
Things would escalate until House Hendel was turned into a sea of blood.
“Uncle, just this once. Please! It’s Aika’s wish!”
“Get. Down.”
“…Hmph.”
House Hendel was the family that most disapproved of a chancellor coming from House Valliat.
Moreover, they had a history of nitpicking for nonsensical reasons at every regular meeting, which made them a particular thorn in my uncle’s side.
After that, many of the Valliat domains would be burned down in the ensuing family war.
As it was, my uncle was already in the middle of dealing with people who weren't on good terms with the Valliats, one by one.
That was because my grandfather, knowing the carriage accident wasn't an accident but an attack, had ordered him to find who was behind it.
My uncle thought I didn't know, but I heard him talking with Grandfather at the funeral when I was just about to fall asleep.
I wanted to help find out who it was, but I couldn't because I'd hit my head in the carriage accident and lost most of my memories of it.
In any case, if things continued like this, my uncle would eventually meet his end.
*A spark I can extinguish.*
*In my dream, House Hendel wasn’t the one that killed my mother.*
So I had to stop him, no matter what.
“Uncle, I miss Mom…”
I couldn’t hold on any longer and let my hands slip from his leg.
I slid down and landed on the floor with a soft thud.
The moment I mentioned Mom, my uncle became unbelievably quiet.
In that instant.
“Gak?”
My scruff was suddenly grabbed.
To be precise, the back of my clothes was roughly seized.
Lifted up like a doll, I found myself face-to-face with his terrifying golden eyes.
“Then go look in a mirror.”
Looking at his slightly less angry eyes, I shook my head.
“I don’t look that much like Mom. You look more like her! You’re just like her!”
I grinned.
Besides, I don’t have red hair like Mom and you do!
People said my golden eyes were a carbon copy of Mom's, but unlike her, my hair was jet black.
That’s why Mom always told me my hair was as beautiful as the unreachable night sky.
“Agh, damn it!”
My uncle, who had been staring at me, suddenly ran his other hand roughly through his own hair as if to tear it out.
Then, still holding me, he started walking somewhere.
I kept my mouth shut and dangled quietly, afraid that if I said another word, he might actually throw me out a hallway window.
Thankfully, the place he carried me to was my room.
He tossed me onto the bed like he was discarding me, then sat on the edge and glared as if he wanted to kill me.
*Sheesh, he's not even properly dressed. Isn't he cold?*
Afraid he would run off, I scrambled across the bed and grabbed his pants.
“Hey, peanut.”
