Translator: Nox

Chapter 8

I Will Save My Father

I Will Save My Father, Episode 9

Episode 9

The moment I saw my grandfather, my mind went blank.

In my memories, I had never had a private audience with him. Part of it was because I had intentionally avoided him, but it was also because my grandfather didn’t find me particularly pleasing.

A child who won’t amount to much. That assessment, handed down at our first meeting, had lasted a lifetime.

‘Huh?’

In other words, I had no idea how to act in a situation like this.

I thought my head was going to be crushed, but instead, he was stroking it. Was this the kind of action one does when salivating over live prey?

“…What are you doing…?”

“…What does it look like I’m doing?!”

After patting my head a few more times, Grandfather spoke to me in a voice that sounded as if he had suddenly snapped back to his senses.

“I need to hear in detail what you were planning to do in my office. Follow me.”

“Okay….”

While the Head Commander’s Office was used as a lounge for direct descendants, that only happened under Grandfather’s tacit approval. If the owner of the room asked what I was trying to do, a powerless person like me had no choice but to follow and explain myself.

I was about to climb the stairs dejectedly when Theon came up beside me.

“I’ll go with you.”

Theon’s expression was stiff. He was clearly as intimidated by Grandfather’s aura as I was.

Yet, what was with that look of determination in his eyes?

If he went with me, I felt like he would say something like, ‘I was the one who tried to steal the candy,’ to Grandfather.

“I want to talk to Grandfather alone.”

I couldn’t let my future ally get on Grandfather’s bad side!

I gave Theon a mischievous smile and headed up the stairs. Grandfather was already nearing the final step.

Oops, I’m going to get scolded for not moving faster.

“Don’t run!”

“Yes, sir….”

As I slowly climbed the stairs, I saw a group of people gathered on one side of the hallway. It seemed the knights had come running after hearing the thunderous roar of the Travel Family Head earlier.

And among them was a familiar face.

“My Lady…?”

It was Anne, Aunt Marian’s spy maid.

Her busy, darting eyes seemed less concerned for me and more focused on assessing the situation. For a direct descendant, a private meeting with the Family Head carried great significance.

In a good sense, it could be infinitely beneficial. But if things went wrong, it could invite the wariness of my relatives—.

—The noble sacrifice of Raytan Quartz Travel….

For a moment, the image of the priest delivering the memorial speech in front of my father’s coffin flashed through my mind.

I hurriedly ran and followed closely behind Grandfather as he approached the door of the Head Commander’s Office.

“G-Grandfather! I’m sorry!”

“For what?”

“Berry was… in the Head Commander’s Office… to steal… Grandfather’s candy!!”

Silence.

A heavy stillness settled over the crowd at my words. Rex, in particular, froze in the middle of speaking to a subordinate, his hand trembling slightly.

“Quiet! Just get inside!”

Did you see that, Anne? I’m going in to get scolded by Grandfather…. Make sure to report that….

I could practically see Aunt Marian clapping her hands in joy. Wow, this is perfect.

With the heart of a mouse marching into a lion’s den, I entered the Head Commander’s Office.

‘Hmph.’

---

“It’s, it’s my fault.”

Looking at the firmly closed door of the Head Commander’s Office, Vice Commander Rex’s face turned a deep gray, matching his hair.

He didn’t even dare imagine what terrible things might be happening inside.

The snacks in the lounge were kept stocked for the direct descendants who might visit at any time, but they were strictly the personal property of Count Travel.

Under normal circumstances, eating a piece of candy wouldn’t be an issue.

The fact that Count Travel chose to make it an issue was the problem.

“It—it’s my fault.”

At the sound of a woman’s trembling voice, Rex turned his head to see a maid whose face had gone pale.

“I told the Young Lady to stay on the courtyard bench. I really didn’t know she would wander around the training grounds alone….”

Rex blinked as he watched the maid eventually sink to the floor in tears.

It felt like watching the tearful performance of a captured enemy soldier on a battlefield, crying without a shred of genuine remorse just to lessen their punishment.

He didn’t recognize her face.

“Who are you?”

“She is a maid from the Pebble House.”

“Did she come to take Lady Berry back?”

“No. It seems she came here with Lady Berry from the Pebble House. She said she was looking for a knight she knew because the Young Lady’s legs were hurting.”

Hearing his subordinate’s words, Rex narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Lady Berry said she came alone.

He didn’t know the full story, but did that matter right now? Count Travel was furious.

Furthermore, how was he supposed to look Master Raytan in the eye?

Rex was also a man of the sword. It was no exaggeration to say that a significant portion of the pride he felt in serving the Travel family had been cultivated while watching Raytan.

“…….”

Overwhelmed, Rex covered his eyes with his hand.

Just then, the news he had been waiting for arrived. The subordinate he had sent to the Pebble House had returned.

“Are you here? Master Raytan has arrived at the outer castle gate. I’ve arranged for the message to be delivered, so regarding Lady Berry… is something wrong?”

Yes. Something big.

Rex muttered while still covering his eyes. All he could see was his future.

5. Small and Pretty Things

After entering the Head Commander’s Office, Grandfather sat on the sofa and pointed to the one opposite him.

“Sit.”

“Yes….”

I trudged over to the sofa and placed my hands on the seat.

Heave. As I was struggling to climb onto the high sofa, Callet picked me up and set me down.

Because he sat me deep against the backrest, I couldn’t bend my knees. As a result, I ended up in a private audience with the Head of the Travel family while sitting in a rather arrogant posture, with both legs stretched straight out on the sofa.

Ugh. It feels like I’m buried in heavy air, not a sofa.

“Callet, bring that over.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Grandfather pointed behind me, Callet picked something up and placed it on the seat next to me.

It was a glass jar filled with candy.

“Candy…?”

“How old are you?”

Before I could even be puzzled, Grandfather, sitting on the opposite sofa, spoke to me.

I’m sure I heard him muttering to himself on the stairs earlier, asking if I was seven.

I wanted to ask if he was asking despite already knowing, but a mere mouse like me didn’t have that kind of freedom of speech.

“I-I’m seven….”

“Then why are you so small? It’s no good to lie about your age.”

“I’m telling the truth…!”

Tsk! Grandfather clicked his tongue loudly.

“I suppose you haven’t been growing because you haven’t been eating properly.”

“N-no. My dad prepares a diet rich in nutrients tailored for a growing child every day….”

“What would that fool know?”

“…He knows a lot….”

“Ha, for such a tiny thing, you don’t lose an argument, do you? You’re just like your father.”

I didn’t mean to upset Grandfather, but I hated seeing my father’s efforts ignored.

My dad worked so hard to raise me alone! If Grandfather saw Dad’s recipe book, he’d take back that ‘fool’ comment! It’s unfair!

“However.”

Grandfather’s gaze fixed on me as I sat buried in the sofa. His golden eyes, glowing with intensity, naturally induced tension in anyone who saw them.

Gulp.

I quietly swallowed and instinctively curled my hands. My palms had become sweaty in the meantime.

—I hear there is something I’m looking for in your grandfather’s safe.

A memory was swirling in my head.

The memory of Crown Prince Theon coming to find the twenty-four-year-old me after Grandfather’s funeral.

In the Crown Prince’s hand was a letter delivered to the Imperial Palace, a letter Grandfather had arranged to be sent after his death.

—Circumstantially, there is a high possibility this is decisive evidence that your relative conspired with an accomplice to commission the death of Raytan Quartz Travel.

—…Does that mean Grandfather… knew that Dad’s death was a murder?

—I’ll have to check. I’ll make my move.

—No. I’ll do it. Grandfather’s will is being announced this afternoon. No one will care where I am at that time. Everyone’s nerves will be on edge over who will become the next Family Head.

And so, I had opened Grandfather’s safe, found the letter that served as evidence, and then died after being stabbed by an unknown person’s sword….

‘Why did Grandfather send such a letter to Crown Prince Theon?’

It was still a mystery.

It was certain that one of my relatives was the culprit. The Travel direct descendant’s crest had been found on an item belonging to the culprit that Crown Prince Theon had recovered.

Why did Grandfather send the letter to Crown Prince Theon? That would reveal that one of his own children had killed my father.

‘Besides, Grandfather thought Dad died in an accident.’

Grandfather hadn’t listened to my other self when I said Dad’s death was suspicious. I felt resentful back then, but I thought it couldn’t be helped.

Every time Grandfather saw Dad, he would get angry, calling him a useless, profligate son.

‘Did Grandfather perhaps not hate Dad?’

I thought he didn’t even care because it was the death of a child he hated. To think Grandfather was also looking into Dad’s death. And he was even closer to the truth than my other self and Crown Prince Theon.

‘Did he give the important evidence to the Crown Prince… because he wanted the culprit punished…?’

I was lost in thought.

So, even as those golden eyes suddenly drew closer, I was too busy wondering how those eyes had looked at my father to think of anything else.

Rising from his seat and leaning on the table, Grandfather met my eyes up close and spoke.

“You aren’t crying this time.”

“…Huh?”

“Are you not afraid of this old man?”