12 - Not Your Son, But Your Father
Chapter 12
"Wait a moment. Your tea will get cold."
Procyon waited with a sulky face. He felt his mouth drying up with worry for the esteemed Grand Duchess.
Sooner or later, he knew Gilbert would cause trouble. He might have pretended to be docile in the capital, but his violent nature couldn't have gone anywhere.
Gilbert was the type to inflict violence even on his own younger brother.
Eight years ago, his lord picked him up dying in the middle of the desert as his first and last act of kindness and adopted him, but that ungrateful wretch only thought about suppressing even his adoptive father.
Procyon knew his lord wasn't quite human, and even a glance could show you the path to the afterlife, but that didn't mean Procyon wanted to become Gilbert's subordinate in the slightest.
Procyon decided he might as well stand up to Gilbert this time.
Procyon glared at Gilbert with fierce eyes, full of resentment that he had caused such a great emotional wound to their Grand Duchess, who was the most beautiful, probably kind, and probably a pacifist in the world.
Vega finally put down her teacup and soothed Procyon.
"I dragged the First Young Master away, and the Grand Duchess went to dance with our lord."
"Huh?"
"Although I couldn't go inside the banquet hall, I heard later that it was quite a scene."
"Huh?!"
Procyon was horrified by the word "scene." He couldn't even imagine his lord, who wasn't even certainly human, mingling with nobles and dancing.
Just entering the capital alone had dropped the temperature, hadn't it?
Such a monster; it was impossible.
But the Grand Duchess, who was probably as pure as a hydrangea from a book and probably as bright as the spring sun, wouldn't have known the true nature of their lord. She must have bravely asked for a dance to ease the atmosphere.
But before the shock of being threatened by Gilbert could wear off, she must have been subjected to their lord's ominous gaze.
"Th-that can't be. How could such a cruel thing happen...?"
Procyon shed tears, feeling sorry for the Grand Duchess, who had been tormented by the Callakis family twice in one day.
"I feel so sorry for the Grand Duchess. How could someone as beautiful as a flower get entangled with the Callakis family! Sniff! Wouldn't it have been better if she had married our Second Young Master instead?"
"But our Second Young Master is only eight years old now."
"Our lord and the Grand Duchess are from completely different centuries."
"Ah, that's right."
Their nonsensical chatter went on and on.
Gilbert finally cursed under his breath because Procyon kept praising Maybia, whom he had never even met.
The Grand Duke's elite knights, with their sharp ears, couldn't have missed that.
"Can't you be quiet? What's so great about cursing?"
Procyon rebuked Gilbert bluntly and turned back to Vega.
"I'm worried about the Grand Duchess. He wouldn't hurt her, would he?"
"One never knows. Anyway, let's get ready to leave."
"Already?"
"We came to escort the Grand Duchess, so there's no need to stay long no matter what happens. And the capital is too hot."
Vega drank the rest of her tea in one gulp. As she seemed about to leave, Procyon pointed at Gilbert with a rude gesture.
"Then what about the First Young Master?"
"What do you mean, what about him? We'll wrap him up nicely and put him somewhere that won't offend our lord and the Grand Duchess."
"I see."
Procyon nodded obediently.
As he took out a rope from inside his cloak, Gilbert narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.
"...Wait a minute."
"What is it?"
"I want to say goodbye to my friend."
Procyon's eyes widened.
"The First Young Master had a friend?"
Gilbert hated the dogs his adoptive father raised for this reason.
He had endured it, but Gilbert's patience had reached its limit. He had no intention of being wrapped up or disposed of, so he summoned his sword without hesitation.
There were only two elite warriors, but he could win if he was willing to risk a little bloodshed.
The sword, imbued with Summoning magic, did not betray its master's will. Once again, it cut through the air and revealed its blade.
But there was a strange stench.
"Ugh."
Procyon gagged and grabbed his nose, and Vega also made a disgusted face.
"What's that? Where's that rotten smell coming from...?"
The two people's gazes landed on Gilbert's sword. It was filthy, belying its reputation as a famous sword.
"Did you drop it in a sewer or something?"
"Ugh, I'm going to go throw up."
Procyon couldn't stand it and opened the door.
He could be heard desperately inhaling fresh air.
"Let's go together. Before that, let's seal this door."
As Vega tried to leave with him, Gilbert gritted his teeth.
"I said there's someone I want to meet before I leave."
Procyon turned his head to look at Gilbert, who was exuding murderous intent, and regretted it.
"Who, ugh, who is it? Say the name. Ugh."
"Bring Callen."
Gilbert muttered as if spitting out the words, looking at the sword he had retrieved from the bottom of the sewer.
If he couldn't touch Maybia Morgana, he would feel satisfied if he could vent his anger on the people around her that she cherished.
* * *
I don't know if bringing Edith to the cafe was a good choice. I deliberately rented the entire cafe, but the owner and employees were hiding under the counter, shivering.
It was because of the overwhelming presence emanating from Edith.
"Edith."
"Hmm?"
"Try following me."
I smiled brightly at Edith.
Edith, who was staring at me with languid eyes, obediently followed me and smiled.
"Eek!"
One of the employees fell backward.
"That backfired."
I thought it would work because he's so handsome.
But it seemed I was the only one who noticed Edith's sexy face.
"Y-your, or-order, is, re-ready."
Edith hadn't ordered anything, so the employee only put a cup of coffee in front of me.
But it was just plain coffee. It didn't seem to have any whipped cream or milk.
Feeling a slightly ominous premonition, I took a sip and frowned.
Bitter...
"What's wrong?"
Before I could answer Edith's question, I glanced at the employee.
He looked like he was about to hang himself if I asked him to remake it because the recipe was wrong.
I remembered Sera trembling when she saw Edith, and my heart softened.
"It's nothing."
"It's quite disappointing that my wife is lying from the first day of our marriage."
I keep thinking this, but his voice is really nice to listen to. He doesn't raise his voice, but his pronunciation is clear and easy to understand, and somehow everything he says sounds sexy. I felt my ears perk up.
"Wait a moment."
He snatched the coffee from my hand.
Edith stood up. I thought he was going to go deal with the employee, but after exchanging a few words, he went inside to the kitchen.
And after a while, he came back and handed me a coffee with a heart-shaped straw, a stick of cookie, whipped cream, sweet syrup, and plenty of milk.
"Is this how you wanted to drink it?"
"Wow, it looks exactly like the one in the menu."
I couldn't help but admire it.
Edith accepted the compliment as if it were natural.
"I have a good eye for detail."
The bitter taste was still in my mouth, so I quickly drank it. It was sweet.
Yes, yes. I like my husband.
"It's delicious. Thank you."
When I smiled brightly at him with sincerity, Edith curved his eyes.
"My dear wife, there's something I'm curious about."
"Ask me."
I stirred the straw and answered.
Edith stared intently at my face.
"You said you would only take one trusted maid. Is it the maid who brought the letter?"
"That's right."
"Her name is Sera?"
"Yes."
"Do you cherish her a lot?"
"I cherish her and think she's cute."
"Shall I kill her?"
Huh?
It was the same question as in the drawing room, but the meaning was different.
I felt that there was a hidden motive.
I scooped up the whipped cream with a teaspoon and asked.
"Is something wrong with Sera?"
"She seems to be getting dragged away."
I put down the teaspoon and smiled coldly.
"Is the other party treating her violently?"
"My wife's maid is so cooperative that he doesn't seem to feel the need to. She says she'll tell him anything about your weaknesses, so please don't kill her."
Instead of jumping up from my seat, I continued to drink my coffee. At the same time, I continued the conversation casually.
"How did you know that, Edith?"
"I told you I have a good eye for detail."
"Oh, I see."
When I narrowed my eyes at the poor explanation, Edith smirked like a villain.
"And good hearing too?"
He's the strongest person in the North, so of course he has a good eye for detail and good hearing.
I took a sip of coffee and muttered in a low voice.
"I knew this would happen, but I'm still angry."
"Well, the kidnapper isn't Gilbert himself."
"He's just the one giving orders from above."
Edith said without erasing the smile on his face.
"You look like you want to ask how he was educated."
"......"
"But I put quite a bit of effort into it, considering I was forced to take it on. I almost developed some affection for them before I turned the tutors into half-cripples."
Huh.
Huh?
"Was it an unwanted adoption?"
I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. There was no such explanation anywhere in the novel.
So I passed it over without much thought, but it was definitely a strange thing.
That Edith adopting someone. It felt like a character breakdown.
Then why did Edith go all the way to the desert to bring back the two dying brothers?
Why did he choose to adopt them himself, and why were they in the desert in the first place?
