28 - Not Your Son, But Your Father
After being attended to by the Head Maid and receiving a pledge of loyalty from the Butler, along with a promise to guide me to the secret places of the castle at any time, my questions only piled up.
Why did Rigen run away from home in the novel?
And how did he end up awakening a Magical Beast?
The Butler, Nanny, and servants personally selected by Edith were kind to Rigen. Just as they were to me now.
Even skimming through the novel, there were no characters who enjoyed child abuse or were blinded by ambition.
If I just dealt with the cat who seemed like he would start a rebellion, peace would come.
Certainly, my first impression was that everything was unremarkable except for the cat. Except for the cat.
Rigen was already in the banquet hall, which had cat decorations on the doorknobs.
As soon as our eyes met, I brightened my eyes and lifted the corners of my mouth into a wide smile, signaling that I saw him.
It was the most effective public smile for eliciting the desired reaction from people, but Rigen's complexion turned pale.
"I, I, I'm, not, feeling, well."
The spoon Rigen held trembled along with his hand.
"I, want, to, go, home, no, this is my home, so..."
Excuse me? I think I just smiled like an angel?
* * *
Let's rewind time a little.
That morning, Rigen Kalakis was very excited.
"I can't believe Father and Brother are coming back together. What kind of person is the Grand Duchess? She must be a good person, right? I hope she likes me."
Rigen, who had urged the Nanny to finish all the preparations before noon, glanced anxiously at the clock.
Even with the buttons fastened to the top of his neck, he tapped his feet impatiently, just like usual.
"When will they arrive?"
"They will arrive before sunset."
The Butler replied with a benevolent smile.
Then 5 seconds passed.
"Is it still far away?"
"Please relax, Young Master."
Another 5 seconds passed.
"Not yet?"
"...Young Master, please calm down."
The light disappeared from the Butler's eyes.
He fervently wished for the carriage to arrive as soon as possible.
* * *
"Nice to meet you, Young Master. Please take care of me too."
The Grand Duchess responded to Rigen's greeting in a bright voice. Rigen's face flushed reddish.
'It's possible for someone to be this beautiful.'
The Grand Duchess's hair, dyed with the color of spring flowers, was luscious despite the long journey. Pink strands fluttered down like flower petals falling on a lake. Her eyes were also sparkling with sweet hues.
The Grand Duchess looked like a fairytale princess who lived in a castle made of spring sunshine and sugar candy.
Maybia Kalakis made eye smiles and lip smiles, generously showing favor to Rigen. It was a gentle and warm smile that dispelled tension.
Something tickled in his chest, and Rigen relaxed.
'Ah, but I still can't relax completely. I have to keep showing my best side.'
Knowing that he must be making a foolish expression, Rigen shook his head vigorously.
Then Gilbert, who came in afterward, awakened Rigen, who had instantly lowered his guard.
"Rigen."
Rigen couldn't help but be startled. Gilbert had rarely called Rigen by his name.
Generally, he treated his younger brother like an invisible man, and when referring to him to others, he used titles such as it, that, this bastard, that bastard.
"B, Brother?"
Therefore, Rigen was happy yet bewildered.
"Are you calling me now?"
But Rigen's joy did not last long.
"The Grand Duchess is an enemy of our family. Never trust her, especially you."
Gilbert's eyes, filled with anger and hatred, were pointing directly at Maybia.
* * *
The brief commotion ended with Procyon dragging Gilbert away.
Rigen glanced at Maybia and followed Gilbert.
Gilbert was being watched by Procyon as if he were a criminal, but Rigen didn't notice.
Rigen simply thought that Gilbert was surely misunderstanding something big.
"Brother, what do you mean? Please answer me. The Grand Duchess is an enemy?"
Rigen was panting as he tried to catch up with Gilbert, who was walking at a fast pace. Gilbert stopped climbing the stairs and turned to look at Rigen.
"Are you doubting my words?"
"But..."
Rigen shrank back at the cold reply. Then Procyon, who had been silent, opened his mouth with a face that looked like he wanted to hit Gilbert in the back of the head.
"Oh, I've been listening and listening, really. Don't put useless thoughts into our Second Young Master's head, okay? Young Master, it's all nonsense. The Grand Duchess is so kind... well, not really. She's not gentle... either. Uh."
"Lord Procyon...?"
Rigen was on the verge of tears.
Procyon frantically racked his brains. He couldn't praise her personality, but Maybia had a lot going for her.
"Y, Young Master, you saw how beautiful the Grand Duchess is, right? Even if you ask the high-nosed nobles in the capital who the most outstanding beauty is, the Grand Duchess's name is the first to come up. And if you include the money obtained through unofficial routes, there are rumors that the Grand Duchess is incredibly rich..."
"Unofficial routes?"
"Ah."
"..."
"It's just a rumor, a rumor! Doesn't that mean the Grand Duchess is capable? Haha! Ha, ha..."
Leaving behind only a stiff laugh, Procyon hurriedly left with Gilbert.
Rigen stood blankly for a while like a broken machine, then was discovered by the Butler and went down to the banquet hall.
The chef hurriedly brought out an appetizer for Rigen, who had barely eaten while waiting for his family.
The soup, made with plenty of apples, onions, and butter and simmered until thick, was Rigen's favorite appetizer.
Rigen took a spoonful of soup with a gloomy face.
Soon, Edith arrived at the banquet hall. All the servants held their breath at once.
The silence of several seconds was more than enough to represent the servants' feelings.
Rigen, who had been feeling down and discovered Edith a little late, widened his eyes.
"Father?"
It was rare for the Kalakis Grand Duke to come down to the banquet hall, maybe once a year.
Even that one time was when Rigen begged and begged, using his birthday as an excuse.
Usually, the Butler brought the Grand Duke's meals directly to his room, and that had become the norm before anyone knew it.
But even then, the Grand Duke ate only as much as a bird or didn't touch it at all on many days.
The Grand Duke was always lazy, bored, and listless.
The servants were relieved that the Grand Duke, who had not aged for a long time and was not like a human, was confined to his room.
―Monster.
―Demon.
―He must have committed a great sin in the past and been Cursed.
The servants were different from the knights who worshiped the Kalakis Grand Duke. They feared him greatly.
In fact, it was Gilbert who frequently used violence against the servants, but the overwhelming majority of servants would rather be beaten by Gilbert than serve the Grand Duke.
They also covered up Gilbert's faults out of fear that Edith might drive Gilbert out.
It was because of a small hope that if the Grand Duke suddenly revealed his true nature one day, Gilbert, an excellent swordsman and 'one of them,' would surely protect them.
The servants waited anxiously for Edith's instructions.
On the other hand, Rigen was trying hard to hold back from jumping for joy.
"You're really Father, right? You came down to eat, right?!"
Edith nodded vaguely towards Rigen, then raised his eyebrows when he saw the appetizer.
"One Consommé. Without onions."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The chef did not dare to look at Edith's toes and returned to the kitchen.
Rigen, who had been repeatedly exclaiming "Wow," blinked his eyes.
"Father, have you started to dislike onions?"
Rigen was puzzled because he knew that his stepfather didn't particularly dislike any food.
The Edith that Rigen knew simply had no interest in food itself.
"No."
Then why? Rigen tilted his head.
Edith chuckled and asked.
"Nothing happened in the meantime?"
"Of course not. Ah, the Nanny had a cold for a while, but she got better quickly. I brought her medicine myself, and the Nanny was so happy..."
Rigen chattered without taking a breath.
It was nice that Edith still asked him one more time, even though he would have received a report through his vassals.
In Rigen's eyes, Edith was subtly considerate and affectionate.
The problem was that he was so lethargic that he could sit in a chair for three days straight without moving.
"And I've grown taller, so the blanket has become small. Count Elliot said he would give me a new blanket made of very good material as a gift, but I don't really expect much. I just hope my toes don't stick out of the blanket. Ah, of course, the toes that stick out are clean toes! I wash very well."
Edith listened silently to Rigen's rambling story.
There was still an overwhelming aura that was difficult for ordinary people to handle, but it was considerably more relaxed than usual.
With that, Rigen mustered up some courage.
"Um... Father, but isn't Brother attending the banquet?"
There were three neatly set tableware.
There was one for Maybia, but not for Gilbert.
"He knows the value of his life, so he won't come. Eve is not that generous."
Flinch.
"Does that mean..."
Suddenly feeling like his throat was blocked, Rigen organized his thoughts internally.
Before he knew it, Maybia's image to Rigen was stronger than his brother, who was a genius at swordsmanship, and was imprinted as a rich person who controlled the underworld and swept up unidentified Black Money.
Just as the blood in Rigen's body was drying up, Maybia entered.
Maybia smiled brightly at Rigen. She was as beautiful as a goddess of spring, but she felt ominous.
'S, scary!'
Rigen was terrified.
