Chapter 40
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Chapter 40
I left Lucian's room and made my way directly to the Duke of Bellomen's study.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, my eyes met those of the Duke, who had just risen from his chair.
"I was just about to call for you. Good timing."
The Duke, seated on the sofa to the left of the study, gestured for me to take a seat.
Settling into the chair across from him, I asked with a puzzled tone.
"You were going to call for me?"
"Yes."
The Duke nodded in confirmation.
As if struggling with difficult words, his lips moved soundlessly before he finally spoke after a brief pause.
"I wanted to express my gratitude."
"To me?"
Caught completely off guard, I stared at the Duke with a bewildered expression.
"Yes. Thanks to you, I found a son whose existence I didn't even know about."
For the first time, the Duke's head—always held rigidly upright—bowed toward me.
"Thank you. Sincerely."
"Ah..."
Faced with this unfamiliar side of the Duke, I found myself struggling to speak. It was the first time since arriving at the Bellomen Mansion that I had witnessed him show such deference.
"You needn't thank me. It all happened by chance, after all."
I deliberately downplayed my role. Though there had been considerable twists and turns in bringing Edwin before the Duke, I couldn't recount them truthfully.
"Still, without you, Lucella, I would have lived my entire life unaware that Edwin even existed in this world. I would never have known that the child was being abused in the Orphanage."
As the Duke recalled the Orphanage Director and his associates, his expression turned fierce. Yet he quickly composed himself.
"Lucella, if there is anything you wish for, speak freely. Whatever you desire, I will grant it without exception."
Watching him, I felt a bitter taste spreading across my tongue once more.
This man who had shown no interest in how Lucian fared, who had always treated me as a burdensome nuisance.
Now he changed his entire demeanor simply because I had found him the son of the woman he loved.
Bitterness mingled with rising anger and sorrow.
"You truly mean you'll grant me anything I ask?"
"Yes. Anything within my power."
I parted my lips to address the Duke, who nodded with such arrogance.
"Please don't forget that Lucian is your son too."
"...What?"
The Duke's brow furrowed. His expression suggested he had heard something incomprehensible.
That very expression only deepened my anger.
"It's natural for the arm to bend inward. Lucian is a child you bore reluctantly, while Edwin is the child of a woman you truly loved. Of course your heart weighs more heavily toward him."
Especially since you went through such difficulty to find him.
"But Your Grace, Lucian is your son as well."
"..."
"Edwin may be confused by this sudden turn of events, but Lucian faces the same turmoil. After all, he suddenly gained a half-brother overnight."
For now, he would surely be bewildered, but what his reaction would be in the future remained uncertain.
"Before long, you'll come to understand what it means to be a bastard. Once a child realizes that truth, they'll fall into far greater confusion than they do now. When adolescence arrives, they may wander quite severely."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Your Grace, there is more than one child who requires your care and protection."
Children were beings who deserved unconditional love from their parents. As the son of Dehardt Bellomen, Lucian too had every right to receive his love.
"I won't ask you to favor Lucian. I only ask that you not discriminate between the two children."
I opened my mouth like driving in a wedge, watching the Duke's wavering eyes.
"That is the only wish I hold. It's also why I've come all this way."
Having said what needed to be said, I rose from my seat at once.
"Since you said you would grant anything, I'll trust in that."
I didn't wait for a response. If even a shred of conscience remained in the Duke, my words would stir something within him.
"Just to be certain, please don't worry that I might do something harmful to Edwin. While not quite to the extent of Lucian, I too cherish Edwin—in fact, all the children I've met at the Orphanage."
"...."
"Then I'll take my leave now."
Without hesitation, I bowed my head to the silent Duke and turned away.
Hoping desperately that he had understood my words.
* * *
Edwin sat at the head of the bed, swinging his legs back and forth.
"It's incredibly soft."
The bed was so plush it felt like a hundred stuffed animals had been stacked atop it, and beyond its spaciousness, it was beautifully decorated. Beside the pillow lay an abundance of colorful cushions and dolls.
"This is our home now...."
Edwin recalled the words the Duke had spoken to him this morning.
'Edwin, you are my son.'
'Does that mean... I was adopted by Your Grace?'
'No. You were always my son. We were simply apart for a time, and now we've finally met.'
The Duke of Bellomen who spoke those words even held me tenderly in his embrace.
'I'm sorry for coming so late, my son.'
With those words alone, my heart melted completely. It felt as though all the days I'd spent wiping away tears were being repaid in full.
Not only had I gained a family, but now I could live in such a spacious, wonderful home.
"It's all thanks to Lucian."
None of this would have happened if Lucian hadn't permitted me to live in his home.
The person I was most grateful to was Lucella.
Because she had invited me to the Duke's Mansion, I was able to meet my father.
"But where is everyone?"
I wanted to see Lucian and Lucella. I wanted to play with Amelia too.
Now that I think about it, I didn't even get to say goodbye to Rona and Lua.
I wanted to find my friends and go outside.
But I felt too self-conscious to do so.
A child who had spent his entire life reading the room easily noticed that the people of the mansion didn't welcome him so warmly.
Every adult who passed by covered their mouths and whispered the moment they saw me. The servants who had smiled kindly at me were nowhere to be found.
"This isn't what I hoped for...."
I was pouting my lips in disappointment when it happened.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of knuckles rapping against the door, Edwin lifted his head from where he'd been staring at his feet.
"What, what is it?"
Unfortunately, Edwin had never learned the concept of knocking. At the sound of heavy thuds against the door, the boy could only widen his eyes like a startled rabbit.
Knock, knock, knock.
"W-who is it?"
At the sound ringing out again, Edwin mustered his courage and called out.
I hoped it would be Amelia or Lucian.
"We are retainers of House of Bellomen. We have come to pay our respects to the young master we have newly met."
Edwin didn't understand the word "retainers" or "young master." All he could grasp was that these people had come to see him.
"One moment, please."
One couldn't turn away guests who had come to visit. Edwin sprang from his bed and rushed toward the door.
"Please forgive our late visit."
The moment the door opened, three or four people bowed respectfully. They all appeared to be of advanced age.
Edwin stepped back hesitantly, still gripping the doorknob. As someone who was quite shy around strangers, this situation was decidedly uncomfortable for him.
It was Count Henry Rezamin who slipped his hand between the slowly closing door.
"If we have startled you, we sincerely apologize. We simply wished to welcome the new young master...."
Count Henry Rezamin, standing at the forefront, let his shoulders droop apologetically. Seeing this, Edwin's resolve softened, and he opened the door wider for them.
"Thank you, young master!"
Count Henry Rezamin and his group quickly entered Lucian's room.
Their eyes swept rapidly across the fine furniture that filled the space. The child's room, which the Duke of Bellomen himself had personally decorated, was brimming with treasures far more precious than necessary.
"...."
The retainers exchanged glances swiftly. Some nodded as if in understanding.
The first among them to speak was Count Henry Rezamin.
"Allow me to introduce myself formally, young master. I am Count Henry Rezamin. I have been assisting you with the preparation of budgetary proposals."
"I am Alex Hennan! I work alongside you...."
"I am...."
Beginning with Count Henry Rezamin, words poured forth from all directions. Edwin's eyes darted back and forth, unsure where to focus.
"My, it seems we've startled you."
Seeing this, Count Henry Rezamin's eyebrows rose sympathetically.
"But there is no need to worry. We have come to be a source of strength for young master Edwin."
"M-my strength?"
Confusion flickered in Edwin's wandering eyes.
Count Henry Rezamin spoke with confident conviction.
"So that you may grow into an excellent heir of Bellomen, and soon become a head of household worthy of the Bellomen name...."
"Oh my, everyone has gathered here?"
At the familiar voice that struck the back of his head, Count Henry Rezamin's mouth fell silent.
"Lucella, big sister!"
Lucella had arrived.
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