Chapter 60
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Chapter 60
"Miss Rilprey! Please, hold still...!"
"Get out of my way!"
I shoved aside the servants who were trying to restrain me. I couldn't even fathom where such strength came from.
"Duke, is it true that you've permitted Lucian to sortie for monster subjugation?"
I fixed the Duke with trembling eyes.
Surely not. The Emperor must have misunderstood.
No matter what, he's my father—this is too much.
But the Duke shattered even the last shred of hope I clung to.
"It's true."
"I..."
"This is for the security of the Empire itself. If he possesses such ability, it's only right that he step forward."
"Lucian can't even protect himself, let alone the Empire's security! How could such a child possibly stand against monsters?"
"Who said anything about fighting monsters? Lucian's only task is purification."
"The very fact that this child is going to such a dangerous place is the problem!"
I glared at the Duke, my voice trembling with rage. I felt tears threatening to spill over.
But the Duke remained as emotionless as ever.
"There will be no reversal of this decision."
"Duke!"
"The matter has already been discussed with His Majesty. This is not something for you to interfere in."
"I am Lucian's guardian."
"That's only when I'm absent. Right now, I am Lucian's guardian, and I make all the decisions."
"I..."
I buried my face in my palms.
I was wrong.
The Duke had no intention of changing his mind.
'Why?'
I lowered my hands from my face. Then I saw Edwin staring at me with a shocked expression.
'It's because of Edwin.'
To make Edwin his heir.
The Duke was the same in the original story.
He paid Lucian no mind whatsoever.
He was obsessed solely with making Edwin his successor.
'I thought he might have at least understood something I said.'
Perhaps I had harbored secret hopes when I saw the Duke thank me.
Perhaps I believed the Duke might change.
But it was all an illusion on my part.
In the original story or in this reality, the Duke hadn't changed one bit.
As that truth sank in, a suffocating sense of helplessness washed over me.
The thought that I could never escape the original narrative, that I was too weak to save Lucian—these thoughts consumed me relentlessly.
'No. I can do this. I won't fall apart. If I'm not there to protect Lucian, who will?'
I turned away from the Duke, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over.
I missed Sister. A little, or rather, quite a lot, if I was being honest.
* * *
Back in my room, I immediately buried my face in the pillow. My sobs poured out, muffled by the soft fabric.
After crying for what felt like an eternity, I finally lifted myself from the bed when the tears stopped coming.
"That's right. This isn't the time to be crying."
I had to do whatever it took for Lucian.
I sat at my desk to collect my thoughts. When I opened the window, the winter wind rushed in, cooling my swollen eyes and fevered head.
"Let me think positively. This might actually be an opportunity."
A chance for Lucian to establish himself. A chance to be recognized and become the head of House Bellomen.
Even if the Duke supported Edwin as his successor, the position of family head still required the consent of the retainers.
"And Claude won't let Lucian be in danger."
Having read the original work, I knew better than anyone just how responsible Claude was.
The Emperor had also said that Lucian wouldn't directly face any monsters, so I could take some comfort in that.
"Besides, I'll be there with him."
As long as I was there, Lucian would never be hurt. I'd become a human shield if I had to, protecting him from all danger.
"Good."
I'd become a hero and return triumphantly, basking in glory!
After organizing my thoughts, I stood up from the desk.
Having cried my heart out for the first time in ages, I was hungry.
"I should eat something."
I left the room, planning to call a maid and have her bring me food.
That's when something caught under my foot.
"Hmm? What's this?"
I picked up the object that had rolled away from under my feet.
Inside the envelope with the blue ribbon, I felt something hard.
I opened the envelope. At the same moment, a sweet fragrance wafted up.
"Chocolates?"
Inside were chocolates—pink ones with a strawberry flavor, ones studded with almonds in the center, and many other varieties filling the envelope.
Nestled among the chocolates was a small folded note.
I unfolded it.
[Don't cry. I'm sorry.]
The moment I saw the crooked handwriting and the terrible spelling, my heart sank.
There was only one person in this mansion who would send me a note like this.
"It's Edwin."
Interestingly, Lucian had always been meticulous with spelling and had neat handwriting—a result of being tutored since childhood.
Edwin, on the other hand, hadn't known how to read or write before coming to the Duke's Mansion. Since he'd only recently begun learning, his spelling and handwriting were naturally messy.
"Dragging a child into adult conflicts... I really am..."
Thinking of Edwin, who had written this clumsy letter out of concern for my tears, I felt my nose sting with emotion.
The chocolate was prepared for the same reason.
'I like chocolate the best.'
'Why?'
'Because eating it makes me feel better.'
To lift my spirits.
Edwin, who had drifted through the Orphanage since childhood, was perceptive.
He must have sensed that he was somehow involved in the reason why Lucian and the Duke had raised their voices.
That's why he had written an apology in his note.
'Edwin bears no fault.'
The only ones at fault were the greedy adults. The children were innocent.
'Yet I not only wept in front of Edwin but even raised my voice.'
Young children were easily shaken by even the smallest emotional shifts in their guardians. Edwin may not have shown it, but he must have been deeply startled.
"I'm the one who should apologize, Edwin."
After tucking the note into my pocket, I placed an almond chocolate—Edwin's favorite—into my mouth.
The chocolate's characteristic bittersweet and sweet flavor spread across my tongue.
* * *
The next day, I set out for the Imperial Capital at first light.
The Emperor was not someone one could typically meet with such ease, yet he had readily granted my request. The news I brought was the sort that would please him considerably.
"So Miss Rilprey truly intends to join the monster subjugation?"
"Yes. While not to Lucian's extent, my ability to sense magical energy will surely prove useful in subjugating monsters."
"I'm grateful for such a difficult decision. Your strength will certainly be of great help."
The Emperor smiled, revealing his even teeth.
I wanted to tear every last one of them out.
In truth, the Emperor was the one I resented most.
Had the Emperor not broached this monster subjugation in the first place, the Duke would never have accepted it.
Yet what was already done could not be undone.
I had promised myself yesterday not to commit the foolishness of regretting the past.
"Above all else, I beg you to remember your promise to protect Lucian, Your Majesty."
"Of course."
"A desolate battlefield will surely have a negative impact on a child's emotional well-being."
"I swear by the Imperial Court's name that I shall assign specialists to manage that aspect."
At the Emperor's words, I released a breath of relief.
The Emperor who appeared in the original work was not a weak man like other emperors in typical novels.
He was someone who kept his promises. At least, that was the Emperor I knew.
"I shall trust in Your Majesty."
"Don't worry. Ah, let me explain the monster subjugation plan in advance...."
The Emperor began explaining the subjugation plan to me.
The expedition would commence in approximately one month, with a force of one hundred personnel including the Imperial Knights and Holy Knights.
"To prepare for the subjugation, it would be best for the young lord of House of Bellomen to begin training now. So he can purify monsters while maintaining maximum distance from them. Of course, our forces will do their utmost to ensure he never encounters a monster."
I nodded in acknowledgment.
I decided that keeping the monster and Lucian as far apart as possible was my highest priority.
The creature's grotesque appearance was troubling enough, but above all, I had to ensure Lucian's safety.
"Have Miss Rilprey focus her training on drawing out even greater magical power."
"Understood."
There was only one path forward now.
I would push my abilities to their absolute limit and finish subjugating the monster swiftly.
I'd end this wretched monster subjugation quickly and return as a hero!
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