Chapter 40 – To Be Called Parents

“How do you like the party?”

“Well, I think it’s pretty good, but…….”

Veloa looked at the ballroom with an indifferent gaze, but the corners of her lip, covered by a fan, were raised.

She did not express it, but the party was more satisfying than she expected.

Even the dazzling chandeliers, the bustling guests, and the man escorting her.

All of it.

“Please tell me if anything is lacking.”

“Will it make any difference if I tell you?”

“I don’t make the same mistakes twice.”

“I like it a little.”

Veloa’s smile grew thicker.

This confirmed it.

The young Grand Duke of the North was richer than she thought.

And, he was trying to please her.

Veloa liked that fact very much.

What her father’s favour taught her was that it was fun to have someone under her.

If it was an influential person whom others looked up to and envied, all the more.

“Honestly, I don’t believe all the rumours about Your Grace.”

“What kind of rumours are you talking about?”

“The rumours that Your Grace is a blood-crazy monster.”

“…….”

“No, to be honest, would it be right to say that it doesn’t matter?”

Veloa lowered the fan slightly.

She knew that her eyes glistening under the light were brighter and more beautiful than the sapphire necklace around her neck.

It was easy to seduce a man whose aesthetic requirement was low enough to fall into slavery.

“What makes you believe in me to say that?”

“Honestly, when I heard the story that you transformed the poor land that no one else could change, I was not impressed. It was a story that could be easily exaggerated. Especially since the spirit stone is expensive and many people want it.”

“That’s not wrong. All the wealth that Schwarhan enjoys right now comes from the spirit stone.”

“Wealth can come to anyone. However, how to use it is a different matter.”

Veloa fluttered the fan leisurely.

Blanche’s next emperor.

That alone was enough to make Cabellenus a man of good conditions, but it was human nature to hope for more than that.

It could not have been worse if you had the ability, but not the bloodline.

“I was honestly disappointed when I arrived in Schwarhan. The land of the Grand Dukes of Schwarhan, which was said to enjoy great wealth, only had a huge castle, and there was nothing to see. It made me wonder if Your Grace’s wealth was really expanding.”

“That’s what rumours are all about.”

“Rather, aren’t the rumours downscaled?”

Veloa’s eyes were curved smoothly.

“Why do you think so?”

“Schwarhan is a place where the party culture is poor. Even my request was abrupt. And yet, Your Grace emulated a plausible party without any issues. Then, isn’t the next thing obvious?”

“…….”

“Wealth is power. It’s natural to want to show off. But, Your Grace didn’t. In that case, it’s usually one of the two.”

Either you have no desire for power, or you’re up to something.

Veloa chuckled.

“I like ambitious people. If you have to look up, isn’t it better to stand in that position?”

“You speak of interesting things.”

“I can tell you more interesting stories. Of course, only once my relationship with Your Grace becomes clearer.”

Even though her eyes were slightly open, Veloa was as beautiful as a piece of art.

It was natural that everyone’s eyes were focused on one place after Veloa appeared in the ballroom.

Veloa looked up at Cabellenus, satisfied with the gazes that stuck to her.

“Is Your Grace a good dancer?”

“I’m not very good at it.”

“Can you still dance with me?”

Veloa’s fingertips grazed the inside of Cabellenus’s wrist slightly.

She could not touch him directly since she was wearing gloves, but that did not mean he was not uncomfortable.

Cabellenus closed his mouth and looked down at Veloa, who was much smaller than him.

The princess of the foreign country was brimming with confidence and could not conceal the arrogance in her eyes.

‘I don’t know what you’re planning.’

Cabellenus narrowed his brow slightly.

He had been observing Veloa for a couple of days, but his assessment of her did not change much.

The heart of the princess, who was intoxicated with her own appearance, seemed too obvious. However, it wasn’t possible to label her as a young princess as there were many suspicious things about her.

“Are you going to embarrass me and reject my gesture?”

“No, let’s dance one song together.”

Nevertheless, Cabellenus took Veloa’s hand that stretched out towards him.

Whatever his half-brother had in mind, it would be enough if he could gain his own interests.

For a moment, the man’s eyes flashed like the eyes of a beast shining in the dark.

Veloa misunderstood that Cabellenus had complied with her request, but the opposite was true.

Cabellenus had only held the party for himself, not for Veloa.

Until Alicia’s position was secured and stable, she would serve as a shield to attract people’s attention.

* * *

“Are you all right?”

“It felt like I had returned to the capital after a long time.”

As soon as Cabellenus returned to the Oval Office, he took off his gloves and threw them straight into the trash can.

The touch filled with desire was enough to conjure up unwanted memories.

“I’ll instruct them to prepare you a bath.”

“Did you find more information after the further investigation?”

The act was not over until they understood Gerpenus’s true intentions.

Cabellenus was forced to endure the scent of perfume that lingered on him and swept up his hair.

“I checked the communication mirror in Princess Veloa’s belongings.”

“Magic tools are a specialty of the Kingdom of Christie, so a communication mirror wouldn’t be strange.”

“The design is different compared to the communication mirror of the Kingdom of Christie. It was a communication mirror made in the Empire.”

“It seems they might still be in touch.”

Cabellenus’s brow narrowed.

“So I planted some people by her side, but there were no significant results.”

“Was there a magical tool that blocks sound?”

“That’s highly likely. Considering that I even deliberately chose a room with thin walls, and yet we couldn’t hear anything, it wouldn’t make any sense for this to be possible without the intervention of magical tools.”

“It’s unexpectedly thorough in that respect.”

Cabellenus clicked his tongue.

“I believe His Majesty instructed it.”

“It’s not necessary to hide the communication mirror that shows that she’s communicating with His Majesty.”

“Maybe it’s just to instigate suspicion.”

“Suspicion?”

“Just as Your Grace knows His Majesty well, so does His Majesty. Perhaps, His Majesty’s plan is shallower than you think.”

Gazeff muttered as he held his chin.

The Gerpenus who he encountered was a cunning snake-like man.

He was a reliable ally but an opponent more troublesome than anyone else.

“The opposite could also be true. He could have made a deeper plan knowing that we’d think that way.”

“It’s complicated.”

Gazeff’s smooth forehead was wrinkled.

“Since he’s the opponent, he won’t be easy to catch.”

Cabellenus responded flatly.

“Huu, first, I’ll dig a little further into the Kingdom of Christie. The king particularly shielded the princess, so there’s little information, but for now, we have no choice but set our expectations there.”

“I’ll try to dig into the princess a little more.”

“I’d appreciate that if you could…….”

Gazeff was about to nod his head but paused when a particular face came to mind.

“What’s wrong?”

“That…….”

“Speak.”

Gazeff’s neck stung from the sharp gaze.

His superior was currently on edge.

If he made a mistake and provoked him, he might set off a spark.

[T/N: The “spark” plays on the idiom “spark something off” which is a figurative saying for causing/starting something violent.]

“……I was wondering if the lady will be okay.”

“You mean Alicia?”

The sharp gaze grew even more intense.

Gazeff barely managed to exhale and gave an awkward laugh.

He had been with Cabellenus for a long time, but whenever his superior gave him that look, he always felt a chill.

“I know I might be overstepping the boundaries, but I heard something from my aunt.”

“What did you hear?”

“I heard she seemed gloomy.”

“Gloomy?”

Cabellenus’s voice dropped even lower.

“Because Your Grace hasn’t been looking for her lately. But, if she found out that Your Grace is close to Princess Veloa, from her point of view…….”

“To say I didn’t look for her……. I went to see her face yesterday.”

Cabellenus nodded with his arms folded.

The Schwarhan Castle had many secret passages.

With the passages, he could visit Alicia as much as he wanted and avoid the eyes around him.

“It seems my lady wasn’t aware of your visit.”

“She’ll wait if she knew.”

Cabellenus scowled slightly.

Veloa was like a ball that you couldn’t predict where it would bounce, so whenever he tried to fit her in, his schedule would get messed up or delayed.

It was hard to spend time with Alicia as regularly as before.

“Is my lady not supposed to wait?”

“She will delay eating until I arrive, so she is unable to eat on time. And she will not sleep until I come back.”

Cabellenus tightly grit his teeth.

Alicia, who had been waiting for him, was initially lovely, but it wasn’t good after that.

Alicia often dozed off like a sick chicken, and her lack of sleep reduced her appetite.

[T/N: “Like a sick chicken” plays on the idiom “like a chicken with a pip” which means someone weak/sickly.]

“Oh, then that’s why.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“My aunt told me that the symptoms she observed were similar to the ones you see when someone’s pregnant.”

“Pregnant?”

“She was going to report it to Your Grace after the doctor’s diagnosis. It’s not certain, so there was no reason to make a fuss. Well, now it seems like I was just ahead of myself.”

Gazeff smiled awkwardly.

He was really worried about what to do if she was really pregnant, but it was a relief.

The birth of Schwarhan’s successor was a joyous occasion, but the timing right now was not very good.

A child born before the official marriage would be in an ambiguous position, and it would be one more thing Cabellenus had to protect.

“It’s not confirmed that she’s not pregnant.”

“But Your Grace just said…….”

“At the end of the day, that’s just a speculation.”

Cabellenus’s eyes narrowed.

He only embraced Alicia that one night.

The chances were slim.

“Mrs Morco has a good sense too.”

“My aunt was only talking about the possibility. My aunt isn’t even a doctor in the first place.”

“Although the likelihood is low, it would be better to confirm the situation.”

Cabellenus’s head was tilted.

He knew that a successor was required one day. However, apart from that, he never really thought much about having children.

In the first place, weak bloodlines were not the subject of the Wolf of Schwarhan’s interest.

Unless it was Alicia’s.

The golden eyes glistened for an instant.

 

He needed a successor, but not now.

“……What would you do if you had a child?”

Gazeff tried not to show any signs of unease as he looked at Cabellenus.

Even if the timing weren’t right, if she were indeed pregnant, that would mean Cabellenus would have a child.

However, Cabellenus was not reacting like a father.

His composure was too cold and indifferent to be called parents.

“Well. What should I do?”

Cabellenus slowly stroked the tip of his chin with his thumb.

It was impossible to picture the face of a child whose existence was unknown since he had poor imagination.

However, he thought it wouldn’t be bad if the child resembled Alicia.

A child who had reddish-brown hair and grey eyes, and looked exactly like Alicia, wouldn’t be unpleasant to hold in his arms.

But as long as the blood flowing through his body was Blanche’s, that was impossible.

As Cabellenus and Gerpenus did, for generations, everyone with Blanche’s lineage had always inherited black hair.

Moreover…….

For a moment, Cabellenus’s mouth twisted.

Gazeff struggled for a long time, not knowing what to say, and then finally spoke.

“It’s Your Grace’s bloodline.”

“That’s a shame. If it were born a little later while inheriting my blood, it would have been worth a little.”

Cabellenus’s index finger tapped the desk.

If Alicia’s child were born after she became the Grand Duchess, it would be a worthy successor.

But a child born early was of no value.

All his life, his existence had been a disgrace to his mother.

“It’s also my lady’s blood.”

“Even then, it will not resemble her. No matter how much you examine that small face, you won’t be able to find any traces of her. To the extent where people would wonder if it’s her child.”

Gazeff reflexively frowned at Cabellenus’s low voice.

It was a child who they did not even know if it actually existed.

It was impossible to know how it would look.

Nevertheless, Cabellenus was acting as if he knew the child.

“You won’t accept it?”

“It’s a child born from me, so I’ll have to take responsibility.”

“Then…….”

“But, that doesn’t mean such a flaw should be made with Alicia, does it?”

Cabellenus, who calmly retorted, seemed unexcited.

No, it would have been better if he looked unexcited.

“After all, if such a thing were born, it would be nothing but a monster.”

The man’s face that was filled with scorn was not the face of a parent.

Gazeff remained silent as he watched Cabellenus touch the handle of the sword on his waist.