If I were to explain the relationship between Yuria and me, it was always me being on the receiving end.
For her, the family is literally everything.
Even if she were to compare herself with the family, she would choose the family without a doubt.
She said the option of killing me was because my existence was harmful to the family.
“It’s not that I hate you. I’ve never disliked you. It’s just that the name Taylor was too much for you.”
Since it didn’t suit you, you lacked too much to be someone with the name Taylor.
The most important factor I valued during my last reincarnation wasn’t just that I wouldn’t die but was more about trying to change the hearts of Yuria and Teresa.
I wanted Yuria to turn her eyes towards family rather than the family name, and for Teresa to let go of her own greed and repent.
Some might think that’s foolish, but for me, they were quite valuable.
Even if my feelings change later and they aren’t as precious as before, I believed that Yuria and Teresa would change.
If I had aimed to topple the family and target the Crown Prince, who was the reason for my death, I probably would have finished it after a few reincarnations.
However, the reason I didn’t do that was that I wanted to move forward, embracing everything.
Even if I seemed like a fool or an idiot, I believed that was the right thing to do.
I didn’t think Yuria would change in this life.
I had long discarded such assumptions, and it would be more correct to think that the woman named Yuria would remain just as she is.
Since I had completely given up on such possibilities in the last round, now I wonder how things will flow according to her nature.
She probably wouldn’t do anything immediate.
Even if I declare that I will be the Head of the House, from her perspective, it would still just be a statement without any real issue.
My position at the Ducal Residence was truly pathetic.
I couldn’t even count on anyone to support me; Renold… no, Renold might also be supporting Yuria.
Thinking about it, I had absolutely no support.
There’s the Imperial Family, but since there’s no contact with the Crown Prince at the moment, it didn’t hold much significance.
So, what should I do immediately?
Having confidently thrown out my words, what on earth should I do?
The answer to that question was simple. I needed to go to the Head of House Taylor and clearly state my position.
They say to catch the wolf, you must enter the wolf’s den.
It was time to meet the biggest wolf.
#
“What were you thinking moving like that?”
The moment I entered the office, those were the words that greeted me.
It seemed like the Princess knew I had made contact with her; her voice carried a certainty that made me ponder for a moment.
Now that I had decided to become the Head of the House, my judgment needed to appear solely for the benefit of the family in the eyes of others.
The reason for contacting the Princess was to build my own power,
but the surface reason was for the family’s benefit.
After a moment of silence, I casually continued speaking.
“I thought it would be to your advantage. After all, I didn’t think the expedition would succeed anyway.”
“I didn’t think that.”
“What’s the reason?”
“There are too many non-human races. Even if the elves and orcs unite to stop it, they might succeed initially, but they will definitely fail in the end.”
This can be said to be a story that’s already sealed in the future.
The crusade that seemed successful at first ultimately fails completely, and the imperial family, which opposed it from the beginning, comes to hold the reins of power.
Considering what lies ahead, it’s definitely not good for Taylor’s power to diminish.
So, this harvest came from thinking about making the first move.
In the end, Taylor ended up siding with the imperial family, and the crusade will be postponed for the time being.
What gain will the family get from this?
I’m sure, even without my explanation, Father already knows well enough.
“The reason you think it will fail is probably because of the distribution of non-human races you investigated independently. I don’t know where you got the information, but is it reliable?”
“I’m confident. The crusade will surely fail.”
“…Then, what benefit do we gain through him?”
“The support of the imperial family, and we can hold the highest position in the noble class moving forward.”
In reality, after the crusade failed, Taylor’s influence shook considerably.
Since he was the one advocating for the crusade the most, he was hit hard by the consequences.
Could it be that Father didn’t foresee this?
He probably did. It was just a gamble to some extent.
His cold gaze was still fixed on me, but it was clear he was intrigued.
He couldn’t find anything wrong with what I said.
Also, it would naturally coincide with what Father was already thinking.
As he was pondering for a way, hearing that I had first contacted the imperial family would have altered his evaluation of me.
From merely being a foolish and weak child, to being someone capable of independent thought.
However, I had no intention of stopping here.
So I didn’t pause and added my next words.
“And to become the next head of the family, I needed to earn the imperial family’s support in my own way.”
“…The next head of the family?”
Perhaps it was a rather amusing remark, as he let out a chuckle while glaring at me.
His narrowed eyes seemed to evaluate whether I was serious, but soon returned to normal.
He must have realized that it wasn’t a lie.
He must be thinking about why I said that now.
I had shown no interest in becoming the head of the family until now, yet here I am claiming I will.
Finding the reason behind such behavior couldn’t be too easy.
“I won’t ask why. The qualifications for being the head still hold. However, I’m curious if you can actually do it.”
“I’m planning to head north in winter. I need to repay the handkerchief I received last time, don’t I?”
Originally, this was a card the Taylor family was going to use for their benefit, but after changing my mind, I reconsidered it.
It was better for me to go directly to the north.
There’s the reason to meet Adele, but more than anything else, when thinking about the future, there wouldn’t be any military strength as helpful to me as that of the north.
“There’s no help I can get from the military strength of the North.”
“And then you’ll head to the Saint and the South, right?”
“Saint?”
“I have a personal connection.”
For a brief moment, the expression that was previously strange turned into one of surprise when I mentioned Adele.
She must find it quite unexpected that I have a connection with the Saint.
The weight of the name ‘Saint’ was immense.
Her support meant the support of the Order, and if you added Adele and the Imperial Family’s support into the mix…
At least, how I was evaluated from the outside would change drastically.
You could think that my support from the Imperial Family was merely a coincidence.
It could be dismissed as some kind of trade between Taylor and the Imperial Family.
But if the North and the Saint were to support me… then my evaluation could hardly remain the same.
“…Looks like a lot has happened while I was unaware.”
“I’ve been quite busy. Deciding to become the Head of the Family was a relatively recent decision.”
“Is the change of heart truly your choice?”
At that question, my words momentarily halted.
Deciding to become the Head of the Family was something I concluded after the last reincarnation, but my father knows nothing of my reincarnation and would likely assume I’ve just changed drastically in the past few days.
A choice of my own, I chuckled softly at the thought and slowly began to speak.
“Someone once told me. When I was doing something pathetic, they came to me and said this.”
This was a memory only I knew.
When I first died, my father came to visit me in prison right before my execution and said those words.
Those words stuck with me and led to my reincarnation.
I vowed never to be that way again, which is why I carried the Moon Stone within me.
“In the end, it’s all your fault. No matter how much you regret or lament, nothing will change. Even if you face a miserable death, it’s because of the mistakes I made, so who can I blame, they said.”
“…That’s quite arrogant for words directed at Taylor.”
“Upon hearing that, I realized something. That’s why I’m trying to prove it.”
What I learned from my numerous reincarnations is that no matter who you blame, nothing will change.
The people around me did not change.
Neither Yuria nor Teresa. Their true nature wasn’t something that could be altered, right?
Thus, it meant I had to change myself.
My father gazed at me for a moment, then leaned back on the sofa, staring into space.
There was anguish reflected in his eyes, constantly mulling over something.
What is the source of his turmoil? What is it he agonizes over?
Just as I was about to guess, my father muttered in a small voice.
“Then prove it.”
Although the torment in his eyes remained, his tone was different now—more resolute.
The disdain he once had for me faded, replaced with a serious gaze I had never seen before.
For the first time, he looked at me not as a pitiful son, but as someone who might someday become the Head of the Family.
Nodding slowly, I met his serious eyes.
“Prove to me that you can become the Head of the Family. Go to the North, then to the South, and if you can surpass Yuria and earn the title of Lady of the House…”
A sharp gaze pierced through the temporary calm and reached me.
“I will give you Taylor.”
Thinking about it, this was the first time I received such recognition from my father.
But I felt no joy. Instead, a strange sensation filled my chest, and I nodded a little late.
Suddenly, a thought popped into my head.
If I were to inherit Taylor, what would my father say then?
My Taylor, who would brandish a sword against the Imperial Family and bare his fangs at the Empire…
What expression would you have while looking at me?
My heart raced for no reason.
If I were to call this rising emotion joy, what on earth am I feeling joy about?
Barely hiding my pounding heart, I managed to slip out of the office.
#
“Young Master, is it true?”
From this, rumors would spread around the Ducal Residence that I planned to become the Head of the Family.
Those rumors would fly like they had wings, startling even Renold, who hadn’t heard yet, enough to inquire.
The sight of him running with his hair all in a mess showed just how shocked he was, causing me to laugh, while Renold frowned and spoke up.
“You know that being the Head of the Family is not that easy, right? Are you really serious about this?”
“I’ve never lied while talking to you. This time is the same.”
Renold bit his lips in frustration for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
Seeing him act like that made me doubt whether he was truly worried about me.
Hadn’t he looked down on me before?
Still, his actions didn’t seem entirely false, so I was just watching.
I knew better than anyone the impact of my words.
Just by looking at the rumors, I could tell my popularity wasn’t great,
so what would people say if I declared I wanted to compete for the Head position in this situation?
They’d probably say something like, “Oh, that guy’s head is filled with flowers again.”
I thought that would likely be the case until winter passed.
That’s why winter was important to me.
If everything goes well in winter, Yuria’s support forces would be about the same as mine.
Then the question was what I should do until then, but thankfully, there was some good news.
I smiled faintly at the name written at the end of a letter Renold had brought.
‘J’
The alias Arwen used and the name of the only Alchemist living nearby.
The fact that a letter with no content had just arrived meant she had likely made up her mind in her own way.
Now all that was left was to find her and continue the conversation about the Crown Prince that I had thrown out last time.
Arwen’s role in this round was quite simple.
If I compared the family named Taylor to a tiger, then the Crown Prince was the tiger I needed to catch.
To find a way to tighten the grip on that tiger’s neck, I needed Arwen.
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