I thought Yuria would stir up some trouble, but her swift actions left me a bit surprised.
The rumors spread easily, to the point where it feels like Yuria has secured her place quite well.
If the nobles hadn’t spread the rumors like wildfire, it would have faded away as mere gossip before I even heard about it.
I never expected that the head of the family, who was seen as still strong and capable, could be turned into a senile old man overnight.
It seems Yuria is quite determined to take the head of the family position in various ways.
She must know it won’t go as planned, but what could her reasons be?
“Probably, the situation won’t change immediately. Rather than taking over the head of the family position right away, she’ll be happy with acting as a proxy for now.”
I nodded at Arwen’s words.
Even though she used senility as a reason to make the head of the family a backroom old man, if she took over the position immediately, her intentions would be too transparent.
It was probably Yuria who killed the attendant and dealt with it so carelessly, but the nobles who’ve already sided with her won’t dig deeper.
“You’ll know if you meet her directly, but the rumor itself is hardly credible.”
“I know. I met her yesterday.”
“If she’s going to move now, she should start taking actions gradually. Do you have any methods in mind?”
Methods. I was already thinking about this situation, so I wasn’t surprised by Yuria’s actions.
I just thought it was a bit unexpected because her approach was more aggressive.
If my previous movements were a prelude, then responding to the news Yuria announced today would be the real fight.
“I do have some.”
I could respond immediately.
The preparations I asked Renold for were complete, and considering Yuria’s current mental state, even a slight action from me would provoke a significant reaction.
However, that wouldn’t be the end of everything.
After glancing at Arwen for a moment, I shrugged and spoke quietly.
“I’m just curious, but…”
“Yes?”
“Are there any drugs that induce hallucinations?”
If I were merely hoping to become the head of the family, I wouldn’t be searching for that.
What I truly desired was to completely sever this connection, wasn’t it?
#
“You’ve arrived?”
“I’ll probably be leaving again soon, though.”
Adrian, who had been wandering near the Moon Tower, approached me after hearing my arrival.
At this hour, she must have just returned from the cathedral. Although she stayed at the Moon Tower, I hadn’t seen her for a while.
She must be busy with all sorts of things. However, now that she had to leave the Moon Tower again, Adrian let out a small sigh upon hearing my words.
“Hmm, you seem to be quite busy because of the family issues.”
“I’d like to wrap it up by this summer if possible, but I don’t know if that will happen.”
“Is that so? I wish I could be of help, but I can’t seem to find a way to assist.”
“Thank you for your kind intentions. However, regarding Taylor’s matter, I don’t think anything good will come of it…”
“Regarding Taylor’s work, I don’t think anything good will come of it.”
Taylor’s fame is widely recognized, but his notoriety is equally substantial.
It was already well-known what happens during the change of the family head.
Now that the imperial succession has been somewhat settled, the nobles are focusing their efforts on the successor of the Taylor family.
Originally, quite a few nobles were aligned with Yuria, but recently some of the more perceptive nobles have sent me offers of cooperation.
A few nobles have also shifted to neutrality. Thus, the situation is subtle, but it’s not quite the same as before.
If I were to quantify the noble support, Yuria would have 7, I would have 2, and neutrality would account for 1.
Just looking at the numbers, Yuria has a crushing advantage, but that doesn’t mean my situation is entirely bleak.
Considering Yuria’s mental issues and the addition of groups outside of nobility, it’s more of a 50-50.
Just around this time last year, the scales were definitely tilted toward Yuria, but now they’ve struck a balance.
As such, the fight will likely become more intense.
In this situation, it would be nice if Adrian could help me, but the Order’s non-intervention in this conflict would be for the best.
Understanding my words, Adrian let out a small sigh, looked at me again, and parted his lips.
“Then are you thinking of leaving today?”
“Not today, but I should return within a few days. Plus, I have somewhere to stop by. I’ll just swing by my room and come back in.”
“If you have anything to ask later, please feel free to tell me. I’ll help as much as I can.”
“Got it. Then, I’ll see you next time when I have some time.”
I worried I might look a bit rushed as I moved, but Adrian just smiled gently, waved goodbye, and quietly disappeared.
The reason for my movement was, in fact, not something significant.
It was a day that I alone considered important, something others wouldn’t think much of.
Entering the empty room, I headed for the desk.
The dark room wasn’t lit, but my gaze struck something certain through the shadows.
I cautiously picked up the picture frame that had always been turned over in the corner of the desk, and the faded image inside caught my eye.
A woman sitting in a chair with her hands clasped, though the part where her face was drawn had worn down to the point of being almost unrecognizable.
Only I could clearly identify who this woman was.
“…It’s already been 15 years.”
This year marks exactly 15 years; realizing how time had passed, I gently closed my eyes.
I never thought this date would coincide with such a time.
Whether it’s fate’s mischief or not, just the fact that this anniversary has returned left a bitter taste in my mouth.
After briefly staring at the frame, I placed it back on the desk and turned away again.
I had somewhere to go.
Probably a grave that no one would visit anymore, specifically where my mother was.
Today was my mother’s memorial day.
When I left the Moon Tower, the Paladin was somewhat surprised, but now that I’m going out frequently, his response had grown rather indifferent.
It was supposed to be different, but now I often go out, and their reaction is rather indifferent.
Maybe I felt relieved that I wasn’t with Adrian.
When I was in the South, wasn’t Berod the first one to look at me with suspicious eyes?
After walking for a while against the backdrop of the darkening night sky, I entered what seemed like quite a shabby graveyard for the head of the Duke’s family.
I didn’t know why my mother was placed in a place like this.
Although it was a separate area, it was hard to see it as the resting place for the only member of the Duke’s family.
At least the maintenance seemed to have been done sincerely, so I could feel a little relieved seeing the grave surrounded by dustless cleanliness.
Such things had not changed despite the repeated reincarnations.
Even when my mother died, my father didn’t react at all; perhaps he was just trying to give her the last bit of respect.
I couldn’t understand my father’s feelings about my mother.
No matter how many times I asked, he never gave me an answer, so perhaps I will never know.
“It’s been a while since we met. I should have come when it was bright, but I’ve been busy.”
The deceased does not answer.
Even when she was alive, she was a bit taciturn, so the blurry memory of my mother still doesn’t open her mouth.
I thought she wouldn’t scold me for coming late.
Instead, she would probably be worried about whether something had happened.
…In that respect, she didn’t really fit well with Taylor.
What’s strange is why someone like her ended up in a political marriage with Taylor.
She could have definitely refused, so why did she meet my father when she wasn’t from a lowly family?
I thought about it sometimes, but since that’s a family from which I would cease to exist, I soon stopped.
On the gray tombstone was inscribed my mother’s name.
I stared at the name for a moment and then plopped down in front of the grave to match its height.
When I was young, I would always look up to my mother.
I recalled having a similar height back when the gravestone was first erected, and as I sat, the memory resurfaced.
As a child, I cried a lot.
In comparison to the firstborn Yuria, I had no outstanding traits and would mourn for days when a pet died.
I was often told I resembled my mother’s character, but at the same time, I bore the label of firstborn that didn’t quite match with the name Taylor.
Of course, there were those who got a good scolding for saying such things in front of my mother when I was little.
Yuria was just prickly at times, but she didn’t do anything as extreme as later on.
However, I was the only one who mourned fully when my mother passed away.
I collapsed from crying, woke up, and repeated it all over again; what remained for me was just the name Taylor.
Not being able to adapt to that was the end of my first life.
“You must feel that a lot has changed. I must be quite different from the me you saw last year.”
When I return to this place after going through reincarnations, I often realize how much I have changed compared to the me from last year.
The me from last year was still stuck in that foolish first life, but now I’m not just a me that has repeated those lives.
Isn’t it just myself repeating that?
I wonder what you would think if you saw me.
Would you be disappointed in my cold appearance compared to back then? I’m a little afraid of that.
“…This time, things will be different.”
It was different from my past life. I killed my fiancée and now I’m reaching for my sister with a sword.
Since it’s the first time I’m trying to become the head of the family, I didn’t even know how much blood would be shed.
You who hoped I’d grow right after leaving the name Taylor, it’s uncertain what feelings you hold, but it was clear that I would be very different from the son you wanted.
Suddenly, the wind blew, slightly rustling the sparse grass growing on the grave.
The rustling sound seemed to echo back to me, as if responding.
I don’t know what the answer is, but it felt like it reacted to my words, and I chuckled softly.
It felt like I had sinned and came to beg for forgiveness.
It just so happened that it was the day Yuria stirred things up regarding Father, and the day I intended to take action to become the head of the family.
Perhaps Mother would ask me if I couldn’t steer Yuria back in the right direction.
She had always made many efforts to correct Yuria’s character since childhood.
If you asked me whether Yuria’s nature showed signs of madness from the beginning, I could honestly say no.
The twisted character that emerged abruptly after Mother passed away stemmed from a fundamental issue, but it was also rooted in jealousy towards me.
Jealousy over the affection I received; perhaps every sibling with an age gap faces such issues.
However, the feelings Yuria harbored were much more malign than that.
– There are no inherently bad people. Everyone has their circumstances, and if one discovers them, I believe they can be transformed.
The words I heard in my childhood greatly influenced my reincarnation.
I thought Yuria and Teresa could change.
Even if I hate them, I couldn’t bring myself to despise everything about them.
Of course, this time was different.
You know I realized that Yuria’s essence was fundamentally flawed.
Even if Mother’s words had some truth, I learned through death that they could also be wrong.
As I quietly gazed at the dull light of the gravestone, I stood up and bowed my head in silence.
“When I come again next time, I will come not as Robert but as the Duke.”
So, I ask for forgiveness in advance.
Since our Mother wished for our relationship to be good more than anyone, I had no choice but to seek pardon for wanting to sever this bond.
I believe one of us—either Yuria or me—must die for this to end.
The saying that there are no bad dogs in the world came to mind.
There are no inherently bad people, is what Mother often said as a habit.
I smiled bitterly at that memory for a moment and then stared into the void with a small sigh.
Most of your words were right. But if there was one thing that was wrong, it was indeed that.
There were bad dogs in this world.
Absolutely, undeniably.
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