Chapter: 145
‘If this isn’t from his bloodline again… I guess I need to prepare some drinks.’
Since the day her comrade, who she shared laughs and drinks with until yesterday, passed away, she could no longer find joy in alcohol. Even the temporary comfort it provided became a source of pain for her. Yet occasionally, she would still take a sip.
It marked the day her child and husband went missing, as well as the day her cherished subordinate fell into an eternal sleep. The butler thought of the Duke swallowing down bitter alcohol, drowned in grief. From her silhouette, one could feel a dry sorrow akin to a lonely autumn wind brushing across a desolate field.
‘But if—if that person is indeed of the Duke’s bloodline…’
It would bring great hope to someone who was running toward death in solitude.
Wishing for this story’s ending to be filled with sweet hope, the butler quickened her pace.
*
Late afternoon, after the crying commotion had passed, the butler sent out an Imperial Courier and tidied up the minor tasks before heading to Lian’s room with a set of calming tea.
As she knocked, a voice from inside said she could come in.
“Excuse me.”
Carefully opening the door, the butler found Lian seated on a long white sofa, with Iris lying on his lap, peacefully asleep.
Iris’s eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying for a while even after the butler had left the room. Given that there were no tear stains on her face, it appeared someone had wiped them away. The butler approached the sofa with a gentle smile.
“I’ve brought some tea that’s good for calming down… Would you like me to prepare it later?”
“Once Iris wakes up, please.”
“Understood.”
After receiving service all week, Lian had become somewhat accustomed to this kind of conversation. The butler quietly placed the tray on the table in front of the sofa and then elegantly leaned forward slightly, saying,
“Could we have a brief chat?”
“Oh, yes! Of course!”
Seeing the butler bowing deeply, much older than him, Lian was startled and immediately pointed to the sofa opposite him with both hands. The butler expressed his gratitude before sitting down across from him, smiling like a generous old man.
“You two seem to get along really well?”
Without asking direct questions typical of a Duke’s butler, he lightened the mood with casual conversation. They exchanged some trivial chatter. Once the atmosphere lightened a bit, the butler hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“There’s one question I’m curious about; may I ask?”
“Ask away.”
The butler straightened his posture and locked eyes with Lian seriously.
“On what basis are you so sure that Lady Iris is of the Duke’s bloodline?”
“…!”
The butler’s intense gaze felt both hot enough to burn and cold enough to freeze. Lian felt his mind go blank.
‘Basis…? There isn’t one… what do I do?’
Did that mean he had thoughtlessly rushed into the Duke’s house with no plans at all?
Not quite.
‘In the original story, the Duke recognized Iris as his daughter just by looking at a photo, so I figured I wouldn’t need evidence or proof…’
To put it simply,
In the original work, the Duke’s knight (Pantone) discovered the girl presumed to be a princess and rescued her. Sweet Iris even invited Lian along.
Once the original Lian learned Iris was a princess, he proclaimed with his white hair and golden eyes that they were siblings, savoring the sweet taste of power.
He even plotted her death, thinking that without Iris, he could carry on the family line. In turn, Iris began her life as a fugitive, escaping from the Duke’s house.
When the Duke returned late and saw the recorded image through the crystal ball, he was blindsided as his daughter’s likeness was vividly captured.
Though his disposition was vile, the original Lian, whose skills were subpar, was caught trying to kill Iris and met a horrific end at the Duke’s hands.
Knowing this flow of events, he thought just presenting Iris would be enough to carry her away, but that could only happen if the Duke was present in the castle.
‘How unlucky to be vacant at such a time…’
Lian found himself sweating profusely as he rolled his eyes. He couldn’t come up with any proper answers.
‘If I can’t answer here, won’t I be labeled a fraud and kicked out?’
When the Duke came, everything would be resolved. But that was completely different from the immediate issue. If Lian was marked as a fraud now, when the Duke returned, he would look at Iris with preconceived notions. He could mistake her for a fake modeled after the original and might even draw his sword.
In a dark fantasy world devoid of dreams or hope, such a scenario wasn’t impossible.
‘Something must come up…!’
His gaze naturally fell toward his palm. The dark sword, which always appeared to help him effortlessly with unsolvable problems, seemed to be coming to the rescue.
His hand was smooth, as it was currently hiding the seal, but he unconsciously found himself looking at it. Staring down at his palm pressed firmly on his knees, a sudden thought ignited in his head.
‘But this…’
The idea that popped up didn’t sit well with him, but he bit his lip since nothing else was surfacing.
‘If I’m doing it, I should do it right.’
The butler watched Lian solidify his resolve, suppressing a pained sigh.
‘Sigh… I genuinely hope at least his sister grows up honored in the family, but I guess he’s resorting to lies without any basis.’
With cold sweat dripping down, Lian looking around nervously was akin to someone facing an insurmountable problem. The butler couldn’t mask his complex emotions.
‘…If only I could gently guide and teach him. It’s a falsehood, but it’s a lie for his sister’s sake, and he’s still young.’
As the butler was finalizing his thoughts like that—
“Actually…”
Lian lifted his head and looked seriously into the butler’s eyes. When their gazes met, the butler thought Lian might just be about to confess a lie. But it took less than a second for that thought to crumble.
Paa-vv-php!
“…!”
As Lian extended his left palm, the divine seal began to be inscribed gradually onto it. At that moment, pure and sacred energy enveloped Lian like heavenly light.
His white hair sparkled as if laden with pure light, and his golden eyes shone more brilliantly than any jewel, holding a mystical, deep gaze that looked like the night sky filled with stars.
The divine power illuminated the surroundings, announcing Lian’s existence to the world. The light was warm like the first sunlight of dawn and mystical like the starlight of the night sky. The butler stared in awe at this miraculous sight, as though witnessing a divine messenger from ancient legends.
As the light slowly faded, the divine energy seeped into the seal, beginning to glow softly. In the meantime, the pattern had become more intricate and delicate, indicating a rise in the number of worshippers. Lian steered his eyes away from the increasingly splendid seal and looked at the butler.
The soft smile seemed to have been lost, and the butler sat there with a gaping mouth and wide-open eyes. In that moment, Lian’s slightly twitching lips seemed humorous, as if he had something to say.
“What… what is this…”
Lian felt something ping! in his mind as a signal crossed through.
’Now’s the only chance to breeze through this!’
Immediately, he hitched his tongue and began to babble on. The scene resembled a sales expert pitching insurance or study materials with a rapid-fire approach.
“Regarding how I can confirm that Iris is of the Duke’s blood… The conclusion is thanks to divine guidance! As you just saw, I’ve been chosen by the divine! The divine asked me to bring the one child of the hero to where he must be! So, as guided by the divine, I met Iris and escaped from the horrid lands of the Demon King! Oh, are you curious why I’m revealing this fact only now? Well, that’s —… (omitted)…”
He had met all sorts of people, from those with vile aristocratic personalities to those who worshipped conspiracy, but this was his first time experiencing such a mind-blowing dialogue.
His voice was soft, yet his speech was quick. Still, every word was pronounced clearly, making all of them stick in the butler’s mind. He understood the content of what was said, but the circumstances were muddled.
Under the sort of modern-day consultation techniques that drained people’s spirits, the butler became a mere automaton responding with “Yes, yes.”
As time passed, Lian lightly wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke up.
“Phew… so, would this explanation be enough to serve as evidence?”
“Yes, yes, that’s more than sufficient.”
The butler’s previously neat hair had become disheveled, sporting odd strands, and fatigue was painted on his face.
Had he harbored malice towards Lian, the butler would have suffered days of mental chaos, listening until his ears bled from the daze brought on by such an overwhelming manner of speaking.
“The, then, I’ll take my leave now as I’m busy.”
“Understood, please take care.”
The butler staggered while exiting the room. Lian smiled, feeling an odd sense of victory. As he grinned, he suddenly remembered Iris’s existence and looked down.
—
(Author’s Note: Thanks for reading today! I hope you enjoyed it. Have a happy day :3 I tried to give a humorous effect, hoping you could somewhat feel the butler’s dazed state. Recommendations and subscriptions are love! Check out the next chapter.)
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