When I think back to my childhood, I can’t deny that my mother harbored something unusual.
One reason I thought she was unsuitable for Taylor was because she prioritized family over lineage and people over honor.
If I was raised influenced by such a mother, Yuria could be said to have been more influenced by my father.
It might be a rebellious spirit.
While affection may have been important to Yuria, it was clear she sought her mother’s attention.
There were certainly times when she obediently listened, and it was true that after my mother passed away, bullying me became worse.
Since I couldn’t fully grasp human psychology, I didn’t know the exact reason, but I couldn’t help but think my mother was the reason for the more twisted character.
Yet looking back now, everything seems futile; was it not already warped from the start?
Yuria’s madness was something deeply rooted in her inner self from the beginning.
It was nobody’s fault, just something predetermined.
The problem was probably in my initial desire to blame Yuria.
While my feelings for Yuria are undoubtedly negative, I now wish to forget those feelings.
I didn’t want personal feelings to ruin things.
At least before I see the end with my own eyes, I should remain as cold-hearted as possible.
As I gazed at the tombstone alone, I let out a small sigh.
By the time I come here next year, everything will be over.
All I hoped for was that things would unfold as I envisioned.
[I will be waiting in a secluded place. Probably from quite a height.]
When I unfolded the last letter from Renold, there was a description of the waiting location.
I guessed it was probably the same place where I last saw the willow tree.
It was below the willow, in an alley filled with buildings.
Among them, there was a wall with Taylor’s emblem embossed on it, and I quickly realized that was where I needed to go.
It had been a while since I last met Renold.
Even though we had seen each other before heading to the North, I needed to confirm what the situation was like now.
Whether he would follow me as time passed or plan to stick with Yuria.
With Renold, I could usually tell those moods just by looking at his eyes.
As I stepped into the alley, a figure caught my eye among the dark shadows.
Upon discovering me, the figure politely greeted me and spoke.
“Welcome, Young Master.”
Renold, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, looked quite different.
He seemed notably smaller, as if he had aged a few years from the hardships he must have endured.
Still, the fact that he made it here meant I could fully trust him now.
Many emotions were reflected in Renold’s eyes.
The most prominent was faith in me, which was quite surprising.
I didn’t know what thoughts he had during my absence, but it certainly wasn’t harmful.
I wonder if they have any thoughts, but it shouldn’t cause any harm.
“It’s just the beginning. Yuria Taylor has taken control of the Head of the Family position.”
“Anyway, there’s probably nothing we can do right now. Is Father still in the basement?”
“It seems they haven’t fully acted yet. The Head of the Family probably knows how things are progressing, so they might not have said much about the temporary Head.”
Well, Father was aware that Yuria would do something.
At the very least, he wouldn’t do anything to harm himself.
If that’s the case, his body should still be intact, and it was confirmed that Yuria had succeeded to the temporary Head position.
Since they have taken over the Ducal Residence, they can’t enter easily.
So what will I target? Obviously, it will be the outskirts of the Ducal Residence, the surroundings where Yuria’s influence hasn’t fully spread yet.
“They really did their best in a way.”
“That’s right. Since the center is so tightly controlled, there’s really nothing to target except the remaining areas, isn’t it?”
That’s true.
If I wanted to, I would choose to slowly gain influence from the outskirts, but it’s also true that we don’t have that luxury.
Thanks to Renold’s advance preparation to move as quickly as possible, we were able to save a lot of time.
I would like to observe how Yuria moves a bit more, but I think it’s about time to start making some moves.
If I don’t show any signs of action, Yuria might become bolder, so it’s better for me to keep her on high alert.
Anyway, for that, I need Arwen’s help.
There’s no way I left the monitoring job to just anyone.
Arwen can observe Yuria’s movements more secretly than anyone else.
After a moment of waiting, I felt the magic power in the surroundings shift.
Suddenly, a woman appeared through the blurred walls of the building.
The face of the woman, resembling an attendant of the Ducal Residence, twisted, and soon transformed into the figure of a young girl peeking in.
“There you are. Aren’t you coming to the shop today?”
“…Oh, did you have another supporter with you?”
“Calling me Alchemist Jay should ring a bell. I was assigned to monitor Yuria.”
Startled by Arwen’s sudden appearance, Renold carefully stroked his chin and nodded.
Since I entrusted her with the task, he must have deemed her trustworthy.
There was no need for us to know each other in detail.
Knowing the name Arwen was sufficient for me, so I referred to her as Jay again and asked about the progress.
“What’s Yuria’s movement?”
“She hasn’t taken any notable actions yet. Occasionally, she goes to the office where the Duke is staying; it seems like the Head of the Family is there too. There’s no scent of blood, and it seems her attitude is quite obedient, perhaps?”
“Could it be not so?”
It seemed that, as Renold expected, there wasn’t much backlash to Yuria’s words.
But then again, it wasn’t in his nature to just accept a situation without a plan, so it was hard to tell what was going through his mind.
Knowing Father quite well, I was sure he wouldn’t easily give up his position as the Head of the Family.
At least, with the name Taylor, he was a man of unyielding integrity.
There was definitely something being hidden. Yuria was probably cautious of that, and I was contemplating it as well.
“I think we should meet one by one with the Nobles who’ve allied with Yuria. Do you have a better plan?”
“I don’t think they’ll listen just because we meet. Are you thinking of trying?”
“We don’t necessarily need to have a verbal conversation.”
As I chuckled softly, Arwen narrowed her eyes at me.
To clarify, I didn’t think there was a need to limit our conversations to mere words.
What I learned from Taylor was intimidation and cunning tactics, so why not utilize them?
In this situation, mentioning Adele’s name was quite a good strategy.
“Use my name as you see fit. If they don’t listen, feel free to give them a poke.”
“…Isn’t that a bit too unrestricted?”
“If it helps you, then that’s enough. It’s up to you to use it. Use it however you wish, and just come back later to the North to share your tales.”
I had already obtained permission from her. I didn’t see any reason not to use it.
It wasn’t the first time I had threatened someone, so the only thing left was to face them.
I wondered how the Nobles who proudly accepted me would react when they heard Adele’s name.
Chuckling softly, I moved forward with Renold, who looked at me skeptically.
Arwen, who was also eyeing me suspiciously, followed behind.
She seemed to be seriously pondering what I would do, but I suppose I’d find out soon enough.
I didn’t know what kind of reaction she would have, though.
#
In the empty room, only the sound of his own breathing could be heard.
It was a different breath than before, and the Duke chuckled softly at the slightly labored sound.
To think he’d hear such words about being senile.
Feeling that from his own daughter was quite a peculiar sensation.
After all, he had raised her more for the family than for himself. Was this the feeling his own father had?
The position of Head of the Family was quite a hollow one.
It had been fierce while climbing up the ranks, but once he reached the top, he couldn’t feel the joy he had anticipated.
He stepped over the corpses and blood of his brothers.
Knowing that this was a tradition that would repeat forever, perhaps it was an unconscious choice to give everything to one child.
How could he have known that the son who had shown no interest in the position would now covet it?
He understood that Yuria’s actions stemmed from Robert’s change of heart.
“…I’ve grown old, haven’t I?”
To be tripped up by such a trick. Perhaps he was slightly shaken by Robert’s words from their encounter at the tavern.
Getting caught up in this mess. Perhaps I was a little shaken by Robert’s words when we met at the tavern.
I never expected that guy would make it this far.
Robert a year ago and Robert now could be considered completely different people.
Has he been sharpening his blade in his heart? For what purpose?
The Duke thought it was because of his mother, Serena Yugres.
The woman who married him and bore Yuria and Robert.
A child who looked just like a woman unworthy of the family; he had optimistically assumed that Yuria would someday take everything away.
In reality, things were flowing in the opposite direction. He could only chuckle at this ridiculous reality.
“You probably thought you could easily take over as Head of House by turning that senile old man into a fool.”
The Head of House Taylor was a position anyone would covet if they shared blood.
Did he really think that he wouldn’t see through such tricks?
Ha, it was clear he was underestimating himself too much.
In the past, he might have thought about simply handing it over.
But recently, Yuria’s actions had been quite disappointing, and what popped into his head was the image of Robert as the Head of House Taylor.
That he would bring down what he had established himself.
Did he really think they would give him the position just because he spouted such nonsense?
However… there was nothing they couldn’t give.
If he showed the capacity to be the Head of House, even if he were to ruin everything about Taylor, Robert would still be fully qualified.
Was he truly suitable?
As for that, only time would tell, but this suddenly emerged jagged stone felt quite intriguing.
How far would the child, bearing such a resemblance to Serena, aim that blade?
Seeing the papers piled up neatly on the now-cleared desk, the Duke couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You might be right.”
He recalled the words of that eccentric woman. Though they were bound by a political marriage, he remembered the woman to whom he had briefly given his heart.
And thinking of his child, who resembled her so completely, he gave a wry smile and tightly shut his eyes.
“You’re more like her than I expected.”
The Duke, Arthur Taylor, smiled softly.
He already knew how Yuria would treat Robert after Serena’s death.
Yet the reason he had simply been observing was to see how Robert, resembling Serena, would overcome it.
Would he ultimately crumble and collapse, or would he strive to earn everyone’s trust?
Or perhaps.
Like Serena, would he attempt to do the unimaginable?
Whether it was coincidence or not, Robert was indeed acting in a way that resembled his mother.
Thus, he decided to watch a little longer.
Until the day Robert came back here to demand the position of Head of House.
With a somewhat joyful heart, he thought.
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