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[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 152: A Dream of Meeting Mother
Bianca Agrippa, the third wife, returned to her residence and gazed at the still-lit banquet hall.
“……”
Are they all laughing and chatting merrily now?
They must be mocking her and her incompetent son, who were practically driven away, feeling a base sense of satisfaction.
The servants, who couldn’t even breathe properly and only rolled their eyes, will surely go back to their quarters tonight and ridicule the disgrace of the noble clan.
Thud!
Bianca, imagining all these scenes, gritted her teeth and bit her lip.
“Madam, you’re bleeding…”
“Step back.”
Bianca coldly dismissed the maid who, despite her fear, tried to wipe the blood.
“B-but…”
“Silence.”
She took three deep breaths to avoid unleashing her sharpened emotions through violence.
‘Calm down.’
What good would it do to slap this child here?
The one she really wanted to slap wasn’t the innocent maid but her son, Somerset.
‘I knew early on about his wretched temperament, lashing out at people based on their status.’
But seeing him cower and get scolded in front of the father he fears so much was utterly pathetic.
‘He’s no better than a dog with its tail between its legs.’
Yet, she didn’t want to blame only her son’s weakness for not standing up for himself.
If her son had that much pent-up frustration, simply shutting him out and scolding him wouldn’t be the best solution.
‘But right now, no matter how hard I try, it’s difficult to hold back my sharp words.’
So she left without saying a word to her son, who was trembling with humiliation and resentment, and returned to the residence.
‘Both you and I need time to cool our heads.’
But if he still doesn’t realize his disgrace and mistakes after today…
‘Then there’s no other way.’
I’ll have to beg my husband to issue a restraining order and make him come to his senses.
‘But I must exact a price for today’s events.’
What she wanted from the Bisakino Brotherhood wasn’t money or an apology.
‘This humiliation can only be washed away with blood.’
If I let this slide without punishing the scum of the underworld who instigated this—
Not only will the name of Somerset Grunewald be dragged through the mud, but the name of the Agrippa Count clan will also be buried.
‘If that happens, it’s truly over.’
There will be no place for Agrippa in this generation’s succession battle.
‘…But.’
At this moment, there was another issue that unsettled her the most.
‘Why didn’t Verdzig say anything?’
Wasn’t he planning to use Somerset’s incident to cover up Evan’s?
‘Is there another scheme at play?’
But what could it be?
‘…I don’t know.’
Bianca couldn’t read her stepson’s intentions at all.
That’s why she feared him.
* * *
“You’ve worked hard, Your Grace.”
“You’ve worked hard as well.”
Duke Georg, having changed into comfortable clothes after discarding his formal attire, leaned back in his chair.
“Aren’t you going to retire for the night?”
“Sleep doesn’t seem to come easily.”
“Shall I bring you some warm tea?”
“No, thank you.”
The Duke lightly declined and looked at the head butler.
“Aiden, do you think my father ever felt this way?”
Though the question was abrupt, Aiden easily understood its meaning.
“…I suppose so. Deciding who will lead the next generation of the vast duchy of Grunewald is no small matter.”
The Duke muttered in an unusually lamenting tone.
“It should be as simple as passing the torch to the most suitable child, so why is it so difficult?”
“That’s why power is so fearsome.”
At the head butler’s words, the Duke let out a deep sigh.
“Raising children never goes as planned, does it?”
Elder Geninghen’s words echoed in his mind.
‘He would know better than anyone.’
How many generations of succession battles had he witnessed?
The most intense battle had occurred during his own generation, but he had a strong premonition that this generation’s battle would also be a storm to weather.
Both Verdzig’s and Allenvert’s talents were exceptionally rare.
“Allen harbors human emotions in his heart, yet his mind understands the cold perspective of a ruler better than anyone.”
“Indeed. It’s a rare combination of qualities.”
The Duke suddenly recalled Allenvert’s words.
- believe, as Brother Verdzig advised, that I too need darkness and secrets.
When asked what he had done with the mask Verdzig gave him, Allenvert had replied:
-Because I think those who only seek the light understand only half the essence of the world.
…How true.
“Allen is willing to step into the darkness but strives not to be consumed by it.”
“Just as Young master Verdzig does.”
“Exactly.”
A ruler who can stand in the light while also dipping their feet into the shadows—that’s the ideal leader.
“And he’s already doing that well.”
Georg knew more about Allenvert than the boy might have expected.
He knew about Allenvert’s alliance with Rudgarda and Ulbhild’s intentions behind it.
“He’s a cunning one.”
The Duke chuckled.
“He even hides his secrets from his father.”
“If the young master had carelessly revealed everything, wouldn’t that have been more disappointing?”
The Duke answered with a silent smile.
“Your Grace, how should we handle Young master Somerset’s situation?”
At the butler’s change of subject, the Duke’s expression turned serious.
“I’m deeply disappointed in him.”
“…Yes.”
He was well aware of Bianca and Agrippa’s ambitions, as well as Somerset’s struggles to meet them. That’s why he had been patient.
“But to resort to the underworld as an escape, lacking even the most basic principles and will…”
This was the most disappointing aspect of the situation.
From assassinations, framing, sowing discord, to various scandals, nobles have long used the underworld as a tool for their schemes.
Thus, paradoxically, a ruler must use and coexist with the underworld while maintaining a precarious balance. Otherwise, the nobles themselves might fall victim to their poison.
“What measures will you take against the Bisakino Brotherhood?”
“They’ve clearly crossed the line this time.”
The Duke’s voice turned icy as he commanded.
“Investigate thoroughly who was behind this incident.”
“Understood.”
“It’s such an absurd plan that it’s unlikely to have been decided at the lower levels.”
Attempting to use Somerset to target Grunewald? Both sides know how ridiculous that is.
‘Perhaps.’
The Duke swallowed his still uncertain suspicions.
‘There might be a completely different third party involved.’
Just as he suspected someone outside the duchy was behind Mordecai, whom Allenvert had defeated.
‘But pulling the thread too quickly won’t uproot it entirely.’
To completely eradicate the enemy, a bit more patience was necessary.
* * *
“Ugh, my neck is so stiff.”
“You’ve worked hard, young master.”
“You’ve had it rough too, Peter, standing around and getting nothing but scraps.”
I rubbed and stretched my neck and shoulders before slumping into the chair in the study.
“Alright, let’s wrap this up quickly and get some sleep.”
“Yes.”
Peter, Olivier, and Jeffrey all looked thoroughly exhausted.
“You’ll be busy preparing for the duel with Lady Siena for a while,” Jeffrey said.
“Yeah, I need to master the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique and break through to the 5th tier as soon as possible.”
“It’s already an insane pace, but to reach the 5th tier just a few months after properly starting?”
Jeffrey shook his head in disbelief.
“What can I do? If I don’t, the entire Grunewald will be humiliated.”
“And it’ll be a fatal weakness in the succession battle.”
“It’s not just a weakness—it’ll be a complete downfall.”
I clicked my tongue.
“I have to win. Only then will I be granted the right to join the Special Operations Division.”
“If that happens, you can turn the Special Operations Division into your support base with the help of Lady Ulbhild and Lady Rudgarda.”
“Exactly.”
Olivier was truly a man who understood well.
“Just as Brother Karl controls the knighthood and Brother Verdzig controls the Royal Guards.”
Of course, there are still higher commanders like the Knighthood Commander and the Royal Guard Commander above them…
But from their perspective, if there are no variables, they’ll have no choice but to support the Young master from their own ranks.
‘It’s practically handing over a personal guard.’
In that sense, struggling like Somerset, who couldn’t even secure control over a single security guard unit, only highlights his lack of organizational control.
“By the way, just how strong is Lady Siena of Valkenhain that she’s so confident in these conditions?”
Peter asked worriedly.
“They say she’s comparable to Sister Ulbhild at the same age.”
“What?”
Peter was startled.
“Isn’t that too strong?”
“She’s strong, alright.”
But it’s fine. Defeating stronger opponents was Karzan’s specialty.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll head to the library to find and learn useful martial techniques, and I’ll also ask Sister Ulbhild to teach me grappling techniques.”
For now, I’ll focus solely on getting stronger.
“In the meantime, I’ll have to visit the underworld, meet Mother, and stay busy with all sorts of things.”
“You’ll also need to keep an eye on Young master Verdzig’s movements.”
Olivier added.
“You’ve become his most formidable competitor in both name and reality.”
“Right.”
The vast gap that once existed between us has narrowed significantly. I no longer have to swallow humiliation while gauging his reactions and adjusting the level of my provocations.
“And for that, both of you have tasks to do.”
At my words, Olivier and Jeffrey straightened their backs.
“Please give us your orders.”
“First, Jeffrey, as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow, release Evan and bring him to the residence.”
“Understood.”
“Whether he starts a new life or is sent abroad will be up to him.”
Most importantly, I need to arrange a meeting with Evan’s mother, who is under Rudgarda’s protection.
“And Olivier.”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow night, I plan to visit the underworld. Find me a discreet exit or a place where I can climb over the wall.”
“Understood.”
Even though Verdzig is confident about my secret dealings with the underworld, he mustn’t find out about Zizek, the hidden blade I’ve kept.
‘Maybe I should learn something like stealth techniques soon.’
That way, I can move freely without relying on Peter or Rudgarda as intermediaries.
‘I might find something like that if I scour Grunewald’s library.’
Or maybe I should get an artifact from Elder Geninghen.
‘Oh?’
I was impressed by my own idea.
‘Great. A grand mage like her could easily create an artifact to evade surveillance.’
Either way, I had a lot to ask Zizek. About the survivors of Eisenach, and how to properly build up my forces.
‘Honestly, I’d love to head to the underworld right now, today.’
“Yaaawn.”
But the mental exhaustion from tonight was too much.
“Ugh, I’ve hit my limit. I can’t go on.”
“Are you going to sleep?”
“Yeah.”
I staggered toward the bed, overwhelmed by sudden drowsiness.
“I’ll turn off the lights.”
“Good night, young master.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Yeah.”
Before I could even process who said what, I fell into a death-like sleep.
‘At times like this, I always meet someone I miss in my dreams…’
But I won’t meet Mother, not even in my dreams.
I don’t even know what Rusatia Grunewald looks like, and I’ve long forgotten the face of my mother from my past life.
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[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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