For Your Failed Unrequited Love

Duke Berg had a satisfied look on his face while sipping wine.

There was nothing but darkness outside the window.

A few hours ago, he stood outside his office and heard his wife tell his son about the prophecy, but he did not stop her.

Fortunately, Felix’s manner had been strangely obedient for some time. He seemed to have finally settled down as his successor, and he seemed to be serious about learning the business of his family. Sooner or later, he will tell him about the prophecy and try to finish everything.

However, the Duke was still hesitant about the story of the temple’s vault. His eldest son, unlike his second son, was always rebellious and rough. He always thought of him as a suitable successor rather than his second child, who seemed obedient and strangely unmotivated. But his sometimes erratic behavior needs to be corrected.

Moreover, even if his attitude had changed recently, he was not sure if Felix had completely changed his mind. That’s why he’s been holding off on talking about the vault in the temple. Unexpectedly, his wife first revealed how she found out about the vault.

He was angry for a moment, but the Duke calmly thought about it.

Isn’t he the son who is gradually accepting his role as the successor?

His previous reaction may be nothing more than a moment of rebellion. If he gives him some quiet time to think alone, his son will eventually realize. What an honor it is to live as the Duke of Berg. What a joy it is to work for this wonderful and perfect family.

That all of this is a life that no one dares to dream of.

His son, who will be the next duke, will live for the prosperity of his family after him. The Duke smiled once more satisfactorily. He asked the servant who was waiting.

“What is Felix doing?”

“The young master remained in his room quietly. I just double-checked with another servant who was bringing him food.”

“All right,”

He slowly rose from his seat.

Now the moment has come to tell his eldest son directly. For the infinite glory he will enjoy and the obligations he must have before that.

* * *

As the Duke opened the door, his eldest son, who was looking out the window far away, turned to look at him. He had an obedient look in his eyes recently, but it appears to have returned to a sharp look now.

“Felix,”

Even though the Duke called him, he only looked at his father coldly. The Duke sat down at the table with a blank expression on his face. He nodded his head to the opposite seat.

“Sit down,”

Felix, who stood silent for a moment, walked slowly and sat down. As he stared at his father, he opened his mouth.

“…are all the stories of prophecy true?”

“Yes, that is the prophecy and myth of this great Berg family. The power of the family will extend to the extent of the land he has, and the honor of the family will be built up to the height of the gold he has.”

The Duke raised his hands proudly.

“And look, son, now the prophecy is not just a matter of the future, it has become our reality. For the great Dukes of Berg carved prophecies in their hearts and worked hard for the prosperity of their families.”

However, when he heard that, he looked neither thrilled nor proud at all. He still looked at his father with a look of resistance, and then said:

“I suppose you have something to say about the last phrase of the prophecy. You tried to kill Adrian mercilessly just because of that sentence.”

“He ought to be grateful to be alive.” The Duke laughed.

“If it hadn’t been for the resemblance between him and you, I would have had him gone. But he has many uses. That’s why I’ve kept him alive.”

Felix gritted his teeth as his tone did not reflect any affection for his son. The Duke once again made up his mind to correct that weak mind. He could not distinguish between the front and the back, when it came to his younger brother.

“…what will you do now that you know the whole truth?” asked the Duke.

“You’ve always acted like you felt sorry for him. But do you still feel that way after knowing the truth? He’s not your brother; he’s like a thief who came to steal everything you have. He will divide the land, property, and all the honor that you will inherit into halves. When that time comes, the power of our family will be halved!”

The Duke raised his voice, but the next moment he lowered his voice again and whispered like a devil.

“Felix, kill Adrian with your own hands. so that your place will be firm.”

His wonderful but useless first son needed to be more cruel and ruthless. Only then can he lead the Berg family, keep the Imperial family and the other families in check.

Even after hearing his father’s words, Felix didn’t budge.

The Duke added threatening words.

“If you don’t obey me……. I have no choice but to give up on you and make Adrian my successor.”

Giving up meant killing him. It was a small wonder.. for two sons couldn’t live under the Berg family’s roof.

If one was alive, the other had to disappear.

Felix opened his mouth and roared, as if he had come to his senses.

“First you tried to kill Adrian… and now you’re planning to make him your successor? You really think of him as a toy horse. Don’t you feel sorry for Adrian at all?”

“No.” 

“Not at all?”

“Not a speck of dust,”

Felix’s eyes were blazing with anger more than ever before.

Are you about to rebel again?

The Duke wondered how his son would turn out.

But the next moment, all the emotions were drained from Felix’s face. It was a strange expression that he had never seen in his son before.

Expressionless face. Empty eyes. Determined lips.

He just sat still and stared at his father as if he had given up all his expectations of the world. Even the Duke felt chills for a moment as he seemed not to bleed even if he stabbed him.

“I won’t follow your plans.” he said with an expressionless face in a low voice.

“I’ll lay everything on the table and report all your misdeeds in a formal complaint. I’ll do my best to testify.”

After all, you’re saying this again.

The Duke’s face turned bright red.

To his disappointment, his son seemed oblivious.

“You still haven’t given up on that silly idea! You can’t make me stand on the threshold of the presiding judge unless you have the papers I kept at the temple.”

“I’m sure the papers will come into my hands.”

“Foolish thing! Do you think I’ll let you do that or let someone else bring the papers for you? No one can take it out unless it’s you and me. You won’t be able to enter unless a priest confirms your family crest.”

The Duke slammed the armrest with excitement. He stared at Felix with a sharp twitch of anger.

I didn’t expect my son to be so unreasonable!

He had expected Felix to come to his senses one day and understand what he meant. He was willing to overlook his insolent and selfish behavior to some extent since it’s something a successor of the Berg family should exercise.

However, his son was more stubborn than he expected. He dared to accuse him and put him in prison. The look on his face was as frustrating and uncomfortable as that of his second child, about whom he had no idea what was running through his mind.

Felix Berg! You stupid thing! This pathetic…!

But suddenly the Duke stopped moving.

His angry face flashed with bewilderment. The ominous thought at first glance drove him into shock. His protruding eyes began to examine his son’s face. Eyes, nose, mouth, forehead, and everything else. But no matter how much he looked at it, the duke could guarantee nothing. In the process, a face identical to the one before him appeared over it.

At last the Duke opened his twitching lips and uttered a trembling voice.

“You… you…… I don’t believe it!”

He pointed his finger at his son in front of him with a shaky hand.

“How dare you…!”

But his son only stared at his father with calm and cool eyes.

“Adrian… How dare you……!”

The Duke felt suffocated and was out of breath. His eyes twitched, and he felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time.

In recent months, he had been overworked, and he was on the verge of collapse due to the sudden shock. But, as he staggered, his imagination was clearly running towards the worst.

He clearly imagined the appearance of his eldest son, who had managed to escape the mansion and would have arrived at the temple by now, and the fact that he held the documents in the safe in his hand.

He gasped and collapsed under the sofa.

How can you betray me like this?

He looked at Adrian, sitting quietly on the opposite side of the sofa with furious eyes. The Duke held his chest as if his beating heart was about to burst. He needed a doctor. He reached out to Adrian in front of him and commanded.

“C, call someone……!”

The next moment, however, he faced his son’s face with no sympathy for him. Only then did the Duke realize that it was not time for him to give orders.

“Adrian… call someone right now…… I beg you…” 

He was now pleading for Adrian. The fear of death seemed to hang before him. Adrian only stared down at his father, and did nothing.

“Adrian, please call someone…….”

“…Father,”

At last Adrian opened his tight lips.

“Perhaps Felix would have. He wouldn’t have simply abandoned someone in trouble.”

His low, shady voice enveloped the duke like a fog.

“Even if it’s trash like you,”

“Adrian…!”

“But I’m not,”

Adrian uttered words that were far too desperate for the Duke.

“It’s so much fun to see you struggle in such a miserable way now. …maybe I’m the same trash as you are. But I can’t help it. You made me do this.”

The Duke’s eyes appeared fuzzy. He was unable to see anything.

Instead, he could clearly hear his son ridiculing him.

“Why didn’t you try to distinguish us properly?”

At the end of his speech, the Duke lost his mind.