HPBUY Chapter 53

The time spent away from family wasn’t as lonely as one might think.

Count Monches, who became Declan’s temporary guardian during his parents’ absence, took great care of him. Perhaps worried that Declan might become depressed, the Count brought his own sons to keep things lively around him.

Then one day…

Declan was practicing swordplay with Rio as usual. When Rio struck, Declan failed to block it and dropped his wooden sword, falling to the ground.

“That’s another win for me.”

As Rio taunted, Declan, still sitting on the ground, glared at him silently. The Count, who was nearby, burst into hearty laughter and said,

“Our Young Master is stronger in academics than swordsmanship. That’s where you fall short, isn’t it, Rio?”

When the Count teased him, Rio pouted. With an annoyed face, he grumbled about why such things needed to be mentioned now.

The Count chuckled at his son’s reaction and helped Declan up.

“You did well enough, Dicky.”

“Thank you, Lord Monches.”

Declan’s cheeks turned a shy shade of pink.

As he was picking up his wooden sword to resume training, he saw the butler Ruben running from afar. Since he had never seen him run before, Declan paused mid-pickup and watched the old butler with a puzzled expression.

He was holding a crumpled paper in his hand.

“Lord Monches. I think you need to come here for a moment.”

Ruben called for the Count urgently, not even catching his breath properly.

Perhaps from running, Ruben’s face was pale and bloodless. His gaze briefly flickered to Declan before returning to the Count.

In that momentary shared glance, anxiety was deeply evident.

“What’s the matter?”

The Count also seemed puzzled by the butler’s unusual behavior.

“A letter came from the capital, and its contents seem strange…”

The rest of the words didn’t reach him. Declan, who had been tapping the ground with the tip of his wooden sword, turned his head slightly toward where the two men stood.

They seemed to exchange a few more words in serious voices, but they were too far for Declan to hear. After examining the letter for a moment, both men’s gazes eventually turned in one direction.

When Declan met the shocked faces of the two men, strength left his hands.

Clang – only the hollow sound of the wooden sword falling to the ground echoed.

****

Due to the sudden carriage accident, the Emperor personally ordered a search party to investigate the truth. Eventually, the cause of the accident was revealed to be a carelessly attached carriage wheel.

Because they had fallen from a cliff, the bodies were not in good condition. Originally, Declan should have identified the bodies himself, but considering his young age, Count Monches and Duke Lowell confirmed the identities of the deceased instead.

The Grand Duke’s servants, worried about him being alone, kept Rio and Theodore by his side all day, as they were the same age.

However, neither of them was in any position to comfort the other. Unlike Declan, who didn’t show his emotions outwardly, the brothers hugged him and cried until their voices grew hoarse.

It was natural, as the two brothers had followed the Grand Duke like an uncle, just as Declan had been close to Count Monches.

Meanwhile, none of this felt real to Declan.

His parents passing away? Aila being dead? It all sounded like nonsense.

Then one night, unable to sleep, he was wandering alone in the empty hallway when he heard the sound of arguing from somewhere. As he naturally headed in that direction, Ruben, who was standing in front of the door, spotted him.

“Young Master, why are you still up and out here?”

He asked with a startled face. Declan’s gaze moved past Ruben to what was behind him.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing. Please go back to bed.”

Declan approached the door in a daze. Through the gap, he could hear raised voices.

“The military? Absolutely not! How can you send the Grand Duke’s only heir into a war zone!”

“Stop interfering. Now that his parents are deceased, it’s right that I, his godfather, should be his guardian.”

It was Count Monches and Duke Lowell.

Just then, the door burst open.

The Count, who had been following to stop the Duke, seemed quite startled by Declan’s presence at the door, but the Duke showed no such reaction. The Duke’s cold gaze turned to Declan.

“The Emperor will be here soon.”

“……”

“You know the proper etiquette for receiving royalty, don’t you? You must conduct yourself without the slightest mistake.”

Then he added one last thing.

“I’m sorry it turned out this way, Declan.”

For someone lamenting the tragic accident of a lifelong friend, his voice was unnaturally detached.

****

The funeral drew a massive crowd. The church bell rang once in the solemn atmosphere outside. It meant the Emperor had arrived.

Everyone gathered inside rose from their seats at once. Shortly after, the Emperor and Empress, dressed in black, entered the cathedral.

The Emperor, in his black formal uniform, entered first. The tall man exchanged greetings with the clergy conducting the funeral mass. Behind him entered a woman wearing a long black veil – the Empress.

Somehow, Declan found it hard to move. As he stood there in a daze, Duke Lowell beside him gave him a look. Only then did Declan take heavy steps forward.

“I greet His Imperial Majesty and Her Imperial Majesty.”

Upon reaching them, he bowed his head respectfully as he had been taught.

That’s when the emotions he had been suppressing suddenly surfaced. If they hadn’t headed to the capital that day, this wouldn’t have happened. Why did this happen?

As he raised his head, his vision suddenly became blurry. Though he tried to swallow his tears, they fell in drops.

Barely suppressing the sobs rising in his throat, Declan continued speaking.

“Thank you for coming in person.”

“I deeply regret that you have had to endure this, Young Lord Monferrato.”

The Emperor personally bent down to meet his gaze. Though it seemed a thoughtful gesture, his ice-blue eyes showed no particular warmth.

“Your father was a longtime friend to myself and the Empress. I too am deeply shocked and pained by this incident.”

Though the words were quite kind, somehow Declan couldn’t respond immediately.

“It must be very difficult, but you need to pull yourself together.”

After putting on this warm display for everyone, the Emperor patted Declan’s shoulder a couple of times and headed to his place, as if his duty was done.

Next was the Empress’s turn to give her greetings. When no words came as Declan kept his eyes lowered, he glanced up.

Unlike the Emperor, who had maintained his composure while expressing appropriate personal regret, the Empress was trembling and crying. She was so overwhelmed by emotion that she could barely compose herself.

The Empress approached with unsteady steps and embraced him tightly.

“I’m…I’m so very sorry.”

Up close, she was trembling uncontrollably. Her face, visible through the black veil, was a mess of tears. Having never seen a grown adult cry like this before, he didn’t know what to do.

Instead of hugging her back, Declan just stood still.

But the tears he had been holding back began to well up again. Once they started, they wouldn’t stop easily. Declan cried silently in the Empress’s embrace.

****

The long funeral procession finally ended when the Grand Duke, his wife, and their daughter were sealed in the family tomb.

“You held up well like an adult, Declan.”

After all the mourners had left, the Duke approached Declan, who stood before the empty graveyard.

“From now on, you must continue to behave properly before His Imperial Majesty, just as you did today. Understand?”

Instead of answering the Duke’s words, Declan kept his gaze fixed on the tombstone and asked.

“What will happen to me now?”

“According to law, I, as your godfather, will be your guardian until you come of age.”

At those words, Declan thought numbly.

Does that mean I’ll go to the Duke’s residence? What will happen to Monferrato?

The Duke, who had been quietly looking at the darkening sky, suddenly spoke.

“Looking at the sky, the sun will set soon. Let’s talk about the details in the carriage.”

As soon as the two boarded, the Duke’s carriage started with a rattling noise. Declan looked in the direction where his family was buried. The tombstones visible through the darkening path all looked so similar that he couldn’t distinguish which belonged to whom.

Even after leaving the cemetery, the Duke maintained his silence for quite some time.

“This might be difficult for you to fully understand, as it’s adult business.”

Only when they were nearly arriving at the Grand Duke’s residence did his tightly sealed lips finally open.

“There are unsavory rumors circulating about the Grand Duke’s household.”

“…Pardon?”

“All of them are matters that would make His Imperial Majesty uncomfortable.”

At these puzzling words, Declan could only stare blankly at the Duke.

“In this situation, if you continue to stay in Monferrato or the capital, His Majesty’s discomfort might affect you as well. So…”

“Godfather.”

The Duke’s words cut off at the quiet voice. Declan spoke with a still emotionless face.

“Are you saying that what happened to my family wasn’t just a simple accident?”

Instead of answering, the Duke turned his gaze to the window.

The road from Monferrato to the capital wasn’t particularly treacherous. Even at its worst, the road was well-maintained and unlikely to cause fatal accidents. There were many questionable aspects to the accident, and many had already noticed these points.

It was only a matter of time before Declan found out. It might be better to reveal all the circumstances now while he was still young and break his will for revenge.

“Join the military.”

The Duke said it as if hammering in a nail. But those words alone were already enough of an answer.