LRVP Chapter 44

Chapter 44

‘Even if Claude has monster-like healing powers, he’s still human.’
It was such a big accident. Probably, the original story was overly dramatic.
I tried to suppress my doubts with the mindset of ‘It is what it is.’

“Well, now that the check-up is done, shall we head back?”

“Oh, yes.”

I crossed my arms as Claude stood up. He naturally leaned on me now.
“Should I take you to Amelia?”

“No, I’ll go to my room. I have some things to handle.”

Nodding, I led Claude to his room.
“Well, I’ll go check on the kids. Take your time with your work.”

“You’ve helped me this far, so why don’t you have a cup of tea before you go?”

“You have work to do.”

“It’s just a quick task, so it’s fine. If you leave now, I’ll feel uncomfortable.”

“Well then…”

I awkwardly turned my foot that was resting on the doorframe and entered his room.
Claude ordered a maid to bring tea and offered me a seat.
While I stayed seated, Claude gathered a package and letter from the desk and moved them to the tea table. It seemed like he planned to do some work while having tea.

“Is that a letter from the Marquis?”

“No, it’s from the Imperial Palace.”

“From the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes. I had some work there, after all.”

Before the late Marquis Agris and his wife had the carriage accident, Claude had been active in the Monster Hunt Corps.
As the captain of the corps, he was responsible for guarding the western border of the Empire, which often had monster appearances. This was due to his innate strength, monster-like stamina, and heightened senses that reacted to magic.

“Word of Amelia’s findings seems to have reached the Imperial Palace. Now that I’ve found my niece, I’m starting to feel the pressure to return to work.”

The reason Claude had left the Monster Hunt Corps was simple.
He left to find his niece, Amelia.
The Emperor, who had been close to the late Marquis Agris, kindly granted Claude an extended leave.
Of course, the Emperor didn’t really believe Claude would find Amelia. It was probably a way for him to take some time to gather himself.

“But your body still hasn’t recovered yet.”

“Yes. But it seems the Emperor is in a hurry.”

While I sipped the tea the maid brought, Claude opened the package.
As soon as he opened it, a foul smell instantly filled the room.

“Ugh.”
I instinctively pinched my nose.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a strange smell coming from the package.”

“A smell?”

Claude sniffed the package closely.
“I don’t smell anything.”

“What? That can’t be true.”
The awful smell was so strong it almost gave me a headache.

Claude looked at me in confusion as I held my nose, then pulled out the object from the package.
Inside the package was a black wooden box.
To prove my sense of smell wasn’t wrong, a foul odor leaked out from the gaps in the box.

“What is that?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll open it.”

Claude, unsure of my reaction, opened the box.
Inside the box was a black crystal about the size of a thumbnail. There was also a note explaining what it was.
Claude quickly read the note.

“According to the note, this is…”

“Magic.”
I didn’t need an explanation.

“That crystal contains magic, doesn’t it?”

---

“Done!”
“…What exactly did you make?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s a cake.”

Amelia said confidently, placing her hands on her hips. Before her was a lump of clay that couldn’t be recognized as any shape.

“It looks more like poop…”

“What did you say, Lucian?”

“I-I really think it’s well-made!”
Though Amelia’s creation was far from resembling a cake, Lucian pretended not to notice.

“Wow, Ria, you’re amazing!”

Edwin even clapped for the lump of clay.

“Heh.”
Amelia’s shoulders soared high as the two kids praised her.

“What should I make next?”

To give her uncle and sister some quiet time, I needed to keep these troublemakers occupied.
Just as Amelia was lost in thought…

“There you are.”
A low voice slipped between the children. It was the Duke’s voice.

“Father.”

Lucian jumped up from his seat, hurriedly trying to brush off the dirt on his clothes.
He tried to wipe the muddy traces off, but he couldn’t manage to clean the clay on his hands. In the end, he hid his dirty hands behind his back.

‘He’s going to scold me again.’
It was obvious he’d get scolded for not playing properly. He might even just sigh without saying a word.
‘I hate that more.’

Lucian fiddled with his dirty hands, lowering his head. He always felt like he was being punished when standing in front of his father.

However, the Duke’s gaze wasn’t on Lucian.

“Edwin.”

“Okay.”
“Let’s talk for a bit.”
The Duke, with yellow eyes resembling Lucian’s, was focused only on Edwin.
From the start, it seemed like Lucian wasn’t even in sight.

“But your hands are dirty…”
“It’s fine. Hands can be washed.”
The Duke grabbed Edwin’s hands, which were covered in clay, without hesitation.
There was no sign of disgust on his face.
Even though Edwin stumbled over his words, the Duke didn’t scold him.

“I’ll be back soon.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Lucian waved his hand towards Edwin, who was walking away, still holding his father’s hand.
It was the first time Lucian realized that indifference could hurt more than any words.

---

Duke Bellomon took Edwin to his study.
“Edwin.”

“Yes, Father.”
“How about going to the capital with me?”
Edwin’s lips parted at the sudden suggestion.

“It’s hard to explain, but I spend most of my time in the capital, not here in the mansion. It’s time to return there.”
Duke Bellomon bent his knee and looked into Edwin’s eyes.
“Will you come with me to the capital?”

“Will Lucian and Sister Lucella come too?”
“No.”
The Duke shook his head.

“I’ll go to the capital alone. Lucian and Lucella will stay here in the mansion.”
“Hmm…”
Edwin hesitated.

He didn’t want to part from the true family he had longed for.
But at the same time, he didn’t want to leave Lucian and Lucella behind.
They were his saviors.
Edwin’s life had changed after meeting Lucella. He didn’t want to leave this miracle behind.

“By the way, Amelia will return to her home soon.”
So there was no need to worry, the Duke meant.

However, Edwin gave an answer opposite to what the Duke expected.
“I’ll stay here.”

“That means you’ll be separated from me. Will that be okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine with Sister Lucella and Lucian. I’ll wait here for you with them.”
“Ha…”

The Duke sighed.
He had thought Edwin would want to come with him.
‘Does he still feel uncomfortable with me?’

Though there was a tinge of disappointment, the Duke also felt relieved.
At least it seemed Lucian wasn’t tormenting Edwin.

The way he spoke showed that Edwin seemed to rely on Lucella quite a bit.
‘Come to think of it, he was playing with Lucian earlier.’

Lucian was a wild and possessive child. The Duke had expected him to make Edwin’s life difficult.
But to his surprise, that wasn’t the case. Edwin and Lucian seemed to get along just fine.
Maybe Lucian wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

The Duke didn’t realize that, from the beginning, Lucian had never really had a father to claim.

“Well, if that’s what you want, I have no choice.”
The Duke had been worried about Edwin’s future.

He had longed to keep the child by his side after so many years apart.
But thinking about Edwin’s future, it wouldn’t be wise to stay.

The key figures in the Duke’s house mostly resided in the Duke’s territory, not the capital.
For Edwin to inherit the title, he would need their support.

It was better for him to stay in the Duke’s land and strengthen his connections with the vassals.

‘At least now I can feel at ease.’
The Duke patted Edwin’s head.

“I’ll respect your decision.”
“Thank you.”

Edwin didn’t fully understand what his decision or respect meant, but he nodded anyway.
He was just glad to stay with the kind people and warm home.

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

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