Chapter 4
Here’s the English translation of the provided Korean text:
—
He was one of the five dukes of the empire, the lord of the vast territories between the capital and the north, Johann von Blumhardt.
Now he was in the reception room to meet the woman who claimed to have brought his lost greatsword.
Seated arrogantly on the sofa in the reception room, he exuded grace and elegance befitting a noble of the empire.
Johann, possessing a developed sensitivity to mana, felt puzzled hearing not two but three sets of footsteps approaching, guided by the steward.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Your Excellency, your guest has arrived.”
“…Let her in.”
As Johann permitted, the steward promptly opened the door to the reception room and let her in.
His chilly crimson eyes fixed on the woman entering the reception room.
Except for her exceptionally fair skin, the woman in simple attire appeared utterly ordinary.
With emerald eyes radiating subtle hues and soft brown hair, she seemed to carry more than just the greatsword she brought.
Looking into her intense emerald eyes, he felt an odd twinge in his chest, as if she suspected him of embezzling money and fleeing.
Turning his gaze to the child behind her, he was surprised to see a child with strikingly similar features, as if they were carved from the same mold.
The advisor, similarly astonished by the child, emitted a stifled gasp from behind.
“…Please, have a seat first.”
Suppressing his anxious curiosity about the child, Johann spoke up.
‘No harm in asking after receiving the greatsword.’
As they sat on the sofa, silence enveloped the room for a moment.
“Mom, is that our dad?”
In the suffocating silence, the child’s innocent voice echoed in the reception room.
Though the child whispered to the woman’s ear, it was audible to everyone in the room due to the quietness.
Johann’s eyebrow arched slightly.
The nearby advisor and steward swallowed their surprise silently.
“Yes, that’s right. He’s your dad, Lafi.”
Observing their whispered exchange, Johann realized the woman’s purpose wasn’t just the greatsword.
“…Madam, I’ve heard you brought the greatsword.”
Sensing his discomfort, the advisor spoke to the woman.
“Oh, yes.”
The woman extended the greatsword towards Johann.
After the steward removed the cloth covering the sword, it was politely handed over to Johann.
As he grasped the greatsword, a powerful vibration emanated from it.
‘It resonates strongly, as if it’s been touched after a long time.’
After briefly inspecting the sharp blade gleaming in his hands, he sheathed it again.
Now the issue wasn’t the greatsword, but the woman who brought the child who resembled him so much.
“What about the child?”
He asked in a chillingly cold tone.
“I… would like to discuss it where the child isn’t present.”
The woman hesitated before speaking.
—
The woman’s gaze as she looked directly at Johann held no hint of falsehood.
“My name is Raphaella. We’ve lived together, you and I, not as a lord and a servant.”
Both the woman and the child were faces he had never seen before. This made no sense at all…
No matter how much the child resembled him, it was hard to believe.
“Sorry, but I’m seeing you for the first time today.”
“I… have lived with you, Your Grace, for four and a half years. We’re married.”
The woman replied with a voice full of conviction.
Two years ago, one day, Johann found himself in the mountains.
He remembered that the last thing he recalled was being stabbed by a knight on his way back from subduing the northern demons.
“I barely managed to mark the coordinates of the Blumhardt Castle on the magic array before falling off the cliff…”
He was surprised to find himself in such good shape, and he stopped to inspect his wounds.
The area where he was stabbed was already healed, leaving only traces of scars.
Puzzled by what had happened, he descended from the mountain.
Johann asked passersby where he was and learned that four and a half years had passed since he disappeared.
Without deeply pondering why he was wandering in the northern mountains, he headed straight for the duke’s residence.
To announce his return to life.
This woman was claiming to have been there during his absence.
“…How am I supposed to believe that?”
The questioning voice was chilly.
“You have a scar on the left side of your abdomen from the stab wound, don’t you? And there’s also a cut on your palm from the same knife.”
“…”
The woman was piercingly staring at Johann’s wounded areas.
“I found you collapsed near the valley near the village where I live at the time you were missing.”
Her clear eyes, devoid of any falsehood, were reflected in his eyes.
“It seems you were setting the coordinates for the castle, but you were in the valley.”
“Because of the demon poison, you were unconscious for almost a month, and you almost died several times.”
That person had even applied demon poison to the knife.
Suppressing his rising anger, Johann listened to the woman’s words.
“Everyone told me to give up, but I eventually saved you.”
“And then?”
“…Whether it was due to the demon poison or not, when you woke up, you couldn’t remember anything. Who you were, or why you were here.”
So that’s why I couldn’t just return to being a duke right away. Why was I wandering in the northern mountains out of the blue?
The puzzle pieces started to fit into his previously incomprehensible blank.
“The only thing I remember is the word ‘Hart.'”
“…Hart?”
He only remembered half of the ‘castle’? Was he mocking himself with his incredulity?
He suspiciously regarded the woman at the sudden question that popped into his mind.
“You knew there was a Blumhardt mark on the greatsword, so why…”
“I didn’t know at that time. Where I live is so remote, I hardly knew any rumors circulating within the empire.”
The woman responded with an innocent expression to Johann’s skeptical question.
“…Then how did you know and find me?”
“A few days ago, I happened to see a newspaper with the duke’s portrait.”
As the successor to his father, the Duke Blumhardt would often appear in the newspapers.
As one of the Five Dukes of the empire, a Swordmaster, and an engagement partner of the princess, it was impossible not to appear in the newspaper.
So, in summary, he lost his memory when he went missing, and when his memory returned, he lost it again?
“…My head hurts.”
He pressed his temple with his hand.
“The recovered duke married me…”
“So what’s the purpose of coming to find me once you knew who I was?”
He didn’t really want to hear the rest of the story.
Since the woman and the child came in, he had strangely felt a dull ache around his heart and irritation.
And because he was resenting himself for the time he lost his memory.
“…You’re not curious about the suddenly appearing daughter despite having no memories?”
The woman looked at him defiantly, clenching her hands.
Although it was not an attitude a commoner should take towards a duke, he didn’t point it out.
“No, I’m not. So, is it money you’re after?”
“No. More than that, I want you to fulfill my request. No, you must.”
“…Your request?”
“Yes, since you saved my life, and it costs you nothing, I hope you won’t refuse.”
The woman spoke to Johann, stressing each word.
There was resentment and anger towards him in her eyes.
The emotions displayed by a woman he had no memory of were unpleasant to him.
“What is it?”
“Formally admit Raphaella into the duke’s household and raise her here.”
“…The child?”
Johann furrowed his brows.
“I’ll leave, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Are you abandoning your daughter?”
Johann asked her, puzzled by her request.
“…I have reasons, that’s all.”
“Reasons?”
“I don’t want to discuss them.”
Johann listened to her demand in silence.
He needed to calculate whether officially admitting the child to his register would ultimately benefit or harm him.
“A child born before marriage might cause some commotion here and there…”
Other nobles or divine beings might make a fuss about the child’s origin.
But if the child really had his blood, it could be a good opportunity to avoid unnecessary marriages.
“If I officially admit her, the princess might try to break off the engagement.”
thanks! this has such great potential! i am looking forward to see how it develops! keke, i actually dont want her to end up with him, let them just be co-parents or something! i hope raffaela grows up loved, this time. but it seems to hint that our FL CAN get healed.