『 A house where he can serve her comfortably?』
Cassius, surprised, immediately stuck close to Walter.
Seeing him sneak out secretly with that expression, it seemed like it wouldn’t just end as a normal incident.
Cassius had to follow him to handle the situation or at least figure out what was going on.
They took two horses and headed straight to the Lexion Manor.
Even at night, the bright windows of the Duke’s mansion shone like lanterns, displaying the family’s wealth.
When they arrived at the Duke’s manor, Cassius couldn’t help but be surprised once again.
“What kind of person has three carriages waiting?”
Given the size of the carriages and the number of footmen waiting, it meant that three distinguished guests had momentarily stopped.
Walter paid no heed and rode his horse straight up to the gatekeeper.
“I have come at the invitation of the Duke of Lexion.”
“We appreciate your acceptance of the invitation.”
Creak—
The gatekeeper opened the gate without delay. He had been instructed to open the gate immediately if Lady Fortrion or her escort knight arrived.
The way Walter naturally led the horse inside made him look just like the owner of the manor, and Cassius couldn’t help but be impressed.
『 It seems there really is such a thing as natural grace.』
Walter, who was riding his horse at high speed, soon spotted Vane and slowed down.
“I would like to meet the Duke.”
Watching Walter look down at him from his white horse, Vane thought to himself. If Walter had looked down on him from the beginning, he would have instinctively realized that he was from Lexion’s distinguished lineage.
“I’ll guide you there. You there, come and take care of the horses.”
Vane treated Walter and Cassius with courtesy.
Right now, the Duke was with his three daughters, but it seemed that the young ladies were also eager to see Walter more than anyone else, so guiding them wouldn’t be a problem.
Walter followed Vane in wide strides and suddenly stopped in front of a painting hanging near the Duke’s study.
As soon as he made eye contact with the woman in the painting, a shiver ran down his spine.
She has gentle golden eyes and dark black hair.
A woman with features strikingly similar to his own.
[Leah Lexion]
“…”
When Edith talked about Isaac, she often mentioned the name of his mother, Mrs. Leah.
The whole situation was becoming clear.
Walter briefly paid his respects to the woman in the painting who bore a striking resemblance to him and then continued walking.
Meanwhile, Franz was in his study, being nagged by his daughters.
“Father, let go of that necklace first. You keep listening to Leah Unnie’s voice.”
“And stop drinking. You don’t even get drunk anyway.”
“Just because you were rejected once, it doesn’t mean you should stay in your study like this.”
Melissa, Hestia, and Lilliette comforted their father, but inside, they were thinking about something else.
『 There’s… not much hope.』
『 Having a child already makes him more sensitive.』
『 Once we soothe Father first, I will contact Lady Fortrion privately.』
Just as they were confiscating the alcohol, a voice was heard.
“Master, Lady Fortrion’s escort knight has arrived—.”
“Wait a second.”
Before the butler could even finish his report, Walter burst into the Duke’s study. The three daughters’ mouths opened slightly as they came face to face with the man wearing a black robe and wielding a sword.
『 They look so much alike, and Father didn’t recognize him?』
『 He even looks a lot like Father in his younger years.』
『 Leah Unnie… After all, Father has no hope of becoming a grandfather.』
Despite gulping down drinks one after another without getting drunk, Franz, who had been heartbroken, abruptly got up as soon as he heard the news of Walter’s arrival as if he had been waiting for it.
Before Walter could offer his greetings, he spoke about his business first.
“If Your Grace allows it, I would like to verify whether I am of Lexion’s blood.”
“…!”
Franz’s eyes were greatly agitated. Judging from his tone of voice, it was clear that Walter had also come with the belief that he was a Lexion.
“Yes, Father.”
“Let’s go to the Chamber of Succession.”
“Vane, please lead the way.”
In prestigious families like theirs, there existed a space known as the ‘Chamber of Succession’ used solely for verifying bloodlines.
Cassius immediately recognized what was placed in the center of the room.
⋙“The rod that Helen is holding isn’t just an ordinary crystal rod. It’s…”⋘
⋙“It’s the ‘Rwenna-Edward’ blood test rod.”⋘
Although Cassius couldn’t remember the difficult name of the crystal rod that Edith had told him, he did remember one piece of information.
『 They said if it’s blue, it means they are related.』
As a heavy silence fell in the room, the Duke of Lexion allowed a drop of blood to fall onto one end of the crystal rod. Walter also slightly bit his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall on it.
Zzzing—
The crystal rod absorbed the blood and released a magical energy.
For the high-ranking nobility, conducting a kinship test using a crystal rod was a common practice, so everyone was able to read the results.
A clear blue color.
When Franz saw the expected result with his own eyes, he was speechless.
“You’re… you’re… Leah’s son.”
Even though he said that, he didn’t know what he should do next. He had imagined that if he ever met Leah’s child, he would embrace them or kiss them, but everything had been ruined.
Nevertheless, Franz, who wanted to do something for Walter as his grandfather, suddenly remembered the necklace.
“I will infuse magic into this necklace so you can hear Leah’s voice.”
“It’s alright, I can do it myself.”
As Walter naturally infused magic into the necklace, not only the Duke but also his three daughters were astonished.
『 He already awakened his magic, didn’t he?』
『 The way he uses it is so natural…』
『 As expected, he’s really Leah Lexion’s son.』
Walter didn’t pay any attention to their evaluation. He simply listened to the familiar and affectionate voice that came from the necklace.
「“I think my son likes Edith a lot too. Ah, I should tell you about my son first.”」
The only information he had was the voice that reached his ears, but he suddenly remembered his mother’s gently curled mouth. He faintly recalled the touch of her hand caressing his head.
「“I named my son myself, ‘Walter Isaac Lexion.’ Since I didn’t get married, I gave him my last name and Father’s, Lexion. I want to give my son his father’s last name, but I don’t know if he would have allowed it.”」
『 Walter Isaac Lexion?』
Walter, who had been listening to his mother’s voice, wondering if his father would be mentioned, could not help but pause when his full name was mentioned. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
「“Father’s proud eldest daughter, Leah Lexion, signing off.”」
After hearing the last sentence, Walter gently lowered the necklace he was holding up to his face.
Franz, who listened to Leah’s magically recorded voice, could tell that Walter had heard everything, including the final farewell.
But just when Franz was thinking about having a conversation with his grandson, Walter cheerfully said.
“Well, I’ll be on my way.”
“What?”
To make sure it wasn’t just talk, Walter grabbed the winter robe he had briefly set aside.
Vane, who had just imagined Walter taking the position of head of the family as the rightful successor to Lexion, couldn’t hide his confusion.
“If—if you’re tired, we’ll send someone as soon as the registration documents are ready.”
“Tired?”
Walter sneered at the bewildered Vane. His face already had a touch of discontent and sharpness, causing Vane to hold his breath.
“I don’t think I have ever given permission to put my name on the Lexion family register.”
His voice sounded so vicious that even his right-hand man Cassius was shocked.
It was natural for the Lexions, who were defenseless when it came to Walter, to be shaken.
Uncharacteristically, Franz asked, unable to grasp the situation.
“Permission. What do you mean, Walter?”
“Well, you can call me by your first name, but isn’t this an unfair deal, Grandpa? Until now, you didn’t even know where I was, and you even threatened my woman with your magic.”
“…”
“Yet you want me to become a part of House Lexion just because we’re related by blood. I think that’s ridiculous.”
Although the three noble ladies couldn’t find words to reply to, they couldn’t help but understand.
This was because Walter resembled the stubborn yet unstoppable side that Leah sometimes showed.
『 Seeing how bold and confident he is, I guess he’s really Leah’s son.』
『 Usually, men can’t even make eye contact with our Father.』
The more Walter spoke, the more evidence that he was Leah Lexion’s son.
“First, I would like to suggest some terms for the deal.”
Walter knew that Edith had reservations about the Lexions.
She seemed to have no doubts that the Duke’s discipline was at the level of abuse, but since he made a bad first impression, she might not want to raise their child as a member of this family.
『 So, I need to obtain everything I need without exposing that Edith is carrying my child…』
To others, it may have seemed like a pointless attempt to take a simple route, but to Walter, who couldn’t afford to leave any opportunity for Edith to leave, it was an important issue.
Since Edith was already a woman who could live well on her own, Walter had a hard time keeping her by his side, so he couldn’t bear to see her raising their child independently just because of his bloodline.
Just when Walter was thinking about shaking his head, an unexpected voice came from behind him.
“I apologize for coming unannounced at such a late hour, Your Grace.”
“…!”
“There are things I need to discuss. There are also issues I would like to discuss with this person.”
Edith was standing there with a determined face, much like himself.
“I’m pregnant. It’s this man’s child.”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
