Frozen stiff, Vincent couldn’t even breathe.
Realizing the severity of the situation, I desperately shook Vincent’s shoulders.
“Vincent? Vin!”
But Vincent couldn’t find his breath.
His complexion was getting paler by the moment, making me feel dizzy.
That’s when it happened.
“Tutor, snap out of it!”
At Cardien’s shout, I snapped my eyes open.
In the meantime, Cardien, who had wedged himself between Vincent and me, placed his hand on Vincent’s chest and forcefully pushed him down, making Vincent gasp for air and slump where he sat.
“Keugh…”
Coughing harshly, Vincent let out a faint moan.
“Cough! Cough! Ugh…”
I rushed over to Vincent to check his condition.
“Vincent, are you okay? Breathe slowly. Yes, it’s okay, you’re doing great.”
“Tu-tutor… I…”
Vincent managed to wheeze out.
Amidst my confusion, I whispered softly to calm Vincent.
You’re okay. You’re okay.
Breathing slowly, Vincent seemed to calm down soon.
‘What just happened?’
That question was about to be answered.
As the voices from beyond the corner grew closer, the sounds of conversation gradually became clearer.
“I heard that guy came? The one pretending to be a Mercedes!”
“That’s right, that’s right. Whenever he’s not on the run with his tail between his legs, he shows up to celebrate. He’s not even worthy.”
“Anyway, he’s an obscure newcomer with an unknown background.”
“But… he came with the duke, didn’t he?”
“No, my father told me, but the duke hasn’t the slightest interest in him, and he’s about to disown him.”
“If Count Drake said so, then it is certain!”
“Well, it’s a good thing, too, because he’s been walking around with his head held high, calling himself Mercedes! Fuhaha!”
“Ah~ but it’s a shame, that means he’ll never come back to the academy again, it was fun getting milk on the back of his head.”
“Yeah, I left a dead mouse in his desk as a ‘present,’ will he ever see it?”
“And my dad said that if that bastard gets kicked out, he’s going to introduce me as his adopted son. ”
“What? Then Isaac becomes the young master of Mercedes?”
“Wow, he’s a much better fit than that guy! Isaac Mercedes!”
“Hehe, of course.”
Confident laughter followed the spiteful voices.
I stood there, frozen, staring blankly in the direction where the voices were coming from.
‘What on earth are they saying?’
In truth, there was no need to contemplate.
Just hearing that conversation made it abundantly clear what was happening.
‘Those guys…’
I slowly turned to look at Vincent.
He wasn’t gasping for breath as intensely as before, but he still trembled, lost in thought.
“……Vincent…….”
Seeing him like that made my chest tighten.
And even my own heart started to heat up.
It felt like my head was about to burst.
I immediately tried to stand up.
But I couldn’t.
Cardien had risen unexpectedly before me.
Without hesitation, his body moved toward the direction where the voices were coming from.
I stared blankly at Cardien’s back, but as soon as he disappeared from view, I snapped back to reality.
‘Can I leave him alone?’
I asked, my anger rising to the top of my lungs.
Was he going to stab them?
They’re just kids, after all…….
(T/N: But they are rotten to the core so no loss at all.)
“What, what’s going on? Aaaah!”
Before I could even finish my thought, screams echoed from around the corner.
Suddenly, chaos erupted, filled with shouting and screams.
‘Wait a moment…’
Is this okay?
Well, I have no intention of defending or protecting those kids.
But if they get into trouble, Cardien will be in a bind.
‘No, this won’t do.’
I made up my mind and spoke to Vincent, who was staring blankly in the direction of the commotion.
“Vincent, can you wait here for a moment? I’ll be right back.”
In response, Vincent turned his head and grabbed my sleeve.
“I want to go too.”
Seeing my worried expression, Vincent struggled to get up and tightly held my hand.
I couldn’t just leave him alone after all this. I finally let out a sigh and spoke again.
“Alright then, if you feel like you can’t breathe or something strange happens to your body, you have to tell me, okay?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then.”
I squeezed Vincent’s hand and headed for the back of the building, where I didn’t know what was going on.
Checking Vincent’s condition, I cautiously arrived at the scene, and……..
‘……What the.’
I couldn’t help but feel perplexed by the sight before me.
Under Cardien’s grip, two children were struggling in mid-air, and one of them was even hanging from a tree, crying.
Then, one of the children trapped by Cardien shouted defiantly.
“Do you know who I am? My father is Count Drake!”
This child, who was in Cardien’s left hand, was the largest and had a fierce appearance among the three children.
Vincent seemed to have noticed this child too, as he suddenly tightened his grip on my hand.
“What’s your name? Do you think I’m scared of an adult?!Ugh!”
The child seemed oblivious to who Cardien was, as he continued to resist, shouting about his father.
That’s when it happened.
“You! What are you doing!”
“Dad!”
From afar, a middle-aged man rushed over, shouting loudly.
The young boy who had been trapped in Cardien’s grip started to scream in protest.
“Isaac! Can’t you put my son down right now?!”
He yelled at Cardien, but Cardien paid him no attention.
Eventually, when Cardien stared at the man with his emotionless, cold eyes, the man hesitated and took a step back.
Cardien’s lips parted.
“Count Hidmund Drake.”
“W-well, yes! I am Hidmund Drake himself! Who are you to fearlessly take my son…”
“I was wondering where I saw it, but now I remember. You’re the fellow who used to be the previous Duke’s footman, aren’t you?”
“What, what? Footman?! How dare you…….”
His anger flared at the word ‘footman’, but Cardien held nothing back, not even mockery.
“As soon as the predecessor died, you immediately attached yourself to me like a leech. It seemed like you were going to stick to me even after I die, so I decided to cut off the source.”
A subtle smile formed on Cardien’s lips.
“You managed to stay alive, it seems.”
“W-what, just wait…”
As he was about to unleash his anger, he suddenly realized something, staring blankly at Cardien.
His lips quivered in disbelief.
“Silver hair, red eyes… Could it be… Duke Mercedes?”
It was a question, but he sounded almost convinced, his voice trembling.
At that moment, Isaac, who had not quite grasped the atmosphere, shouted.
“Dad! Hurry up and get rid of this guy…”
“Shut your mouth!!”
“Ah… Dad?”
Count Drake, who had made a triumphant entrance, was shouting at the top of his lungs and trembling like an aspen tree, and Isaac shut up, as if he knew something was wrong.
With a trembling voice, Count Drake reluctantly asked.
“Are you, by any chance, His Grace the Duke of Mercedes?”
But Cardien did not answer his question.
He chuckled cynically and muttered.
“You used to spread such an amusing rumor, Count Drake. You said, ‘I’ll make him Mercedes’s adopted son instead of my son.”
“Th-that… I mean, I never said…”
“Really? So, you’re saying your son has been spreading rumors of his own accord?”
“Yes, huh?”
Count Drake, with eyes suggesting ‘What do you mean by that?’ looked up, but then suddenly realized the situation and turned to Isaac.
“You…!!”
“Oh, Dad. I, I…”
“Shut up!!”
“……!”
Isaac’s eyes opened wide as Count Drake yelled at him.
Turning his head, the count slumped to the ground.
His voice trembled as he pleaded.
“I-I made a mistake, Your Grace. Please, forgive me just this once.”
“Ah, Dad……?”
Isaac couldn’t even blink as he witnessed his father kneeling and trembling on the ground.
Count Drake pitifully clung to the floor, but Cardien’s gaze as he looked down at him was anything but compassionate.
Amidst all this, Vincent stared blankly at Cardien.
