Chapter 75

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

In a mix of tinnitus, his father's voice was heard after a long time.

"Daniel, Leopold is a child with a wounded heart."

Leopold had been a sickly child since he was young. However, his father always covered for the wicked Leopold, calling him a wounded child.

"It's my fault that the boy has gone astray. I didn't love him enough. Daniel, please have pity on Leo."

At the time, I didn't understand what my father meant by who should pity whom. As the only legitimate heir of the family, Leopold was to become the next Duke of Rihardt, while I had to live as a bastard. Who was more pitiful, really? Even if I resembled my father in temperament and sword skills, my limit was to be a knight of the Rihardt family. Leopold, with the strong support of his maternal family, the Vaitzen, and the title of Duke of Rihardt, would rise endlessly and eventually reach the highest position in the empire. Whenever I heard my father's plea to pity him, I envied and hated Leopold. When Leopold pretended to be indifferent to me, I could overlook it. I could even tolerate his treating me like a bug. But when he suddenly acted like the kindest brother in the world, it was unbearable. Especially when he called me 'brother' in front of his mother, Margret, making me feel awkward. He would call me 'brother' repeatedly, as if to show off, and cling to me. Even as a child, I felt a sudden surge of murderous intent. Each time, I would recall my father's words and endure, suppress, and hold back. Then the Ekinasia incident happened. On the day I sought out my father to avoid people's eyes as my mother's death approached, my father, who had been in seclusion due to illness, had become a seriously ill man, paralyzed all over, in just a few months. Daniel couldn't bring himself to ask his father to save his mother. It seemed that his father would also leave him soon after his mother. Overwhelmed by fear, his whole body trembled, but he forced himself to calm down and firmly held his father's hand. With a feeble voice, his father, who had no strength left, left his last words, which became his will.

"Daniel... my beloved son. Your brother... Leo... please take care of that poor child..."

Father, who always called the bastard Daniel his beloved son, left his last words and the mother's will to survive, and faithfully served as Leopold's hunting dog. The son of my father and the son of the woman who killed my mother. My lord, whom I had to bow to for life. The unfortunate emperor who might have lost the ability to have children because of me. The only brother I hated so much I wanted to kill him, yet also pitied. A bitter laugh suddenly burst from Daniel's lips.

'What a tangled mess.'

Looking at the peaceful face of the soundly sleeping Frieda, he whispered in a low voice.

"Don't smile at Leopold, Frieda."

That smile might give him an excuse to really kill that boy this time. ***

From the time they left Schendal Castle, Chamberlain's knees, which had been creaking, finally broke down after arriving at Mühheim Castle. It was actually strange that they hadn't broken down earlier given the forced marches. "Hmm."

Surprised by the cool, refreshing sensation seeping into his knees, Chamberlain gripped the armrests of his chair tightly. The aching knees that had kept him awake at night finally seemed to be getting better. The doctor Anton from Mühheim Castle, whom he had consulted without much hope, turned out to be much better than the emperor's personal physician, who only gave expensive potions that did nothing. Anton, applying a thin liquid to Chamberlain's knees, asked,

"Is the pain still severe?"

"No, it's much better now that you've applied it. I've never seen this medicine before... what's it called?"

"It's a medicine made primarily from the herb melaleuca. It's effective for disinfecting wounds and reducing pain."

"Herb? The plants used in cooking?"

Plants as medicine? The unfamiliar story almost made him lose faith in the doctor, but the pain had indeed subsided significantly.

"Yes. From my research, herbs have many uses. Besides enhancing the flavor of food, they are very useful plants with many applications."

"You're quite an unusual person, researching plants."

At least it seemed he had done his research properly, given the effectiveness. Chamberlain leaned back in his chair. The fatigue from the sleepless nights due to pain was overwhelming. Just before his eyes closed completely, Anton, who had finished the treatment, took a small vial from his bag and handed it to Chamberlain.

"If the pain gets worse again, use this first. The melaleuca oil I made in advance for the mercenaries' training has run out. This is all that's left."

The vial was very small, and the remaining amount was even less.

"What are you going to do if you give all of this to me?"

"Oh, I'll make more soon. Mühheim Castle has a large herb garden, so it's easy to get melaleuca. It's all thanks to our wise duchess."

That annoying 'our duchess' again. Everyone, without thinking, kept saying 'our duchess.' Even the newly arrived Baron Boiled, who had been in the duchy for about two months. The small Duchess of Rihardt seemed to have gained considerable trust... 'But she won't live long, will she?'

He had heard that the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Rihardt wasn't bad, but there was no need to worry. If he often fell ill, it was unlikely they would have children. It might be better for the duchess to have a good relationship with someone who wouldn't have to worry about producing an heir. With heavy eyelids, Chamberlain slowly blinked as Anton gave him a warning.

"I'll come back to check on you tomorrow, so try to stay in bed and rest as much as possible today."

"It would be nice if you could come by this evening too."

"I have to see a patient outside the castle today, so I'll probably only be able to come after dark."

"Patient? You're busy with castle affairs, yet you go to see patients outside the castle?"

Chamberlain, almost asleep, asked reflexively. It wasn't out of genuine curiosity.

"Yes. I'm the only doctor in the duchy, so I have no choice."

"You must be very busy."

"Still, thanks to the attention of our duchess, I think we'll have more doctors in a few years. It's a fortunate thing."

Another 'our duchess.' Feeling he should give some praise, he half-heartedly agreed.

"The lady of the castle is truly remarkable."

Anton's voice grew louder with excitement.

"Yes, indeed. Not only is her character excellent, but her memory is also amazing. Whenever Dominic and I visit the village, she remembers every detail and gives us wonderful solutions."

"Dominic? Dominic Molli? The son of the mercenary captain?"

Hearing a familiar name, Chamberlain's heavy eyelids snapped open. He sat up abruptly.

"Does he go outside the castle too?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Why? What for?"

The baron's surprised reaction was not ordinary, but Anton, seeing no reason to hide it, explained smoothly.

"The patient we're visiting today is a former maid from our castle who injured her leg and has been living outside the castle for a while. Dominic and I often visit to check on her condition."

Chamberlain's eyes, which seemed to have been closed, suddenly opened wide, revealing sharp gray eyes.

"Dominic, he... is taking care of a woman outside the castle?"

***

Against Daniel's wishes, Frieda, who had a short nap, woke up on time and left Marian Hall. As usual, she wore a hat with a shade and held gloves in her hand, looking spirited.

"I'll just take a quick look around the herb garden and be right back."

Despite her words, her face was bright, showing how much she enjoyed going out. Since she liked going out so much, it seemed he should often go for walks with her. Daniel, who had been looking out the window, slowly turned around at the sound of a 'thud.' Stefan was placing a stack of documents on the desk.

"I've organized the details of the Amethyst Knights' inauguration ceremony, which should be ready in a week."

Despite unexpected incidents during the preparation, the new butler of the duchy managed to complete the preparations within the planned two months. At least Baron Stefan Boiled's administrative skills didn't need to be doubted. Although puzzled by the duke's unusual attention, Stefan asked in his usual calm tone,

"Since the emperor's stay seems to be extended, should we proceed with the inauguration ceremony as planned? Or..."

"Proceed as planned."

Stefan, who had a feeling Daniel would say that, calmly marked 'proceed' on the schedule in his hand.

"I also have additional reports on the market development within the duchy. The duchess plans to purchase grain scales and weights in bulk from the duchy and lend them to the merchants' guild..."

"Didn't you receive a notification from the royal court?"

Royal court? Why is this coming up now? Could they be interfering with the creation of a market in a mountainous duchy from Schendal Castle? Stefan, genuinely thinking so, waited for the duke's next words. Daniel, flipping through the documents casually, leaned his head on his clenched fist and stared at Stefan.

"Frieda looked through the noble registry and said there were no significant issues with the inheritance process of the Boiled family."

Noble registry? Inheritance process...? Stefan, repeating the duke's words, exclaimed, "Ah!"

The Duke of Rihardt was asking about Stefan's duchy.

"How did His Majesty know about that?"

"Frieda heard it from the baroness."

At least there was no lie in that sentence. It was true that Frieda had heard the story and told Daniel. The fact that Stefan's every move was monitored and reported to him was something that didn't need to be said. The important thing was that Daniel intended to help him. It didn't matter to Daniel, but for Frieda, he had to stay in the castle. Helping the butler Stefan was reason enough.

"Even though there were no significant issues in the process, the fact that it became a problem means we've entered a realm where the truth doesn't matter."

A deep shadow fell over Stefan's blue eyes.

"I apologize for the concern. It's probably a misunderstanding."

"It's not a misunderstanding, but a warning. You know, and I know, that the person in question dislikes wasting time."

Daniel slowly took in the man standing straight. His broad shoulders, rarely shrinking, and his neatly combed brown hair, rarely out of place. His appearance, as impeccable as his character, was quite upright for a rat who made spying his job.

"Why didn't you tell me about the gold mine? If you had, the empress dowager wouldn't have resorted to such childish tactics."

"Perhaps. I doubt a gold mine would have made a difference."

The empress dowager wasn't interested in the Duke of Rihardt's hidden wealth. Why would I tell her about it? It would just waste ink. Feeling pitiful in the middle of the indifferent giants, Stefan suddenly felt annoyed.

"As I said before, whatever mission I received, my current lord is His Grace the Duke. I don't speak lightly about the person I serve."

Stop using me like a cow, or if you're going to use me, stop looking at me like that.

"If you're not satisfied, just send me back to Cellino. Then I won't have to worry about losing my worthless duchy, and the duchess won't have to go to any trouble because of me."

A tired laugh escaped from Daniel, who was tilting his head.

'Our butler is more temperamental than he looks.'

Dominic has a good eye for people. Daniel, still tilting his head, looked down at the documents.

"My answer remains the same. Baron, I don't need you."

But whether Daniel needs him now is not the issue.

"But it seems my wife thinks differently."

Daniel, who had signed the document reflecting Frieda's intentions, handed it to Stefan and said,

"I'll handle the royal court matter my way."

"What do you mean..."

Daniel, standing by the window, turned to the clearly flustered Stefan.

"I have no intention of dismissing a capable butler, and your duchy will be safe. Any questions?"