Of all the nobles, it would be the Duke of Lucien who might have a painting of my father.
“There are mountains beyond mountains.”
I let out a deep sigh and lowered the wooden sword I was swinging.
I tried to clear my complicated mind for a moment by swinging my sword, but it didn't go as planned.
Rather, the more I swung my sword, the more complicated my mind became.
One of the reasons was that I had to hold the sword with my left hand because my right hand was injured, which caused my posture to be constantly messed up.
“Nothing is easy.”
Now that I had the Duke's title, I planned to take a short break and just watch the Emperor's movements until his next plan was put into action.
But that couldn't be done as problems and questions arose here and there.
“Should I ask the Duke of Lucien to show me the painting?”
Then the Duke of Lucien would ask why I was doing that, but I couldn't think of a good excuse.
I don't think it's right to say that I just miss my deceased father.
While I was wondering what to do, I felt someone approaching from behind.
Late at night, when the curtain of quiet night has fallen.
It wasn't a time when anyone would come looking for me.
Besides, only Sor Aldor knew that I was in the personal training ground.
I have a lot to think about and have warned him not to disturb me, so it can't be Sor Aldor.
I didn't know who had come, but I was going to say something harsh to them since they weren't the ones I invited, I had no choice but to swallow my words after confirming who the person who had made the sound was.
“As expected, it was here.”
Because it was Perdes.
He tilted the wooden sword he was holding tightly to the side, intending to beat up any secret night guests who came without warning.
“It’s late, why are you here instead of sleeping?”
“It’s so late at night. What are you doing here instead of sleeping?”
“I couldn’t sleep because my mind was so complicated, so I was swinging my sword.”
“With those hands?”
Perdes frowned and looked at my bandaged right hand.
I happened to be holding a wooden sword in my right hand, so it looked like I was swinging the sword with that hand.
“I swung it with my black left hand, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Just in case, try not to touch your sword until your hand is fully healed.”
“I'll try.”
“You speak well.”
Perdes shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the floor as if he sensed that I wasn't going to follow his words.
“Is that because of what Gnosis said?”
I nodded as I sat down next to him.
“Yes. That’s what’s on my mind the most right now.”
“What that means is that something else was on your mind before.”
I smiled in affirmation.
“I see you’re trying to cover it up with a smile, so even if I ask you what’s going on, you have no intention of telling me.”
“I'll let you know later.”
“That bastard later.”
Perdes pouted, looking displeased.
“Are you angry?”
“No. I’m not angry, but I’m a little disappointed. I tell you everything, but you always keep it a secret.”
“You know my situation. I have no choice but to do this, so please understand.”
“I understand. I understand, but...”
Perdes clicked his tongue and scratched his head.
“It’s just making the mood worse, so let’s stop talking about this and talk about something else.”
"is it so."
No matter what I said, I thought I would become depressed in that situation, but I did as Perdes wanted.
I was also curious to see where he would turn the conversation.
“What kind of person was your father?”
“...!”
I thought he would ask about the conversation with Gnosis or how to view the painting that the Duke of Lucien had, but he asked me a completely unexpected question.
“Suddenly... Why are you asking that?”
“Just. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about your father, but I’ve never heard it from your own mouth, so I’m curious.”
"...”
“I apologize if I hit a sore spot. You don’t have to force yourself to say anything.”
"No."
The wound deep in my heart from my father's sudden death had already healed and was no longer painful.
I just feel sad when I think about it sometimes.
Even that was now indifferent.
“What story would you like to hear from my father?”
“Anything. Anything about ordinary, everyday life is fine.”
It's my father's ordinary daily life.
Since I had been digging into only his strange parts, it felt awkward to suddenly talk about his ordinary daily life.
Not knowing where to start or how to start the conversation, I just moved my lips, but Perdes, perhaps frustrated, asked the question first.
“Did you grow up receiving a lot of love from your parents?”
“Yes. My parents loved and cared for me very much. They let me do whatever I wanted.”
Just one. Excluding swordsmanship.
“Every time my father visited the capital, he brought me presents. He brought so many that my mother had to tell him to stop.”
It was difficult to start, but once I started talking, it came out naturally, like flowing water.
Thanks to the warm memories that came to mind after a long time, my complicated and depressed mind was calmed down and I smiled.
“They really were good parents.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I can definitely feel that they both truly loved and cared for you.”
I answered with a smile, leaned my half-leaning upper body on my arms, and looked up at the pitch-black night sky.
I still thought that my parents loved and cared for me, but I began to have doubts.
It was a question about my father, not my mother.
My father, who loved and cared for me so much, why did he oppose my practicing swordsmanship?
Why did you send me to a distant foreign land and make sure I would never set foot in the Leopold family again?
Looking at my father's diary, it seems like there was a special reason, but what on earth was that reason...
“I don’t think there’s any need to doubt it.”
He looked at me as if he had noticed my thoughts.
Perdes, whose eyes met mine, smiled, smoothly raising the corners of his lips.
“I don’t know what secret your father is keeping, but I’m sure it’s not meant to harm you.”
His large hand gently covered my hand which was on the floor.
“I had no choice but to hide it from you because, due to unavoidable circumstances, the secret would be harmful to you.”
“...”
“So I don’t think there’s any need to doubt him or be nervous. The former Duke Leopold loved and cherished his daughter very much.”
As I listened to Perdes' story, the hazy fog in my head cleared and the entries in my father's diary came back to me.
Up until now, I've only focused on the fact that my father was hiding something.
This time, I focused on why my father had to hide it and thought about the things that came to mind.
Then, as Perdes said, I came to the conclusion that my father did that because he was truly thinking of me.
I pretended to realize it now, but in reality, I already knew it.
I was so busy uncovering my father's secret that I completely forgot about that fact.
But thanks to Perdes, I was able to recall the facts I had forgotten, and my anxious and restless mind became at ease.
That's right. What I need to do now is not to uncover my father's secret, but to take revenge on the Emperor.
The signpost I had lost my bearings pointed me to the right place again, and my clouded mind became clear.
I closed my eyes tightly and rested my head on Perdes' shoulder.
Then as if he was nervous, Perdes' shoulders tense up slightly.
“Thank you, Perdes.”
“...”
“Thank you so much.”
After a moment, Perdes adjusted his position so that I could lean against him comfortably, and placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.
"You're welcome."
Although I had decided to find out my father's secret after taking revenge on the Emperor, I still wanted to see the painting that the Duke of Lucien had.
If I ask the Duke of Lucien to show me the painting, he will be happy to show it to me.
The problem is, I don't know what they'll ask for in return.
And at the succession ceremony, because of what the Duke of Lucien had said, I didn't really feel like asking him for anything.
In that case, there was only one way left: to sneak into the Duke Lucien house and check.
Leo would be an expert in this area, so I wanted to ask him for advice on this and that, but unfortunately, he had already left with Nicole Tesis to bring the boy to Glory Island.
I was a little worried about sending only Nicole Tesis, so I sent Leo too.
Thinking of Leo brought back memories of the last conversation we had before he left.
“What if the boy really is the blood relative of Duke Leopold?”
Leo had previously asked me if I would kill the boy if I found him, and I had never been able to answer that question.
Leo hadn't said a word about it since then, so I was a little taken aback when he asked me about it again.
I was still at a loss as to what to do with the boy.
“What will you do, Your Excellency?”
Leo urged me on, burning with determination to hear my answer this time.
I also think I need to make up my mind now, so I thought about what to do for a moment and then answered.
If the boy is indeed the blood relative of Duke Leopold...
“I’m going to get rid of him. It’s better to get rid of any buds that might cause trouble in the future.”
“There are mountains beyond mountains.”
I let out a deep sigh and lowered the wooden sword I was swinging.
I tried to clear my complicated mind for a moment by swinging my sword, but it didn't go as planned.
Rather, the more I swung my sword, the more complicated my mind became.
One of the reasons was that I had to hold the sword with my left hand because my right hand was injured, which caused my posture to be constantly messed up.
“Nothing is easy.”
Now that I had the Duke's title, I planned to take a short break and just watch the Emperor's movements until his next plan was put into action.
But that couldn't be done as problems and questions arose here and there.
“Should I ask the Duke of Lucien to show me the painting?”
Then the Duke of Lucien would ask why I was doing that, but I couldn't think of a good excuse.
I don't think it's right to say that I just miss my deceased father.
While I was wondering what to do, I felt someone approaching from behind.
Late at night, when the curtain of quiet night has fallen.
It wasn't a time when anyone would come looking for me.
Besides, only Sor Aldor knew that I was in the personal training ground.
I have a lot to think about and have warned him not to disturb me, so it can't be Sor Aldor.
I didn't know who had come, but I was going to say something harsh to them since they weren't the ones I invited, I had no choice but to swallow my words after confirming who the person who had made the sound was.
“As expected, it was here.”
Because it was Perdes.
He tilted the wooden sword he was holding tightly to the side, intending to beat up any secret night guests who came without warning.
“It’s late, why are you here instead of sleeping?”
“It’s so late at night. What are you doing here instead of sleeping?”
“I couldn’t sleep because my mind was so complicated, so I was swinging my sword.”
“With those hands?”
Perdes frowned and looked at my bandaged right hand.
I happened to be holding a wooden sword in my right hand, so it looked like I was swinging the sword with that hand.
“I swung it with my black left hand, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Just in case, try not to touch your sword until your hand is fully healed.”
“I'll try.”
“You speak well.”
Perdes shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the floor as if he sensed that I wasn't going to follow his words.
“Is that because of what Gnosis said?”
I nodded as I sat down next to him.
“Yes. That’s what’s on my mind the most right now.”
“What that means is that something else was on your mind before.”
I smiled in affirmation.
“I see you’re trying to cover it up with a smile, so even if I ask you what’s going on, you have no intention of telling me.”
“I'll let you know later.”
“That bastard later.”
Perdes pouted, looking displeased.
“Are you angry?”
“No. I’m not angry, but I’m a little disappointed. I tell you everything, but you always keep it a secret.”
“You know my situation. I have no choice but to do this, so please understand.”
“I understand. I understand, but...”
Perdes clicked his tongue and scratched his head.
“It’s just making the mood worse, so let’s stop talking about this and talk about something else.”
"is it so."
No matter what I said, I thought I would become depressed in that situation, but I did as Perdes wanted.
I was also curious to see where he would turn the conversation.
“What kind of person was your father?”
“...!”
I thought he would ask about the conversation with Gnosis or how to view the painting that the Duke of Lucien had, but he asked me a completely unexpected question.
“Suddenly... Why are you asking that?”
“Just. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about your father, but I’ve never heard it from your own mouth, so I’m curious.”
"...”
“I apologize if I hit a sore spot. You don’t have to force yourself to say anything.”
"No."
The wound deep in my heart from my father's sudden death had already healed and was no longer painful.
I just feel sad when I think about it sometimes.
Even that was now indifferent.
“What story would you like to hear from my father?”
“Anything. Anything about ordinary, everyday life is fine.”
It's my father's ordinary daily life.
Since I had been digging into only his strange parts, it felt awkward to suddenly talk about his ordinary daily life.
Not knowing where to start or how to start the conversation, I just moved my lips, but Perdes, perhaps frustrated, asked the question first.
“Did you grow up receiving a lot of love from your parents?”
“Yes. My parents loved and cared for me very much. They let me do whatever I wanted.”
Just one. Excluding swordsmanship.
“Every time my father visited the capital, he brought me presents. He brought so many that my mother had to tell him to stop.”
It was difficult to start, but once I started talking, it came out naturally, like flowing water.
Thanks to the warm memories that came to mind after a long time, my complicated and depressed mind was calmed down and I smiled.
“They really were good parents.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I can definitely feel that they both truly loved and cared for you.”
I answered with a smile, leaned my half-leaning upper body on my arms, and looked up at the pitch-black night sky.
I still thought that my parents loved and cared for me, but I began to have doubts.
It was a question about my father, not my mother.
My father, who loved and cared for me so much, why did he oppose my practicing swordsmanship?
Why did you send me to a distant foreign land and make sure I would never set foot in the Leopold family again?
Looking at my father's diary, it seems like there was a special reason, but what on earth was that reason...
“I don’t think there’s any need to doubt it.”
He looked at me as if he had noticed my thoughts.
Perdes, whose eyes met mine, smiled, smoothly raising the corners of his lips.
“I don’t know what secret your father is keeping, but I’m sure it’s not meant to harm you.”
His large hand gently covered my hand which was on the floor.
“I had no choice but to hide it from you because, due to unavoidable circumstances, the secret would be harmful to you.”
“...”
“So I don’t think there’s any need to doubt him or be nervous. The former Duke Leopold loved and cherished his daughter very much.”
As I listened to Perdes' story, the hazy fog in my head cleared and the entries in my father's diary came back to me.
Up until now, I've only focused on the fact that my father was hiding something.
This time, I focused on why my father had to hide it and thought about the things that came to mind.
Then, as Perdes said, I came to the conclusion that my father did that because he was truly thinking of me.
I pretended to realize it now, but in reality, I already knew it.
I was so busy uncovering my father's secret that I completely forgot about that fact.
But thanks to Perdes, I was able to recall the facts I had forgotten, and my anxious and restless mind became at ease.
That's right. What I need to do now is not to uncover my father's secret, but to take revenge on the Emperor.
The signpost I had lost my bearings pointed me to the right place again, and my clouded mind became clear.
I closed my eyes tightly and rested my head on Perdes' shoulder.
Then as if he was nervous, Perdes' shoulders tense up slightly.
“Thank you, Perdes.”
“...”
“Thank you so much.”
After a moment, Perdes adjusted his position so that I could lean against him comfortably, and placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.
"You're welcome."
***
Although I had decided to find out my father's secret after taking revenge on the Emperor, I still wanted to see the painting that the Duke of Lucien had.
If I ask the Duke of Lucien to show me the painting, he will be happy to show it to me.
The problem is, I don't know what they'll ask for in return.
And at the succession ceremony, because of what the Duke of Lucien had said, I didn't really feel like asking him for anything.
In that case, there was only one way left: to sneak into the Duke Lucien house and check.
Leo would be an expert in this area, so I wanted to ask him for advice on this and that, but unfortunately, he had already left with Nicole Tesis to bring the boy to Glory Island.
I was a little worried about sending only Nicole Tesis, so I sent Leo too.
Thinking of Leo brought back memories of the last conversation we had before he left.
“What if the boy really is the blood relative of Duke Leopold?”
Leo had previously asked me if I would kill the boy if I found him, and I had never been able to answer that question.
Leo hadn't said a word about it since then, so I was a little taken aback when he asked me about it again.
I was still at a loss as to what to do with the boy.
“What will you do, Your Excellency?”
Leo urged me on, burning with determination to hear my answer this time.
I also think I need to make up my mind now, so I thought about what to do for a moment and then answered.
If the boy is indeed the blood relative of Duke Leopold...
“I’m going to get rid of him. It’s better to get rid of any buds that might cause trouble in the future.”
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