“Raising a son is useless, not at all!”
Hiram clutched the bottle and cried, wailing. He had been repeating the same story for thirty minutes.
Roderick had no choice but to accept his childhood friend's drunkenness with an embarrassed expression.
Hiram contacted him, saying that he had been abandoned by his son, and asked Roderick to come play with him. Roderick went hunting with him, but this time, he was holding him back by having a drinking party and telling him to go home.
“My Winnie abandoned me... This dad... Oh, the glass is empty? One more glass!”
Hiram stopped crying again and poured himself a drink, his tongue twisting as he noticed Roderick's empty glass.
And Roderick couldn't help but laugh and down the drink.
It was impossible to say anything unpleasant to the Emperor, but his old friend's drinking habits were quite annoying.
'...Well, still much better than that Byron guy.'
Perhaps he was drunk too, though not as much as Hiram. Roderick, lost in nostalgia, smiled bitterly as he recalled his former friend.
The most evil person who took his daughter and raised her to be the one who would kill him.
He placed the precious imperial wine glass he was holding on the table with a thud, trying not to crush it.
And then.
Hiram, sitting across from him, fell asleep. He seemed to be overcome by the alcohol.
“Your Majesty, are you sleeping? Your Majesty.”
Roderick called him several times, but Hiram didn't answer. He seemed to be fast asleep.
‘...I can go home now.’
To this extent, it was considered as if he had kept his loyalty as a friend to an extreme.
He left the palace, vowing that the next time he saw Winfred, he would tell him not to leave His Majesty the Emperor alone.
“You’re coming home so late, and when you get back, you’ll be scolded by the Duchess.”
The Emperor's chamberlain spoke to Roderick, who was boarding the carriage with a look of profound apology. Roderick, his face flushed, gave a rare chuckle and replied.
When he was drunk, just thinking about my wife Ophelia made him laugh.
"She's so angry, but there's nothing I can do. Please take care of His Majesty's hangover cure tomorrow morning."
“Yes, please return safely, Your Excellency.”
Roderick leaned his face against the carriage wall. As the horses began to gallop, the autumn breeze blew in from outside the window, seeming to soothe his hangover a little.
As he arrived at the mansion, the butler rushed over to greet him.
“Are you coming now, Your Excellency?”
“Yeah, everything was fine, right?”
“Well... Your Excellency, I have an urgent letter. It’s from Baron Herzig...”
Baron Herzig? Roderick tilted his head at the thought of someone he wasn't familiar with sending a letter so quickly.
If it had been anyone else, he would have simply thought it was a letter asking for a favor, but rumor had it that Baron Herzig was a man who lacked flexibility, so he couldn't just ignore it.
A moral, just, and more principled person than anyone else.
Since such a person sent a letter to him, even though he wasn't even close to him, he decided to check it out.
Of course, in a sober state.
Right now, he just wanted to go home, take a quick look at Ophelia and Noah, and then go to sleep. He was tired.
“I’ll check it tomorrow, so put it on my desk.”
"That, he said, was an extremely urgent matter. He sent it via special magical mail the next day..."
Next-day express magic mail was extremely expensive, and even nobles would never use it for anything more serious.
But the news was coming from Baron Herzig, a man known for his poverty, at such a high cost. It felt like it needed to be confirmed immediately.
“...Give it to me.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
As Roderick extended his hand, the butler politely handed him a sealed envelope. It was sealed with a magical seal that could only be opened by a designated person.
Roderick frowned when he recognized the seal. It was expensive, after all.
What on earth could possibly be the content that warranted such a quick and thorough delivery? His hands grew impatient as he opened the envelope.
“...”
And as Roderick quickly read the letter, he felt the alcohol completely disappear. It was about a lost Princess found in the Herzig estate and being protected.
He's received quite a few reports like this before, but they were all false. But the letter's contents were too detailed to dismiss this one as the same.
There was even a story written about the necklace that disappeared with Aila, which had never been told to anyone.
Roderick rushed straight into the mansion to find Ophelia, eager to share the news with her as soon as possible.
“...Ophelia!”
“Shh, he just fell asleep.”
And when Roderick found her, she was putting her son Noah to sleep. Noah tossed and turned for a moment at his father's loud voice, but a few pats from Ophelia quickly lulled him back to sleep.
“Why do you look so surprised? What’s wrong?”
And Ophelia, who came out of the children's room, wiped her husband's face with concern.
Roderick handed Baron Herzig's letter to his wife with a quick movement of his hand.
“This letter has arrived. Read it quickly, Ophelia.”
What the heck kind of letter is this?
Seeing her husband's rare display of composure, Ophelia hurriedly read the letter he handed her. The more she read, the wider her eyes grew.
“...Aila.”
After reading the letter, she whispered her daughter's name in a small voice.
Then she quickly looked around. She wanted to share more details, but she was worried that someone might be listening.
“Let’s go to the room first.”
Only after dragging Roderick to the couple's bedroom, away from the eyes and ears of the people, was Ophelia able to open up and confess her feelings.
"What do you think, Roderick? This time... it seems real, doesn't it? This necklace... it seems like it was made to commemorate Aila's birth."
She spoke quickly, her voice a little excited. She seemed to be thinking the same thing as Roderick.
Because it was impossible to describe it in such detail without seeing the necklace in person.
“...It also matches His Highness the Crown Prince’s message. He said he would appear in a form completely unrelated to Byron.”
Roderick nodded and opened his mouth. His face, too, was flushed with joy and surprise.
The couple stared at Baron Herzig's letter in silence for a moment, overcome with the overwhelming joy of perhaps soon being reunited with their lost daughter.
And just as that feeling of joy had subsided, Ophelia opened her mouth in a worried voice.
“Who is Baron Herzig? Perhaps he’s not one of them?”
The possibility that this letter might be a trap by Byron has arisen.
"Well... He's not acquainted with him, but I doubt it. I know the Baron to be upright and honest. And... even if this is a trap, I'll have to check it out."
Roderick answered in a voice that had suddenly become calmer.
And he had some certainty that the child Baron Herzig was carrying was indeed Aila.
Byron said he planned to kill himself in Aila's hand. But to do that, he had to send Aila home first.
“I will go myself, Ophelia.”
Roderick said, kissing Ophelia's forehead.
“Father, what is troubling you?”
Lisa Herzig looked at her father, who was deep in thought with a serious expression on his face, and asked.
The Baron called his daughter into his office, saying he had something to say, and then he sat there silently staring into space for five minutes, as if he was deeply contemplating something.
“Ah, that’s... that’s Aila.”
“Yes, why Aila?”
“...It seems like we found that child’s biological parents.”
At her father's words, Lisa opened her eyes wide and smiled brightly.
"Oh my goodness, really? This is so wonderful! But why do you look so unhappy?"
The girl, who had endured unbearable hardships at a young age, had finally found her biological parents. It was a cause for celebration, but the father's face was somber, and it was puzzling.
“That... I’m worried that the child might get confused.”
Aila lived her entire life as a commoner in a remote mountain village, isolated from society.
But she was the daughter of a nobleman, and a Duke at that.
It made him sad to think of the confusion a young girl would experience if her status suddenly changed overnight.
Lisa couldn't hide her surprise when she heard the whole story from her father, but on the other hand, she felt the same way as her father.
She was most worried about how surprised and confused Aila would be.
Normally, a child of Lisa's age would feel jealous that a child of lower status than her had suddenly become a Princess.
Lisa, who grew up under extremely kind parents, had no such darkness in her heart.
"That's why I called you. I think... it'd be easier for the child to talk to you, someone of similar age, rather than me, who's old enough to be his father. She's also very accommodating to you."
"That's a good idea, Father. I'll talk to her before His Excellency the Duke arrives."
Lisa smiled brightly, looking very trustworthy.
Hiram clutched the bottle and cried, wailing. He had been repeating the same story for thirty minutes.
Roderick had no choice but to accept his childhood friend's drunkenness with an embarrassed expression.
Hiram contacted him, saying that he had been abandoned by his son, and asked Roderick to come play with him. Roderick went hunting with him, but this time, he was holding him back by having a drinking party and telling him to go home.
“My Winnie abandoned me... This dad... Oh, the glass is empty? One more glass!”
Hiram stopped crying again and poured himself a drink, his tongue twisting as he noticed Roderick's empty glass.
And Roderick couldn't help but laugh and down the drink.
It was impossible to say anything unpleasant to the Emperor, but his old friend's drinking habits were quite annoying.
'...Well, still much better than that Byron guy.'
Perhaps he was drunk too, though not as much as Hiram. Roderick, lost in nostalgia, smiled bitterly as he recalled his former friend.
The most evil person who took his daughter and raised her to be the one who would kill him.
He placed the precious imperial wine glass he was holding on the table with a thud, trying not to crush it.
And then.
Hiram, sitting across from him, fell asleep. He seemed to be overcome by the alcohol.
“Your Majesty, are you sleeping? Your Majesty.”
Roderick called him several times, but Hiram didn't answer. He seemed to be fast asleep.
‘...I can go home now.’
To this extent, it was considered as if he had kept his loyalty as a friend to an extreme.
He left the palace, vowing that the next time he saw Winfred, he would tell him not to leave His Majesty the Emperor alone.
“You’re coming home so late, and when you get back, you’ll be scolded by the Duchess.”
The Emperor's chamberlain spoke to Roderick, who was boarding the carriage with a look of profound apology. Roderick, his face flushed, gave a rare chuckle and replied.
When he was drunk, just thinking about my wife Ophelia made him laugh.
"She's so angry, but there's nothing I can do. Please take care of His Majesty's hangover cure tomorrow morning."
“Yes, please return safely, Your Excellency.”
Roderick leaned his face against the carriage wall. As the horses began to gallop, the autumn breeze blew in from outside the window, seeming to soothe his hangover a little.
As he arrived at the mansion, the butler rushed over to greet him.
“Are you coming now, Your Excellency?”
“Yeah, everything was fine, right?”
“Well... Your Excellency, I have an urgent letter. It’s from Baron Herzig...”
Baron Herzig? Roderick tilted his head at the thought of someone he wasn't familiar with sending a letter so quickly.
If it had been anyone else, he would have simply thought it was a letter asking for a favor, but rumor had it that Baron Herzig was a man who lacked flexibility, so he couldn't just ignore it.
A moral, just, and more principled person than anyone else.
Since such a person sent a letter to him, even though he wasn't even close to him, he decided to check it out.
Of course, in a sober state.
Right now, he just wanted to go home, take a quick look at Ophelia and Noah, and then go to sleep. He was tired.
“I’ll check it tomorrow, so put it on my desk.”
"That, he said, was an extremely urgent matter. He sent it via special magical mail the next day..."
Next-day express magic mail was extremely expensive, and even nobles would never use it for anything more serious.
But the news was coming from Baron Herzig, a man known for his poverty, at such a high cost. It felt like it needed to be confirmed immediately.
“...Give it to me.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
As Roderick extended his hand, the butler politely handed him a sealed envelope. It was sealed with a magical seal that could only be opened by a designated person.
Roderick frowned when he recognized the seal. It was expensive, after all.
What on earth could possibly be the content that warranted such a quick and thorough delivery? His hands grew impatient as he opened the envelope.
“...”
And as Roderick quickly read the letter, he felt the alcohol completely disappear. It was about a lost Princess found in the Herzig estate and being protected.
He's received quite a few reports like this before, but they were all false. But the letter's contents were too detailed to dismiss this one as the same.
There was even a story written about the necklace that disappeared with Aila, which had never been told to anyone.
Roderick rushed straight into the mansion to find Ophelia, eager to share the news with her as soon as possible.
“...Ophelia!”
“Shh, he just fell asleep.”
And when Roderick found her, she was putting her son Noah to sleep. Noah tossed and turned for a moment at his father's loud voice, but a few pats from Ophelia quickly lulled him back to sleep.
“Why do you look so surprised? What’s wrong?”
And Ophelia, who came out of the children's room, wiped her husband's face with concern.
Roderick handed Baron Herzig's letter to his wife with a quick movement of his hand.
“This letter has arrived. Read it quickly, Ophelia.”
What the heck kind of letter is this?
Seeing her husband's rare display of composure, Ophelia hurriedly read the letter he handed her. The more she read, the wider her eyes grew.
“...Aila.”
After reading the letter, she whispered her daughter's name in a small voice.
Then she quickly looked around. She wanted to share more details, but she was worried that someone might be listening.
“Let’s go to the room first.”
Only after dragging Roderick to the couple's bedroom, away from the eyes and ears of the people, was Ophelia able to open up and confess her feelings.
"What do you think, Roderick? This time... it seems real, doesn't it? This necklace... it seems like it was made to commemorate Aila's birth."
She spoke quickly, her voice a little excited. She seemed to be thinking the same thing as Roderick.
Because it was impossible to describe it in such detail without seeing the necklace in person.
“...It also matches His Highness the Crown Prince’s message. He said he would appear in a form completely unrelated to Byron.”
Roderick nodded and opened his mouth. His face, too, was flushed with joy and surprise.
The couple stared at Baron Herzig's letter in silence for a moment, overcome with the overwhelming joy of perhaps soon being reunited with their lost daughter.
And just as that feeling of joy had subsided, Ophelia opened her mouth in a worried voice.
“Who is Baron Herzig? Perhaps he’s not one of them?”
The possibility that this letter might be a trap by Byron has arisen.
"Well... He's not acquainted with him, but I doubt it. I know the Baron to be upright and honest. And... even if this is a trap, I'll have to check it out."
Roderick answered in a voice that had suddenly become calmer.
And he had some certainty that the child Baron Herzig was carrying was indeed Aila.
Byron said he planned to kill himself in Aila's hand. But to do that, he had to send Aila home first.
“I will go myself, Ophelia.”
Roderick said, kissing Ophelia's forehead.
***
“Father, what is troubling you?”
Lisa Herzig looked at her father, who was deep in thought with a serious expression on his face, and asked.
The Baron called his daughter into his office, saying he had something to say, and then he sat there silently staring into space for five minutes, as if he was deeply contemplating something.
“Ah, that’s... that’s Aila.”
“Yes, why Aila?”
“...It seems like we found that child’s biological parents.”
At her father's words, Lisa opened her eyes wide and smiled brightly.
"Oh my goodness, really? This is so wonderful! But why do you look so unhappy?"
The girl, who had endured unbearable hardships at a young age, had finally found her biological parents. It was a cause for celebration, but the father's face was somber, and it was puzzling.
“That... I’m worried that the child might get confused.”
Aila lived her entire life as a commoner in a remote mountain village, isolated from society.
But she was the daughter of a nobleman, and a Duke at that.
It made him sad to think of the confusion a young girl would experience if her status suddenly changed overnight.
Lisa couldn't hide her surprise when she heard the whole story from her father, but on the other hand, she felt the same way as her father.
She was most worried about how surprised and confused Aila would be.
Normally, a child of Lisa's age would feel jealous that a child of lower status than her had suddenly become a Princess.
Lisa, who grew up under extremely kind parents, had no such darkness in her heart.
"That's why I called you. I think... it'd be easier for the child to talk to you, someone of similar age, rather than me, who's old enough to be his father. She's also very accommodating to you."
"That's a good idea, Father. I'll talk to her before His Excellency the Duke arrives."
Lisa smiled brightly, looking very trustworthy.
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