Episode 56. Butterfly Effect
"Serun... was Cedric's son?"
He had the same black hair and red eyes as Cedric, but he hadn't noticed at all.
Serun's stuffy hair obscured his face, but fundamentally, Serun didn't resemble Cedric.
While there was one person who knew Serun was Cedric's son, this was the first time he had confessed his relationship with Cedric.
Serun fiddled with the necklace, muttering softly.
"My mother passed away not long after she gave it to me."
"Serun... was Cedric's son?"
He had the same black hair and red eyes as Cedric, but he hadn't noticed at all.
Serun's stuffy hair obscured his face, but fundamentally, Serun didn't resemble Cedric.
While there was one person who knew Serun was Cedric's son, this was the first time he had confessed his relationship with Cedric.
Serun fiddled with the necklace, muttering softly.
"My mother passed away not long after she gave it to me."
As soon as he said the words of his mother's death, Serun's eyes wavered, losing their balance. But for a moment, he skillfully concealed his emotions.
"Serun..."
Jane felt sorry for Serun, who was trying so hard to hide his feelings. A pang of pity filled her voice as she softly called out to Serun.
“I agonized over whether I should go find my father, who hadn’t shown his face even once until my mother died. At first, I didn’t want to go. But... maybe it was because I was alone and lonely, but I started to wonder about my father, whose face I didn’t even know.”
Serun had actually been looking forward to it.
He hoped his father, who must have loved his mother so deeply, would welcome him.
“I went to find my father, carrying only this necklace,”
Serun muttered, then remembered the day he first met Cedric.
Holding out the necklace, he summoned up the courage to call him “father.” He’d hoped for warm words, but the response he received was cold.
“You look like Rebecca.”
“That’s my mother.”
“Did you say you’re my son?” “
Yes. My father left this for me...?”
“Huh, leave it for you?”
Cedric had said, looking at Serun with a bug-like expression.
“I was wondering where I lost it, but it turns out your mother stole it.”
Even thinking back, his heart ached.
“He said there was no way I could be his son. After the genetic test, we met again, but his words were still cold. He said I was just a one-night stand, that I wasn’t his son.”
Deep red eyes sparkled through his long, black hair.
“When I was young, I clung to Cedric. I begged him not to abandon me... I begged him, saying I would do anything he asked.”
Tears welled up in Jane’s eyes as she listened to Serun’s story.
“I don’t know if he felt pity for me or was fed up with me, but in the end, Cedric accepted me. Not as his son, but as a shadow to handle the affairs of the Wences family.”
She felt even more sorrowful at Serun’s calm demeanor as he spoke of his bitter past.
“...I believed that if I satisfied Cedric, he would eventually acknowledge me as his son. I did whatever he asked. There were many times when I wanted to run away from the rigorous training, but I persevered until the very end.”
He wanted to be acknowledged. He'd hoped that if he showed Cedric a good side, his father would eventually acknowledge him.
He'd occasionally complimented him and smiled at him.
Seeing his smile, he'd deluded himself.
He'd fallen into the delusion that Cedric might someday accept him.
Left alone at a young age, Serun had no one but Cedric.
Cedric was the only thing that filled his empty heart. And his "family" was his only hope, a hope he didn't want to let go of.
"Even when I barely survived death's door, I didn't think about quitting; I just wanted Cedric to acknowledge my abilities. It's stupid..."
Only as an adult did he vaguely realize that Cedric would never acknowledge him as his son.
That he was nothing more than a discarded piece on a chessboard.
However, Serun couldn't easily let go of the rotten rope.
This was because Cedric had trained him for eight years. Cedric had completely controlled Serun.
A pitiful existence, acting only for Cedric. That was Serun's situation.
"My story, isn't it boring?"
Serun concluded calmly, looking at Jane.
When his eyes met Jane's, the corners of his mouth lifted as if nothing had happened.
"I'm fine now, so don't cry. Everything was my choice. Going to Cedric... the countless blood stains on these hands... and even deceiving you and Rose. I'm so sorry."
The tears that had been welling up in Jane's eyes finally fell. Serun wiped them away with the back of his hand and tried to comfort Jane instead.
Serun's seemingly calm appearance made her heart ache even more.
Serun's words that he was okay now seemed sincere at first glance, but to Jane, they were not.
Serun's insides were rotten beyond repair. Beautiful on the outside, but like that lake that had stagnated for years, the insides were rotten beyond repair.
Jane could see it. A heart charred black, a heart foolishly festering.
Creeping out, emitting a foul odor, they cried out, "It's hard... It's painful... Please save me."
"Serun..."
Jane felt sorry for Serun, who was trying so hard to hide his feelings. A pang of pity filled her voice as she softly called out to Serun.
“I agonized over whether I should go find my father, who hadn’t shown his face even once until my mother died. At first, I didn’t want to go. But... maybe it was because I was alone and lonely, but I started to wonder about my father, whose face I didn’t even know.”
Serun had actually been looking forward to it.
He hoped his father, who must have loved his mother so deeply, would welcome him.
“I went to find my father, carrying only this necklace,”
Serun muttered, then remembered the day he first met Cedric.
Holding out the necklace, he summoned up the courage to call him “father.” He’d hoped for warm words, but the response he received was cold.
“You look like Rebecca.”
“That’s my mother.”
“Did you say you’re my son?” “
Yes. My father left this for me...?”
“Huh, leave it for you?”
Cedric had said, looking at Serun with a bug-like expression.
“I was wondering where I lost it, but it turns out your mother stole it.”
Even thinking back, his heart ached.
“He said there was no way I could be his son. After the genetic test, we met again, but his words were still cold. He said I was just a one-night stand, that I wasn’t his son.”
Deep red eyes sparkled through his long, black hair.
“When I was young, I clung to Cedric. I begged him not to abandon me... I begged him, saying I would do anything he asked.”
Tears welled up in Jane’s eyes as she listened to Serun’s story.
“I don’t know if he felt pity for me or was fed up with me, but in the end, Cedric accepted me. Not as his son, but as a shadow to handle the affairs of the Wences family.”
She felt even more sorrowful at Serun’s calm demeanor as he spoke of his bitter past.
“...I believed that if I satisfied Cedric, he would eventually acknowledge me as his son. I did whatever he asked. There were many times when I wanted to run away from the rigorous training, but I persevered until the very end.”
He wanted to be acknowledged. He'd hoped that if he showed Cedric a good side, his father would eventually acknowledge him.
He'd occasionally complimented him and smiled at him.
Seeing his smile, he'd deluded himself.
He'd fallen into the delusion that Cedric might someday accept him.
Left alone at a young age, Serun had no one but Cedric.
Cedric was the only thing that filled his empty heart. And his "family" was his only hope, a hope he didn't want to let go of.
"Even when I barely survived death's door, I didn't think about quitting; I just wanted Cedric to acknowledge my abilities. It's stupid..."
Only as an adult did he vaguely realize that Cedric would never acknowledge him as his son.
That he was nothing more than a discarded piece on a chessboard.
However, Serun couldn't easily let go of the rotten rope.
This was because Cedric had trained him for eight years. Cedric had completely controlled Serun.
A pitiful existence, acting only for Cedric. That was Serun's situation.
"My story, isn't it boring?"
Serun concluded calmly, looking at Jane.
When his eyes met Jane's, the corners of his mouth lifted as if nothing had happened.
"I'm fine now, so don't cry. Everything was my choice. Going to Cedric... the countless blood stains on these hands... and even deceiving you and Rose. I'm so sorry."
The tears that had been welling up in Jane's eyes finally fell. Serun wiped them away with the back of his hand and tried to comfort Jane instead.
Serun's seemingly calm appearance made her heart ache even more.
Serun's words that he was okay now seemed sincere at first glance, but to Jane, they were not.
Serun's insides were rotten beyond repair. Beautiful on the outside, but like that lake that had stagnated for years, the insides were rotten beyond repair.
Jane could see it. A heart charred black, a heart foolishly festering.
Creeping out, emitting a foul odor, they cried out, "It's hard... It's painful... Please save me."
"But please believe this one thing. My feelings for you have never been false. Really..."
Jane stopped listening to Serun and hugged him tightly.
Feeling his pain so completely, Jane's heart ached as well.
She patted Serun on the back and said,
"Sir Serun. It's been hard."
Her voice was gentle. Strangely, Jane's words resonated with Serun's heart.
Serun remained silent, frozen in Jane's embrace.
"You know, I believe you should cry when you want to."
Her soft voice made the tears she'd been holding back spill over.
"So, for today, just cry without thinking."
Jane's affectionate words resonated through Serun's eyes, as if they were lies.
The tears that had been streaming down her cheeks had already fallen enough to soak her knees.
"Oh, that's strange. Haha. I'm really okay. I'm fine now. Really."
Despite his words of being okay, Serun's face was already stained with tears.
"Sir Serun. I want you to cherish yourself. You deserve to be loved just the way you are. So stop trying to prove your worth to others."
Perhaps it was the warmth of Jane's embrace? Serun finally couldn't control his emotions and began to cry like a child.
Serun, who had been wailing in pain but couldn't let go of the bond with Cedric, finally realized: for the past eight years, his life had belonged entirely to Cedric.
He realized that his life was nothing more than an empty shell controlled by Cedric.
Not receiving Cedric's approval wasn't the end of the world, but Serun was desperate.
Even if his father treated him like an insect, he was the only one left.
He simply wanted to be loved.
It was a bright moonlit night.
Serun, who had vowed never to cry again, sobbed sadly in Jane's arms.
He collapsed not under the storm that had driven him, but under the warm sunlight.
A tiny flower bloomed on the edge of a rotten lake, devoid of life.
A flower nestled on the murky edge of the lake. A flower bloomed miraculously in the dead lake.
That flower was a ray of light that purified the rotted lake within.
Serun's suppressed self stirred and blossomed.
He, who had been nothing more than Cedric's chess piece, broke free from the chessboard.
Rose's actions, which distorted the original, changed not only the life of the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
Meanwhile, Eric and his group were heading south.
Doana, who had been sitting at the very end of the carriage, had already found herself seated between Eric and Belliar.
The carriage carrying Eric, Doana, and Belliar erupted in laughter.
Of course, that laughter belonged to Doana, and only her.
Eric grew weary of listening to Doana's ceaseless chattering. Doana, with no one to respond, was busy chattering.
The carriage, which had set off in the blazing sun, finally reached its destination in the pitch-black night.
The wheels, which had been endlessly rolling, finally began to slow down.
"Oh, I think we're getting there soon. Should we get off and take a walk?"
Doana coquettishly clung to Eric's arm.
'When we're alone together, I should ask about today's events.'
Jane stopped listening to Serun and hugged him tightly.
Feeling his pain so completely, Jane's heart ached as well.
She patted Serun on the back and said,
"Sir Serun. It's been hard."
Her voice was gentle. Strangely, Jane's words resonated with Serun's heart.
Serun remained silent, frozen in Jane's embrace.
"You know, I believe you should cry when you want to."
Her soft voice made the tears she'd been holding back spill over.
"So, for today, just cry without thinking."
Jane's affectionate words resonated through Serun's eyes, as if they were lies.
The tears that had been streaming down her cheeks had already fallen enough to soak her knees.
"Oh, that's strange. Haha. I'm really okay. I'm fine now. Really."
Despite his words of being okay, Serun's face was already stained with tears.
"Sir Serun. I want you to cherish yourself. You deserve to be loved just the way you are. So stop trying to prove your worth to others."
Perhaps it was the warmth of Jane's embrace? Serun finally couldn't control his emotions and began to cry like a child.
Serun, who had been wailing in pain but couldn't let go of the bond with Cedric, finally realized: for the past eight years, his life had belonged entirely to Cedric.
He realized that his life was nothing more than an empty shell controlled by Cedric.
Not receiving Cedric's approval wasn't the end of the world, but Serun was desperate.
Even if his father treated him like an insect, he was the only one left.
He simply wanted to be loved.
It was a bright moonlit night.
Serun, who had vowed never to cry again, sobbed sadly in Jane's arms.
He collapsed not under the storm that had driven him, but under the warm sunlight.
A tiny flower bloomed on the edge of a rotten lake, devoid of life.
A flower nestled on the murky edge of the lake. A flower bloomed miraculously in the dead lake.
That flower was a ray of light that purified the rotted lake within.
Serun's suppressed self stirred and blossomed.
He, who had been nothing more than Cedric's chess piece, broke free from the chessboard.
Rose's actions, which distorted the original, changed not only the life of the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
***
Meanwhile, Eric and his group were heading south.
Doana, who had been sitting at the very end of the carriage, had already found herself seated between Eric and Belliar.
The carriage carrying Eric, Doana, and Belliar erupted in laughter.
Of course, that laughter belonged to Doana, and only her.
Eric grew weary of listening to Doana's ceaseless chattering. Doana, with no one to respond, was busy chattering.
The carriage, which had set off in the blazing sun, finally reached its destination in the pitch-black night.
The wheels, which had been endlessly rolling, finally began to slow down.
"Oh, I think we're getting there soon. Should we get off and take a walk?"
Doana coquettishly clung to Eric's arm.
'When we're alone together, I should ask about today's events.'
She couldn't ask in front of Beliana. That would only invite ridicule.
But Eric's response was utterly cold.
"I'm tired."
He lightly brushed Doana aside and answered nonchalantly. Behind Eric's carriage, carriages carrying servants also stopped one after another.
The knights who had come to escort Eric dismounted and tied their horses
in the stables. Beliana descended from the carriage, escorted by the knights. Doana reached out her hand, but no one took hers.
'How dare... You ignore me?'
Beliana took her hand as if to show off, but when she poked her head out, they all averted their gaze.
"Oh, Lady Doana. Let me help you."
At that moment, a red-haired knight approached Doana. He took Doana's hand with a wink.
Doana finally smiled and looked up at the person who had taken her hand. Then, her expression hardened.
"Why did I have to run into that guy?"
He was Doana's unofficial friend. A secret friend she sometimes visited when she was lonely.
She wanted to shake him off, but she didn't want to let go, for fear of miscarrying the precious baby she was carrying if she stumbled down the stairs.
The knight who held Doana's hand slyly brushed it away. His clammy touch felt unpleasant. She had no intention of following him to Beliana and Eric's honeymoon and flirting with him.
What mattered to Doana was preventing them from uniting.
Only after they had all descended the carriage did she shake his hand away.
The red-haired knight continued to give her a sly glance, but Doana didn't even glance at him.
She ignored him and exclaimed,
"What kind of accommodation feels like a palace?"
The mansion in the capital was certainly magnificent, but compared to this place, it felt ordinary.
This exotically built annex belonged to the Wence family.
"Now it's all mine."
This palatial annex and the luxurious mansion in the capital all belonged to her.
Doana smiled, reaffirming Eric's wealth.
But Eric's response was utterly cold.
"I'm tired."
He lightly brushed Doana aside and answered nonchalantly. Behind Eric's carriage, carriages carrying servants also stopped one after another.
The knights who had come to escort Eric dismounted and tied their horses
in the stables. Beliana descended from the carriage, escorted by the knights. Doana reached out her hand, but no one took hers.
'How dare... You ignore me?'
Beliana took her hand as if to show off, but when she poked her head out, they all averted their gaze.
"Oh, Lady Doana. Let me help you."
At that moment, a red-haired knight approached Doana. He took Doana's hand with a wink.
Doana finally smiled and looked up at the person who had taken her hand. Then, her expression hardened.
"Why did I have to run into that guy?"
He was Doana's unofficial friend. A secret friend she sometimes visited when she was lonely.
She wanted to shake him off, but she didn't want to let go, for fear of miscarrying the precious baby she was carrying if she stumbled down the stairs.
The knight who held Doana's hand slyly brushed it away. His clammy touch felt unpleasant. She had no intention of following him to Beliana and Eric's honeymoon and flirting with him.
What mattered to Doana was preventing them from uniting.
Only after they had all descended the carriage did she shake his hand away.
The red-haired knight continued to give her a sly glance, but Doana didn't even glance at him.
She ignored him and exclaimed,
"What kind of accommodation feels like a palace?"
The mansion in the capital was certainly magnificent, but compared to this place, it felt ordinary.
This exotically built annex belonged to the Wence family.
"Now it's all mine."
This palatial annex and the luxurious mansion in the capital all belonged to her.
Doana smiled, reaffirming Eric's wealth.
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