SFBLFD - Chapter 68

Finally, Allan, who couldn't stand it any longer, looked at the messy food again and said.

"No way. I'll contact my brother. If he hears anything, he'll send some guards."

“Isn’t it a nuisance...?"

When Odelia looked at him with slightly surprised eyes, Allan shook his head firmly.

"Why is it a nuisance to ask for help? And what's needed in this situation isn't face, but a helping hand. He's the head of the Bardo family. When his only brother speaks like this, he wouldn't ignore me, would he?"

Even as she said that, Allan looked slightly uneasy.

He heard from Gideon a while ago. Allan is currently living in estrangement from his brother. He didn't show up at the wedding either.

Would such a person actually respond to a request for help... Odelia felt a little uneasy.

***

Early in the morning, the cool air in front of Talamand Castle is interrupted by the sound of a carriage rushing roughly.

The carriage that stopped in front of the gate was flying a flag bearing the emblem of the Bardo family.

The door opened, and a man got out.

The man, neatly clad in a black overcoat, was a slender man, but his presence was hidden by the oil slick. His height, his cold gaze, his neatly trimmed hair, his perfectly composed posture, and his silent, perusal gaze alone made him a presence.

The eldest son, Damien Bardo, was the head of the Bardo family.

In front of the castle, Odelia, Allan, Gideon, and several servants from the island were already there, and they greeted him right away.

"Welcome, brother."

Allan approached first and bowed to greet him.

Damien looked at Allan silently. His gaze held neither rebuke nor affection, but it wasn't indifferent either. It was more like a gaze of observation, seeking to judge something.

His gaze soon moved to Odelia.

Odelia straightened her back without realizing it. The gaze was so sharp that she felt like she'd done something wrong without even realizing it.

"Good morning, Your Grace, the Marquis."

As she spoke, unconsciously caught in the crosshairs, Damien raised his eyebrows. Damien then responded, pretending to kiss the back of Odelia's hand.

"This is Damien Bardo. I couldn't attend the last wedding due to some circumstances. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize, even if it's late."

"Please call me Odelia, Your Grace, and we cordially welcome you to the Bardo family."

At that moment, a small child who had been hiding behind Damien's back peeked out. Odelia carefully shifted her gaze.

"This kid..."

Damien gave a short answer to Odelia's question.

"My son, Herse."

Then he turned his head and spoke softly to the child.

"Herse, you must come and say hello to your aunt."

The child flinched, then hid behind Damien, only peeking out his eyes.

"...Hello..."

After greeting in a voice that sounded like an ant crawling, Herse quickly ran into his nanny's arms and disappeared into the carriage.

"He is a very timid child. Please leave him alone."

Odelia looked at the sad child, wondering if that was okay.

A glance over here, and when their eyes met, he gasped in surprise and turned his head back into his nanny's arms.

At this sight, Odelia felt a little sorry.

Damien seemed unmoved by the sight of his son, and he looked up at the vast land beyond the castle, then sighed.

"Let's go inside and talk."

As he said that and took the lead in entering the castle, Odelia and Gideon slowly closed their eyes and looked at Allan.

Allan avoided the two people's gaze and scratched his face with a sullen expression.

"...Yes, he will help you. Maybe."

***

"Odelia, I heard that the master is coming here in person?"

You came all the way here, so maybe that's a positive sign.

...I thought so, but

"No matter what Allan says, I can't help you with anything."

Before Damien could even lie down on the living room sofa, he drew a line with a firm and cool voice.

“Brother!”

Odelia, who had interrupted Allan's loud voice, calmly answered.

"I didn't necessarily call to ask for help, Lord Damien."

At those words, Damien's eyebrows rose. His thin lips parted slightly, and a low, dry moan escaped his lips.

“Lord Damian?”

The moment he uttered those words, Odelia quickly lowered her head slightly, as if something had bothered her. Given Damien Bardo's aristocratic appearance, perhaps he wasn't pleased that his brother's wife was a woman so often talked about.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to call you."

"It's not something you should apologize for, Madam. Call me Sir Damien, then why would you call me Brother?"

Allan, who was next to Odelia, took her side as she was hesitating to speak.

Allan's tone was sarcastic, but his intention was clear. He wanted to make it clear that Odelia wasn't being rude.

Damien looked at Odelia for a moment, then turned his gaze and looked out the window.

He said nothing. Then, slowly, he turned his head and opened his mouth to speak to Odelia.

“Do you know what is being said among the nobles now?”

Odelia and Allan looked at Damien at the same time. Damien continued speaking without changing his expression at all.

"Rumors are circulating that people are dying in Talamand territory."

"What nonsense, brother."

Allan was the first to refute, and Odelia followed suit.

"The only people who live here are the people of this castle. There is no one else staying here besides us."

"There's talk in the capital right now that an epidemic has started in Talamand."

Recently, reports have been pouring in about an epidemic spreading among farms and villages outside the capital. The problem is that the groups carrying the disease all claim to have come from Talamand.

Odelia felt her blood boil at the thought that this land, which was just beginning to be developed, was being accused of such a thing.

Damien, who had been silently gritting his teeth and staring at Odelia, quietly clutching the hem of his dress, soon continued speaking.

"Now that I think about it, I know it's a lie. But I can't help you just because you're family. Unless we figure out how these rumors started and root them out, this will keep happening. I don't want to get involved in anything dangerous."

"Brother, isn't that too much? Isn't it the duty of brothers to help each other in times like this?"

Allan finally couldn't stand it anymore and got up from his seat, but Damien didn't even bat an eyelid and just shot his back.

"It seemed good that a high-ranking man who had been throwing away his family's honor and just wandering around wanted to take responsibility for his family after getting married. But Allan, responsibility isn't something you can just throw away."

Then he looked at Odelia again and continued speaking.

"I won't ask why you married my younger brother, who is lacking in many ways. Since we are family, I have no intention of ignoring you. That bastard is my younger brother, and you are married to my younger brother, so I can help, but it will only be 'help'. You have to solve the problem. For now, Roach will send a troop to strengthen patrols, but that is all. If you catch the ringleader of the rumor, I am willing to help with damage recovery and other things."

Damien's idea was to send laborers to clear the land and to relocate some of the people of Bardo to prove that Talamand was inhabited.

Odelia nodded as if nothing had happened to her when she said that the rumors would naturally die down once it was revealed that there was a person alive.

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