Since the Emperor had asked her to attend, she had to go anyway.
Roselyn overcame her laziness and wrote replies to the two letters.
Knock knock.
Just as she was about to get up, she heard a knock. When Roselyn told her to come in, the door opened.
"Good afternoon, Miss."
It was the butler, Dean.
A capable butler in many ways, he was also quite skilled in martial arts and was one of the people the Duke trusted.
"He was very upset that you didn't come out for breakfast."
"Yes?"
Roselyn answered briefly and nodded.
“So what’s going on?”
"The master is looking for you. He wants to have some refreshments together. Would you be free?"
“Okay, I’ll go.”
Roselyn nodded readily and immediately followed the butler out of the room.
She could roughly guess the reason for the call, so there was no reason to hesitate.
Roselyn followed the butler to the private reception room used by Duke Bellion.
It was a place that Duke Bellion used to welcome distinguished guests, or occasionally to have casual conversations or private chats.
Of course, soundproofing and security were thorough.
The entire room was made of soul stones, so he couldn't even use the Abyss.
“Please go in.”
At the butler's kind smile and words, Roselyn obediently went inside.
As soon as she entered, the first thing she saw was Duke Bellion sitting on a spacious sofa, tilting a glass of wine.
He was somehow wearing even fancier clothes, and with a smile on his face, he looked quite happy.
"Have you come, my child?"
“Good afternoon.”
"You haven't shown your face for two whole weeks, so I see you are here today."
"I thought you might have something to say."
Roselyn smiled and approached Duke Bellion.
Duke Bellion nodded as he watched Roselyn not sit down.
“Sit down first.”
"Yes."
Duke Bellion frowned at Roselyn, who sat down only after receiving permission.
'It's not like I came here as a guest or anything...'
She didn't know why he was acting so stiff.
"I mean the Nolang Mine you told me to buy."
"Yes. Did you win the bid?"
“Yes, thanks.”
He nodded.
"Thank god."
"Hmm. And although it hasn't been announced yet, I heard there is a high probability that the mineral found there isn't amber."
It was something she had guessed.
Roselyn saw Duke Bellion grinning like a villain with his legs crossed.
Devon Bellion.
Although the only people who knew him now were the Emperor and elderly nobles, Devon Bellion was originally an illegitimate child of the Duke of Bellion and, until his early twenties, was a godfather of the underworld who controlled the back world.
The story was that Devon grew up without even knowing he was a noble until his early twenties.
However, when the sole heir of the Duchy of Bellion was involved in an accident and the survival of the family was threatened, the former Duke of Bellion had no choice but to bring in Devon, who was an illegitimate child.
This was because, aside from the deceased heir, there were no direct successors at all, and collateral relatives were constantly eyeing the ducal throne.
The previous Duke of Bellion, who could not tarnish the bloodline of his direct line, belatedly registered Devon, who was an illegitimate child but the only one who still bore his blood, in the family register; Devon, who was intelligent and possessed outstanding qualities as a ruler, took over the Duke of Bellion's household as quickly as he had taken over the afterlife.
However, she heard that the current generation of the Bellion ducal family is quite unnoble and rough, due to the Duke who could not shake off the habits of rolling around in the underworld during his childhood.
'Of course, I also heard this from Garen later.'
Roselyn looked at him while thinking.
Cruel slayer.
That was the only title given to this man who wore ridiculous and flashy clothes and sunglasses.
Duke Bellion, who had been holding a cigar in his mouth and smiling like a toothless tiger, took off his sunglasses and grinned.
"Granddaughter, have you perhaps become an abyss?"
Duke Bellion's eyes, tinged with a smile, stared directly at Roselyn.
***
Devon Bellion valued his family quite highly.
The Bellion family has been like that for generations.
'I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice my life for the sake of my 'lineage'.'
So, the previous Duke of Bellion abandoned Devon, who was an illegitimate child, and pretended not to know in order to avoid endangering his only heir.
At the same time, when the only heir passed away, Devon, who had been abandoned, was brought back to protect the 'direct line' bloodline.
Rather than handing over Bellion, to whom he had devoted his entire life, to someone from the collateral line, he chose the half-line descendant who had spent his life roaming the back alleys.
Devon Bellion was lonely in his youth.
He did not deny that there were times when he envied those who had formed ordinary families.
Desire was his driving force, and it was the most honest and primal emotion that brought him to where he is today.
That was also the reason Devon went out of his way to pacify the underworld and have many people at his feet.
Because starting a family was his long-held dream.
To do so, he needed a safe fence or a garden, and he thought he needed to build up his strength for that.
'The problem is that not a single one of them grew up properly, but.'
Anyway, Devon Bellion cared for his children in his own way.
It means that although he never truly loved the wife he married through a political arrangement arranged by the previous Duke, he did love the child born from her womb.
It was a marriage that took place after knowing each other.
Even so, Devon respected her as she had become family and would be raising the children with him, and he did his best to ensure they weren't on bad terms.
Therefore, it can be said that Devon Bellion was quite generous to his family.
He had a magnanimous nature and would laugh off most things, whether it was killing people or playing with drugs.
Of course, having grown up roughly, he had a rough mouth and rough hands.
There was a time when he believed that raising children could be solved with fists and intimidation.
That is why his eldest son blames him for how the kids turned out whenever he's bored, though.
Anyway, 'Certhy Bellion', born as the youngest among them, was a sore spot for him in many ways.
Having awakened at the moment of birth, he poisoned his mother immediately after birth and eventually killed her.
As time passed, just when he thought he had finally found a woman he cared about, one day he appeared holding a bloodied newborn baby and stayed holed up in the basement for several months, refusing to come out.
Everyone was afraid of Cherty except for his family and the butler, Dean.
Perhaps because he had committed such acts since birth, grown up being pointed at and bullied by his second child, he isolated himself.
It's a shame to waste his face.
And how weak-minded they were; they became adults and parents with thorns raised everywhere.
Just when he thought he had met the woman who would cut off the thorns, there was another accident.
For over a decade, he had pushed the child away and could not approach her, fearing that he might kill her or that she would resent me.
So Roselyn also became a quiet child.
It has been several years since he tried not to pay attention to his only granddaughter, as she keeps her mouth shut and ignores him whenever he tries to speak to her.
‘But it changed.'
It was only a short while ago that several people died trying to stop the youngest one from going berserk after hearing the news that his daughter had tried to kill herself.
From that day on, Roselyn changed.
She became indifferent and honest, as if she had realized something.
It meant that it was dry, as if all affection had been cast aside.
And she tried to break free from their embrace.
To reiterate, Devon Bellion was generous in everything when it came to his family.
He unleashed brutal retaliation upon those who laid a hand on his family and cared nothing whether others lived or died, but regardless, he cherished the family within the garden he had created.
To the extent that he personally selected every single servant and attendant to tend the garden.
However, if there is something he cannot endure...
That is something he does not know about matters concerning his bloodline.
Also, trying to leave his garden without permission.
He knew that he had an obsessive and controlling personality.
Therefore, Ian Bellion's recent incident with Makluxa and Roselyn Bellion's declaration of becoming a nun were shocking in many ways.
"Baby?"
Lost in thought, Devon Bellion waited, but since no answer came back, he called the child again.
"Yes, Your Excellency the Duke."
"Will you just call me Grandpa?"
"Aren't you offended?"
Roselyn asked at Devon Bellion's request.
“What do you mean?”
"Strictly speaking, I'm not Bellion. Because I'm an illegitimate child."
"...Hmm."
Devon Bellion paused and furrowed his brow.
In fact, Devon Bellion had an impatient personality.
So, he found it a little difficult to understand his youngest son.
He found out a while ago that his granddaughter was misunderstanding, but since Cherty said he would handle it himself, he had been waiting until now.
'I can't believe you still haven't said that.'
It was actually Devon Bellion who felt like his insides were going to explode from the frustration that went beyond mere caution.
'It's not like you're a shy girl in your prime.'
He clicked his tongue under his breath and opened his mouth.
"So what if you are an illegitimate child?"
"...What?"
"It is important that Bellion's blood flows in yours, too."
He snorted.
Bastard?
That kind of thing isn't important.
He was also an illegitimate child.
So, what matters to Devon Bellion is merely whether or not she is of the same bloodline.
As long as there is blood shared, even if it is only half, that is enough.
"And you are not an illegitimate child. I kept quiet because the youngest said he would say it himself, but given his personality, it would take several more years for him to be honest..."
Devon clicked his tongue and flicked the ash off the end of his cigar, then suddenly looked at Roselyn's face and fell silent.
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