SWALLOWING DOWN A STREAM OF INSULTS, I replied in a very polite way. I felt the sincerity of his threat, so I had no choice but to grovel right away.
“When did I ignore you?”
Ugh, Lucian, your brother is being treated like this.
Interested in what I said, he chuckled and crouched down to match my gaze. He didn’t bend down on one knee gracefully. Instead, he literally sat down in front of me.
“I thought you were just dozing off and refusing to talk. I guess I underestimated you, prince.”
“I guess I judged you wrongly as well. Shouldn’t you be scared of the Duke?”
Ugh, I don’t know the outcome of what happened earlier either.
But I do feel a bit emotional.
“How formidable. Why aren’t you looking into my eyes? You’re talking to someone, but you’re just looking at their feet.”
Actually, I was purposely keeping my head down.
I had no idea what his face looked like, partly because his character was emphasized mostly by his voice in the novel, and he only appeared at the level of a lowly fish, so I couldn’t remember.
I was scared to see him if he had a devilish face, and it might haunt me even after death.
“Why don’t you look into people’s eyes? If you’re an aristocrat, you have to be polite.”
He was someone who had a bad impression of aristocrats, so it was clear that he said this sarcastically.
Yeah, it’s not like I don’t know how you feel. Me too, do you think I got transmigrated here because I wanted to?
But of course, meeting my fave has been the best gift.
Maybe he felt frustrated because I didn’t lift my head, so he grabbed my chin. In that instant, I couldn’t avoid his purple eyes.
“Oh, so this is what you look like.”
He had roughly cut silver hair that overshadowed his face, but I saw his face clearly.
I looked at his narrow, but elegant eyes, and he also had a sharp nose like a knife, and a wide mouth with slightly raised corners.
In short, he had a cool and elegant face. It is so compatible with his voice.
“You look like a potato.”
Well, cancel everything nice I thought about him. You’re the type to try and let your sharp words slide just because of your nice face, huh?
“You look like a snake. More specifically, you look like a white snake.”
He does look like a very expensive snake that had medicinal purposes. That was the best compliment I’ll admit to. Is there a reason for me to praise my kidnapper in the first place? A sense of indignation filled me rapidly.
“What? Pfft. Hahahaha!”
I don’t know what he found funny with my words, but suddenly he started laughing his head off.
Seeing him smiling with his head bent back to show his Adam’s apple, it was obvious that he really is crazy.
“Haha, what a funny little boy you are.”
I guess he laughed so hard because it was really funny to him. I gave him a look of bewilderment.
“You know what?”
I then focused on him and one corner of my mouth went down into a frown. I was on edge looking at his glimmering eyes.
Did I underestimate him too much? It’d be really easy for him to kill me right here and now.
“Will your father come to your rescue? Thinking about it—you’re not even his real son Well, I saw earlier. How pitiful.”
His words made me think of the duke. He didn’t want me to get hurt.
“You didn’t hit the Duke, did you? Even the country’s beloved Crown Prince. No matter how capable he is, do you think the Crown Prince of this Empire would be okay if he pulled out a sword on the Duke?”
Why was I speaking formally with this guy so far by the way?
This annoying booger!
“You seem to be on better terms than I thought you are? I heard that the Duke used to follow you around one-sidedly.”
Well, I’ve suspected there aren’t more than three people in the house here, but I didn’t expect him to know that much insider information.
“Will your father think that much of you? I’ve put in a hell of a deal for you.”
Well yeah, I know what it’s like even if you don’t tell me.
Was your deal something with the Duke’s neck on the line? Would that even be considered a deal?
I was genuinely speechless. Was this stupid deal about the Duke giving up his neck just for his son?
So that’s why my uncle kicked the Duke with such confidence? Because he thought he’d die anyway?
Unfortunately, this plan also failed in the original. You think our Duke is someone to be made light of?
And at least I’m an adopted son. What kind of man would risk his life for someone who wasn’t his blood relative?
Then I said something without hiding my true nature.
“Then shall I tell you something?”
“Sure, try me.”
His dark purple eyes like blooming violets smiled as if he was delighted. I clenched my hands, which contained something I had prepared earlier.
“Would you like to come closer? It’s a secret story. Don’t let anyone hear it.”
“Really? I wonder what it’s about.”
He leaned closer to me with an unknowing look on his face. I then put my lips close to his ear.
This secret was briefly mentioned in the original plot.
It’s what he wanted to know the most. Though I usually wonder why he was born as a human.
“You’re not a nobleman, so you haven’t seen the Emperor, have you?”
“As you can see, yes.” He smirked and answered calmly.
His voice is crazy nice. From now on, I command myself to stop being a honey-vocals fanatic.
In order not to be possessed by this siren, I whispered, carefully opening my hands.
I leaned in close to his ears.
“His Majesty the Emperor has a very good voice. And he has brilliant silver hair. And…”
My words stopped him from breathing. He was looking for his father.
I had no idea how the lowest woman and the Emperor got involved with each other, but I knew this one thing for sure.
This guy was the Emperor’s illegitimate child.
Instead of finishing my sentence, I sprayed the black sauce into his eyes.
The sauce would supposedly burn his tongue even if he tasted a single drop.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───
LUCIAN BLINDLY WITH THE KNIGHTS. No matter how well the knights moved, it was not a problem to follow because there is a limit to how freely they can move in a city.
Seeing the knights stopped in front of an alley, Lucian jumped off his horse.
“Young Master?”
Someone called out to him, but right now he couldn’t hear anything.
Lucian couldn’t think of anything but to make sure Raphael was okay. He needed to take him back home himself so he could ensure that he was really safe.
As he went deep into the alley, his father’s roaring voice rang out.
“You lost them? What the hell are you using your eyes for!”
If they weren’t in the streets, where would they hide?
He ordered them to search the area, but even the remaining traces were useless.
Lucian is no longer afraid of his father’s familiar scolding, but right then he was afraid that he would get mad.
Why was my father so angry?
Who are you saying you lost?
“…I apologise, sire.”
“What terrible discipline you have. You’ve just been eating, sleeping, and training comfortably, so your senses have dulled completely, haven’t they?”
He was the father who had never abandoned his aristocratic dignity. But this was not the case now.
“Your Grace, before that, please let us tend to your wounds. We’ll find them.”
Who do you mean you’re looking for?
Lucian asked internally, but he couldn’t just go up to him confidently. Without noticing his existence, the Duke was furious.
“Let me find my son! Should I stay here healing my wounds when he could be in pain right now?!”
“Your Grace…”
The Knight cried out in a somber voice, but the Duke flatly refused to listen.
Lucian couldn’t even breathe at all because of what he had heard.
The Knights Commander was surprised to find him standing stiffly among the knights and called for reinforcement.
“Young Master?”
“What?”
The Duke, who was holding onto his side with a cloth, looked at his son with his eyes wide open.
The Duke gulped as he looked at the frozen, pale face.
From some point on, his son had started to follow Raphael around.
Of course, it was Raphael who followed Lucian more often, but the Duke could easily see his son’s change in attitude.
Raphael was clearly someone set apart from other people, and he acted differently in front of Raphael.
From his point of view, it felt like he was seeing Liam and his own father, and he felt a bit upset at this, but he couldn’t express this to his son Raphael.
Of course, he couldn’t say this to his son as well.
But the reason he couldn’t say this to the two of them was entirely different.
The reason he couldn’t express this to Raphael is because he was oblivious. And the reason he couldn’t say this to Lucian was because…
“Lucian.”
Lucian did not answer the Duke’s call. The way he stared into space was different from how his son usually acted.
Usually, he had a mostly expressionless face.
Literally no facial expression.
There was no emotion seen on his face.
Except in front of Raphael.
But now all kinds of emotions were running through Lucian’s face.
Anger, despondency, loss, denial.
This was why he couldn’t tell Lucian. He was afraid to involve himself, even when he was aware.
About the way Lucian looked at Raphael.
“Lucian!”
Only then did Lucian meet his eyes when the Duke called loudly.
“Go back to the Duchy! Why are you acting like it’s okay to come out whenever you want! Are you breaking your promise with me?!”
“…”
The Duke needed Lucian to return at once. In times of emergency, the successor needed to be protected at the estate.
Apart from his disapproval of his son, he had to do his part to maintain the way he treated him as the successor.
Lucian did not answer the Duke’s shouts. He had never disobeyed any word his father had said, but now it was different.
It was completely different.
The situation was just too different.
Lucian shook his head slowly. His movement was slow, but his eyes were full of determination.
“Lucian.”
Lucian spoke with a calm tone.
“I won’t listen to you this time.”
“…”
Lucian rebelled against his father’s words for the first time in his life.
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