Chapter 6

Kellerhan squinted his eyes. He must not have liked Yuta’s rebellion.

 

“This is an order.” He ordered Yuta as if he was dealing with his subordinates.

 

Yuta’s face darkened at the word ‘order’. I noticed that Kellerhan’s ‘order’ was absolute in this family.

 

The boy slowly turned his opened arms back to his side. He reluctantly walked.

 

“Isabella, that… here.” Just before he left, he put something in my hand.

 

When I opened my hand slightly, it was a flower folded with paper. Berkel had a custom of buying paper flowers when visiting the hospital.

 

The moment he first said, “I’m sorry. You’re sick, but I woke you up,” did he think I wasn’t feeling well?

 

Without even having time to ask, Yuta turned around. That boy opened the door with unwilling steps and went outside.

 

I heard the door closing.

 

Nervous as there were only both the Mad Dog and I left in the room, I swallowed my saliva.

 

Kellerhan pulled a chair from one side of the room, sat in front of me.

 

“Are you tired? Do you want to sleep more?” He asked with an unusually friendly smile.

 

But I knew. That smile was fake. It was a trap. If I answered that I wanted to sleep more at the moment, I’d be doomed.

 

“No.” A strange voice came out because I was very nervous. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice that.

 

“Then sit down.” He pointed to the bed with his chin.

 

Kellerhan opened his mouth again as he grabbed the bed with both hands, grumbled up, then settled down.

 

“Let’s talk.” He lifted his right foot, putting his ankle on his left knee.

 

As I thought in the carriage, this human being was really lazy. It wouldn’t be a big problem anyway, the Emperor was the only one who could point out his attitude in this whole Berkel.

 

“I brought you to this house because there’s something to talk about between us two.”

 

Kellerhan finally brought up the subject.

 

“Sincerely speaking, it would be better not to be the daughter-in-law of our family.”

 

I wasn’t surprised because it was expected to some extent. However, what followed made it difficult for me to stay still.

 

“Don’t struggle in vain and just go to Lodgemund.”

 

I clenched my pajamas tightly. I put so much strength that my hands were shaking.

 

“I want to be here.” I struggled to spit out every word.

 

“I’m not as good as you think I am.” He frowned.

 

Can’t my earnestness reach him?

 

“Let’s be straightforward. It’s still hard for you to understand, but becoming Barmuth’s daughter-in-law is too cruel for a child.”

 

His voice sank as low as a heavy pendulum.

 

“I cut people’s throats every day. And come back with blood on me. If you’re in a place like this, it’ll be hard for you to maintain a healthy mind, let alone become a proper lady.”

 

“It doesn’t matter!” I shouted urgently. “I can grow up well on my own.”

 

He looked dumbfounded at what I said. It was like looking at a strange creature that was not included in an illustrated book.

 

“Why do you insist on Barmuth so much?”

 

He then asked, and I agonized over the answer.

 

I could’ve said I admired Barmuth and lied again that it was cool to see him beating up a criminal.

 

However, my instinct warned me that I shouldn’t say such things now.

 

The man in front of me was someone who had dealt with numerous criminals throughout his life. He must be used to seeing through the minds of criminals in front of him.

 

That’s why a clumsy lie wouldn’t work to this man.

 

If so, I had no choice but to be honest.

 

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Honesty, that’s all I had left.

 

I took a big breath, let go of my hand that was holding my pajamas. I tried to recall the memories of the past as much as possible.

 

It wasn’t difficult.

 

In fact, it had happened just a few days ago.

 

Finally, I cleared my mind and opened my mouth.

 

“I want to live.”

 

There was a moment of silence.

 

He looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

 

“What does that mean?”  Kellerhan’s expression became serious.

 

“If it’s not Barmuth, I’ll die.”

 

I thought Kellerhan would ask, “Why?”

 

But he didn’t ask anything anymore.

 

I just let out a huge sigh as I messed my hair up.

 

“This is why I hate kids.”

 

He got up from his seat and left the room.

 

Somehow, I felt sad, so I put my knees together and buried my face. Soon, my knees got wet.

 

***

 

Kellerhan left the guest room and continued to sigh as he walked down the hallway.

 

“Duke.”

 

The butler, Harold, was waiting for him at the end of the halfway, carefully calling him.

 

“I’m going to go to the study.” After he talked while walking, he hesitated for a moment and added. “Liquor, bring a bottle of it that’s appropriate to me.”

 

Harold bowed his head and stepped down.

 

Kellerhan, who entered the study first, buried himself in an armchair with a posture that was so relaxed that Isabella would’ve said, “As expected, he’s so lazy,” if she saw that.

 

Letters from the Supreme Court were piled up, but he didn’t feel like reading them. He put the letters aside and leaned his leg on the desk.

 

If the maids in charge of cleaning the study saw the sight that would’ve made them wail, they would’ve said, “Ah, the Duke’s on it again…!”

 

He was thinking with his eyes closed and his head tilted back as he heard a knock on the door.

 

“Duke, it’s Harold.”

 

“Come in.”

 

Harold flinched at the sight of Kellerhan’s feet in boots on the desk while he was carrying Kellerhan’s favorite distilled liquor and simple snacks on a silver tray. However, as a veteran who had been helping Kellerhan for more than a decade, he set up the drinks and snacks without saying anything.

 

Kellerhan casually reached out and lifted the glass filled with transparent distilled liquor. Thus, he emptied more than half a bottle without touching the side dish.

 

When the liquor went in, he sighed for a long time and tilted his head back again, as if he had regained some composure.

 

Harold spoke to him as he shook the empty glass in his hand.

 

“I was so surprised that the Duke brought your daughter-in-law.”

 

Kellerhan raised his head, shot Harold with terrifying eyes. However Harold didn’t blink an eye. He even filled the glass in Kellerhan’s hand with a calm face.

 

That man shook his head, meaning he wouldn’t drink more, and opened his mouth.

 

“His Imperial Majesty ordered. I couldn’t refuse, so I had no choice but to take charge of her for a while. After time passes, I’ll send her to Lodgemund.

 

Harold carefully examined Kellerhan’s expression.

 

Harold liked the little miss he saw today. That little miss whose name was Isabella Schwires was very mature and cautious. He thought that if Barmuth needed a mistress, she would be the right one.

 

And most of all, it was important that Kellerhan was the one who brought that child.

 

“But I knew the Duke. If you really didn’t like it, you’d ignore what His Imperial Majesty said.”

 

“Damn it.” When Harold hit the nail, Kellerhan frowned and cursed. “The little one fascinated me with her words.”

 

“There is someone in this world who can sway the Duke?”

 

Harold was surprised and showed enthusiastic curiosity, but Kellerhan didn’t open his mouth. He habitually grabbed the glass and spun it around, recalling what happened today.

 

[The very scene where the Duke puts a knife on the neck of a criminal made me admire the Duke of Barmuth!]

 

[I also want to become a member of Barmuth and bring down the outlaws!]

 

The hand that was spinning the glass stopped.

 

Kellerhan spent his entire life catching criminals and keeping the security of the Empire by following the will of his dead father in his hands, and he had no regret for it.

 

No matter how many criminals he had caught, no one said thank you from the bottom of their heart, but it was okay. He understood.

 

He also knew that his method was particularly cruel. A power that was too powerful, even if it was on the same side, would arouse fear in people.

 

In the first place, he acted like a mad dog for that.

 

Because vague definitions tend to be bent. If he couldn’t bend, he just had to be hard enough for no one to break.

 

[Are you still a person? This monster! Don’t come close to me!]

 

That’s why he endured it alone.

 

He thought that the same fate was waiting for his son, who was born in the Barmuth family.

 

But…

 

[I also want to become a member of Barmuth and bring down the outlaws!]

 

Wouldn’t she stay with Yuta for the rest of her life?

 

As soon as he heard Isabella Schwires’ words, he thought of that.

 

Kellerhan was shaken unconsciously, thinking that Yuta might have a different life and a companion waiting for him.

 

It was only after he carried Isabella in the carriage that he thought, ‘Oh, my.’

 

He regretted even more after he learned that she hadn’t even met his son yet.

 

‘I’m not going to take care of her. Let’s send her to Lodgemund as soon as possible.’

 

While Isabella was taking a bath and eating, Kellerhan thought about it all the time. Yet even after he waited too long, he couldn’t find her. That’s why he went up to find her, and he found Yuta stuck next to Isabella.

 

When Kellerhan saw that scene, he facepalmed.

 

Yuta had learned from Kellerhan since his childhood and kept his life in principle. If he recognized the daughter of Schwires as his ‘bride’, he would use all means not to break the oath of marriage.

 

Kellerhan didn’t know what Yuta heard about Isabella, but seeing how Yuta was blocking him earlier, it was clear that he had already nailed her as his bride.

 

That man sighed, frustrated that nothing went as he thought.

 

“Harold, think about it. Do you think a child without Barmuth’s blood can survive here?”

 

“It must be hard.” Harold replied carefully as soon as he agonized over it. Even him, who viewed Isabella well, couldn’t deny the truth.

 

Barmuth was by no means a good place for young children to grow up.

 

“No matter how reckless I am, I can’t push someone’s life into the pit anymore.”

 

“Harold, who knew well what Kellerhan was saying, couldn’t even open his mouth.

 

Kellerhan smiled emptily, put the glass down.

 

“I’ll have to show her for sure soon. This place is not safe for children.”

 

His red eyes were filled with complex emotions.