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Chapter 95. The Secret Of Funeral (1)
“What did Father hear that made you overreact?”
“What did I hear? I’m just worried that you’ll get hit with an overload of work.”
“What’s there to worry about? Work there offers me a high salary, short working hours, and a lot of time off like now.”
“But your face doesn’t look good. I wondered if you were having a hard time.”
“I’ve been off work early these past few days and rested well, didn’t you know that?”
“Keheum. Is that so?” Simon looked up and averted her gaze.
I’m sure he heard something. Did he meet Trisha?
If Simon found out that she had signed an unfair contract with the Sestein family, it made sense that he was a little worried. But what if he just said it out of concern? What if he got worried for nothing?
It would be too much to keep arguing. Rather, it might just cause him to worry about what really happened. Then wouldn’t it be okay to change the topic naturally?
Elusiana pushed her uncomfortable inner feelings to one side and replied plainly. “His Excellency isn’t such an inconsiderate person. He’s meticulous enough to even take care of the break time.”
“Hmm. I don’t think so.”
“What did you just say? Why do you think like that?”
Simon, who was muttering to himself, said, “Oops.” What he thought inside seemed to pop out without even realizing it. He, momentarily speechless at her gaze, sighed briefly as he couldn’t help it.
“Honestly, I-I think like that. If he even cares about break time, it means there’s no time to rest in normal circumstances. Just imagine how much there must be for the Grand Duke to take on such efforts. Just by seeing him sending this on a holiday, I can tell.” Simon, who grumbled and complained, soon took a black envelope out of his arms as if in desperation.
“Huh? Isn’t this a letter from the grand duke? Why did Father—”
“It arrived this morning.”
Upon receiving the envelope from Simon, Elusiana gave a puzzled expression as she looked at the outside of the envelope sealed with gold sealing wax. He didn’t say much when I left work yesterday. Why all of a sudden? That’s why she didn’t understand.
No way. Is it because of the first young master? Elusiana recalled Genoyer’s face, which she briefly encountered yesterday. Both of them were smiling, but there was a tense war of nerves with hostility. That was the case because one side was stolen, and the other side was stealing.
It seemed that the grand duke didn’t like me talking to the first young master. No way! Was the encounter bothering him enough to send me a letter at this hour?
Elusiana looked at Simon with an ominous glare. “Father, did you… check the contents of the letter?”
“How can I open it first when it comes to you?”
But why are you so dissatisfied? The question stopped at the tip of her lips. As he said, there was no trace of the letter being torn. Elusiana stared at him.
As if it was embarrassing, Simon subtly lowered his gaze. Then he said hesitantly, “It’s been a week since you took a day off, and I don’t like him sending letters early in the morning. I wonder if he’s overworking you even when you’re out of work… It just made me feel unwell.”
That’s why he started prying into it. Elusiana chuckled at the childish whining.
“So, is the misunderstanding resolved now?”
“That’s— I guess I’ll have to check the letter’s contents to find out. Yesterday, didn’t… the grand duke send a letter too?”
Elusiana thought, ‘Is that so?’, then smiled sadly.
“Ah, the letter was about a vacation permit.”
“Huh? Vacation permit?”
“Yes. Although I went to work too early and became useless. It was a letter telling me not to go to work. That’s why I left work early yesterday.”
“Then, this letter too?”
“Maybe…?”
Delighted, Simon looked at the envelope with a face that seemed more excited than her. But Elusiana couldn’t open the envelope easily.
“What are you doing? Go ahead and open it, Lusi.”
Elusiana smiled awkwardly and opened the surface of the envelope. However— What is this? Are you giving me days off like this?
“Hahaha! You’re right, Lusi. What a big vacation.”
Simon laughed out loud as if he had never had a complaint. On the other hand, Elusiana double-checked the letter’s contents with a completely incomprehensible face.
[I’m allowed seven days of vacation.] But why?
* * *
Genoyer, who arrived at the Grand Duchy of Sestein with a red face, couldn’t manage his expression for a moment. …Ha! In the short time he was gone, the preparations for the funeral had already been completed in the grand duchy.
Genoyer looked down at the crumpled black envelope in his hand and smiled. “So you hit the back of my head like this?”
“You’re here, Older Brother.”
Aster, dressed in white funeral attire, greeted him with a sad-looking face. Genoyer was filled with contempt at that pretentious appearance.
“You brat ended up betraying the heavenly principles in the end.”
“Older Brother seems to be very heartbroken. You even said something like this.”
“You brat!”
Standing in front of the angry Genoyer, Aster laid his hand on Genoyer’s shoulder. “Your voice is too loud, Older Brother. What kind of insolence is this in front of Father’s coffin, who has been waiting for Older Brother’s return for a long time?”
“What?”
“I’m truly sorry. After all this time, Older Brother has finally come to visit, but now you ended up like this without even getting a chance to meet Father.”
“…Y-you brat!”
“Still, we should let Father find peace and bid him farewell.”
“Bid him farewell? Father? What kind of absurdity is that! Aster!”
Genoyer gritted his teeth as he saw Heinrihi lying in the coffin.
“Do you think I don’t know that you made all this up?”
“Older Brother, no matter how much you hate me, you should try not to say what you shouldn’t say. It’s hard for me to hear it.”
“W-what?”
Aster whispered softly as he tightened his hand on Genoyer’s shoulder. “Father has finally found his place. Don’t you know better than anyone else how uncomfortable he must have been?”
“…!”
Genoyer, who turned his head, widened his eyes with a shocked face. You’re saying that while you killed Father with your own hands? Father has finally found his place? But even that anger lasted only for a moment.
As his anger subsided, Genoyer’s body felt goosebumps. He didn’t know why, but the moment he met those red eyes full of ridicule, made him feel something familiar. It was as if to tell him that their father’s death was Genoyer’s fault.
…What? Genoyer’s fingertips, which pointed to Aster, shook greatly. “Y-you brat! What do you mean by that? W-wasn’t it today that father died?”
Aster smiled and put his face close to Genoyer’s pale face. “Of course. Don’t you know about that the best?”
“…!”
“Because you saw it with your own eyes.”
* * *
It was two years ago. Aster, who came out of the Waieos family, headed to the Grand Duchy Sestein with Louis. Their destination was the underground laboratory hidden under the grand duchy. It was a place where only the direct bloodline could enter, so it wasn’t difficult for Aster to set foot there. And what he faced was—
Guung—
Guung—
It was a bright red magic stone the size of a fist that glowed on the top of a magic circle with complicated formulas. The warm light like his mother’s arms he longed for.
“Oooh, a great wizard will be born soon.”
Heinrihi’s eyes flashed with great joy. His constant muttering seemed to be an enchanting spell.
“Hahaha. The last ingredient. Just add that, and it’s perfect.”
Astor frowned as he stood at the laboratory entrance. On his right, there was a shallow, fan-shaped pit. Once you entered inside, there would be five iron cages. It was a prison used for experimenting on humans. But that place hadn’t been filled when Aster was locked up there.
An experiment conducted only for one person. The experiment became more and more severe as time passed and instilled extreme pain that humans couldn’t endure unless they dared to go crazy. So Aster killed his emotions thoroughly. That’s how he could live without going crazy.
Nevertheless, their experiments were endless. The last thing Aster remembered was a long time when he had to eat thousands or ten of thousands of poisons at once and detoxify them. A day becomes a month, and a month becomes several months. Aster crawled on the floor, vomiting blood, struggling only to survive. I only have one wish. It was to meet his mother again.
Aster looked at Heinrihi, who was immersed in the bright red magic stone with his mouth twisting. It was then, Heinrihi suddenly shouted happily.
“You’re back at last! My son, my Aster!”
Aster’s eyes sunk deeply at Heinrihi’s words. He talked as if Aster was a son who went out to play in the morning and returned in the afternoon. For a moment, Aster cursed him inside. However, Heinrihi continued talking as if he had no interest in Aster’s feelings.
“The dragon clan is like that. They’re cruel to the point of cold, but they can’t let go of their bloodline. You too are my son, so you couldn’t ignore your bloodline. Hahahah.”
Aster’s anger rose furiously at those firm words as if Heinrihi set a fire inside him.