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Chapter : 32
“A guardian?”
I was extremely taken aback.
“You’ve been living in Rekaten since you were ten. I can’t say that time was entirely pleasant, though.”
The Duke of Rekaten seemed angry about something.
“Think about what you went through at the Imperial Court. Not only were you dragged away by the maids when you entered, but when you left, no one even saw you off.”
“…….”
A wrinkle-free frown deepened on his forehead.
I wondered what could have made him so angry, but it only lasted a moment.
“The way they treated you like that is essentially the Emperor ignoring all of Rekaten.”
Through his following words, I understood the truth.
Of course, it was common knowledge that Diel was—excuse me—under care in Rekaten.
‘Let alone the fact that the Emperor doesn’t regard Diel as his daughter.’
If he had respected the House of Rekaten, they wouldn’t have treated me that way.
“Soon there will be Count Rock’s banquet. If something like that happens to you there, what will people think of all of Rekaten?”
The Duke seemed furious at the Emperor’s attitude toward Rekaten.
And he was probably worried that the entire house would be mocked because of how I was treated.
‘If Suhyuk saw this, he’d be completely overinvested again.’
I could roughly imagine what Suhyuk would grumble about.
“Duke, I didn’t think that way; you’re such a snob!”
But my thoughts were different.
‘The reason doesn’t matter.’
What mattered was whether the Duke’s anger would work to my advantage.
“Remember this, Diel.”
At that moment, I felt a bit smug, thinking I had beaten Suhyuk once again.
“Anyone who receives such treatment from their own father would naturally feel resentment and sorrow.”
The Duke said.
“Even if the father in question is His Majesty the Emperor, it makes no difference.”
“…….”
“What I’m telling you is not to accept unfair treatment from your father as something natural.”
It felt strange.
‘I didn’t expect the Duke of Rekaten to consider even this.’
Even I, living through the situation, had never thought of it that way.
I had only thought I was enduring an incredibly harsh life.
“Anyway, regarding the guardian matter, follow my decision. Your social engagements will increase from now on, so you need to have a proper background.”
His tone became firm, as if he expected me to resist.
‘Well, Diel always made a fuss trying to escape, so it makes sense.’
“Yes, understood.”
But I answered readily.
“What?”
It was actually for the best.
That way, I could stay at the institution without issue.
“The guardian system is less complicated procedurally than adoption, so it’s fortunate. If there’s anything I can assist you with, please let me know.”
It was merely a nominal relationship, so it wouldn’t give me any extraordinary power.
“I thought you’d refuse. Why are you agreeing so calmly?”
The Duke asked with a slightly surprised look.
“I’m following what Your Excellency told me. After seeing the Emperor in person, I realized it.”
Honestly, I had considered refusing. But after the Duke’s last words, I felt resolved.
“This place isn’t as hellish as I imagined.”
At least, the Duke was nothing like the Emperor.
‘Even if he gets angry, he’s not the type to resort to violence.’
The only time he had hit Diel was when I had manipulated him.
“Not all moments were happy, as Your Excellency said, but it’s true that on cold days I could sleep somewhere warm, and on hot days, somewhere cool.”
I didn’t think poorly of the Duke—but it didn’t mean I particularly liked him either.
But I, Baek Juah, had grown up with parents like the Emperor.
‘This side—my family—takes responsibility for what they hold.’
From that perspective, the Duke was preferable to the Emperor.
“I wasn’t starved, and if I was sick, the doctors you summoned would help me.”
The Duke was silent for a moment. Was he surprised? I wondered.
[Rekaten Duke’s ‘Confusion’ increases by 5%!]
[Rekaten Duke’s ‘Touched’ increases by 3%!]
[Rekaten Duke’s ‘Joy’ increases by 2%!]
[Rekaten Duke’s ‘Pride’ increases by 1%!]
“Hmm.”
His control panel shook noticeably.
‘Wow, he manages his expressions well.’
Looking at his face alone, I would never have known.
‘Well, it only went up a few percent anyway.’
Ah, it would’ve been better if trust had increased too.
“You must be tired. Go up to your room. I will send the maids to serve you shortly.”
The Duke, who had been clearing his throat unnecessarily, finally spoke.
“Yes, understood.”
I stood up, glancing once more at the sword hanging in his room.
After all, the most important thing was…
‘The Duke of Rekaten is also an A-class figure.’
He was someone capable of killing me.
Unlike the Emperor, he wasn’t prone to sudden whims.
I could carefully build trust before opening the control panel.
‘Then he can just follow orders to kill me afterward.’
“Wait, Diel.”
“Yes?”
As I turned, the Duke called out urgently.
“That necklace… could it be the one belonging to Grand Duke Perzen?”
While bowing in greeting, the necklace had slipped outside.
‘The Duke recognized it immediately.’
Perhaps because it was a family heirloom of House Perzen. Even a Duke who didn’t care about others noticed.
“Diel, how do you have that?”
His usual iron-clad composure disappeared, replaced by urgency unlike his usual demeanor.
“Oh, I got help from the Grand Duke’s knights at the Imperial Court. I didn’t receive it directly from the Duke; the knight of Rom lent it to me briefly.”
“I’ll need to return it quickly. His Majesty hasn’t seen it, has he?”
“He has.”
“What?”
For the first time, the Duke’s expression wavered noticeably.
‘How valuable must this heirloom be?’
Even the Emperor’s gaze had changed when he saw it, but the Duke’s reaction was even more unexpected.
“Hah… yet His Majesty let you go unharmed. Perhaps he couldn’t touch you because of that necklace.”
The Duke muttered to himself quietly.
“This was left by the late Grand Duke just before he passed.”
“Excuse me?”
What?
‘Then it’s my father’s heirloom.’
I nearly popped my eyes out.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have the chance to return it to Perzen; it was more that I hadn’t.
‘Just like at Bontec, where the necklace helped me earn Dyne’s trust.’
It had helped me in some way because of the name attached to it.
‘I’ll return it eventually.’
But an heirloom… that felt far too burdensome.
“I’ve come to the institution, so I’ll return it directly to the Grand Duke. Since it’s important, entrusting it to someone else wouldn’t be proper.”
“Good. Call the steward immediately and send a letter to Perzen Castle.”
I nodded in acknowledgment of the Duke’s words.
I had just left the Duke of Rekaten’s office.
“What was that?”
From the corner of the corridor, I saw someone dash by.
They disappeared quickly, so I couldn’t see their face.
‘Ah, I can’t open the control panel without seeing the face. Looks like they were spying…’
Well, now that I’m staying at the institution, this might happen often.
Brushing it off, I went to find the steward first.
“Steward.”
“Oh, Your Highness. How may I help you?”
The steward asked politely.
“I have a letter to send.”
“Understood. Where shall I send it?”
“To Perzen Castle.”
I had been thinking about it anyway.
‘It’s about time I properly meet him.’
I was starting to feel it was time to meet him properly.
