BMPEW 12

Chapter 12

Ankus set me down again in front of the stone slab in the central hall and then went off to speak briefly with the other close aides of the head of the family.

While staring absentmindedly at that image, I began organizing the information I’d gathered so far.

The seven factions of Ignitus. Of them, the ones who had been behind the pillar all came from three specific families.

And none of them showed the slightest respect for Ankus, who was clearly trusted by the head of the family. They even freely spoke about matters related to Lord Abelus.

Considering all these circumstances, it became clear.

‘There are already factions split within the family.’

The Abelus faction versus the rest of the families.

Actually, the Records of the House of Ignitus briefly mentions something like this.

“When Tiberius appointed young Abelus as his successor, some voices complained that the head of the family had come from the same faction for four generations. But once Abelus’s talent became widely known, those voices soon quieted.”

But that was about it.

There were no stories of inner strife within the House of Ignitus during the times of Lord Tiberius and Lord Abelus that became actual problems.

‘That’s probably due to Lord Tiberius’s authority.’

Even that man who had scolded Ankus earlier didn’t give a proper answer when told to ask the head of the family directly—he just lashed out with personal attacks.

This meant that even those dissatisfied with the current situation still saw Lord Tiberius’s orders as absolute.

At that moment, the voices of Ankus and the other aides, chatting in one corner of the hall, grew louder.

“Do you know what I just heard over there? ‘The tragedy of Kecaum still feels fresh like it happened yesterday, and it’s disappointing that you—blah blah blah…’ Honestly, I think the guy’s senile. Show of hands if you agree.”

“Fresh like yesterday? What a joke!”

“He completely lost his mind after losing the successor position. It’s like he developed split personalities.”

“Exactly. I’ve heard people tell him to stop making a fuss over the Kecaum incident so many times now.”

Hearing their words made me scowl instinctively.

‘So they didn’t actually feel sorry about what happened to Lord Abelus at all!’

They just opposed anything related to the Abelus faction.

From what I was hearing, it seemed that after I was adopted, the main target of their hostility shifted from Lord Abelus to me.

Thanks to their conversation, whatever lingering intention I had to understand both sides—since they were still technically my ancestors—was completely gone.

‘I need to get things sorted out.’

With that in mind, I crossed my arms and glared at the family tree like I was ready to devour it.

After Lord Abelus died, the House of Ignitus descended into utter chaos.

To make matters worse, all the elders who might have mediated conflicts had passed away, and unqualified people who shouldn’t have stepped forward began meddling in family affairs.

They slandered, manipulated, and assassinated each other without hesitation in their fight for the position of the 16th family head.

It became so bad that they even sought help from sworn enemies.

With the family torn to shreds like that, no wonder the king—who already saw us as a thorn in his side—was able to wipe out Ignitus so easily.

I looked through the family tree to find the names of those who had contributed to Ignitus’s collapse.

‘Bellicus faction, Erasinus faction, Scaevola… Oh, I just heard those names earlier.’

Whoever drew the family tree must have had some sense of the situation, because those three families were grouped closely together in the illustration.

So, did one of them end up becoming head of the family?

No.

After years of bitter battles, they were all either dead or crippled, and the position of family head went to a faction that had withdrawn early and lived a quiet life in the countryside.

It was an utterly meaningless dogfight.

I approached the group around Ankus, where their conversation was still going strong.

“Angku.”

“Young lady?”

“E-everyone, shut up!”

“What kind of language is that in front of a child!”

“You’re not one to talk…!”

The aides, who had been speaking quite harshly in their emotional state, were startled and quickly covered each other’s mouths.

“Angku, those guys earlier were bad guys.”

I lifted my head high and looked up at them with an expression that said, I know everything.

“Haha…”

Ankus and the aides exchanged troubled glances.

“Does the head of the family know too?”

Just in case he didn’t, I was thinking of filling him in.

“Hahaha!”

Though I was serious, the aides just burst out laughing.

“I mean it!”

“Wait, what did the young lady just say?”

“Oh, I think she’s saying that since she saw them fighting with me earlier, she wants to know if the head of the family will punish them.”

Ankus looked at me with a face full of affection.

“So that’s why you brought up the head of the family—because if he knows, he’ll punish the bad guys, right?”

“Yeah!”

“What a clever thought.”

Ankus gently patted my head.

“The head of the family knows everything.”

He added with a wink.

That was reassuring.

If I had the head of the family’s help, just giving those guys a little push might be enough to drive them out.

But then Ankus added something curious.

“…Though I don’t think he has any intention of punishing them.”

“Huh?”

“This is probably a conversation for when you’re a little older. For now, let’s set some ground rules. Remember that scary man from earlier?”

“Eratinutt!”

When I said his name, the aides reacted with impressed murmurs: “Oooh.”

Except for Ankus.

“He called him Tinut. Tinut. Hahaha!”

I tilted my head.

No matter how I looked at it, Angku really wasn’t in a position to mock others.

“In any case, there are plenty of scary people in the annex aside from him. So, young lady, no matter how friendly they seem, you must not approach people from the family.”

“Okay!”

I nodded enthusiastically.

“If strangers approach, run toward the head of the family’s office. Or you can go find the young lord.”

“But Abel-nutt doesn’t like me.”

“He might not like you, but he’s not dangerous. Other factions are different. They’re dangerous. They’re just waiting for a chance to gobble you up. Like this. Roar!”

As I seriously debated whether or not to play along, a voice came from behind.

“Which is why you shouldn’t enter the annex without permission like today.”

It was Gordio. The maid who usually looked after me was with him.

“Ah, young lady… It’s time to return to your room…”

Her face had aged noticeably, likely from the stress of searching for me.

As I reached for her hand to leave the hall, Ankus suddenly asked me a question.

“Young lady, one last thing. Do you think those bad guys are part of the adorable gang?”

“Nope! They’re out of the club.”

“Smartest girl in the world.”

Ankus grinned and waved with satisfaction.

As I looked at his face, a line from a book came to mind.

“Even Ankus has been assassinated. There is no longer even a sliver of hope for that family. Oh Vesta, goddess of the hearth, have you truly forsaken Ignitus?”

That wasn’t even a record from someone in our family.

It was the lament of an outsider who mourned the fall of the House of Ignitus.

* * *

Since visiting the annex, I’d been feeling weighed down.

At the same time, I felt strangely hollow.

Like realizing the grand palace I’d admired all my life was actually built on sand.

I had assumed Ignitus, with all its power and glory in the present day, must have been a good place.

But in truth, it was just a bonfire in a shanty hut—one that would immediately go out if Lord Tiberius disappeared.

I tried hard to sort through my complicated feelings as I wandered aimlessly.

It was inevitable that the head of the family couldn’t devote attention to internal affairs.

It wasn’t just some ordinary high position he held, after all.

I tried to understand that, and yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about Lady Callidora—the one who gave me her body before leaving.

A young, weak adoptee whose name appears nowhere in the entire history of Ignitus.

The soul I briefly glimpsed in my dream had a youthful face.

Her story ending so soon couldn’t have been by her choice.

When I reached the central hall, I stopped for a moment and stared at the empty office of the head of the family.

‘…Lady Callidora must’ve looked at this same view.’

But unlike me, she would have done so with the mind of a true child—desperately trying to understand what was happening around her.

I clenched my fists and broke into a run.

There was no time for sentiment.

From now on, I had to do whatever I could.