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Chapter – 21
“I’m… not a noble? What do you mean by that…?”
At the thunderbolt-like sentence, Theodor’s voice trembled.
“I’ve just come back from the Council of Nobles, where your title was stripped.”
“My… title… stripped…?”
Cyan spoke in a cold, arrogant voice befitting a ruler.
“Theodor Elrosa. In the name of Grand Duke Cyan Dicarcignac, representing the Council of Nobles, I pronounce judgment upon you. From this moment on, your title of Count is revoked.”
“Y-Your Grace!”
“The title of Count that the Empire once bestowed upon your ancestors is hereby reclaimed by the Empire. The name Elrosa shall never again be recorded in the imperial register of nobility.”
“Why—why on earth! For what reason? Why are you taking away a title that my family has held for hundreds of years so suddenly?!”
“You claim not to know the reason? How shameless.”
Theodor’s face drained of color. Only now did he seem to realize how grave his sins truly were.
“Since you’re curious, I’ll explain them one by one. Listen carefully.”
“N-no, there’s no need for that—”
“First, the crime of insulting the Empire and the Imperial Family. You dared to use an imperial event for personal matters. His Majesty was greatly angered, saying you made light of the Empire.”
Whether the Emperor was truly enraged or not, even Cyan didn’t know. All that arrived at the Council of Nobles was a message saying he was “greatly angered.”
“Second, you engaged in relations with a woman who was not your wife. You swore before the Emperor and the Goddess to love only one woman, yet boldly broke that oath before the Emperor and the High Saint.”
“I’m not the only one who does that! Everyone openly commits adultery!”
“Everyone? Whom, exactly, are you referring to?”
“Th-that is…!”
Of course, he couldn’t say. It was true that many nobles openly committed adultery, but none were as careless as Theodor in leaving behind evidence.
Cyan continued calmly.
“Because of you, His Highness the Crown Prince—who should have been the focus of the banquet—was unable to receive proper congratulations on his birthday. He, too, was quite displeased.”
Of course, only on the surface.
Theodor, trembling on the ground, raised his voice.
“Just—for something like that, you strip me of my title?! Y-Your Grace! It was only a momentary fling! I swear, I never intended to insult the Empire, the Goddess, or His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“We’re not finished yet. Theodor Elrosa—you prepared for rebellion.”
“R-rebellion?!”
He looked as though he were hearing it for the first time.
Cyan spoke in an even tone.
“There are testimonies that you wandered the streets at night. You regularly met someone in secluded alleys. You even siphoned off your family’s assets under the pretext of military training.”
“That’s not true! Your Grace, none of that is true! I can explain! I wasn’t plotting rebellion—I was only committing adultery!”
“Is there anyone who can prove, before His Majesty the Emperor, that what you committed was adultery and not rebellion?”
“Th-that would be Carl or Jane…!”
Theodor abruptly fell silent.
Carl had already been thrown into prison. A criminal’s testimony held no weight.
As for Jane, she had angrily splashed him with water and driven him away. Would she really testify to adultery for Theodor’s sake?
Desperate, Theodor turned to Rachel.
“R-Rachel! Help me! Save me! You know I wasn’t plotting rebellion—I was just having an affair!”
Rachel snorted.
“And why should I testify to your innocence? We’re strangers now.”
“We lived together all this time—don’t we have some affection?”
“Affection? I don’t have anything like that.”
Cold sweat ran down his spine.
Watching the now-silent Theodor, Cyan spoke quietly.
“You must pay alimony to Lady Rachel, whose honor was damaged because of you. After paying that, the remaining mansion, lands, and all other assets will be confiscated by the Empire.”
“I can’t accept this!”
Cyan, who had spoken smoothly until now, closed his mouth.
Sensing an opportunity, Theodor shifted his dirt-covered hips.
“I formally object! This is absurd! You’re stripping my title for crimes I never committed, making me pay compensation, and forcing me to divorce my wife!”
“I am now the Emperor’s representative. Do you dare object to His Majesty’s decision? I barely persuaded the Council of Nobles not to cut off your head and hang it in the streets.”
“M-my head…?”
Muttering, Theodor blankly touched his neck. His shoulders shook—whether from sobbing or hiccuping, it was hard to tell.
“From now on, you’d better be careful with your words and actions. ‘Commoner’ Theodor.”
Having finished, Cyan took a deep breath and slowly turned around. With the sunlight pouring down, it almost looked as though a halo shone behind him.
“That was a long and unnecessary conversation. I apologize for making you wait, Lady Rachel. I would like to meet Graham.”
“I’ll escort you into the mansion.”
“Excuse me.”
His attitude was as though nothing had happened—hardly that of someone who had just destroyed a man’s life and ended the history of a noble family.
Rachel glanced back at Theodor, collapsed on the ground. He was trembling helplessly on the dirt.
The husband who had always been confident, who had committed adultery with bold arrogance, had lost everything and become penniless.
She didn’t feel happy. It wasn’t satisfying.
But she didn’t feel sorry or pity, either.
It was simply the sense that it was finally over, and her heart settled into a cold calm.
Inside the mansion, Graham had been glued to the window the entire time. He had secretly watched Rachel, Theodor, and Cyan talking.
At first, it looked as though Theodor was yelling at his mother, but once Cyan appeared, everything changed. Theodor shrank back, and soon collapsed to the ground.
Graham let out a deep sigh.
‘The Grand Duke protected Mom.’
He felt grateful, yet sad. Relieved that his mother was safe, but hurt by the fact that the one protecting her wasn’t him.
A moment later, Rachel and Cyan entered the mansion.
As soon as Cyan spotted Graham, he turned to Rachel.
“Lady Rachel. Please excuse yourself until the training is over. For the time being, you must not watch the training unless I give permission. It could affect the child.”
“Your Grace, I’m no longer a countess. Earlier I didn’t have the presence of mind to mention it, but shouldn’t you lower your formality now?”
“Won’t you soon regain your father’s title? Your time as a commoner will be brief, so don’t worry about my manner of speech. Besides, this way helps me stay alert.”
Stay alert?
She was curious what he meant, but didn’t press the issue. It was time to begin Graham’s sword training.
“Very well. Then please take good care of Graham.”
After Rachel disappeared into the inner rooms, Cyan approached Graham.
“Graham.”
“Yes, uh…”
Cyan held out one of the swords he had brought.
“From today onward, I will be your swordsmanship instructor—Cyan Dicarcignac. Though my status is that of a Grand Duke, think of me simply as your teacher. I will teach you with affection, as though you were my own son.”
Status had never mattered to Graham in the first place. As a child, he couldn’t even distinguish what difference status made.
He stared at the hand offering him the sword. It was larger, thicker, and sturdier than his own—larger even than his mother’s hands that always held and comforted him.
Without a word, he accepted the sword. Unlike the wooden sword Rachel had bought him, this was a real blade made of metal.
Cyan had handed it over casually with one hand, but when Graham tried to hold it, it was so heavy he could barely manage it even with both hands.
He felt angry. His pride was wounded.
“…Thank you.”
“It’s still heavy for you. For now, we’ll train with a wooden sword. You can use a real blade gradually. If needed, I can even have one custom-made to fit your height.”
Graham quickly shook his head.
He might be young, but he didn’t want to be treated like a child.
Cyan nodded.
“I thought so.”
Just like last time, Cyan understood Graham far faster than either his mother or father. He observed carefully and understood deeply.
“Since it’s your first day, I’ll let it slide, but from next time on, you mustn’t hesitate and mumble like that. Standing straight and offering calm greetings is the foundation of a knight.”
At the gentle reprimand, Graham’s shoulders twitched. He stiffened, then slowly straightened his back and lifted his head. His voice trembled from unfamiliarity.
“P-Please take care of me, M-Master….”
It was embarrassing and difficult, but he tried his best.
For his mother’s sake.
“Graham. You want to protect your mother, don’t you?”
At the soft voice, Graham looked up. After a long moment, his eyes finally met Cyan’s. A being so far above him, someone he could never reach—yet the one who protected his mother when he could not.
“Don’t worry. You’ll grow strong.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’ll make you that way.”
“Can I become as strong as you, Your Grace?”
“Yes.”
Graham clenched the sword tightly. His chubby hands, smaller than Cyan’s palm, rattled loudly.
In Cyan’s golden eyes, the small shape of a child was reflected.
Ever since he began speaking with Theodor, he had felt a gaze from inside the mansion. The child had been staring at him the entire time.
A little boy not even reaching an adult man’s waist wanted to protect his mother. He regretted being unable to do so, and felt jealousy toward Cyan, who had done what he could not.
‘Feeling competitive toward me—has he chosen the wrong opponent?’
A son who wants his mother’s love usually sees his father as a rival.
He envies the father who monopolizes the mother, wants to defeat him. Through that fierce competition, a son grows into a mature man.
But Graham felt rivalry not toward his father, Theodor, but toward Cyan. He had from the moment they first met.
‘Is it because the man called his father is such trash that he doesn’t even qualify as a rival, only an enemy? But I’m not someone who receives Rachel’s love.’
It was strange—to be watched, learned from, and surpassed by someone else. It was completely different from Dolorasa, who hugged him and smiled lovingly. Something in his chest itched oddly.
What was the name of this feeling?
Without knowing why, he wanted to become a good role model for the child.
“Shall we begin the lesson, then?”
“…Yes. I’ll work hard.”
“Good. There’s an obstruction in the garden, so please lead me somewhere quiet.”
“Okay. But before that, um, I have something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
Clutching two swords nearly as tall as himself, Graham spoke in a solemn voice.
“Master… have you ever loved someone?”
“…What?”
At that brief question, all of Cyan’s thoughts were cleanly cut off and vanished.
