ITPBDN 22

Chapter 22

It was a night shrouded in complete darkness, when everyone was fast asleep.
Crossing the dim hallway, the Grand Duke opened the door to his office.
Inside, Riena—who had arrived earlier—bowed respectfully.

“I came because I have something to report.”

“Ah… I see.”

The Grand Duke nodded, sitting down and flipping through a pile of documents.

“In the mountains along the northern border, the number of demonic beasts has increased compared to this time last year.”

But as Riena made her report, the Grand Duke’s gaze drifted off into the void.
Resting his chin on his hand, Alec nodded absently.

“I’ve heard about that matter.”

“I’ve been killing a few whenever I can, but it would be best to sweep through the area properly. There might be unforeseen dangers, so we should confirm it.”

“Do that…”

His response came again, just as hollow as before.

‘What is going on right now?’

Narrowing her eyes, Riena spoke up again.

“Your Grace?”

“……”

He seemed completely lost in thought now, saying nothing.

‘What the—? What’s wrong with him? I’ve never seen him like this before.’

Riena waved her hand in front of the Duke’s face and called him by the name she’d used when they were children.

“…Alec? Hey, Alec!”

Alec frowned at the hand waving in front of his eyes.

“Have you decided to just throw manners out the window now?”

“So, you’re still sane enough to respond. What’s wrong? Actually, I don’t even need to ask. It’s about the young lady, isn’t it?”

Alec raised his head, startled.

“How did you know?”

“It’s obvious. You’re not that hard to read.”

“I must’ve really gone off the deep end if even you can tell.”

“What? I was trying to help! Forget it, I won’t then!”

Half-joking, half-serious, Riena crossed her arms while Alec rose from his chair.

“Help me? How?”

“Oh? Now you’re interested? Well, the young lady seems comfortable around me, so I could—”

At the words “comfortable around me”, Alec gave a knowing nod, cutting her off.

“So it really was what happened at the orphanage.”

He began recalling the events at the orphanage. There were too many things that weighed on his mind—too many to choose just one.

“Exactly! I told you—you need to stop talking so stiffly and giving commands in that tone—hey, Alec? No, wait, Your Grace?”

Riena waved her hand in front of him again, exasperated. Was he spacing out again?

“Alec or Your Grace—pick one and stick with it.”

“Then Alec it is. It’s nostalgic, thinking back to when you, Claude, and I used to play together as kids.”

“Haah… She’s too afraid of me. Or maybe she’s just wary.”

A heavy sigh escaped Alec, his face shadowed by a somber expression. Riena scratched her head.

‘That’s not the reaction I was going for…’

“I did scold you back then, but honestly, if I were in your shoes, I would’ve done worse. You know my personality.”

Alec barely seemed to hear her as he voiced a quiet concern.

“Do I… really sound that blunt when I talk?”

Riena stifled a laugh. Of course he’d ask that. Both the young lady and he were the type to bottle up their troubles and suffer alone.

“You’ve only ever had one person ranked above you, right? Naturally, you got used to speaking in commands or with authority.”

“I’ve been trying to change…”

“You don’t need to. That tone suits your status.”

“She seems scared of me, though.”

“Ah…”

So that was it. No wonder he used that weirdly awkward tone whenever the young lady was around.

“Then try speaking to her the same way you do with the young master.”

“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t be struggling like this… Wait, you’ve got a younger brother, right? Much younger?”

“Yeah. My parents really outdid themselves, huh? Or maybe I should say they were too happy together. Unless they just decided to start over late in life.”

“I don’t care about that part. I mean—how do you talk to him?”

Riena thought about her brother, then shook her head. Even if they were close in age, comparing her wild younger brother to the young lady or the young master was ridiculous. That kid was practically a beast himself.

“There’s not much to learn from that. He’s too much like me. And besides, those two—especially—carry a lot of scars.”

Their personalities aside, the most important difference lay elsewhere.

“Have I done something wrong? Did I hurt them? I swore to myself I’d never become the kind of parent that causes pain.”

“Alec.”

Riena called his name firmly, as if to pull him out of the hole he was digging himself into.
He was probably thinking about the Emperor again. That man—how was he still alive after everything?

“I feel like I’ve only given them more wounds by bringing them here.”

“Alec, listen to me carefully. You’re their guardian. If you lose your footing, they’ll only grow more confused. So don’t waver.”

“…You’re right.”

“And as much as I hate saying sappy things, you’ve done everything you could in every moment. Whatever happened as a result of your choices—it’s not your fault.”

Riena’s voice was firm, but Alec only gave a bitter smile.

“The best I could do… No, I was just a coward running away.”

His fists clenched tightly as memories returned—the lifeless, cold body, the swollen belly she had cradled, the morning they’d been talking excitedly about the baby soon to come.

“Alec…”

His lowered face looked like it might crumble at any moment. Riena placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

“Even if you’d accepted remarriage, it would’ve been a disaster. They would’ve forced Baden into annexation, and the already unstable empire would’ve shattered.”

“…You’re right.”

Alec’s expression twisted into a complicated mix of emotions. Seeing it, Riena sighed inwardly.

‘Why did I bring that up? Great, now I’ve just made things worse!’

She scolded herself for saying a word she’d sworn never to mention again.

“So really, what other choice did you have? You had to give up the crown prince’s title and leave. There was no other path.”

She tried to lighten the mood, but she knew exactly what was going through Alec’s head.

The younger brother and his wife, slain by the people of Baden who sought independence.

Kylian, orphaned and used as a political pawn.

He surely blamed himself for all of it.

‘Well… I can’t say I don’t, either. That’s why I’m still here.’

They’d all believed that taking poison and ending it together had been the only way to sever the last thread of hope that would keep the Emperor’s claws on them. But one child had to live on and bear the pain of their decision.

‘What should we have done back then…?’

No matter how she asked herself, Riena still didn’t know.

“I can’t face Claude. At the wedding, I told him I’d take care of things in the Imperial Capital…”

Alec hung his head, thinking of Claude, who had given him the title of Duke of Reston. He, too, had lost family—just as Alec had lost a brother, Claude had lost a sister.

Riena tried to offer comfort.

“Claude did what he thought was right. With the nature of the Reston title, he couldn’t openly move to protect his nephew. You needed the kind of power that even the Emperor couldn’t easily interfere with.”

“Yes… With me standing in that role, no one could object.”

He had moved Kylian to the Reston family and Eloise to the Swinton family—all to keep them safe from the Emperor’s grasp.

“The blood in Kylian’s veins still ties him to the throne, though… it’s only a temporary solution.”

“Right. He’s the only remaining heir.”

“We can’t stay like this any longer. It’s time to decide.”

Alec’s eyes darkened. Riena met his gaze steadily.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll follow you.”

“…Thank you.”

“You’d better thank me. You’re the one who conned me into becoming Knight Commander, remember?”