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Chapter 36
Forgiveness Yet Unfinished
It was probably only her who could have almost died because her grandfather had opened the door. On top of that, it was unexpected that he wouldn’t recognize her at the moment of reunion and would say such things.
Of course, he wouldn’t remember.
In the end, Diana said nothing when she entered the room. Even that gatekeeper recognized her after a while, but her grandfather didn’t. And he even asked where her mother was…
Well, she had imagined it many times. She imagined that he might shout that she looked like her father and chase her away the moment they met, or unexpectedly cry in longing for her, or pretend to be kind to win the favor of Diana, the eldest daughter of the prominent Brien family in Panborough…
She prided herself on having imagined all possible scenarios. But she had never imagined that he wouldn’t recognize her from the very beginning. That there would be such an unexpected person.
Her grandfather cleared his throat.
“Ahem, ahem… you see, the building next door sells children’s toys, so kids often come up here. It’s not that I couldn’t recognize you.”
The children’s toys weren’t even appropriate for someone Diana’s age… The more he tried to excuse himself, the deeper he sank into the labyrinth of his words.
“It seems I don’t match the image of the granddaughter Mr. Anders expected. Goodbye.”
“Nooooo!”
Anders screamed at the top of his lungs and grabbed Diana. Seeing this, the gatekeeper said:
“Master… what’s the point of sweeping, cleaning, and decorating the building as you ordered? You’ve already ruined it all yourself.”
“……”
“Miss, I understand why you are angry. But please, give him just one chance. Since you’ve come here, please spare a little time.”
Diana turned back at the gatekeeper’s mediation. There was an awkward exchange of glances. She held her skirt and bent her knees slightly.
“Nice to meet you. Baron Prato. I am Diana Brien, eldest daughter of Brienga.”
Then Anders Prato straightened his posture and smiled bitterly.
“The Prato title has long been discarded.”
“……”
“There is a path for merchants, after all.”
“……”
“My child, I didn’t come to meet you as a noble, and you didn’t come to see me for that reason either.”
At those words, Diana let go of her skirt in emptiness. The old man’s eyes glistened. His shining eyes openly revealed his emotions.
“Thank you for coming.”
“……”
“You’ve truly become a proper young lady. Beautiful, intelligent… so precious that it’s hard to believe you are my granddaughter.”
He reached out and held Diana’s hands with his trembling ones. Warmth radiated from them. Diana looked down at his hands, seeing the wrinkled hands that could barely hold hers firmly.
Adults… how immature and foolish they must be. Diana thought, listening to the stories of her grandfather and mother.
“Child, don’t hide anything. Tell me everything without even an ounce of falsehood.”
Perhaps because of his gaze, her grandfather told her everything. Her mother, born as a merchant’s daughter, had grown up wealthy and free, yet she wanted to become a noble.
He thought someone had influenced her, but he bought the title for the love of his daughter. Yet buying a title alone did not make one truly noble.
To integrate into noble society, a union with another noble was necessary. Following the whispers of the maid by his side, his daughter Ludina married a duke.
It was a good match. Although facing the threat of decline, it was a historic ducal family with even a trace of royal blood. When he married her off on the condition of forgiving the duke’s debts, the duke made a grave mistake.
Diana knew the answer. Emil. Because of that, her grandfather and mother fought bitterly.
Her mother said she had understood and accepted everything, while her father couldn’t believe that such a clever and wise daughter would make such a foolish choice.
He had worried, lingering around her.
Then he discovered that the daughter was mocked for being a merchant’s child. What could he do in that situation?
The daughter bore a lovely granddaughter. But what if that granddaughter was mocked as having merchant blood too?
He dissolved the old trade company and established a new one. Whether he acted as a ‘noble’ or a ‘merchant,’ he would be an obstacle for his daughter. So he removed that obstacle.
He established the company focusing on foreign lands, not Panborough. It wasn’t a huge company, but it was solid.
And he wanted to see his daughter. He wanted to see the granddaughters, whom he loved dearly. So he set up a branch in Panborough.
But it was already too late.
Too late.
Before they could reconcile, his daughter fell ill and passed away. Meanwhile, he discovered the relationship between the duke and Mirba. Emil was the son of that maid. Everything had been Mirba’s design. As a perceptive merchant, he understood everything.
He was angry. Though he wanted to see his granddaughter, there was no way to meet the young girl. He wanted to speak, but would a lady raised as a noble welcome her grandfather?
Could she forgive the grandfather who couldn’t be there for her mother’s death? And would the duke allow it? In fact, when he learned of the duke’s ‘secret,’ he had shouted insults at him. Even if they met, the duke wouldn’t show him. And he wasn’t confident he could restrain himself from striking upon meeting.
Then he heard his granddaughter had come here herself. And she reportedly screamed among the crowd:
“Wasn’t it your master who first refused to treat me as a granddaughter?”
Yes, exactly. That’s why he came straight to Panborough, hoping for a fleeting coincidence, eager to meet his granddaughter.
“Diana… do you understand?”
“……”
“As you said, I did not treat you as my granddaughter.”
He held Diana’s shoulder with trembling hands and whispered while embracing the small girl:
“But I have never once stopped loving you.”
At his comforting words, Diana accepted that love with a firm expression. She mustn’t relax her guard. Diana still considered the possibility of betrayal.
She instinctively knew there were many who pretended to love only to exploit.
So she vowed not to be deceived by familial love.
‘Don’t be fooled, don’t be fooled, don’t be fooled…’
Diana remembered the terror of the burning mansion. No one had saved her there. Even her grandfather, who said he loved her, had not.
She roughly understood. He must have loved her mother. But how could he love her, a byproduct of the man who had taken his daughter? She couldn’t understand, nor believe it.
Having spent so long in the cold season, she was too wary to fall into the world of sweet and warm love. Her grandfather was different from the mysterious Philip.
Diana placed her hand on the grandfather’s back as he held her.
“Are you forgiving… this grandfather?”
“Forgiving… ah, yes, forgiving…”
Diana nodded. A strained voice came out. Her grandfather wept for a long time until his face turned red.
I will give you everything.
I will do everything you want.
Everything I couldn’t do until now, I will do.
If you tell me to disappear, I will disappear.
Her grandfather repeated this many times. Diana lowered her head, tears streaming. She might not believe him, but still, she wanted to believe. She wanted to trust that warmth a little more.
She would always stay vigilant, but she decided not to refuse his love. Sniffling, Diana spoke:
“Then… I have a request.”
“What! What is it?”
“Miss… you sure ask quickly for things…”
The gatekeeper muttered, watching the reunion. He shouted to prevent her grandfather from retracting:
“Hey, at that time, wasn’t that why you came to the trade company? Then naturally, you should make your request to this grandfather!”
Her grandfather looked as if he might throw the chair she was sitting on at her at any moment.
“Alright, what do you need? The paintings on the wall? I’ll give them all! How about the diamonds of the Lordbrock Kingdom? No, there’s gold from the Calliari Kingdom too!”
Diana shook her head desperately.
“G-grandfather… I need a person.”
“Eh, a person?”
“Yes. Someone named Barrot…”
“Isn’t he here?”
“What?”
Diana opened her eyes wide. Her grandfather smiled proudly.
“Could it be… grandfather, the mercenary king…?”
But he looked so small and frail! Diana looked at her grandfather, and he shouted:
“Oh, my granddaughter… you see me as that strong, huh! I mean the guard standing back there.”
Diana turned around. The gatekeeper grinned.
“A g… guard?”
The future mercenary king? This trade company was becoming harder and harder to understand.
“Am I rumored to be the mercenary king?”
Barrot grinned. Diana looked at the standing gatekeeper—no, mercenary—and spoke:
“I want him to teach swordsmanship… to my slave.”
“Of course.”
Had he even listened to her? Barrot answered so quickly. Things had gone much more smoothly than expected. Could it really be this easy? Anyway, Diana had succeeded in finding a master for Giskar.
