Chapter 3
The demon who had whispered to him, however, politely left the funeral hall at once.
Someone swept the spot where she had stood with a broom, opened the window, and waved their hand.
Kalias shook his head.
Crown Prince Henry had been a supporter of Grand Duke Alexandros. Moreover, he was nominally Kalias’s superior, as the Western Front where Kalias had been stationed was under Henry’s jurisdiction.
Why had one of Edward’s close associates come to the funeral in the first place?
According to Robelta, she had received a death notice.
‘Did they send one to the Remington family as well?’
Kalias’s head throbbed. He hadn’t slept or eaten properly for days.
He was sick of attending funerals. Having been stationed on battlefields since graduating from the academy, he was closer to death than anyone.
Yet, this was the first time he had personally overseen a funeral.
His older brother had handled their father’s, the previous Grand Duke’s, funeral alone, while Kalias had only watched from a distance.
As a bastard child, he couldn’t attend and tarnish the noble funeral of the great Grand Duke Alexandros.
However, he couldn’t let his nephew, now alone after his brother and sister-in-law’s deaths, hold his parents’ funeral by himself.
Having failed to protect his brother and his wife, it was only right that he at least protect his nephew.
Yet, Robelta Remington had brazenly come to his brother’s funeral.
The relationship between Crown Prince Henry and Prince Edward was so poor that rumors circulated claiming Edward had killed Grand Duke Alexandros and his wife.
A woman who knew the circulating rumors better than anyone else had deliberately come, so there had to be an ulterior motive.
And that woman had brought up the Crown Prince with him. This very fact might be a trap.
‘A ploy to turn attention inward so external vigilance drops.’
There were instances in history where enemies had attempted to assassinate a leader during a funeral.
“They say Crown Prince Henry will arrive shortly.”
Kalias slapped his own cheek to regain focus.
“Wake up all the resting troops. Everyone is to be on alert while His Highness is here.”
At Kalias’s command, the mercenaries snapped to attention.
After leaving the funeral hall, Robelta turned back to survey the Grand Duke Alexandros estate.
‘Just as expected. I poked him, and he’s tightening security.’
For now, Kalias and Robelta were political adversaries.
Even if she spoke plainly, he wouldn’t believe her.
‘But the warning I gave in advance will serve as confirmation for Kalias later.’
Having confirmed that the estate’s outer security had increased, Robelta signaled her carriage to depart again.
She had seen Kalias’s reaction, so there was no need to linger.
“To the Aind Forest.”
It was a forest near the Grand Duke’s estate, situated between the estate and the royal capital. It was the place where Michael had run away to.
There was a small cabin with a view of the lake.
Robelta stopped the carriage a short distance from the cabin. After she disembarked, she sent the carriage on its way and leisurely walked toward the cabin herself.
She deliberately hummed a tune and even picked wildflowers growing by the roadside. Reaching the lakeshore, she chose a suitable rock to sit on. Just as she was enjoying the view of the lake, she heard the sound she had been waiting for.
Rustle.
Without turning around immediately, she waited for it to come closer. She even spread the pouch in her hand on the ground beside her, took out a cookie, and crunched into it.
To the hidden child, the cookies laid out so temptingly on the pouch beside her looked incredibly delicious.
Though he had just eaten at the mansion, he was at an age where he got hungry again as soon as he turned around.
Gulp.
Swallowing his saliva, he crept closer, grabbed a cookie, and put it in his mouth. His eyes widened at the taste. It was so delicious that he quickly swallowed one and reached for another.
“Here, drink this too.”
Robelta handed over a canteen, and he took it and drank. Michael had now scooted right next to Robelta, eating whatever snacks she offered.
“Thank you for the meal.”
After finishing, Michael bowed to Robelta with his hands on his belly. He had originally intended to eat only one cookie, but he had eaten too many. His mother always scolded him for eating too many cookies, so he expected this woman to do the same.
“Aren’t you going to scold me? Even though I ate all your cookies?”
“It’s fine. We shared them.”
“It’s okay if we shared?”
“Of course. Since you didn’t hog them all to yourself, it’s fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
The child smiled brightly.
“But why are you here all alone?”
“I came on a picnic to the lake.”
“Wow! Lucky. I ran away.”
“Did something scary happen?”
“Yes. Mom and Dad haven’t come back for days, and the house is full of scary people.”
“Isn’t there a man there who looks like your father?”
“Hup! How did you know? Dad told me I have an uncle. That uncle is at the house. But he says I’m not supposed to call him uncle.”
It seemed someone had already started influencing the child.
“Dad wrote in a letter that if he wasn’t there, I should find my uncle. So I found my uncle, but he always looks tired and angry.”
Michael slumped his shoulders with a sullen face.
“Shall I tell you a secret?”
Michael’s eyes sparkled at the word ‘secret’. Robelta looked around and whispered to the child.
“Your uncle likes you more than anyone else.”
“Eek? I don’t think so! He gets really mad when I hide!”
“That’s because he’s shy.”
Michael’s eyes widened at Robelta’s words.
“Really?”
“Really. If there’s something you want, tell your uncle. He’ll do anything for you.”
“Would it work if I asked him to make Mom and Dad come back?”
“Go and tell him yourself. If I were you, I’d stick close to your uncle.”
“Why? Did your mom and dad go far away and not come back too?”
“My mom never came back.”
“Even now?”
“That’s a secret. I’ll tell you about it next time we meet.”
“Then promise. Let’s meet again next time.”
“Alright. Let’s meet here two nights from now.”
Robelta held out her little finger, and Michael hooked his little finger with hers to make the promise.
After that, Robelta parted ways with Michael. Michael thought that to keep his promise with her, he probably needed to stay at the Grand Duke’s estate for now.
‘I’ll just sleep two nights, ask about the secret, and then go look for Mom and Dad.’
Michael returned to the Grand Duke’s estate through the secret passage in the cabin that his father had secretly shown him.
Not long after Kalias had organized the troops, Crown Prince Henry arrived.
“I hear Robelta Remington was here?”
Crown Prince Henry said as soon as he set foot in the Grand Duke Alexandros estate.
“There was a disturbance, but I quickly chased her out.”
“What a shame. You should have framed her for a crime she didn’t commit and captured her!”
“Excuse me?”
“With that rigid thinking. Isn’t this an opportunity to cripple the enemy’s funding? To miss a chance like this, when the enemy walked right into your camp herself, is pathetic.”
“……I will do so next time.”
Henry was dissatisfied with Kalias’s answer.
“You should be proactive! Anyway, enough of that. You haven’t forgotten the agreement to lend me troops for the hunting festival a month from now, have you?”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
It wasn’t unheard of for troops to be lent out occasionally during the hunting festival. However, lending military power was a matter requiring caution. Henry, as the commander of the Western Front, couldn’t have been unaware of this.
“How many troops was I supposed to lend?”
Henry smiled and held up three fingers. When Kalias mouthed ‘Thirty?’, Henry replied, ‘Three hundred.’
“It’s a promise your brother made. Even though an accident occurred, promises must be kept.”
“…….”
As Kalias hesitated, Henry frowned.
“Let’s discuss it again after the funeral is over and the inheritance is settled.”
“Ah, fine. I suppose I should offer my condolences.”
Henry went to where the coffin was placed and scribbled haphazardly in the guestbook.
“Using such a drab person to greet guests? Get rid of him and bring in someone cheerful.”
“Yes, understood.”
At Henry’s words, the person who had been tending the guestbook bowed deeply.
Then he scurried off and forcibly dragged in the late Grand Duchess’s maid. She had been faithfully keeping vigil at the funeral hall in honor of the Grand Duchess.
“Now this is somewhat better.”
Henry, satisfied enough to clap his hands, walked with an arrogant gait to stand before the portrait of the late Grand Duke Alexandros and his wife. Then, he picked up a flower placed beside it and carelessly tossed it.
