Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 100

Black ribbons fluttered everywhere on the streets of Mereloff, a sign of mourning for the Count’s death. However, since it was rumored he was killed by a slave, the atmosphere was more unsettling than sad.

“I’ve never heard of a noble being stabbed to death by a slave. I have no idea what happened,” one person said.

“I heard the Count was about to beat his wife, and the slave intervened, which led to the incident,” another replied.

“Wait, what should we focus on first? The Count beating his wife? Wasn’t he supposed to cherish her so much that he wouldn’t let her get hurt? It seemed like he was completely under her thumb,” a third interjected.

“That’s why you never know what goes on between a couple,” someone else added.

“But what about the slave? Is he dead?”

“Judging by the fact that there was no execution ceremony, he must have been summarily judged. Anyway, what a madman. How could he kill his master?”

“This is just a rumor, but I heard that the lady and the slave were having an affair.”

“Hahahaha! That’s a bit funny. Haha!”

“It’s true! A friend of a friend who works at the mansion told me. Otherwise, why would a slave protect his mistress?”

“Oh, that friend of yours. Why? Is the Emperor also your friend?”

Whenever people gathered, they couldn’t help but talk about the dead Count, his wife, and the slave, Clark. Since there was no official statement from the mansion, they had to rely on their imaginations.

***

Lady Rien had been spending her days lying motionless in her dark bedroom. She was so overcome with powerlessness and despair that she couldn’t even lift a finger.

“Madam, shall I bring you your meal?” Samon, the butler, asked.

“No. I don’t want it,” she replied.

“You skipped dinner last night as well.”

“…Butler. Isn’t it strange?”

At her question, Samon turned his head. She was staring blankly into space, her chin resting on her hand. Strange, indeed. Samon couldn’t bring himself to deny it. Wasn’t she the one who was perfectly controlling Mereloff with the deaths of the Three Knights and Dive’s imprisonment?

But…

“Rather than strange, you don’t seem happy,” Samon said.

At Samon’s answer, the lady smiled faintly.

Yes. That was what was strange. Her husband, who had been beating her almost every day, was dead, but she didn’t feel relieved. It was the same feeling she had when she cut down her mother’s tree and ran away.

“Has the merchant group that will take Dive to Tolun been decided?” she asked.

“The Cheal Merchant Group is going to Tolun this time. The timing is also perfect. They sent a letter saying that they would depart as soon as Dive is sent to them,” Samon replied.

Lady Rien fumbled for a cigarette on the side table. Since the day her husband died, she had developed a habit of smoking at least ten a day.

“What about the cost?”

“An advance payment of 100 gold coins. A commencement fee of 100 gold coins.”

“That’s better than I expected. I thought it would go over a thousand.”

The lady nodded in satisfaction. Then, she exhaled the cigarette smoke and muttered, “Butler, tell the Cheal Merchant Group that we will entrust the task to them.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“But tell them that two people will be going, not one.”

“Two people?”

With Rien’s silence, Samon realized that the other person was Clark. She had decided that he would be the person Ian had mentioned to be the monitor. She wanted to believe it was the best choice.

‘Since we have to avoid the investigation from the Imperial Palace anyway, that’s better. And if they go to Tolun, they can get rid of Dive without anyone knowing and come back…’

Come back, could they live together?

The lady felt like she was walking on a foggy path. She could see what was right in front of her, but she couldn’t see the distant destination at all. That was how she felt.

“Dive’s servant will remain at the mansion, right?” she asked.

“Yes, Madam.”

It was easy to deal with a servant left alone. The lady lay in bed and inhaled cigarette smoke for a long time.

“What is the date of Lord Ian’s departure to the capital?”

“Next week. And he will be visiting today to finalize the contract.”

“Was it today? Time flies.”

“Would you like to have a meal?”

Although she had been lying down until the afternoon, the lady was also organizing the matters at hand. This included preparing the reward she had promised Ian, as well as reducing the overall expenses of the estate.

“Is Dive still praying in the annex?”

“Yes. Well, he seems to be living a very regular life.”

Wake up, eat, pray, eat again, pray.

It seemed like he considered the reality of being imprisoned in the annex, unable to return home, as a hardship. He cried out day and night to his underground or above-ground god to save him.

“What a joke.”

She threw on a robe and left the bedroom. The servants in the hallway gasped and turned their heads, pretending not to see her. With a cigarette in her mouth, the lady headed to the underground prison.

Squeak.

Clark showed clear signs of being tortured by the knight. But the scabs had healed, and his complexion didn’t look bad. Clark, who had been sitting blankly, recognized the lady and stood up. The two of them just stared at each other through the bars.

“In a few days,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Go to the Hawan Kingdom with Dive. And head to Tolun with the Cheal Merchant Group.”

“Tolun…”

“Do you know where Tolun is?”

“Yes. I know.”

That meant he also knew it was a very far place. The lady composed herself, holding back the many words that were rising to her throat.

“In preparation for the investigation from the Imperial Palace in the future, we need testimony that Dive arrived there safely. So, take Dive there safely and…”

Lady Rien placed her hand on the back of Clark’s hand, which was holding the bars. It was the first time the two of them had touched. The lady sighed and quietly ordered, “Come back.”

Clark only smiled instead of answering. The lady told him to come back, but Clark knew. He knew what kind of burden it would be for her if he came back. Clark lightly kissed the back of the lady’s hand and stepped back.

It was the last time for the two of them.

***

“I wonder if the carriage wheels will collapse?” Beric muttered, looking at the neatly stacked boxes. They were boxes filled with Rulon fragments that Ian had broken down several times to make them the right size.

“There are only five boxes, but they weigh more than a rock.”

“We’re planning to pull about ten carriages, so we can divide them further. Is the mine cleanup done?” Ian asked as he put on his coat. He had taken out his formal attire, more formal than usual. Today was the day he was going to Mereloff to finalize the contract and clean up Dive’s mess.

“The manager is still in charge. He was asking what to do with the powder mixed with the soil.”

“Tell him to store it separately.”

The magic stones that had fallen off as powder had not lost their power. If they collected them all, they would surely be useful later. Ian glanced at Beric and instructed, “Beric, don’t follow me today, go to the forest.”

“The forest? Ah. Philia?” Beric asked, understanding that he should go see Philia, Ian’s birth mother. Ian would be leaving this place soon. He might come back, but the chances of that were much lower. From Philia’s perspective, it could be the last time she saw her only child.

“Yes. Let her know I’m leaving, and if she wants, come down with her.”

“Okay. But are you going to Mereloff alone?”

“Lord Romandro and his men will be with me. The men who will stay here will have to work with Lady Rien often, so it would be good to build a relationship beforehand.”

The time to leave the estate was approaching, but Ian didn’t feel it at all. It was impossible to completely let go of this place, but it was also impossible to take care of it properly.

“Haa.”

Ian sighed involuntarily as he looked at the pile of documents. If the estate was to run smoothly for a while even without him, he had to review and proceed with all of that before leaving. Beric just watched him, munching on Gula seeds.

Knock knock.

“Lord Ian. The carriage is ready,” Hanna called.

“Is Lord Romandro there?” Ian asked.

“He’s waiting downstairs.”

“I’ll be down soon.”

At Hanna’s call, Ian hurriedly left the door. Hanna was also about to turn around when she made eye contact with Beric.

“Lord Beric? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Are you going to Mereloff too?”

“Yes. I don’t think I’ll be back until late tonight.”

Hanna had been going to Mereloff for some time to receive various training from the butler. Even if she studied writing here, she needed someone to teach her basic etiquette and mansion management skills.

“What’s the matter?” Beric asked.

“No, it’s nothing. Doesn’t Ian look a bit tired?”

At the unexpected words, Hanna’s eyes widened. It was true that he had been busy lately. She didn’t think she had seen him sleep at night for several days in a row.

“I think so. He keeps leaving his meals unfinished too,” Hanna said.

Hanna pondered for a moment, then grabbed her hair in shock. Even with Beric’s bewildered gaze, Hanna only muttered, “Gasp! It is the foundation and virtue of a butler to look after the health and convenience of their master. Oh my god. I can’t believe I missed that.”

“…Hanna. Are you okay?” Beric asked.

“How busy can I be? Am I busier than Lord Ian?! Me!?”

“Hey. What’s wrong with you? You’re scary.”

“I need to prepare some good things for him starting tonight. Lord Beric. Thank you! I’ll work hard until the day I become a perfect butler!”

Hanna raised her fist in a show of fighting spirit, her eyes blazing. Beric responded awkwardly. Then, he watched Hanna’s back as she ran away like a shot and flopped down.

‘They’re definitely going crazy because they’re busy,’ he thought.

Meanwhile, before going down to the main gate, Hanna ran straight to the dining hall to find the chef.

“Uncle Mander! I’m going to Mereloff, but from tomorrow until Lord Ian goes up, please, please prepare only nutritious meals,” she pleaded.

“Hanna? Suddenly? What’s wrong?” the chef asked.

“I think Lord Ian’s stamina is low. He looks tired, anyway, pork, duck, beef! You know? I’ll be back!”

Crash!

The kitchen was like a typhoon had swept through it. A maid who was washing dishes inside peeked out.

“What did Hanna say?” she asked.

“We need to get some meat from the village. Because of Lord Ian’s health,” another maid replied.

“Huh? Lord Ian? Is he sick?”

“Lord Ian is sick? Where?”

The rumor spread in an instant. ‘Ian looks tired’ had turned into ‘Ian is sick’ or ‘Ian is languishing’. The words of a servant who went outside the mansion to the butcher shop sealed the deal.

“Lord Ian has been overdoing it lately and…”

“Whaaaat!?”

Clatter clatter!

At that time, inside the carriage heading to Mereloff, Ian suddenly felt an unbearable itch in his ear.

‘Beric, are you talking about me?’ he thought.

He frowned, rubbing his ear for no reason, and Romandro, who was sitting opposite him, asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I was just a little uncomfortable,” Ian replied.

“Ah, right. By the way, we’ve roughly settled everything else by letter, but there’s no answer about how to hold the Count’s funeral,” Romandro said.

The overall schedule was easily adjusted, but the Count’s funeral was undecided. Ian looked out the window and rested his chin on his hand. In the distance, Mereloff was visible. The sky was gloomy, as if it would snow at any moment.

“I suppose it will be done in secret,” Ian said.

“Huh? In secret?” Romandro asked.

“Just like the lady’s wedding, in secret. That’s why she waited for winter, isn’t it?” Ian replied.

For a funeral where no one comes, where no one can come.