Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 17

Preparation

Not to be adopted, but to meet the Cheonryeo tribe? [A nomadic people known for their fierce warriors and unique culture]

Molin’s expression was a sight to behold—a mix of bewilderment and absurdity. He kept stroking his beard, opening and closing his mouth, trying to grasp Ian’s intentions.

Meeting the Cheonryeo tribe meant crossing the border. From Ian’s perspective, wasn’t that a path to death?

At his hesitation, Mac and Degore also craned their necks, peering at the parchment. Their expressions changed just as dramatically.

-Do you not understand what it means to meet the Cheonryeo tribe?

-I understand well. But if the Imperial Palace investigates, my father will surely suspect me. In the Bratz territory, the only people from the central region are Lord Molin’s group, and I am the one who has been close to them in the mansion. Even if there are eyes and ears planted, it’s obvious that I’ll be the first to be suspected.

It was a natural course of events.

If the Imperial Palace sent investigators after traveling for nearly fifteen days, it meant they had some solid evidence, and solid evidence meant it came from the Bratz mansion.

-They won’t leave me alone. I don’t know what will happen the moment the investigators arrive. Given my father’s personality, he’ll interrogate me with a knife. So, I will cross the border.

The three men exchanged glances.

In fact, they didn’t care what happened to the child. Whether he was killed by his father, became a slave, or crossed the border. What they wanted was the downfall of the Bratz family and the value of the territory they would seize.

-You might not be able to return.

There was no way Ian wouldn’t know this.

Even with the truce in place, safety couldn’t be guaranteed, so how could he know what would happen if the family disappeared? It might be better to hide somewhere.

-Then.

Ian, having seen through their thoughts, continued writing.

-Will you hide me and my mother?

Molin didn’t take his eyes off the parchment, but Mac and Degore clearly looked troubled.

It was about bringing down the Bratz family, which had been around for generations. Time was of the essence, and it was dangerous, so protecting a bastard and his mother was a big burden. Above all, they were outsiders.

-The Bratz territory is in my father’s grasp. I know it’s impossible. So, I will cross the border as my father wishes. That alone is enough.

As long as Derga was alive, Ian’s bones would be buried outside the border. Even if he ran away, he had nowhere to go.

But what if the Bratz family was destroyed? No, at least if the head of the family, Derga, was gone?

Ian could return.

And he could live as before.

‘It’s dangerous, but it might not be a bad choice.’

Mac thought, stroking his eyebrows.

If he stayed here, he would either be killed by his father or become a slave, but if he left…

‘Hope arises. Later, when time passes and everyone’s memories fade, he might be able to live among the villagers.’

He silently applauded Ian. The handwriting at the end of the sentence was half-slanted.

-It’s truly a choice that carves out destiny! Teacher. I think it’s worth considering. Isn’t securing evidence with Ian’s help the priority? Derga is no fool. There’s no time to delay.

Molin nodded in agreement.

-And above all, if the truce proceeds…

As Mac was about to write, Degore stopped his pen. He shook his head lightly, scolding him with his eyes.

Mac, realizing his mistake, turned to Ian. His gaze, checking Ian’s expression, looked awkward. Ian completed the sentence instead of answering.

-If the truce proceeds, it will be beneficial in many ways.

The territory would be in chaos due to the conflict between the central investigation team and Derga. And it would be troublesome if the Cheonryeo tribe were to become rampant in that gap. Wouldn’t it be safer to proceed with the promised truce for now? Even if the head of the family changed later, they could secure a favorable position in negotiations.

‘Ian, sir. Let’s go outside often. We’ll leave when the flowers are in full bloom, so before that, you should take in the beauty of the Bratz territory.’

It was a way of saying that everything would proceed as planned in the spring, without any setbacks.

Molin drew his family’s seal on the paper with his fingertip. It was an action that those who valued honor took when making an oath. An absolute promise, as it was made in the name of the family. He seemed grateful for Ian’s sacrifice, which wasn’t really a sacrifice.

‘The seal is unique.’

Ian was observing his gesture without much emotion when.

Knock knock.

A knock came from outside.

‘We will bring in the refreshments.’

‘Come in.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t Countess Mary. It was the servants carrying trays full of teacups and teapots. As they busily entered the room, Mac stuffed the parchment into his pocket and asked.

‘I’d like to have a cigarette. Ian, sir.’

‘You may. Just open the window.’

‘Thank you. Hey, bring me an ashtray with a lid.’

‘Yes. I’ll bring it right away.’

‘But the Countess is a bit late?’

If Mary was late, he was planning to burn the paper along with the tobacco leaves. Click, click. Mac asked, flicking his lighter habitually, and the servant smiled awkwardly.

‘Countess Merelov sent a lot of things.’

‘Do you often exchange like this?’

‘Yes? Uhm. Servants come and go a couple of times a week.’

The servant politely presented the golden ashtray. Mac, who was opening the window, suddenly noticed a familiar flowerpot.

‘That’s the flowerpot we bought at the park.’

‘It’s a strange flower. It stays in full bloom for a long time.’

‘Don’t the people in the mansion know what it is?’

‘No. Everyone says it’s a plant they’ve never seen before. We were worried it might be poisonous, but thankfully, it doesn’t seem to be.’

Hmm. Mac exhaled cigarette smoke and shifted his gaze. When all the servants had left, he crumpled the neatly folded parchment into the ashtray. Then, he pressed the fire down, burning the edges. Faint smoke fluttered out the window and disappeared.

Knock knock.

This time, the door opened without waiting for a response. It was Countess Mary. She smiled, covering her mouth as if embarrassed.

‘I’m sorry for being late. It’s not polite to keep guests waiting.’

‘It’s alright, Countess. It seems Countess Merelov sent a precious gift.’

‘Since that side is close to the Hawan Kingdom, many strange things come in.’

‘Is that so? There must be many things that are hard to see even in the central region.’

Mac asked with a nuance of wanting to see them, but Mary smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.

‘They’re things for women, so you wouldn’t be interested. Anyway…’

She took a deep breath to savor the tea aroma, then paused.

‘What’s this smell?’

‘I’m sorry, Countess. I smoked a cigarette.’

‘Oh my. You did.’

The glare she was about to give Ian softened. She had momentarily thought the room wasn’t being managed properly. Mary smiled brightly and brought up another piece of gossip.

* * *

One hour.

That was the time it took for Molin’s group to leave after lunch. Moreover, except for the beginning, most of the time was spent with Countess Mary. Thanks to that, the time to check the brooch was much shorter.

Derga took out the jewel from the mana container and asked.

‘There’s a bit of a gap. Explain it.’

Especially before the Countess came in.

Derga sharply scanned Ian, who was standing at attention. He didn’t seem particularly nervous or flustered.

‘I was just listening to Lord Mac and Degore talking. The weather was so nice that I looked outside. Overall, it was a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.’

The sound of Derga rolling the brooch echoed quietly. His expression was full of suspicion, but Ian knew. It was a threat to intimidate and suppress him.

‘If you’re done checking, may I go down? The tutor is waiting.’

‘You said you’d write a handwritten letter today, right?’

‘Yes. I’ll try my best, though it might be inadequate.’

He had already prepared what to write. It would be full of meaningless content, except for the handwriting analysis, about promoting harmony between the Bratz family and the Cheonryeo tribe.

‘Go on.’

‘Father.’

Even at Ian’s call, Derga didn’t raise his head. He just twitched his eyebrows, signaling permission to speak.

‘Did Mother receive the letter?’

‘…You’re asking useless things.’

It wasn’t useless. He was consciously reminding Derga that Ian’s shackle was his mother. Making him complacent that he held the leash tightly in his hand. But there would be nothing at the end of it.

‘I’m sorry. Then.’

Ian bowed his head and left the office.

What Lord Molin needed was evidence of embezzlement. The Imperial Palace investigators would reveal the details, so even the smallest thing would be fine as long as it had the seal on it.

‘The brooch was in the middle drawer of the desk. There was no separate lock. There’s no way that’s right.’

From the angle, Ian was facing Derga, so he couldn’t look into the drawer. But it was a place to store precious mana stones, and above all, there was nothing that looked like a safe in Derga’s study. Even if there was a safe, it was likely to be related to the desk.

While he was wondering how to search the desk.

‘Ian, sir.’

‘Hana?’

As he came down the stairs, Hana peeked out her head. Her cautious voice and the way she looked around were unusual. She was checking if anyone was watching.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Do you happen to know someone named Berric?’

‘Berric?’

Of course, he knew him. When Ian nodded, Hana whispered, as if she knew it.

‘A man named Berric is staging a protest at the main gate, asking to meet you, Ian, sir.’

The scene was so vivid that he chuckled. He was a precious person who couldn’t even meet his mother, but would they let him meet a street thug who had been kicked out of the military?

‘I’ll go see him for a moment, so please tell the tutor.’

‘Yes, Ian, sir.’

Hana quickly ran to the annex, and Ian headed to the main gate. The atmosphere of the gardeners and gatekeepers was definitely chaotic. As Ian approached with quick steps, the guard bowed awkwardly.

‘What brings you here?’

‘I heard my guest has arrived.’

‘That is-‘

The gatekeeper scratched his nose and explained.

‘He’s a former trainee, and it seems he holds a grudge against the mansion, so we turned him away.’

He had misjudged that he wasn’t looking for Ian, but was just using it as an excuse to enter the mansion. So, the report was concluded at the mid-management level.

‘How presumptuous.’

‘Yes?’

Ian frowned. He blinked at the sudden scolding.

‘How dare the underlings arbitrarily turn away the master’s guest? If he said he came to see me, you should have asked above and proceeded with the situation. Who are you to decide?’

‘Above’ meant Derga, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t something to hide, and he couldn’t hide it. Using Berric as his henchman meant he was going to take him in.

‘…I, I’m sorry.’

Ian glared and nodded.

‘Open the gate.’

‘But…’

‘I won’t go out.’

At Ian’s firm words, the gatekeeper opened the main gate.

Creak.

Berric was half-lying down a little distance away. It seemed he was planning to eat and sleep here until he met Ian.

‘Hey!’

As soon as Berric spotted the golden hair, he reflexively jumped up. The gatekeeper’s spear blocked his way. But Berric treated them like invisible people and shouted at the top of his lungs.

‘You! What are you!’

He must be talking about the golden eyes and the mysterious power from that day.

Ian smiled brightly and stood at the gate. As he had told the gatekeepers, he hadn’t gone outside the mansion.

‘Your body has become quite impressive.’

The whip marks were clearly visible. Ian gestured for him to come closer, and they were able to face each other at the boundary between the mansion and the outside.

‘Everyone, step back for a moment.’

‘But-‘

‘Shall I call the butler?’

It was the butler, not Derga, who directly managed them. If it was known that the report had been cut off in the middle, they would be severely punished.

And it was about someone who came to see Ian. Among other things, there was an order to manage even the smallest things regarding the bastard.

‘Just for a moment.’

The gatekeepers moved a little further away. It was a distance where they couldn’t hear if they spoke quietly, but they could respond quickly if a problem arose. Ian pulled Berric’s ear.

‘You. You seem to need my help.’

‘Stop talking nonsense and tell me what that was back then-‘

‘I need you too.’

Ian cut off Berric’s words and whispered.

‘So, from now on, follow me.’