Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 19

“Ian isn’t feeling well?”

“Yes, Count. He said his stomach hurt this morning and has been lying in bed ever since.”

Count Bratz frowned, fastening his cufflinks. He had thought the atmosphere in the dining hall was strange this morning. The servants kept glancing at their food strangely.

The Count mistakenly thought the servants were hesitant to report. In reality, it was because Ian was starving from skipping meals.

“The doctor?”

Rather than worrying about his son’s health, his tone was more concerned about the potential flaw in the tribute. The butler nodded in relief.

“He just finished his examination, and it’s not a major issue. He said it seems to be stress-related. He’ll monitor the situation for the next day or two and then prescribe medication.”

“Is he faking it?”

“Well, he has been pushing himself lately. And he’s naturally frail.”

He was so active, like a body that would blow away in the wind. It was hard to believe he was the same child who first came to the mansion. Derga snorted and replied.

“I heard there was a commotion at the main gate yesterday.”

“Yes, Count. Should we prepare the punishment?”

“What punishment? Just keep the doctor around and take good care of him. He’ll be crossing the border soon, and he still doesn’t know that his attachments are just baggage. Tsk, tsk.”

‘Does he not know that everything that binds him now will become shackles?’

It was just as well. He was starting to get annoyed with keeping the child in check with just his mother. It was because his mother, Philia, had become quiet, for some reason.

She no longer made a fuss about seeing her child, and Ian didn’t ask about Philia as much as before.

‘It’s definitely different from when he was crying to see his mother in the beginning. His emotions are gradually fading.’

Moreover, Ian was meeting with Molin separately two or three times a week. There was clearly a hidden agenda from the old man, but the brooch was always clean.

At this point, he was starting to suspect that he was getting caught up in some scheme. It was like an instinctive, sharp feeling.

“What was his name again? Eric?”

“It’s Berric, Count.”

“If Ian wants to meet him, let him, and try to accommodate him as much as possible. He’s an orphan, right?”

He picked up the letter the tutor had brought last night for handwriting verification. Even a passing dog could tell it was the handwriting of someone illiterate. It did become neater as it went down, though….

Derga frowned and muttered.

“There’s a saying, losing a lover is like losing your heart, and losing a friend is like losing your lungs.”

He had tied his feet with the rope of his mother, so now he would tie his wrists with the name of a friend. For the remaining month and a half, he had to prepare everything thoroughly so that the boy would sacrifice himself for the Bratz family even after crossing the border.

“Teach Ian how to breathe. I wonder how much power a friend can have.”

That way, when he tightened the noose later, the pain and fear would return twofold. The butler bowed deeply in response to Derga’s instructions.

“There won’t be any problems with the management of the mansion, will there?”

“Of course not.”

“Butler, I trust you very much.”

“I will not disappoint your trust.”

“I expect that.”

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

Tap.

The butler left. Derga lit the wax stand. As the red wax inside slowly began to melt, he opened a drawer.

Click.

He reached inside with practiced ease. He felt a round groove. He turned the diamond ring on his index finger and pushed it inside.

Click.

Then, with a clear sound, another secret drawer opened. It looked like a simple device on the outside, but in fact, electricity was flowing inside. If you recklessly poked anything in there, you would be electrocuted on the spot.

Like the fake key Derga had given to the butler.

‘This butler is lasting quite a while, though.’

Once, a long time ago, a butler was found dead in Derga’s office. The Bratz family’s mousetrap, which had been passed down for generations, had been activated properly. He was suspected of colluding with the Thousand-Eyed Clan, but the dead tell no tales.

‘He’s more perceptive than the previous butler, so he might know.’

Derga didn’t openly say it was a place to store seals, but he subtly let it be known that he kept valuable items here. He even openly took out the brooch in front of Ian.

Swoosh.

Derga poured wax on the letter envelope and then lightly pressed the Bratz family seal. The image of the tiger, representing the family, was vividly imprinted.

* * *

Ian was half-lying on the cozy bed. He had tried to stay alone in the annex, but unexpectedly, the people in the house were even more devoted. Since the doctor’s visit, the servants had been bringing in all sorts of food, making the morning more bustling than usual.

“Hana? Are you outside?”

“Yes, young master.”

Ian put on his jacket, confirming Hana’s presence.

The current time was 3 PM. It was the time when the mansion’s servants finished their late lunch and began cleaning the main building. There were still a few people downstairs, but this was the quietest time.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, young master.”

Ian decided to search the butler’s room with Hana’s help. She would keep watch and distract anyone who approached.

“By the way, are you really going to give me silver coins?”

Of course, it was a risky task, so he decided to give her a reward besides food. There were three central nobles on his side, so he could surely get some silver coins.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“It’s not that I’m worried, it’s that I’m wondering what to buy with the silver coins.”

Hana moved quickly, checking the left and right sides of the hallway. No one was there. Ian also tried to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible as he went downstairs. He was about to turn the corner and use the back stairs, where there were fewer people, when he heard voices.

“No way. Is that even possible?”

“No, it’s not. Hey, you got scammed. Hahaha!”

He heard voices. The door to the servants’ quarters closed, and they seemed to be moving away. Hana went down first and signaled that it was clear with a circle.

“I’ll be watching at the bottom of the stairs. If anything happens, I’ll shout loudly, so be careful.”

“Okay, thank-”

Click.

Ian stopped as he turned the doorknob. It was rare to find a locked room in the mansion. Even the Count’s bedroom was always open, as far as he knew? Although there were guards standing in front of it.

“Is it locked?”

“…It won’t open.”

Was the tutor like this too? Judging by his expression that day, he had guessed that he had failed. But he didn’t know he couldn’t even get in. As Ian wondered whether to use magic, Hana gestured for him to step aside.

“Wait a moment.”

Then, she started poking the keyhole with a hairpin. Ian tilted his head with a suspicious look. How could the door open like that….

Click.

“It opened?”

“It’s open.”

Hana dusted off her hands as if it was a simple task. When Ian looked back with a very surprised expression, the child smiled, putting the hairpin back in her hair.

“Didn’t I tell you? I have many siblings.”

“…So?”

“In a house with many siblings, doors are locked and opened all the time. That’s how they express their complaints or play pranks. You can open simple doorknobs like this with a fork.”

“It seems like a talent to me.”

“If you call this a talent, all the kids in the neighborhood would be amazed. Hurry up and do your work.”

Hana was aware that she lived near the red-light district, but she didn’t realize that she was influenced by it. Opening doors like this, secretly delivering messages, or switching drinks and water were unfamiliar acts to commoners.

Creak.

Ian put Hana behind him and entered the butler’s room. It was a simple room with just a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. It was so neat that it felt shabby.

“Hmm.”

Ian walked across the room, looking around.

What was it? What was the tutor trying to get from the butler?

When he opened the wardrobe door, there was a bunch of keys hanging on the wall. There were probably more than a dozen bundles, each with dozens of keys. It seemed like all the keys in the mansion were here.

Clink-

The purpose of each key was written on it. First utility room on the left on the first floor, second utility room…. Ian flipped through them, looking for the main building office bundle.

‘Here it is. Office, office manager’s cot.’

And then, a strange key caught his eye. It was blunt, as if it had a bead on the end. It wasn’t labeled where it was used, and it was quite heavy, made of a different material than the other keys.

Knock knock.

At that moment, Hana knocked urgently on the door from outside. It meant that someone was coming up to this floor. Ian opened the box under the wardrobe. It contained miscellaneous documents, IDs, and free passes within the territory.

Knock knock-!

The knock became even more urgent. Ian had no choice but to tidy up the wardrobe and leave the room. As the door closed, he made eye contact with a servant who had come up the stairs.

“Ian? Hana?”

“Why are you out here? How are you feeling?”

Hana just rolled her eyes. Ian answered, walking naturally in the direction he was looking.

“I was uncomfortable lying down all day. I’m just going for a short walk.”

“No, you can’t! The doctor told you not to move at all.”

The servants fussed and pushed Ian’s back, and Hana followed behind them. They exchanged signals with their eyes.

‘Did you find what you were looking for?’

‘I’m not sure.’

All he remembered was the strangely shaped key and the free pass within the territory. There wasn’t a single book, so if the tutor was trying to get something, it would have been one of those two.

“If you don’t get better soon, we’ll get in trouble.”

“Hana, don’t bother Ian and come out.”

“Oh, wait, sisters! Just a moment-”

Bang!

The servants gave their instructions and dragged Hana away. The space became quiet again. Ian sat by the window, looking at the flowerpot, lost in thought.

The blunt key, the pass, and the tutor. It seemed like he would have to subtly probe what he wanted during the next lesson.

‘Maybe the key itself doesn’t exist.’

Derga had clearly just put his hand in when he took out the brooch. There were magic devices like fingerprint recognition, but Derga wouldn’t have something like that in this era.

Then, there was a loud noise outside the door.

Thump! Thump!

The sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway was heading this way. Only then did Ian turn his head and look at the door.

Was it Derga? Maybe he was coming to scold him for faking his illness.

Thump!

The footsteps stopped in front of the door. Then, the door was pounded as if it would be broken down with fists. Ian frowned and tilted his head.

“…Who is it?”

“I guess that means I can come in?”

No sooner had he recognized the familiar voice than the door swung open. Red hair and eyes were visible through the gap.

“How’s it hangin’?”

Berric stood there with a triumphant expression.