Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 862

One sunny afternoon.

Farmers working in the fields straightened their backs and gazed at a distant hill. A strange carriage was approaching, rattling along. They took a break, gathering in the shade to find some cool water.

“Is another doctor coming from the capital?”

“Looks like it. The visits are getting more frequent.”

“They say they don’t even know what the illness is?”

The carriage stopped before passing the farmers. They were wary, wondering if they had said something out of place, when the coachman pointed to the end of the road and asked,

“Could you tell me the way?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Is this the way to the Lord’s manor?”

“Looks like you’re new here. The doctor’s carriage that came last time was different.”

“I’m asking if this is the way.”

“Ah, sorry. We’re just worried about the Lord’s health. Go straight ahead. You’re almost there.”

“Thank you.”

The coachman cracked his whip and passed the farmers. They gulped down the cool water, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.

“Looks like the doctor’s changed.”

“Since no one can cure him, they have to keep changing them. But isn’t this a big problem? The Lord only has his five-year-old son left.”

“Hush! Watch your mouth!”

“No, I’m just saying, I’m worried.”

The farmers dusted off their handkerchiefs, pretending not to care.

This place, about five hours by carriage from the capital, had fertile land suitable for self-sufficiency. Moreover, the mountains surrounding the territory were full of large and small mines. Thanks to that, they had never had problems with food, but this was a bolt from the blue.

“But you know.”

One farmer glanced at the spot where the carriage had completely disappeared.

“Did you see?”

“…I did.”

“I saw it too.”

“The woman in the carriage? She was beautiful.”

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman in my life.”

They nodded, as if in strong agreement. Then, as if shaking off idle thoughts, they stretched and grabbed their farming tools.

It was time to go back to the fields.

Meanwhile, where the carriage had stopped.

Neigh!

“Where are you from?”

“We’re from the capital. I’m Doctor Kelly.”

At the coachman’s guidance, the gatekeeper opened the manor gates, and soon the butler, who had been contacted, came down to greet them.

“Welcome, Doctor Kelly. You must be tired from your long journey.”

“It’s nothing.”

“And those with you?”

“They are my disciples.”

“Then, this way.”

The small, thin, white-haired old man shook hands with the butler and entered the manor.

As he walked, Kelly looked around the manor. It was a territory a bit far from the capital, closer to the ‘outskirts’ if one had to name it, but still, it was a branch of the imperial family. It was more splendid, grand, and beautiful than any other manor he had ever visited. Kelly’s disciples quietly followed him.

“I heard about it in the letter, but what are the exact symptoms?”

“He has a fever, chills, and a severe headache that won’t go away. He can’t even eat properly. His energy is so depleted that his hands and feet sometimes tremble, and he occasionally coughs up blood.”

“Hmm.”

It was serious. Kelly adjusted his glasses and quickened his pace.

Knock knock.

“Madam, the doctor from the capital has arrived.”

“Bring him in at once.”

“Excuse me.”

A man lying in bed and a woman watching over him. It was the Lord and his wife, Zeria.

The wife had her long platinum blonde hair neatly tied up and was adorned with all sorts of jewels, yet it didn’t feel excessive at all. She nodded and greeted them.

“Thank you for coming, Doctor.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll do a brief examination first.”

Kelly put his stethoscope around his neck and pulled back the Lord’s blanket. The Lord’s body was fully exposed. He was barely over fifty, but he was as withered as a dry, old tree. He was too weak. Even this brief movement made him lose his breath and cough.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Oh dear, water-”

“Cough! Hack!”

The Lord convulsed, spitting out red blood before anyone could react. Kelly’s disciples quickly rushed to help, and the wife stepped back, frozen in place. Fear filled her blue eyes.

“Breathe, Lord. Can you hear me? Breathe. It’s okay.”

“Haaack! Haaah!”

The wife watched her dying husband with a pale face. Then, unable to bear it any longer, she slowly backed out of the bedroom, staring blankly at the back of a servant carrying hot water.

Swoosh.

Zeria sighed and leaned against the empty hallway. Her legs gradually gave way, but her back remained straight.

Wasn’t it a marriage without love, only purpose? But seeing her husband dying like that, she felt something twist inside her.

Was it fear? That she and her son would be in danger if he died? Or was it pity? Worry?

‘Surely not.’

The wife chuckled.

‘He wasn’t healthy to begin with, but it wasn’t this bad. To be precise, it started last summer, slowly but surely-’

The train of thought stopped abruptly. She sensed someone’s presence. The wife turned her head and met the eyes of a child with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, just like her.

“Mother.”

It was her son.

“Ian.”

“Are you alright?”

It was quite a dignified question for a mere five-year-old.

The wife stood up as if nothing had happened and looked down at her child. The agitation in her eyes was gone, replaced by her usual stern expression.

“You should be in class right now.”

“The teacher left early.”

“How dare he act so arbitrarily without consulting me.”

“Mother.”

Ian trailed off, looking up at his mother. He wanted to ask again if she was alright, but he couldn’t bring himself to. If his mother didn’t answer, it meant she didn’t allow the question.

“Your father is fine. A skilled doctor from the capital has come. He will stay here for a while and take care of your father, so focus on your studies without worry.”

The wife saw the child fidgeting with his fingers, but she deliberately ignored it and turned her gaze away. Someone in the manor might be watching.

‘You must know nothing.’

The child had to remain a five-year-old, away from his father’s pain and struggles. If there was someone who was trying to harm her husband and even herself, it was her responsibility to confront them.

‘That’s how you’ll survive. Even if I die.’

“Go back to your room now.”

The wife lightly pushed the child’s back and turned away. The child stood in the hallway for a long time, watching her dress trail away as she disappeared.

* * *

The Lord’s bedroom, having passed a critical moment.

The doctor and his disciples were in the hallway, discussing the diagnosis. The condition was more severe than they had expected. They wiped away the blood with a damp towel and sighed.

“When exactly did it start?”

“They say he’s been confined to his bedroom since last summer.”

“Could it be Adeluke disease, which broke out in the northern continent?”

“The color of the blood is too clear for that.”

While the master and seniors were discussing outside, the youngest disciple was writing in a journal next to the Lord. The first sentence she wrote, dipping the pen in ink.

-Bariel 1184, first medical examination at the Hadel Territory.

She checked the breathing of the Lord, who was sleeping like a dead man, and recorded his complexion and symptoms in detail.

When a couple of pages were filled, she heard a knock on the door.

“Ah.”

A young boy was standing there with a blank expression. She immediately recognized that he was the young master of the manor. As she was about to get up and greet him, the boy raised a small hand to stop her.

“I’m sorry for disturbing your work.”

“It’s alright, young master. I’m a disciple of Doctor Kelly from the capital. Did you come because you were worried about your father?”

The boy nodded slightly at her kind question. May I come closer? At the look asking for permission, the woman put down her pen.

“Of course. But he just fell asleep, so please be careful.”

The boy carefully approached and placed his hand on the bed. As if that was all he was allowed.

“Is he very… unwell?”

The woman paused, unsure of how to answer. To be honest, he was deeply poisoned by something unknown. It was impossible to say if he could return to his previous state, let alone if he would survive the day. But she couldn’t tell the child the truth….

“Tell me without embellishment.”

Ian turned to the woman with a steady gaze. He was so mature that it was hard to believe he was only five years old.

“My mother doesn’t tell me easily, so I keep having bad thoughts.”

“Young master.”

Oh, the poor child. She gave a faint smile and bowed to Ian.

“It’s true that the Lord is very ill. But there is still hope. That’s why we came. We will do our best to save the Lord. So please don’t worry too much.”

So his condition was so bad that they had to cling to hope. The boy thought for a moment, pondering something.

‘Why?’

They didn’t seem to know the cause of the illness. His mother, father, and he lived in the same manor and ate the same food. Moreover, they were related by blood, so why was only his father sick? And so suddenly, without even the famous doctors being able to do anything.

‘Could it be.’

Ian glanced at the door. Could someone have intentionally made his father sick?

Just as the woman was about to take Ian’s hand, seeing his serious expression.

“Young Master Ian?”

At the voice of a servant calling from outside, Ian turned and left the bedroom. It was time to hurry back to his room. He had too many tasks to do.

The child turned to the woman, holding the doorknob.

“Please take care of my father.”

“Of course. We will do our best with all our heart.”

“And if possible, I would like to see my father here sometimes.”

My mother won’t allow it. As Ian added with a slightly gloomy look, the woman smiled sympathetically.

“Come anytime. I will probably be in charge of the bedroom most of the time.”

“Thank you. What is your name?”

It was a smile as bright as his golden hair. At Ian’s question, the woman’s green eyes sparkled as she replied.

“I’m Philia.”

“Philia. I’m Ian.”

“Yes, I know, young master.”

“Please take care of me.”

“I look forward to working with you as well.”

After a light greeting, Ian left, and Philia shrugged lightly and picked up her pen again.

What a cute and dignified child. He seems to be the best of all the noble children I’ve seen so far.

“Young Master Ian.”

“Be quiet.”

“If the Madam finds out you came into the bedroom, I’ll be punished.”

“The doctors didn’t wear masks either. That means it’s not contagious. And you should worry about yourself more than me. I just saw my father for the first time, but you go in and out of the bedroom several times a day, don’t you?”

The servant pursed his lips at the child’s sharp retort. He was just a five-year-old, but it was hard to win against him with words. So, he had no choice but to appeal.

“Still, young master, you are young and more vulnerable to illness. If you get sick, I’ll be beaten by the Madam.”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, young master!”

In an era when the name Hielo had completely faded into the flow of time, and only the old people who had not yet closed their eyes vaguely remembered the great war with the Underworld-

The history of Ian Verosian began.