Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 866

Crony watched Ian and his group’s discussion intently.

‘He’s truly an unpredictable child. Ah, well. That’s how children are, I suppose.’ Just a moment ago, he was all smiles and innocent, and now he won’t even make eye contact with me.

“So, I believe that battle was a mistake. Blocking the retreat was excellent, but the treatment of the surrendered soldiers was too merciless. In fact, because of that, Count Arkady, who was in charge of war funding, withdrew his support.”

“But at the time, it was the best course of action.”

“From what perspective are you speaking?”

The child was constantly chattering, as if struggling to figure out everything in the world. ‘Is this what they call a genius?’ Crony tilted his chin slightly, pondering.

‘Why didn’t I realize it? At five years old, he’s already this advanced; there must have been signs before… Even though we’re separated from the center, it’s not that far. Did the lord and his wife intentionally hide him?’

Most nobles, even if their children are foolish and dull, try to include them in the ‘prodigy’ category and show them off like trophies. If Ian were any other noble, his name would have already spread throughout the center, no, throughout Variel, and everyone would have heard of his fame.

‘It’s because of the imperial bloodline.’

But Hadel isn’t just a simple noble family. As a branch of the imperial family, they never know when or how they might become a target of power. Even though the current emperor is bedridden like the lord of Hadel, he is just as wary of his own safety. They hid the child for fear that even a false rumor might harm him.

‘And he’s still very young.’

Hmm. How should I manipulate him? Since he’ll be under my guardianship anyway, wouldn’t it be better to have him be like this rather than being dull?

‘No. That’s too dangerous.’

Crony hid his fickle thoughts and only sipped his tea. Still, it’s fortunate that the child is so young. I can mold him to my liking in any way.

“Lord Crony?”

“Ah.”

“What is the position of the Imperial Defense Department?”

Crony snapped back to attention at the group’s question. Ian was staring at him with a calm gaze. Truly beautiful blue eyes. Crony rubbed his chin and replied.

“It’s unfortunate that Count Arkady cut off funding, but there was no other way. It wasn’t a matter of military choice, but rather a personal issue with the count.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

Ian asked, puzzled. It was the first time he had heard of this. ‘Those in office are different, indeed.’

“It’s publicly known that he did so in opposition to the matter, but that wasn’t the truth.”

Crony smiled faintly and leaned his upper body toward the child. ‘Should I tell him since he seems interested? After all, we’ll have to get along, whether we like it or not.’

“There was a conflict within the count’s family.”

“A conflict, you say…”

“Someone tried to assassinate Count Arkady.”

“… !”

Ian’s eyes widened. Crony continued leisurely, as if finding the reaction quite amusing.

“Fortunately, his life wasn’t in danger, but he needed to gather his scattered assets and people. Are the affairs of other countries important? His own house is a mess.”

He took out a cigarette, then rubbed his brow as if recalling a memory.

“What happened? Was the culprit caught?”

“I don’t know.”

Crony shrugged. The group, who knew the whole story, only coughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact.

“Count Arkady is a tough man. He killed everyone who would benefit from his death. So, whoever tried it, they’re probably dead. Probably.”

Ian couldn’t understand where this shock was coming from. Was it because the family members were all killed? Or was it because something similar to his own situation had happened somewhere else? Or maybe…

“Oh, you’re surprised.”

“Lord Crony. The young master is still young.”

“Haha. I’m sorry. He’s so intelligent that I spoke without holding back. Are you alright?”

“…Yes.”

“Pardon?”

Ian stared at Crony with a half-dazed look. Then, he quietly muttered.

“That’s right. I can line them up.”

The people who would benefit from his father’s death.

First, excluding his mother, it would be himself. But he didn’t plot anything, so he’s excluded. Then, the next would be-

‘The person who would benefit through me.’

That would be his guardian.

But as long as his mother is alive, the guardian wouldn’t benefit. Which means, his mother is also in danger.

‘They’ll try to kill my mother too.’

Then, after that-

“Young Master Ian?”

…They’ll take him away.

Ian jumped up from his seat. He was going to find clues about his father’s assassination and then immediately inform his mother, but no. It’s better to tell her as quickly as possible.

His father was able to be killed so meticulously over such a long period because his mother was by his side, but that’s not the case for his mother.

‘Since there’s no one to protect her, no one to question it, it’ll be instantaneous.’

His mother would be killed in an instant.

As Ian staggered backward, the group burst into laughter. ‘Even a smart child is still a child.’

“Oh, young master. You’ll get an earful from the madam if you keep acting like that.”

“Yes, that’s right. She’ll ask what we said to the child. Ian, don’t be too scared. Such things are commonplace in the center.”

“Lord Crony. Say something too. The young master is frightened.”

Crony exhaled cigarette smoke and observed the child’s complexion. Well, he was scared, but was it really because of the Count Arkady incident?

“Uncle Ian.”

He comforted him gently.

“Don’t worry too much. Isn’t the Hadel family peaceful? There aren’t any siblings fighting over dividing the inheritance.”

Ian is alone. The only child to inherit the vast mansion, estate, and fortune.

“There are no disloyal forces targeting the lord either. The lord’s illness is just a health issue, isn’t it?”

Crony asked, staring intently into the child’s eyes. A momentary flicker. A fleeting fear. Eyes that didn’t know what to do. Lips hesitating to answer… The reaction was transparent.

It was the moment Ian was about to say something.

Thump.

A dull noise came from upstairs.

Everyone simultaneously looked up at the ceiling. ‘Wasn’t that their room? What happened?’

“Ah, I-”

Ian took a step back and then casually grabbed the door to the study.

“I’ll be back after using the restroom.”

“Yes, young master. Go ahead.”

“Can you go alone?”

The group chuckled with rude remarks, but Ian didn’t hear them. He had already burst out of the room.

Seeing this, the group stretched and slowly got up.

“That’s enough, right? That little one’s questions are quite sharp. I thought I was going to die from the trouble.”

“Indeed. He’s exceptionally intelligent.”

“That’s what a genius is. Madam Rolf should see it herself. She keeps insisting that her own dull child is a genius…”

“Everyone, wait a moment.”

Crony cut them off, flicking the ash from his cigarette. The chattering group stopped talking and turned to him.

“Let’s revise the schedule.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

It was a sudden suggestion, but no one questioned it. They figured Crony must have a reason for thinking that way.

“Today, we should check on the lord’s sleep.”

“Oh, today?”

Meaning, let’s end his life today.

As the group panicked, Crony pointed to the seat where Ian had been sitting with his cigarette.

“Didn’t you see? Children aren’t good at lying.”

No matter how smart a child is, they’re still a child. The fleeting expression was so blatant that it was almost cute.

“Ian is suspecting an assassination right now. It could be that the child is thinking that on his own, but well. Even if he’s intelligent, it’s more likely that he didn’t come up with it himself. So, where did he hear it from?”

It’s his mother. Since the mother is suspicious, her son reacted that way.

At those words, the group’s faces darkened at once. If it’s the madam, not someone else, who is suspicious and starts investigating…

“That could be a problem.”

“If that’s the case, we should hurry.”

“Let’s do it right away.”

They nodded and agreed to Crony’s suggestion. Then, they quickly got up from their seats. They had to deliver orders to the servants they had planted throughout the mansion.

Crony also got up from his seat and assigned roles.

“You, meet the butler and deliver the message-”

“Yes, I understand.”

The first helper, the butler.

Through him, they are connected to the servants throughout the mansion.

“I’ll go upstairs for a moment.”

“Upstairs?”

“Didn’t you hear the thump?”

‘I should check it out. Who knows? Maybe a rat sneaked in.’ As everyone left the room, the study became quiet. As if nothing had happened.

But they didn’t know. In the desk drawer, a faintly glowing magic stone brooch, which Ian used as a recorder for reviewing his lessons, was listening to everything.

Even though Ian, the owner of it, seemed to have forgotten its existence, the brooch continued to glow in the darkness.

* * *

Click. Click.

Haena, who was fiddling with the doorknob with a hairpin, looked left and right in the hallway. She was checking to see if anyone was coming. ‘Was it because it had been a while, or was it because she was nervous? It wasn’t working well.’

Then.

Click.

‘Ah, it’s open.’

After several struggles, the bedroom door opened. Haena put the hairpin back in her hair and stepped inside. She didn’t forget to close the door, it was perfect.

‘Let’s see.’

She first glanced around the room, then headed straight for the trunks. There were many bags. About a dozen or so.

“Oh my, there are so many.”

It was clear that they had come with the intention of staying for several days from the start. From clothes to books and other miscellaneous items.

Haena rummaged through the luggage without scattering the items.

‘…There’s no poison or anything.’

There didn’t seem to be any suspicious items. ‘Well, if they were the culprit, they wouldn’t do the work themselves in the first place.’

It was at that moment. Haena, who had been quickly searching here and there, found a bundle of letters under a bag.

“This is it!”

Ta-da! Haena lifted the bundle of letters as if she had caught a big fish. But at that moment, she realized something.

“Ah. Right. I can’t read, can I?”

‘You idiot!’ Haena smacked her forehead in self-reproach. She couldn’t memorize them one by one, and if she took them as they were, she would definitely be caught for trespassing.

She had no choice but to memorize the ‘seals’. ‘Wouldn’t it be okay if she just knew who they were communicating with?’

‘Or, a memo!’

Haena took a memo pad that was prepared next to the bed and copied the letters. It was practically the same as drawing, but Ian would be able to recognize it.

‘If I copy even a little bit…’

Haena’s fingers, which had been crouching and fidgeting, stopped on one letter for a moment.

‘Huh? Is this from Hadel?’

The seal of the Hadel post office was stamped on it. Even if she didn’t know anything else, she would recognize the seal of the town she had lived in her whole life!

Haena flipped the envelope back and forth. It was sent from Hadel, but there was no mansion seal. Meaning, it wasn’t officially sent from the mansion.

‘Ah.’

She intuitively realized that these people were in communication with someone in the Hadel territory.

Haena put everything else aside and started copying the letter. ‘But this handwriting, where have I seen it before…’

‘Black is ink and white is paper, but… it feels very familiar. The slanted and sharp handwriting…’

It was the moment Haena tilted her head in confusion.

Click.

Someone grabbed the bedroom doorknob. Startled, Haena quickly raised her head and froze. The person outside also seemed to be trying to open the door.

Click, click.

Squeak.

‘Eek!’

Haena hugged the paper to her chest and crawled under the bed. Soon, with the sound of the door opening, a man’s shoes came into view. The man quietly wandered around the room, then began reading the documents on the table.

‘What is it? What is it?’

Haena covered her mouth and kept rolling her eyes. Then, as if sensing something strange, the feet suddenly approached the bed. And then, the shoes stopped right in front of her.

Haena realized that the shoes in front of her were quite familiar. ‘Where had she seen them…?’

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

At that moment, another man came in behind him. It was one of the group members who had come to check the bedroom on Crony’s orders.

“… !”

Haena suddenly realized. Who the owner of these shoes was. And also, the owner of the familiar handwriting she had seen in the letter earlier.

“Good. I had something to talk about, butler.”