Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 867

“…What is it you wanted to say?”

The man slammed the door shut and stared intently at the butler. He approached, looking puzzled, and examined the scattered clothes and other items.

Just as Crony had said, there was a rat in the bedroom. He leaned against the table and pulled out a cigarette.

“Answer me first.”

“Yes?”

“What were you doing here?”

“Ah, that, well, that’s…”

As the butler trailed off, flustered, Haena perked up her ears even more.

She was curious too. What on earth had he come to find? She was looking for a traitor within the mansion, but what did the butler need?

“Such a lack of trust, really.”

But the man chuckled as if he had a rough idea.

“We’re already in the same boat. Don’t try to figure things out by being suspicious. We’re in this together, for better or for worse.”

“That’s not it.”

“Well, I understand. He’s the master you’ve served for a long time. The atmosphere seems unusual, doesn’t it? It seems the madam has also noticed something.”

“M-Madam has noticed?”

Haena’s eyes darted around. So, the butler had clearly betrayed them through some kind of deal with Crony’s group.

But they didn’t fully trust each other. The butler was trying to find something as a contingency plan. That meant there was something in this room that could be used as their weakness.

‘But the madam noticed? Did Ian tell her already? That can’t be.’

“So, I’m going to revise the plan a bit.”

“How much did she notice?”

“You don’t need to know that. The dead tell no tales anyway.”

Haena’s eyes widened. What on earth were those bastards saying?

“Butler, I want the lord to die tonight. Let’s handle it quickly. Tell the servants to look for an opportunity. Before midnight.”

The butler nodded instead of answering. A brief silence followed, and then footsteps were heard outside the door. It was Crony. He had come to see what was going on since the person who had gone upstairs hadn’t come down.

Because more and more people were showing up, Haena held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Are you talking?”

“No. It’s over. Then.”

The butler hurried out, and Crony watched his retreating figure with a suspicious gaze. As soon as the door closed, he looked around the messy bedroom.

“Looks like there was a commotion.”

“It seems they came to look for the letter.”

“How foolish.”

Crony confirmed that the bundle of letters was gone. That lowly butler had finally laid his hands on it. Did he really think that would protect him? He clicked his tongue and instructed the man.

“Have the madam get the butler to clean up.”

“Yes, I understand. It’ll be a bit noisy.”

The man quickly left. However, Crony didn’t seem to have any intention of moving even after a while. Haena needed to get out of here and tell them the truth. What was he thinking so deeply about? He just sat at the table, puffing on his cigarette.

“……”

Haena held her mouth shut, trying to keep her breathing quiet. The more she did, the more her heart pounded, but she couldn’t move. If she was caught here, it would mean death.

* * *

“Mother! Mother!”

As Ian rushed in, looking for his mother, the head attendant was surprised and grabbed the child.

“Young master. You mustn’t run like that. Where is Haena? Are you alone?”

“Let go of me. I need to see my mother.”

“She has gone out to meet the tenant farmers’ manager. Please wait.”

“Even if it’s urgent!”

“You can’t.”

As Ian struggled and threw a tantrum, the head attendant firmly lifted the child up. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t overcome the attendant’s strength. Then, Ian changed his tactics and started hitting the attendant’s shoulder. His small hands, like maple leaves, didn’t hurt at all.

“Please calm down, young master. I really need to scold Haena. I told her to look after you, but where did she go, leaving you alone?”

“I gave her an errand!”

“An errand?”

Just then, Ian saw Philia passing by in the distance and shouted.

“Philia!”

At the sudden call, Philia turned around, startled. Ian was reaching out to her with tears in his eyes. As if begging for help, pitifully.

Philia instinctively ran over and grabbed the child’s hand.

“Young master? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, teacher. It’s alright. The young master is just being fussy today.”

“Philia, Philia…”

“Come on! Let’s go!”

“Wait a minute!”

Philia lightly grabbed the head attendant’s arm. She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t feel comfortable sending the child away like this.

“I’ll take him to his room.”

“You, teacher? You’re busy.”

“Am I busier than the head attendant? I was about to take a break anyway, so it’s fine. Give him to me.”

Seizing the opportunity, Ian twisted his body, trying to get away from the head attendant. Oh, dear. There was no other way.

She handed the child over to Philia, looking a bit resentful. How could she act like this when she had seen him since he was born? She grumbled and asked Philia.

“Then, please take care of him.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry.”

Ian hugged Philia tightly and buried his face in her arms.

After the head attendant disappeared, Philia sighed and put the child down. His eyes were wet with tears.

“Ian, please don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

“The people who are trying to harm my father, they’ll definitely harm my mother too. I want to tell my mother, but I can’t see her.”

“Ah. It seems she’s busy taking care of the lord’s work.”

“I want to let her know…”

“Ian, look at me.”

Philia held the child’s cheeks in her hands and gave him a faint smile.

“Do you think your mother wouldn’t know what you know?”

Ian paused at the unexpected question.

To the child, he was his father, but to the madam, he was her husband. Just like Philia said, maybe his mother knew much more than Ian thought.

“Don’t worry too much, and let’s wait a little bit? I’ll stay by your side until your mother returns.”

Ian’s wet eyes twinkled slightly. A gaze as clear and transparent as the sky itself. Ian nodded slightly.

“And…”

“Yes?”

“Haena went into the guest room.”

Whisper, whisper. Philia looked flustered at Ian’s confession. Judging by his lowered voice, it seemed she had gone in secretly?

“If she found something, she would have told me, but there’s no news, so I’m worried.”

“The guest room… is that the annex?”

“Yeah. I came here after saying I was going to the bathroom during the academic discussion. I need to go back, but could you go with me and check the situation?”

“Of course.”

Philia took Ian’s hand, and they returned to the annex. In the meantime, the study was empty. Whether they had left because they were tired of waiting, or whether they had scattered at the right moment, it was unknown.

Ian ran up the stairs and glared at the tightly closed guest room door. He could sense someone inside the door.

‘Is Haena hiding in the room? Is that why she can’t come out?’

Knock, knock.

Ian cautiously knocked on the door, and Crony showed his face. He wanted to look inside through the small opening, but his view was limited.

“Uncle. I’m sorry. Everyone had something to do.”

“Ah, well…”

“Let’s end the academic discussion here and look forward to the next one. I’m not feeling well, so I’m going to rest.”

In other words, he was telling them to stop bothering him and get lost. He didn’t have time to deal with a child. That’s what Crony was implying.

At the blatant rejection, Ian couldn’t say anything and could only watch the door close tightly.

“Ian.”

Philia whispered to the child.

“It would be best to step back now. If you keep trying, you might arouse suspicion. And if Haena is really inside, it could be even more dangerous for her.”

Let’s wait for later.

Ian agreed with Philia’s suggestion. It was better to retreat now, as she said. If Haena was caught, it would put them in a very difficult position.

Of course, Ian was fine. He was the only son of the mansion’s owner, a noble, and, after all, a child.

But what about Haena?

‘She would not only be kicked out of the house but also be dragged to the guardhouse for investigation. She could suffer terrible things.’

Ian took a step back and left the annex. He was curious about what Haena had found, but he knew that the time to find out would come.

Ian smiled and looked up at Philia.

“Philia. Would you like to see my room?”

“Shall we? I’m looking forward to it, young master.”

Squeak.

Ian invited Philia into his room. It was clean, charming, and had a fresh, grassy scent coming from somewhere.

“What do you usually do at this time?”

“I read a book and then take a nap.”

“I see. Then, shall I read to you?”

“That would be nice.”

Ian thought. When his mother returned from her outing, the head attendant would tell her what he had said. Then, she would surely contact him. Or come to him.

Ian snuggled into the blanket and lay down comfortably, and Philia sat at his bedside.

“What shall I read to you?”

“Read . I heard that the Carbo Temple is causing a stir in the capital these days?”

“Oh, yes. That’s right. How did you know?”

“My tutor brings a topic for discussion once a week.”

“That’s wonderful. Then, I’ll read. Close your eyes comfortably.”

Philia patted the child’s chest and read the fairy tale. Her voice was gentle and warm, making him feel deeply at peace. In that comforting sensation, Ian slowly floated. It felt like his body was rising.

‘…Mother.’

Then, the image of his mother suddenly came to mind. Ian’s wet eyelashes fluttered and then stopped.

‘……?’

He had thought of his mother, but why was he picturing Philia’s face? Was it because she was right next to him, kindly watching over him?

But his body was too relaxed to find an answer right now. Ian fell into a deep sleep. Beyond the window, the sun was slowly setting.

Thump, thump! Thump!

How much time had passed?

Ian opened his eyes at the unfamiliar sound.

“……?”

Philia was gone, and so was Haena.

Busy footsteps were heard from beyond the door. Ian had an ominous feeling and jumped out of bed, leaving the room.

“Hold him tight! The blood flow must be stopped!”

“L-Lord! Please, come to your senses!”

“What are you doing! Can’t you wake up?!”

“Warm water and clean cloths!”

“Take away the blood-stained bedding! And, and contact the madam quickly-!”

It was chaotic. The servants ran around carrying the soiled bedding, and even Teacher Kelly and his students were busy going in and out of the bedroom. Philia was there too.

Ian, who was standing there in shock, bumped into a servant’s shoulder.

“Ah! Ian!”

At the name Ian, everyone stopped moving for a moment. On the bed with the covers thrown back, the lord was lying limply, spitting out blood. His appearance was so miserable that it was hard to believe he was a human being.

As the shocked Ian froze, someone covered the child’s eyes and pulled him away.

“Ah-!”

“You shouldn’t look!”

“F-Father, Father!”

“Ian, come this way!”

“Let go! Let me go! Father!”

Ian cried out and tried to run, but the servants blocked him. Philia turned her gaze away from the child and focused on stopping the bleeding, as Kelly had instructed. The acrid and terrible smell of blood filled the mansion.

“Oh, dear.”

Just then, someone gently wrapped their arm around Ian’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.

“I came because I heard the commotion, tsk tsk.”

It was Crony. A calm expression that didn’t match the situation at all. Ian’s face hardened and gradually contorted.

Crony lightly picked up the child who was looking at him and asked a servant.

“Where is the madam? Has she not returned to the mansion yet?”