My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 2

Episode 2 – Elantour’s Scoundrel

“Cyan, you are to go to the Ruben Estate, starting tomorrow.”

Thud.

At the sudden voice, everyone at the table stopped moving.

Their faces were filled with emotions like surprise and bewilderment.

Soon, a deep and heavy silence descended upon the dining hall.

The spacious dining hall.

As if by agreement, everyone’s gaze turned to one side.

Past the lavishly prepared dishes, to the very end seat.

Barely even a seat at the end.

One that was almost invisible unless carefully examined.

There, like the others, sat a man who had stopped moving.

Cyan Elantour.

The youngest of the Elantour Marquisate.

Cyan was frozen, spoon in hand, about to scoop up his soup.

His stillness wasn’t just a pause in movement; it was as if time itself had stopped.

Soon, everyone’s eyes were on Cyan.

And it was only then that Cyan could feel the passage of time.

Cyan set down the spoon he was holding.

Then, seeking the source of the voice he had just heard, Cyan slowly turned his head.

Unlike Cyan’s seat, the head of the table.

There sat a blonde woman.

Her posture and expression, perfectly composed, exuded grace, and her well-maintained blonde hair shimmered with every clink of her silverware.

The dignity felt in her poised movements emanated a soft yet elegant sophistication.

Isabelle Elantour.

None other than Cyan’s mother, and,
The mistress of the Elantour Marquisate.

”

Cyan asked Isabelle again.

Isabelle glanced at Cyan and said,

“Did you not hear, or are you pretending not to hear?”

“Wouldn’t I be asking if I didn’t hear?”

Cyan retorted to Isabelle.

More accurately, it was defiance or rebellion.

That would be a more fitting description.

However, Isabelle showed no change in emotion as she spoke again.

“Starting tomorrow, go to the Ruben Estate.”

“…”

“…”

At Isabelle’s words, those who had been half-expecting it widened their eyes.

Not only the members of the Elantour family,

But even the servants attending nearby.

“Huu…!”

“Huk…!”

Everyone gasped in astonishment.

The Elantour Marquisate.

One of the two families that even the Emperor dared not easily confront, the Elantour Marquisate, in accordance with its dignity, did not carelessly select its servants.

They were elites among elites, trained to maintain composure at all times.

But at this moment, that was far from the case.

The Ruben Estate.

This was an estate located on the outskirts of the Elantour Marquisate.

And Isabelle’s statement that Cyan should go to the Ruben Estate.

This meant that Cyan was to be appointed as the lord of the Ruben Estate.

Usually, a lord was a high-ranking noble who ruled over a vast territory and wielded power over the residents living there.

Therefore, even being appointed as the lord of a small estate.

It meant receiving a formal title and being recognized for one’s abilities.

Thus, Isabelle’s words were both a glorious proposal and an order for Cyan.

However, none of those gathered here could think of it that way.

Because the estate in question was none other than the ‘Ruben Estate.’

The Dead Estate, Ruben.

Called the estate of death, it was little more than abandoned land.

Bordering the Empire’s forbidden zone, the Forest of Darkness, not a day went by without the intrusion of magical beasts.

Even with demons being summoned and massacring people.

With no land to farm, it was a land of death where people suffered from hunger every day.

Ruben had virtually no value as an estate.

Yet, the reason it was called the Ruben ‘Estate’ was simple.

First, even if it was a dead estate, people still lived there.

Second, the head of the Elantour Marquisate, Durak Elantour.

He had developed this estate for other purposes.

To put it euphemistically, it was a place of exile.

To put it directly, it was a place of execution.

The Marquis used it often when dealing with political rivals who threatened him.

Or when dealing with vassals he didn’t like.

Sending them to Ruben allowed him to avoid dirtying his own hands,

While also handling matters cleanly and legitimately.

Thus, under the guise of ‘Lord of Ruben,’ countless vassals disappeared, becoming food for magical beasts.

And now.

“…”

It was Cyan’s turn.

That was why the people gathered in the dining hall couldn’t help but wear expressions of astonishment.

They had never imagined that Cyan would be sent to the Ruben Estate.

Cyan was the youngest of the Elantour Marquisate.

In other words, Cyan was Isabelle’s son.

But what parent in the world would send their child to their death?

The heavy silence that descended felt as if time had stopped.

Just then.

“What is the reason?”

Cyan’s voice broke through the silence.

Isabelle didn’t even bother to reply.

And this time, Cyan didn’t press Isabelle.

Although he asked for the reason,

He already knew it.

Cyan gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Is it because I’m a troublesome scoundrel of the Marquisate?”

A scoundrel who tarnishes the image of the prestigious Marquisate.

“Or is it because I’m not the family’s heir, but a mere child of a maid?”

A Marquisate’s bastard who should never have existed.

These were the titles that followed Cyan.

“…”

Isabelle still showed no reaction.

Cyan slowly looked around.

The people in the dining hall avoided Cyan’s gaze whenever their eyes met.

But there were two exceptions.

Two people who didn’t avoid Cyan’s gaze.

The second child and eldest daughter of the Marquisate, Roswell Elantour.

The third child and second son, Nathan Elantour.

Both were the legitimate children of the Elantour Marquis and,

Children born to Isabelle.

In contrast, Cyan was….

The child of a mere maid.

Moreover, a bastard born from the Marquis’s one-night stand.

Cyan’s mother had even passed away when Cyan was young.

Isabelle and Cyan were parent and child,

But in reality, they were no different from strangers with no blood relation.

To be precise, to Isabelle, Cyan was the child of the woman who had stolen her husband’s affection, and a thief who stole the rights that should have belonged to her own children.

Therefore, Cyan’s childhood was not smooth.

Persecution and oppression.

There was nothing in Cyan’s memories that could be called a happy memory.

Still, it had only gone that far….

Cyan slowly turned his head again.

Isabelle was still not looking at Cyan.

She was silently continuing her meal, as if she had nothing more to say.

Yes.

I admit I’m an eyesore.

Marriages among nobles are strategic alliances intertwined with interests.

I know it’s a formal marriage without love.

Still, it can’t be good to see your husband playing around with another woman.

Besides, that bastard is brazenly clinging to the family, so it’s bound to be an eyesore.

Well, let’s say Isabelle can be like that.

Cyan and Isabelle were strangers with no blood relation.

But what about the head of the Elantour family, one of the two pillars supporting the Empire, Durak Elantour?

Wasn’t he different?

Durak was so busy with official duties that he rarely showed his face in the family.

Not just rarely, he couldn’t stand being in the family.

Even Cyan, from childhood until now.

He could count on one hand the number of times he had faced Durak.

Only the first child and eldest son of the Marquisate, Kai Elantour.

A genius beyond words, called the star of the Empire, Kai, could have a private audience with Durak.

Therefore, major family affairs were Isabelle’s responsibility.

The mistress of Elantour.

However, Isabelle was only the mistress of Elantour.

The master of Elantour was Durak.

Related to Cyan by blood, Cyan’s clear father.

Of course, he was a man Cyan absolutely didn’t want to call father, but he couldn’t deny that they were related by blood.

Therefore, this important matter.

The matter of sending Cyan to the Ruben Estate could not have been decided solely on Isabelle’s opinion.

Even if he was a bastard, he wouldn’t send his own blood to his death.

Isabelle couldn’t be unaware of that fact.

Yet, the decision to send Cyan to the Ruben Estate.

“Did the head of the family also approve of this matter?”

To Cyan’s question, Isabelle still had no answer.

No, it wasn’t that she didn’t open her mouth.

It was impossible not to know what that meant unless she was a fool.

Durak was that kind of man.

A man who could make any decision for the sake of the family’s benefit.

Perhaps Isabelle had persuaded Durak with something in return.

Isabelle was the eldest daughter of the prestigious Aveneu family.

The Aveneu family was not as high-ranking as the Elantour family, but it was still a considerably high-ranking family.

On the other hand, Cyan was the child of a maid with no background or power.

“…”

Cyan’s eyes trembled.

Even now.

If he begged for his life, could he change their minds?

Even if he was a bastard, he was still of the Elantour bloodline.

So, if he appealed to that compassion now….

Pfft.

Pooh.

Suddenly, a mocking sound was heard.

Looking there.

There were Roswell and Nathan.

Cyan’s two siblings were covering their mouths, trying to hold back their laughter.

Clear mockery.

Clench!

Cyan’s fists clenched tightly.

His fists trembled as if they were about to lash out.

But in the end, they limply loosened.

A scoundrel of the Marquisate, and,
A bastard who should never have existed.

There was nothing Cyan could do.

Just one thing.

“…”

To accept that fate with a forced calm.

This was the only struggle Cyan could make.

#

The scenery of rugged mountains.

Here, where dense trees and jagged grasses obscure the view.

“Giddy up.”

A carriage was crossing through this place.

Originally, mountains.

No matter how rugged, as people pass through, a path naturally forms.

But now, there wasn’t even anything that could be called a path.

Deep in the mountains where even wild animals were rarely seen.

It seemed quite difficult for a carriage to pass through.

However, the coachman didn’t seem to care.

“Giddy up, giddy up.”

He whipped the horses, vigorously climbing the rugged mountain path.

Clatter, clatter.

After climbing the rugged mountain range for some time.

“Ahem, ahem.”

The coachman coughed slightly.

And pretended to look around at the surrounding scenery.

“Let’s see, it seems like we’re almost there….”

He glanced slyly inside the carriage.

A space slightly over one pyeong [approximately 3.3 square meters or 36 square feet].

Inside, there was an old man and a young man.

The old man’s face, full of wrinkles, revealed the years he had lived without needing to ask.

At the same time, an atmosphere full of experience.

It gave the feeling of a retired veteran mercenary.

On the other hand, unlike the old man sitting neatly, the young man was sprawled out carelessly.

His face was not visible because he was lying on his back, but the atmosphere he exuded was no different from that of a carefree person.

The coachman shook his head without realizing it, as if he was pathetic.

At that moment.

“Is there a problem?”

A voice suddenly rang out.

Looking there, the old man was staring at the coachman with sharp eyes.

“Ah, th, that is….”

The coachman shouted in surprise.

Because he knew very well who the old man and the young man he had secretly glanced at were.

Cyan Elantour.

The youngest of the Elantour Marquisate, one of the two families that support the Empire.

A commoner like himself was not supposed to look him straight in the eye.

Moreover, the pathetic attitude from just now….

The coachman opened his mouth in great embarrassment.