Chapter 40………………………………….
What if he refuses?
What if he just walks away? The thought made his heart race.
But when little Krimu stretched out both arms toward him and leaned in to be held, the duke felt a joy he couldn’t put into words.
In truth, he had tried to avoid this.
Ever since his youngest son was born, he had never properly taken care of him.
A missing child and a dead wife—
Back then, the duke felt as though his entire world had collapsed.
Krimu had always come second.
Time passed, and the boy was already four years old.
And with each passing day, the guilt toward Krimu grew.
He had assumed he could never reach out to him again.
That he would live the rest of his life like that.
But how foolish—
He never imagined the child’s heart would meet his own so easily.
If he’d known this, he would have approached him sooner.
“You’ve grown this much, Krimu.”
“I ate a wot of food.”
“Yes, you did well.”
Looking back, Krimu had always been watching him.
A son yearning for his father’s love.
Had he realized this too late?
The worry he carried melted away in an instant—
The child had been waiting for him there all along.
“Thank you, Krimu.”
“Mm?”
“Does it feel nice to be in your father’s arms?”
“I wike Daddy.”
“Ha ha, you little rascal.”
Only now did he finally see Krimu properly—every detail of his eyes, nose, mouth.
How lonely this small child must have been, growing up without a mother.
His lost child wasn’t his only child.
The one left behind was also his.
Feeling the warmth of Krimu’s breath against his chest, emotions flooded out in a torrent he could no longer hold back.
“Krimu.”
“Yes, Daddy?”
“This father has always loved you. I still love you now.”
“Wuv you. Krimu wuvs Daddy too.”
The child’s whisper at his ear seemed to soothe old wounds.
His chilled eyes grew warm and wet.
An unfamiliar tightness rose to his throat.
But looking at Krimu’s bright smile, the duke forced himself to steady his emotions and smiled back.
***
The morning meal that had once been the dreadful tradition of the Kerais family had changed in just a few days.
After Shavert left for the Academy, the once-empty seat beside the duke was now taken by Krimu—right next to him.
I spooned warm soup into my mouth as I watched the heartwarming scene between father and son.
“Daddy, ah. Say ahhh.”
Krimu poked a fork into a piece of fruit coated in sweet chocolate cream and held it out to the duke.
And the duke actually ate it!
This… this was a picture-perfect family scene you’d want to paint and hang on a wall.
The servants froze mid-step, jaws dropped open.
Some even rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren’t hallucinating—that this duke was the duke.
“Nuna, chocolate for you too.”
“Thank you, Krimu!”
Looking at the tomato placed on my plate, I couldn’t help but imagine Krimu eventually sitting on the duke’s lap at this rate.
Ahhh! That would be unbearably cute!
I pinched Krimu’s chubby cheek and grinned.
Then, secretly giving the duke a mental thumbs-up, I thought:
You really are the best father.
The duke, wiping the chocolate cream from his lips with a napkin, raised his eyebrows as if touched.
“Anne, thank you. By the way, there is something I must tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I intend to hire a private tutor for you.”
The fork I was using for the roasted chicken scraped awkwardly against the plate.
A tutor? Out of nowhere?
“A private tutor? But I already have Kaouts.”
“Kaouts only teaches you magic, does he not?”
“Well… yes, but still.”
Of course, I knew noble children were supposed to learn noble etiquette.
And anyone could see that I had no clue what utensils to use—
I used the same fork for everything, after all.
Until now, the duke had simply let it slide.
He brought me here solely because of my magical talent.
“I’ve been too neglectful of you until now. At your age, you should have a proper tutor.”
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, I felt touched… but also overwhelmed.
I was already busy. Very busy.
I had so much to do.
Besides, my original plan was to endure only until Ron grew stronger and returned to the Kerais family.
When that happened, I wouldn’t need noble etiquette or any of that.
I fully intended to live my life however I pleased.
So I spoke firmly:
“Later. Just a little later. Right now, I want to focus on magic.”
“Anne…”
“It doesn’t have to be right now. Just delay it for one year, please?”
“……”
Seeing my crestfallen expression, the duke eventually gave in.
And I made up my mind—
Starting today, I would train my magic even harder.
***
Western region, Hezar. Drvel’s training grounds.
Shaaaak!
A blade slicing through the wind sent dust swirling.
The large-built men witnessing the scene could only widen their eyes.
They didn’t even dare exhale.
Time felt frozen.
A man with a scar on his neck finally managed to speak.
“Damn… that kid isn’t normal.”
Another man nearly clapped in astonishment but only swallowed hard.
“Hmph, how old did they say that little beast was?”
“At most… fourteen?”
Their gazes focused on the small-framed boy before them.
When the boy lowered his head, messy hair fell over his face.
He turned away from the shredded straw dummy on the ground.
It was only straw.
The men had ordered him to strike it simply to tease him—
Something to amuse themselves during training.
But when the boy swung the wooden sword, they felt his precision, his power… and an eerie killing intent.
This wasn’t something learned.
It was innate.
A chill crept down their spines.
One by one, they backed away.
“……”
The boy—alone now—slowly raised his head.
Red eyes peered through the curtain of long hair.
Thud.
The wooden sword fell to the ground.
Watching from afar was a man—Drvel’s leader, Chenler.
***
A throne made from beast bones.
Chenler leaned an arm against it, staring holes into the boy standing before him.
Hair the color of the dark sea.
Crimson eyes.
If the boy’s hair had been just a shade bluer, Chenler would have immediately recognized the Kerais bloodline.
He tore his gaze away, swallowing the name he couldn’t speak aloud.
…Ron Kerais.
The Kerais family—holders of the empire’s strongest power.
Ron was their second son.
He disappeared at a young age, was sold into slavery, and eventually ended up here.
That was why an opportunity had come to Chenler.
“You still have no name, correct?”
“Yes.”
The boy’s red eyes met his.
“Then I should give you one. Let me think…”
Chenler’s eyes scanned the room.
Then—
“Ron. I want my name to be Ron.”
“What?!”
Chenler shot up from his chair in shock.
“What—what did you just say?!”
The boy, unaware of the turmoil he caused, repeated the name.
Chenler’s face drained of color.
Ron? How could the real Ron say the name Ron?
The duke had said the boy had no memories.
Could he be remembering something?
But Chenler’s fears quickly crumbled.
“A friend told me the name Ron.”
“A… friend?”
“Yes. My friend. Really. I have a real friend.”
“…Haa.”
Chenler exhaled deeply and sat back down.
Coincidence, surely.
The boy disappeared so young—
There was no way he remembered his name.
If he remembered anything, he wouldn’t be here.
Nothing about the boy’s words felt like a lie.
Chenler tilted his head, resting his chin on his hand as he observed the boy.
Now that he thought about it, there was no reason Ron couldn’t be his name.
There must be hundreds of boys named Ron on the continent.
And besides, the duke had never given specific instructions about naming.
A sly grin formed at Chenler’s lips.
He already resented taking orders from the Kerais duke—
Giving the boy this name was a harmless bit of mischief.
Decision made, Chenler spoke firmly:
“Very well, Ron. From today onward, you are Ron.”
A bright joy appeared on the boy’s face for the first time.
At last—he had a name.
The very name Lan had called him back in the cave.
The name given by the person he missed most, his most precious person.
His smile was so radiant that even Chenler couldn’t help but smirk.
Was it really such a wonderful thing?
Propping his chin with one hand, Chenler let out a dry laugh.
“Oh, and Ron. Keep your hair long like that.”
The hair color wasn’t immediately suspicious, but those red eyes were.
Best to keep them hidden beneath his hair.
“Yes, Lord Chenler!”
Still overjoyed, Ron nodded vigorously.
After the door shut behind the boy, Chenler picked up a mirror from behind his chair.
He stared into it intensely—
Then curved his lips into the same smile Ron had shown.
“…Hm.”
But it was terrifying.
Nothing like Ron’s smile at all.
Clatter!
He flung the mirror to the ground, shattering it.
Running a rough hand down his face, Chenler finally stood and left the room.
A very unusual guest would be arriving soon.
