CHAPTER 67……………………………………………..
From early morning, the Kereis mansion was in an uproar.
People had suddenly fallen from the air above the wide training grounds.
The knights who were training immediately went on alert, and when they recognized the duke among the group, they were shocked.
“Seize them!”
At the duke’s shout, the knights captured the two black-clad assassins who tried to flee.
They were the ones who had been dragged along during the teleportation.
The moment they were caught, they took their own lives.
After confirming that everyone else had arrived safely, the duke went straight to his father, Veil.
Veil’s expression showed reluctant resignation as he saw the situation playing out before him.
“It seems it’s time for a long-overdue conversation with my son.”
The reception room was filled with a heavy silence.
For quite some time, Veil remained wordless.
Getre, sitting across from him, also kept silent.
Eventually, it was Veil who spoke first.
“The assassins were planted by me and the elders of the family. They were set to appear if the secret was ever revealed.”
“And what exactly is that secret?”
Veil looked intently at Getre, who resembled him so closely.
“Long ago, the Guardian of the Trensia Forest appeared before us.”
Getre’s eyes sharpened dangerously.
The Trensia Forest housed the guardian deity that protected the Kereis family.
Every year, the elders entered the forest to hold a ritual for the guardian.
But meeting the guardian in person was exceedingly rare—
and when it did happen, it meant something catastrophic enough to shake the very survival of the family.
“The guardian said this: Among the children born into our family, one carried the seed of calamity. Because of that child, the entire empire would drown in blood. The Kereis family would be erased, as if it had never existed.”
Staring into empty space, Veil’s face twisted as if reliving the event.
Getre spoke.
“Don’t tell me… don’t tell me, that seed of calamity was Ron?”
“Yes. It was Ron. Ron Kereis.”
“Father!”
Crash!
The armrest of Getre’s chair shattered under his fist and fell to the floor.
Neither of them paid it any mind.
Two pairs of red eyes glared at each other.
“Ron is a child who inherited my blood! He was just a child!”
“He was a child who would destroy the family! He would shake not only my brothers and parents but the entire clan! How could we sit back and watch the founding family of the Triya Empire be wiped out because of one child?!”
Getre’s rigid face crumpled in pain at Veil’s words.
“Even if Ron was the seed of calamity, I could have stopped him! That child— that pitiful child— I could have stopped him no matter what! And yet you simply abandoned him? You tore him away from his parents?!”
“It was… something that couldn’t be helped. An unavoidable decision made by me and the family.”
To protect the family—
Veil’s expression twisted bitterly as he left the rest unsaid.
His once-sharp shoulders sagged.
He understood how furious his son was.
But there had been no choice. There was nothing else they could have done.
“Ron would have been taken by the forest’s guardian. So you must—”
“He’s alive.”
“…Alive?”
Getre answered with a cold gaze, watching Veil’s eyes shake violently.
Right now, it pained him deeply that he shared the Kereis bloodline.
“The seed of calamity—Ron Kereis. My son is alive.”
“H-How could you possibly know that?!”
Veil’s wrinkled eyes widened sharply.
Seeing him, Getre’s face hardened with shock.
“Don’t tell me… Father, you knew Ron was still alive?”
“…”
“Father!”
Veil clutched his chest with a trembling hand, breath rough and uneven.
Memories he had never once forgotten flashed before his eyes.
The voices of the elders echoed in his ears—
‘The seed of calamity must be killed!’
‘Burn the child at once!’
‘Offer him to the Guardian as a sacrifice!’
Getre, following tradition, had taken little Ron into the Trensia Forest.
The paralyzing incense spread through the air.
A sharp blade aimed at the collapsed child.
And Veil’s sword that intervened to stop it.
“…!”
Veil’s crimson eyes opened wide, filled with the truth he had long buried.
He forced down his rising emotions and spoke.
“The elders believe the child who would become the seed of calamity died. That he was offered to the guardian as a sacrifice.”
“…”
“But at that time… I hid him. I sent him to an island no one could reach, hoping he would never return. And yet… Ron is alive…”
The veins in Getre’s eyes bulged.
He glared down at his father, killing intent radiating from him.
“When Ron returns, you will not lay a finger on him. I will not tolerate anything—anything at all. Even if the one trying is… my own father.”
“Getre, we cannot! If he lives, our family—!”
“Ron will remain by my side now. Even if he destroys the family, I will rebuild it with my own hands.”
Breathing harshly, Getre spoke coldly.
They had tried to kill his child.
All for the sake of the family.
They had tried to kill Ron—the boy they labeled the seed of calamity.
Such prophecies meant nothing to him.
“That must not happen!”
Hearing Veil’s weakened voice, Getre turned and walked away.
“I heard from the doctor that your health is severely weakened. Since you do not wish for the family’s downfall, it may be best for you to leave this world before Ron reaches adulthood.”
“G-Getre! Getre!”
Veil reached out, but grasped only empty air.
Getre was already gone.
Back in my room, I wondered what on earth had happened.
I was growing anxious—what if Ron was in danger?
After quite some time, the duke finally appeared.
After dismissing the others, he told me everything that had happened with the old duke.
The seed of calamity—Ron.
The prophecy that the child had to be eliminated to prevent the fall of the family.
The truth now laid bare was nothing but shocking.
The guardian’s prophecy was accurate.
In the original story, Ron returned to the family and ended up drowning the empire in blood.
Shevert had acted out of love for the heroine Bianca.
Marianne had acted out of love for the crown prince.
Both wanted revenge.
But Ron… Ron slaughtered simply for the pleasure of it.
Because of him, thousands were massacred.
A shiver ran down my entire body.
It felt like that cruel future might become reality again.
No—I won’t let that happen!
Currently, Marianne is fourteen.
I have plenty of time until adulthood.
I inhabit the villainess’s body, I obtained a magic stone early, and I can use magic now.
And most importantly—
the Kereis men have changed.
The duke, Shevert, Crimu, and Ron.
If things continue like this, the Triya Empire won’t drown in blood.
Ron won’t destroy the family.
“Anne?”
“…”
“Anne! What are you thinking about so deeply?”
I pushed away my thoughts at the duke’s call.
“Father, now that everything is out in the open, we need to bring Ron back quickly.”
I held out the teleport spell to him.
“You know where the members of Dveul went, right?”
The duke knew Ron’s every movement.
He should also know where Ron was right now.
But instead of acting quickly, he hesitated and stared at me.
“Anne, I’ve been meaning to ask… When exactly did you learn to use magic?”
“…!”
My eyes darted.
Right—when we were fleeing from the assassins earlier, he was the only one who’d been completely shocked.
Well, the Delve family brought me here specifically because of my magic potential.
I scratched my cheek and answered honestly.
There was no reason to lie anymore.
“Well, it’s thanks to the magic stone. I needed it to untangle the mana knotted inside my body, and I found it. I’ve been training with Cauts since then.”
The duke’s furrowed brows relaxed.
He seemed to trust everything I said these days without doubt.
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“No, I’m sure you had your reasons.”
“After bringing Ron back, I’ll work hard for the family.”
“What do you mean by that, Anne?”
The duke’s face twisted unhappily.
I fiddled with the magic stone necklace and said,
“For the Kereis family—I can help with business expansion, hunt monsters, participate in war… anything you need. Just ask. I’ll help with everything I have.”
That was the original purpose behind bringing me here.
It was why I became Shevert’s fiancée.
Even though the duke had since told me I could simply rest and live comfortably, deep down I always felt like a burden.
And with the affection I’d built up for them, I felt I could do whatever they needed before leaving someday.
“Anne, what are you saying?!”
But instead of appreciating it, the duke raised his voice.
Did I say something wrong?
I blinked wide eyes at him, and the duke erupted emotionally.
“To think we would use you for the Kereis family! Who put such nonsense in your head?!”
You did, Father…
But I could hardly say that out loud.
“Anne—my one and only daughter-in-law—your very existence is a blessing to our family!”
“…?”
“All you need to do is eat well! Rest well! Sleep well! Never even think of stepping forward into dangerous or dirty work! Understand?!”
Seeing even the usually impeccable duke spit a little as he shouted, I realized he must have been feeling guilty toward me for quite a while.
That was why he was so worked up.
Still… hearing him say that made my chest feel warm.
It felt like being genuinely loved.
Maybe that’s why I kept bringing up things like that—
because I wanted to confirm that warmth again.
“Hehe. Okay.”
As the duke’s flushed expression calmed, I smiled brightly to show my sincerity.
Only one thing was left.
Now that the truth was out, Ron had to be retrieved.
We needed to bring back the lost second son of the Kereis family.
But I had already used a great deal of mana teleporting from the north to the west, so I needed time for my mana to replenish before using teleport again.
