Chapter 38: The Promise
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: The Promise
Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate to the point of calling the authorities.
Considering Kenneth’s line of work, calling them wouldn’t have done him any favors anyway. But mostly, the crisis was averted because he managed to regain consciousness relatively quickly.
Of course, that didn’t mean he looked well.
Anyone could see the deathly pallor clinging to his face.
“…”
“…”
A bizarre standoff stretched on. Noel glanced around nervously, while Cisella and Kenneth sat trembling, their faces completely drained of blood.
Having the Empire’s strongest knight pay a personal visit to their home was terrifying enough on its own. But for a household where both father and son engaged in highly questionable professions? It was a miracle Kenneth and Cisella hadn’t lost their minds on the spot.
“This is the Tears of Sharelpin. It’s the flagship wine from a winery that regularly supplies the Imperial Palace.”
“…”
“…I heard you enjoy drinking, so I brought this. Is it… not to your liking?”
Liking it wasn’t the issue.
Couldn’t a single bottle of this buy a house in the busiest district of the Imperial Capital?!
Kenneth screamed internally as he accepted the bottle with trembling hands.
Bringing something so obscenely expensive as a simple housewarming gift was mind-boggling enough, but Noel’s attitude as she handed it over was even more absurd.
Why is she walking on eggshells around me…?
Anyone looking at Noel’s demeanor would have wondered the exact same thing. She was anxiously watching Kenneth’s reaction, acting as if she were the subordinate in this dynamic.
“I’m always imposing on Aiden, so please, accept it without any pressure—”
“Th-that… Uh, with all due reverence, if I may ask… what kind of relationship does Lionheart have with my son…?”
The only reason Kenneth managed to squeeze out those words was because her anxious attitude clearly stemmed from whatever relationship she had with his son.
“Ah, yes. Aiden and I are involved in various ways.”
“So, if I may ask what kind of involvement—”
“We are to be married.”
“Daddyyy—!!”
“…”
It took even longer for Kenneth to wake up after fainting for the second time.
As he gasped for air, his face somehow even paler than before, Noel fidgeted anxiously.
“Pardon me for asking, but was that some kind of joke from Lionheart—”
“Just ‘Noel’ is fine, Father.”
“…”
Out of consideration for Kenneth—who was clearly exercising superhuman mental strength to avoid fainting a third time—Noel quickly elaborated.
She explained how she had come to kidnap Aiden and what her true purpose was.
It seemed to work. After listening to the whole story, Kenneth caught his breath and barely managed to reply.
“…Does that boy really have something impressive enough about him to fulfill such a role?”
“…”
“Wouldn’t there have been far better options available…?”
“…”
Even considering they were family, his brutal objectivity wasn’t just cool-headed; it was bone-chillingly cold.
However, she could answer his question with absolute certainty.
“No.”
“…”
“On the contrary, I am the one constantly receiving help from Aiden. To the extent that I wish to remain by his side in the future.”
“…”
Who on earth is this woman talking about?
That exact thought was plastered clearly across Kenneth’s face.
To summarize…
“…So, Dame Noel, you currently have a marriage proposal from the Imperial Prince.”
“Yes.”
“And to create an excuse to reject it, you selected my son as your partner for a sham marriage.”
“Yes.”
“And my son is currently defending that position against the Imperial Prince…?”
“Precisely.”
“…”
Sacrilegiously, the immediate thought that crossed Kenneth’s mind upon grasping the full situation was this:
That brat shouldn’t have been a scammer—he should’ve been a gold digger marrying into a wealthy family!
There was no telling how wildly successful he could have been!
“U-um…”
Cisella, however, clearly had a completely different takeaway.
“M-may I ask just one thing?” she spoke falteringly, fully sensing just how incredible the person sitting before her was.
Anyone would act that way in front of someone holding the power to decide their life or death with a single word.
“Yes. Anything at all.”
“Then… when is Big Brother coming back?”
“…”
Noel’s gaze swept over Cisella.
The young girl was trembling all over, bringing to mind a tiny, shivering hamster.
Even so.
“…I cannot promise he will return anytime soon. I am sorry.”
“N-nothing bad is going to happen to Big Brother, right?” The young child squeezed out every ounce of courage in her small body to speak to the woman who held their fates. “I-is he being taken away because he did something wrong?”
It was all out of worry for her family.
“…Miss Cisella.”
“I know Daddy and Big Brother do bad things…” Tears welled in Cisella’s eyes as she barely managed to continue. “Th-that’s… it’s all because of me. They both have no choice but to do it…”
“…”
“If… if they’re in trouble because of that, I’ll take the punishment with them… So please, spare the two of them—”
“Miss Cisella.”
Cutting her off softly, Noel leaned forward.
As the girl flinched and pulled back, Noel carefully extended her hand.
Soon, Qi began to pulse at her fingertips.
“I promise you on my honor.”
The traced Qi took shape, giving form to a floating object.
“Aiden will definitely return to your side.”
A pinwheel.
Crafted from condensed Pure White Qi as if delicately sculpted, the pinwheel rested on Noel’s palm, scattering a translucent radiance in all directions.
Slowly rotating while releasing particles of light into the air, it was captivating enough to command anyone’s absolute attention.
“—Will you accept this as a token of that promise?”
Sniffling, the tearful Cisella reached out and accepted it.
Her eyes sparkled with wonder at the sight of something she had never seen before.
No matter how maturely she spoke, a child her age was still a child.
It seemed Aiden’s advice—that any kid would love whatever normal kids liked—had worked like a charm.
“Can you trust me, Miss Cisella?”
At Noel’s question, Cisella quietly nodded, still sniffling.
“…Then, while you’re at it, could you put that in a written contract?”
“…”
“I… I read in a book that legal binding power only exists if it’s in writing—”
…Still, she was definitely mature beyond her years.
* * *
At any rate, thanks to the softened atmosphere, the conversation that followed proceeded much more calmly.
It also helped that they had sent Cisella out of the room for a moment, creating an environment where they could discuss far more… serious topics.
“The girl adores her brother. It’s quite impressive that you managed to soothe her so easily.”
“…It was something a woman who was like an older sister to me used to do,” Noel answered with a bitter smile.
It was a technique the Lord Protector had often shown her in the past.
An object she often gave to cheer up the young, inexperienced Noel whenever she grew discouraged by her training.
—Let’s work hard. I won’t give up on you until the end, either.
—Got it?
A pinwheel crafted with supernatural ability. Something she had always given her whenever something happened, calling it a token of a promise.
Now that Theresa was dead, not a single one remained.
Yet the image of her giving them to Noel remained deeply etched in the depths of her core.
“…She must have been a wonderful person.”
“…”
At Kenneth’s hesitant remark, Noel lowered her head slightly and tipped her glass instead of answering.
Before long, she quietly changed the subject.
“The reason I originally came here was because there was something I wanted to ask.”
“Yes?”
It was a simple question. What was Aiden Kellermain’s ‘Source’? What on earth happened during the first fifteen years of his life that had completely vanished from all records?
“I don’t know.”
Kenneth’s answer was equally simple.
“That kid and Cisella… were actually picked up off the street. I’ve never dug into their pasts. Honestly, I reckon that’s why we’ve been able to get along so smoothly.”
“…”
…So even coming all the way here yields no answers.
As Noel knit her brows in thought, Kenneth continued calmly.
“Still, I can make a guess.”
“…Pardon?”
“That boy cares deeply for his family. More precisely, he tries to protect everyone inside the ‘fence’ he’s drawn around himself.”
“…”
It was an accurate description.
Not to mention Kenneth and Cisella, whom he called family, he had also rolled up his sleeves to jump headfirst into matters involving Noel or Katya, who were much more distant. She was slowly getting used to seeing that side of him.
He acted as if it were a sacred duty he was absolutely obligated to perform.
“When you think about it, it is a bit strange.”
Noel’s eyes narrowed. “May I ask what you mean by that?”
Wondering if he meant something negative, Noel felt her mood sour slightly, but Kenneth waved a hand dismissively and explained.
“Please don’t misunderstand, Dame Noel. I love my son. And I’m certain my son loves his family, too. It’s just… once that kid loses his temper, he goes completely blind to everything else.”
“…”
“Strictly speaking, it almost looks like an instinctive urge. As if he feels doing those things is his solemn duty.”
That, I cannot refute.
As Noel nodded and stroked her chin, Kenneth continued with a sigh.
“A long time ago, there was a nasty punk who bullied Cisella. He was tall and strong—strong enough to handle a weakling like Aiden with one hand.”
“…”
A weakling? Him?
…Well, in the past, that might have been true.
Keeping that thought to herself, Noel listened in silence as Kenneth quietly went on.
“Even with that massive gap in strength between them… the second that bastard said one harsh word to Cisella, my fool of a son charged right out and threw himself at him.”
“…”
“Naturally, his jaw was shattered with a single punch. The hospital said he shouldn’t move for at least a month. Strenuous movement was strictly forbidden; they said he could die if he wasn’t careful. And do you know what that idiot did next?”
“What did he do?”
“The very next day, wearing a jaw brace, he went right back to headbutt the guy who broke his jaw—telling him to stop picking on Cisella.”
“…”
“That’s the kind of guy he is. Clearly not normal, is he?”
“…That is true.”
When Noel reluctantly agreed, Kenneth smiled bitterly and continued.
“Just looking at that, his past can be roughly deduced.”
“…Which is?”
“That boy must have lost someone in the past.”
And undoubtedly in a horrific manner.
To the point where protecting the people around him became an obsession hardwired into his brain.
Instinct is a form of desire, desire stems from lack, and the greatest lack comes from loss.
“If that’s the case, it explains why he goes to such extremes.”
“…”
As Noel lowered her eyes, lost in thought, Kenneth’s next words fell heavily upon her.
“He’s naturally quiet, so unless something happens, he won’t even try to stand out… but please, ensure he doesn’t get dragged into dangerous situations.”
Kenneth’s heavy voice rang with earnest entreaty.
“Because when that happens, there’s no telling what he might do.”
* * *
…And somewhere else.
Aiden Kellermain was clearly proving that assessment true in real time.
“What did you just say?”
The Princess of the Holy Kingdom, sixth in line to the throne—Laila Velod Craven—spoke with a voice filled with utter disbelief.
Even as sixth in line to the throne, she was royalty. She was a key figure of her nation, entitled to the highest red-carpet treatment wherever she went.
In short…
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me when you heard every word clearly, Princess.”
While dispatched to another country as an ‘envoy,’ she was absolutely not of a status to be spoken to in such a manner.
“Apologize, unless you want me to beat it out of you.”
“…”
“I’ll give you five seconds.”
…Had Noel seen it herself, it was a scene that would have made her deeply ponder the old adage: family truly knows family best.
