Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: An Uninvited Guest
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The voice of an old man from behind rescued the main house knight, who had forgotten all about dignity and was flailing wildly as he backed away, his life hanging in the balance.
"What's all this commotion?"
Grandpa?
I whipped around reflexively and tilted my head at the sight of his outdated formal attire—elegant in style, but with an undeniable air of wear.
Ash-gray hair and red eyes to boot.
Apart from his slightly sharp gaze, the old man didn't resemble Dad much at all.
Still, he must hold a pretty high position, judging by how the main house knight's face lit up with relief as he immediately bowed his head.
"You've arrived, Chairman."
Dad gave a small nod toward the old man as well.
"It's been a while, Uncle Klaus."
Uncle Klaus?
Dad's great-uncle would make him my... great-great-uncle or something? Dad's grandfather's cousin... which means the proper term would be...
I stopped trying to calculate the convoluted family ties and summed it up simply.
Some elderly relative.
Just calling him Grandpa should be fine.
The main house knight had called him "Chairman" just now, so "Chairman Grandpa" probably wouldn't cause any issues.
"Leopoldt, even if you've all but cut ties with the main house, challenging one of our knights to a duel right here on our grounds? What kind of example is that?"
The relative Grandpa was giving Dad an earful!
They didn't seem to be on bad terms, though.
If they were truly at odds, Dad—the man who mocks his enemies without mercy—would have sneered at the old man's scolding and kept pressing the knight with his gauntlet.
I hadn't known Dad long, but that much was crystal clear.
Somehow, seeing Dad stand there silently taking the lecture felt strangely novel.
"And you—three months' pay cut and one month confined to quarters as punishment for this."
Dad's great-uncle didn't stop at lecturing Dad.
He turned toward the knights who had been rude to us, rubbed the back of his neck a couple of times, and issued a verdict as cold as frost.
"Pardon? Chairman, why...!"
"Blocking the path of the Duke's eldest son so insolently."
The old man's eyes gleamed icily.
"Consider yourself lucky your head's still on your shoulders. If His Grace had been here instead of me, do you think you'd have survived?"
"B-but Sir Leopoldt is merely the head of a branch family, not the heir."
"Even so, that doesn't change the fact he's His Grace's firstborn. How dare a mere knight like you block his way without permission—not even the family head or an elder, but you?"
Go, Grandpa!
The guard knight pursed his lips but retreated all the same after hearing the old man's sharp words.
Only then did the old man's gaze fall on us.
I hadn't noticed from behind, but up close, his posture was a bit stooped.
His shoulders hunched slightly forward.
He winced faintly at the brow every time he shifted, as if his neck and shoulders ached.
That symptom, from what I could tell...
"These must be your children."
Oh no. This was our first meeting with the relative elder, wasn't it?
I shoved aside my occupational habit of observing his posture and bowed politely as best I could.
"Yes. This is Dietrich and Mariella."
"I'd never heard you had four children."
"Of course not. This one isn't my child—it's His Highness Florian, the First Imperial Prince."
The old man blinked wide for a moment.
Then he narrowed his eyes, glancing back and forth between Dad and Florian before letting out a small sigh.
"I can't help you any further than this."
"You've already done more than enough."
"Don't cause a big scene. His Grace is getting on in years too."
"...We'll keep that in mind."
Yeah, right—like we'd actually behave.
Catching the implication, Chairman Grandpa shook his head wryly and headed into the banquet hall.
"The Chairman of the Elder Council, Count Klaus Verben, enters!"
Chairman of the Elder Council... so he must be the highest-ranking collateral relative in the Duke's family.
No wonder he could punish a main house knight without hesitation.
Dad, who had been listening quietly to the herald's announcement, glanced back at us for a moment.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
With my heart pounding, I stepped up to the herald, who looked mildly surprised to see us and blew a long note on his trumpet before proclaiming,
"Sir Leopoldt Kalenberg and his children enter!"
One of them wasn't actually a child, but no need to clarify that upfront.
I wanted to surprise Uncle and Aunt a little.
Seeing Florian—the one they tried to kill—alive and well, stepping into the Duke's banquet hall, would surely sour their moods.
The massive doors to the grand banquet hall swung open.
The moment we stepped inside, light rained down like we had entered another world.
Chandeliers and jewel-encrusted decorations glittered, and the light refracting off colorful drinks in crystal glasses shimmered hazily in the air like heat haze.
'So many stares...'
Even more piercing than the scattering light were the countless gazes filling the hall.
The stares burned hot, but the silence was chilling.
With every calm step Dad took, the silence rippling through the crowd grew denser.
The vast hall fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop—or even breathing.
As I pondered Dad's standing in the main house, a certain couple approached through the artificial hush without a hint of hesitation.
"Long time no see, brother. To think you'd grace my birthday banquet like this. If you'd sent word ahead, we could have prepared a warmer welcome."
That must be Uncle Dominic.
Brown hair with a gentle sheen, eyes that seemed mild-mannered.
But the golden eyes and firm mouth were identical to Dad's, making it unmistakable at a glance.
Uncle's gaze slowly swept over my face and Dietrich's before landing on Florian.
"My, you've brought an uninvited guest, brother."
Unlike the soft smile on his lips, his eyes slithered over Florian like a snake spotting prey.
"Even with your personal friendship with His Majesty, dragging the son of a convicted traitor all the way to the North..."
The moment those words landed, Florian's complexion changed completely.
His face went corpse-pale, while his eyes blazed with raw hostility.
He radiated a ferocious aura, like he might invoke his divine grace right there and lunge at the man if no one stopped him.
'That won't do.'
Dad might cause a scene, but he was still family.
It would be an internal power struggle within the Kalenberg Duke's house—something they could smooth over.
But if a prince stirred up trouble at a northern duke's event, it could be politically weaponized between the two houses.
I took a careful step sideways and grasped Florian's hand.
'It's scorching hot.'
Like grabbing a hot pot without thinking—I had to steel myself not to flinch and let go.
Thankfully, he hadn't lost all reason. He glanced at me once, bit his lip, and tamped down the heat.
Dad stepped forward, blocking Uncle's serpentine gaze, which still wore that smile.
Dad nodded to Walter, who had entered behind us, and he proffered the large box he was carrying.
Uncle's eyes naturally shifted from Florian to the box.
Just that seemed enough to ease the tension—Florian let out a quiet breath.
"This isn't the place to discuss imperial affairs. Why not open your birthday present instead?"
Birthday present? Out of nowhere?
I didn't recall Dad buying anything for Uncle on the way here.
Something that size would have been impossible to miss.
Besides, it was just a crudely wrapped wooden box with no packaging to speak of—hardly gift-worthy.
"You didn't need to go to any trouble."
But Uncle was a pro.
A pro at managing expressions, to be exact.
He kept that gentle smile plastered on even while accepting a wooden box that screamed "not a duke's heir birthday gift."
"Just having you and the children here is gift enough..."
"Spare me the pleasantries. Tradition says you open gifts right there on the spot, so go ahead."
Of course, Dad was a pro too.
In a different field, though.
He'd sweep first place in a sharp-tongued comeback contest, no question.