Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Reclaiming the Legacy
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Leopoldt was still standing amid his torment.
This was a pain that wouldn't end until the moment he died, unless Lucy somehow came back to life.
The faint relief from knowing his father hadn't deliberately sent his wife to her death on the battlefield was too small and dim to fully erase the ache.
But if he was standing in utter darkness, even that faint light felt like salvation.
Leopoldt, who had been silently gazing at his father's face, slowly dropped to one knee.
"Grant me the Lordship of Rommel County. Whether as a reward for victory or compensation for Dominic's crimes, I don't care about the pretext."
The duke's eyes widened at the unexpected words.
Handing the Lordship of Rommel County to Leopoldt would send massive ripples through the family.
It was a formal challenge to Dominic for the successor position his eldest son had once claimed.
No one could believe these words were coming from Leopoldt, who had brushed off the Northern Duke family's succession as worthless dust and walked away.
"If that's Lucy's legacy, I won't yield it to anyone."
A chilling, resolute determination laced Leopoldt's voice.
The hatred festering inside him had shattered completely.
And in its place, something new could be built.
Something fresh, untainted by sticky resentment or grudges.
To fill the void, Leopoldt chose resolve—to protect his children.
"I'll never let anyone harm my children again."
This was the moment his son, who had stood unshaken through years of the duke's rage and persuasion, knelt and vowed to live once more as the duke family's eldest son.
A month was a short time.
Before they knew it, Erich's intensive treatment period had arrived.
"Feeling better?"
"Yes, Grandfather."
Erich gave a faint smile at his grandfather's words.
He'd once seen his grandfather as nothing but gruff and stern, but not anymore.
Now Erich could read the concern hidden in those curt words.
'Looks like Dad can too.'
His father, hand on Erich's shoulder, turned to Grandfather.
"We'll be back, Father."
He didn't know what conversation had passed between Grandfather and his father.
But one thing was clear: since that day, his father had started calling Grandfather "Father" instead of "Your Grace."
Thrilled by the change, Mariella, Dietrich, and Erich exchanged glances and grinned broadly.
A reconciliation between those two meant Uncle's position was shrinking fast.
'Uncle threw a fit after waking up from his faint.'
Word was he'd ranted at Grandfather to exile Father immediately, only to get an even bigger scolding.
It felt so satisfying.
After the dressing-down, Uncle had taken his family south in a show of protest.
'Officially for recuperation, but...'
Everyone knew he was really trying to cozy up to the Southern Duke's family to spite Grandfather.
Whatever. It would only dig his own grave deeper.
"We'll visit Marie on the way back, Grandfather."
"Me too, Grandfather."
Mariella and Dietrich bowed politely and climbed into the carriage after Erich.
Erich's profile as he stared out the window looked a bit tense.
Mariella and Dietrich's eyes met in the air.
Having grown up together so long, they could read each other with just a glance.
As she slyly edged toward Erich's side, Dietrich piped up like he'd been waiting.
"Baby Ella, you sit next to me!"
Erich turned, eyebrow raised.
"Ella wants to sit next to me."
"Nuh-uh. She's only doing it 'cause there's no other spot. Erich, you go sit by Dad."
"You can't tell someone who's already seated to move, Dietrich. Go sit by Dad yourself."
"I've sat next to Baby Ella every day!"
As they bickered, the tension slowly drained from Erich's face.
Around then, Dad plucked Mariella out like drawing a sword and plopped her next to him.
Even Dietrich, who'd been provoking on purpose, stared at him in genuine bafflement.
"She's my daughter."
Those words were invincible.
Mariella stifled a giggle behind her hand as Erich and Dietrich both pouted identically.
I never thought they looked alike, but those faces sure match!
"Erich."
Dad, who'd smiled warmly at Mariella, sobered up and called Erich's name.
"You know what symptoms come after intensive treatment, right?"
"Yes. I've had it several times before."
Erich unconsciously furrowed his brow as he spoke—uncharacteristic for someone who always controlled his expressions.
"What symptoms show up after treatment?"
Good job, Dietrich!
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Dietrich asked, and Erich smoothed his face as if nothing had happened, replying calmly.
"Intensive treatment tweaks the Divine Grace circuits running through your muscles across your whole body, using drugs and Divine Grace."
"Mhm."
"So after, you get killer muscle pain. Your balance is off for a while too, so you keep tripping."
Balance issues?
Wondering if it involved the ears, Mariella shot her hand up like she was claiming the floor.
"Ears okay?"
"Everything except the muscles is fine. You run a slight fever, but it fades quick."
If the ears were okay, it wasn't vertigo from there.
So it had to be lower body muscles, right?
Mariella racked her brain from her past life.
The closest case... Ah, that patient who'd been hospitalized forever after a car crash.
She could still picture them staggering through the rehab center doors, barely able to walk after losing all their muscle from bed rest.
Was Erich like that?
If so, maybe she could do something to help...
During intensive treatment, no one but the priests was allowed in—except Dad, as guardian and someone who could manipulate the Divine Grace circuits.
Mariella and Dietrich had to wait outside with the knights.
Walter brought her a mug of warm milk as her hands trembled with nerves.
"Thankies."
"No trouble. Pretty tense, huh?"
"Yeah."
"He'll be fine. Who else is as skilled with Divine Grace as the captain?"
Sipping the warm milk while chatting with Walter eased her mind bit by bit.
Erich and Dad would handle their parts.
She couldn't just sit there biting her lip.
"Hey, I'm gonna draw now."
"Ah, want me to fetch paper and pencil?"
On the blank sheet Walter found, Mariella sketched a small half-circle.
This half-circle was a Bosu ball.
Also called a balance ball or just "Bosu"—the perfect partner for balance training.
Air-filled so it wasn't too squishy, but it dented just right under pressure, helping you build balance fast just by exercising on it.
She drew an arrow to the Bosu ball and added, "Super duper slightly squishy!"
Then she doodled a healthy Erich exercising atop it.
Too bad with just one pencil, she couldn't color his blue eyes.
"What's this squished blob?"
"Not a blob. It's Erich exercising. After his treatment, we're all gonna do this."
"Ah, of course. But miss, what's this half-moon thing at the bottom? Super duper slightly squishy?"
In past-life terms, like a tire with a bit of air let out...
"They say it's great for exercising by stepping on it. It dents a tiny bit like your foot, but stays firm."
"Kinda sounds like something I know."
Eh?
Walter knew about Bosu balls?