Chapter 316: Honor(2)
Chapter 316: Honor(2)
The mansion became incredibly hectic at the news that King Friedrich—no, Friedrich, who was now the Prince Consort—would be visiting. The bustle was even more noticeable than when Queen Maria had visited.
The servants had been busy tidying every corner of the mansion since this morning, and I was no exception. I had been up since dawn getting ready, unable to focus on anything else.
It made sense. Even if he had handed over the throne, Friedrich was a man who had been King. Since the transition of power likely wasn't fully complete, he would still command significant authority.
Because of this, I was on edge, but Adelia was the one suffering the most. She was my exclusive maid, but she was also Friedrich’s hidden illegitimate daughter. This was a fact everyone had learned through the letters.
My mother suggested that since things had turned out this way, she should dress up for the occasion, but Adelia flatly refused. She said she could handle the maid uniform, but she absolutely would not wear a dress.
When I asked why, noting that even Nicole wore dresses for official events, she replied that it brought back memories that made her skin crawl.
She explained that once, while wearing a dress inside the royal palace, she had overheard people gossiping, mocking her for "pretending to be royalty when she was just a half-breed."
She had avoided dresses ever since, and she confessed that this was one of the decisive reasons she chose to become a knight.
Faced with a past where every layer peeled back revealed only more pain, my mother had no choice but to back down. Instead, Adelia received some light makeup.
In truth, she was so naturally beautiful that she hardly needed it. A bit of cream to make her skin glow was all it took.
Unlike Cecile or Lina, who had very striking features, Adelia had a more modest, puppy-like charm, and the light touch suited her perfectly.
"Are you nervous?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."
With all preparations finished, Adelia and I waited briefly in the bedroom. Currently, Friedrich and Hiriya were speaking with Lara, who had been staying at our house as a guest.
It seemed like a serious conversation was taking place, so we planned to let them finish before heading in.
Like Queen Maria—now the regnant Queen—Lara was blameless in all this. Honestly, the fact that this situation had even occurred was a raw deal for Lara.
"What do you think he's going to say, Isaac?"
"I'm not sure..."
About twenty minutes after Friedrich and Hiriya arrived at the mansion, Adelia and I discussed what was to come.
The most important points were why Friedrich had come to the mansion and why he had abdicated the throne to Queen Maria.
I was also curious why Laos hadn't come, but it didn't interest me as much as the other questions. With Lara already at our mansion, if Laos came too, there would be no one left in the Kingdom of Ters.
Since the handover wasn't fully complete, it wouldn't have been right to leave Maria all by herself. That was understandable.
"Why did he come? He could have just stayed away..."
Adelia muttered in a timid voice, fidgeting with her clasped hands. Her usual confidence had completely vanished.
To her, Friedrich was the source of her trauma. I remembered how she had been a year ago when she faced her family.
Just looking at them had made her break out in a cold sweat and show signs of extreme anxiety. If that was how she felt about her siblings, I could only imagine how she felt about Friedrich.
Furthermore, during the trial, Friedrich had flatly denied Adelia's existence. Even if she had expected it, it must have left a deep scar on her heart.
'Honestly, it was pretty despicable.'
I could understand Friedrich's position. If his honor and prestige as a King were tarnished, the hidden hyenas would have pounced on him instantly.
But if he had set aside his pride for just a moment and simply admitted his mistake, things might have been slightly different.
He could have been seen as a man who, though he had erred in the heat of his youth, at least knew how to take 'responsibility.'
Moreover, for a high-ranking noble like Friedrich, 'responsibility' was paramount. Countless people have been ruined by denying the truth until the bitter end.
In that sense, Friedrich had dipped his toes into the pool of ruin and barely managed to pull them out, but that didn't change how resentful I felt.
If I hadn't been Xenon, the situation would have swung in Friedrich's favor, and he never would have acknowledged Adelia's existence.
In many ways, it was a situation that was hard to look upon kindly.
"Why now... It would have been better if he hadn't come at all. Why..."
Adelia muttered gloomily, seemingly thinking along the same lines as me. I watched her troubled expression for a moment before silently taking her hand.
Adelia flinched when I grabbed her hand, then slowly lifted her lowered head to look at me.
When I gave her a reassuring smile, she managed a sheepish one in return.
"The tables have turned now, so you can say whatever you want to say. Okay?"
"I know, but... I feel like the words won't come out once I actually see him. Sigh..."
Adelia let out a heavy sigh. A shadow of worry clouded her sky-blue eyes.
I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulder to help her settle down, patting her for good measure.
Sensing my comfort, Adelia gave a small chuckle and spoke to me.
"Are you comforting me?"
"What else would I be doing? I can do other things too, if you really want."
"Honestly... you're so different from my first impression of you. I didn't know you were this lecherous. Does Nicole know?"
"Could you call it 'warm' instead of 'lecherous'?"
"If you weren't so good with words, I might actually dislike you. But thank you."
As she spoke, Adelia subtly shifted her hips closer to me. Despite her words, she was the one who craved emotional intimacy with me the most.
I moved the arm draped over her shoulder to hold her head, then slowly pulled her in until our foreheads touched.
Even without intense physical contact like sex or kissing, Adelia was finding contentment. For her, wiping away the stained scars of the past was the most important thing.
After leaning our foreheads together for a while, we pulled away at the same time. I looked into her sky-blue eyes and spoke.
"Shall we go now?"
"Yes."
We held hands until we got up from the bed, but we let go the moment we stepped out of the bedroom.
A flash of deep regret crossed Adelia's face for a second, but she immediately snapped into her professional role as a maid. She wore her 'business face'—calm, with just a hint of a smile.
How much training had she received from the head maid to perfect that expression? She used to complain that while physical labor was fine, the mental strain of the training was exhausting.
That was all in the past now. She performed her duties as a maid perfectly and acted as a reliable shield to protect me whenever we went out.
Not stopping there, she continued to hone her martial arts under my father's tutelage, her skills improving with every passing day.
'I'm glad Adelia is my guard knight.'
Ever since I revealed myself as Xenon, I was bound to have a string of guard knights following me, but Adelia alone was enough. Anyone else would have been incredibly awkward.
I glanced back at Adelia, who was following modestly behind me, and approached the drawing room where Friedrich and Hiriya were waiting.
I stood confidently before the door of the drawing room—the same one where I had sat with Queen Maria—hesitated for a moment, and then knocked gently.
Knock, knock, knock—
"It's Isaac Ducard Maishal. May I come in?"
I spoke with a volume that was neither too soft nor too loud, so it should have been clearly audible inside. Lara would likely come to greet us soon.
Creak—
"Oh! You're both here?"
As expected, the door opened and Lara greeted us with a bright face. I responded with a smile to her ever-innocent demeanor.
She looked back once and then swung the door wide open so we could enter.
Normally, a servant should have done this, not Lara, but she did it because we needed to have a private conversation.
"Well, I'll be going now. Father, Hiriya. I'll see you later!"
After a brief goodbye, Lara vanished like a flash. I watched the door close firmly behind her before shifting my gaze.
As expected, Friedrich and Hiriya were sitting side by side.
Friedrich met my gaze calmly, whereas Hiriya looked down the moment our eyes met, as if she had committed a crime.
'But her condition is a bit...'
Friedrich looked somewhat tired, but he was in decent shape compared to Hiriya. Hiriya looked like the very definition of a wreck.
Dark circles that makeup couldn't hide hung so low they looked like jump ropes, and the noble, haughty dignity she once possessed had vanished without a trace.
Her shoulders, which used to be held high and proud, were now hunched with anxiety. She looked exactly like Adelia had a year ago when she was suffering from anxiety.
I had expected it to be something like this, but seeing it in person made me wonder if I had gone a bit too far.
'First, I should sit down.'
That was one thing, and this was another. After making eye contact with them, I looked at Adelia.
Adelia understood the meaning of my gaze and moved carefully. As she moved, I also walked toward the guests visiting the mansion.
The closer we got, the more Hiriya's trembling intensified. However, she calmed down slightly when Friedrich took her hand to reassure her.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Consort Friedrich. As you know, my name is Isaac Ducard Maishal. I am the author of the Xenon Biography."
"I am Adelia Cross, the master's exclusive maid."
I didn't forget to greet them politely before sitting down. I almost accidentally called him 'Your Majesty,' but I managed to change it just in time.
"I am Friedrich Ducard von Kerchers. It is an honor to meet the famous Xenon."
"I-I am Hiriya Ducard von Kerchers, the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Ters..."
Unlike Friedrich, who introduced himself plainly, Hiriya stammered through her greeting.
I couldn't tell from a distance, but up close, she was not only breaking out in a cold sweat from nerves, but her complexion was also deathly pale.
Her condition was so poor that I wondered if she might faint right then and there.
"Have you been well?"
Since they couldn't lead the conversation, I brought up the first topic. It was a question that felt a bit like a jab, and honestly, it was intended as one.
My opinion of them was already at rock bottom; there was no way anything kind was going to come out of my mouth. And they weren't in a position to push back.
Friedrich seemed to sense my feelings, as he only gave a bitter smile at the difficult question.
"As you said, many things have happened. I have once again realized the power the people hold, and I have realized how trivial honor can be. Countless thoughts have crossed my mind every day."
"..."
Friedrich began to pour out his grievances like a monk who had attained enlightenment. I listened to his story while glancing at Adelia sitting next to me.
Though she pretended to be calm on the surface, her fists resting on her lap were clenched tight. She was probably thinking how pathetic he sounded.
As I've said before, if I hadn't been Xenon, things might have turned out like the character Envy in the Xenon Biography.
Crushed by the massive weight of power, she would have had the man she loved snatched away before her eyes, unable to even struggle.
Of course, she had a strong ally in Mari, but the situation would have been far more complicated than it was now.
"...My wife told me. That a person will risk their life for a single name. And that sometimes, one must set aside that honor."
"..."
"That is the reason I handed over the throne. If I could not let go of my honor as a King, I decided it was better to give up the throne itself. Thanks to that, I have realized many things—"
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut you off."
I couldn't stand to listen to any more of these long-winded excuses. Friedrich had certainly grown. That was an undeniable fact.
If I hadn't been Xenon, this wouldn't have happened? That was a hypothetical, and therefore meaningless.
What mattered was the present. Friedrich had realized his mistakes and had completely set aside his honor.
However, he was still failing to 'tie the knot' and find closure. I hadn't let Friedrich and Hiriya in just to hear this kind of talk.
"Prince Consort Friedrich. Then what is the reason you visited our mansion? Surely you aren't here to say you'll acknowledge Adelia as family now or something like that?"
"Absolutely not. Even if I did, I doubt that child... would accept it."
"I will never go back. No matter what you offer."
When Friedrich spoke tentatively, Adelia replied in a voice that seemed to be suppressing rage.
Hiriya, who had been sitting still, flinched at Adelia's faint anger.
"I am Adelia Cross, Isaac's exclusive maid. Don't even dream of passing that pathetic surname down to me."
"You heard her, right?"
"...Yes."
At Adelia's firm resolve, Friedrich nodded with a bitter expression.
"Just in case, if you're thinking of using her—"
"I have no such intention. In the first place, the reason I handed the throne to my wife was to prevent that. My wife and Adelia are strangers with not a drop of blood in common."
"Even those strangers treated me well, but you people...!"
The resentment Adelia had built up over the years finally reached its breaking point. Her eyes widened, and her clenched fists trembled violently.
Though she didn't let it all explode, her feelings were surely conveyed. I took her arm to help her restrain her emotions.
Meanwhile, Friedrich, who bore the brunt of her fierce gaze, reacted calmly, but Hiriya did not. she let out a shrill cry and trembled violently.
"I-I'm sorry! I won't even ask for leniency, so please, just spare our lives...!"
"No. Who's taking your lives?"
The revolution must have truly terrified her. I replied with an incredulous expression and turned my gaze back to Friedrich.
He blinked slowly, and as soon as our eyes met, he spoke quietly.
"So, I came here to say this, however late it may be."
Scrape—
With those words, Friedrich pushed his chair back and slowly stood up. As he stood, both Adelia's and my eyes followed him.
He then walked over to Adelia's side, not mine, and stared at her face for a long time. Adelia glared back at him with a face full of complex emotions.
While a strange tension flowed between the father and daughter for a while—
Slide—
Friedrich slowly sank to his knees.
"I am sorry."
He then bowed his head low, delivering words of apology in a calm voice. Even if he had handed over the throne, this was an act of throwing away all his pride as a King.
Just kneeling was enough to tear his honor to shreds, but he went so far as to touch his forehead to the ground.
"I sincerely apologize for the disaster I caused by being unable to let go of that single piece of honor."
"..."
"And..."
Friedrich, who had offered that apology, slowly lifted his face.
Thud!!
"I am sorry."
He apologized again, slamming his forehead against the floor hard enough for the sound to echo through the drawing room.
If the previous apology was from his position as 'King,' this was an apology as Adelia's 'biological father.'
Furthermore, by slamming his forehead so hard, he was emphasizing the weight of his apology as her father.
"I am sorry for treating you so coldly to protect that measly honor. And for failing to acknowledge you as my child until the very end. I am sorry for everything."
"..."
"I will not ask for your forgiveness. But I feared that if I let this moment pass, I would never have another chance, so I took the liberty of coming to see you."
Adelia stared silently at Friedrich, who was bowing his head before her. I wanted to see her expression, but she had her head turned away, so I couldn't tell.
However, seeing her body tremble, I guessed she was struggling to contain a surge of emotion. Honestly, I would have felt the same way.
A heavy silence descended for a long time after that. It felt like an hour had passed, but it had only been ten minutes.
But for those ten minutes, Friedrich kept his head bowed, waiting for Adelia to speak.
After another five minutes had passed.
"It's... too late."
Adelia's heavily closed lips finally opened. Her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears, yet it was laced with anger.
Even so, Friedrich did not lift his lowered head.
"I just wanted something normal. Even if you couldn't openly call me your daughter, I just wanted to live a normal life. I wanted to laugh and talk like other children, and I wanted to be loved by adults."
"..."
"But you didn't do that. You didn't even do it at the very end. You couldn't let go of that measly honor? No. Even without that honor, you wouldn't have acknowledged me. Because you never gave me even a shred of the 'affection' I felt from others. I can never forgive you."
Knotted emotions can be untied. But if the knot has hardened, it's impossible unless you break the emotion entirely.
That was exactly Adelia's state. I was looking after her now, but the hardened scars were still tormenting her heart.
The hardened edges cruelly gouged her heart, and new scars were etched into the wounds.
Friedrich's apology was doing nothing but wounding Adelia's heart further. He might be able to tie up the loose ends, but he wouldn't be able to break the knot.
However, it was more than perfect for letting go of her 'lingering attachments.'
"Now that you've finished your business, get out of my sight. Don't come to me anymore, and don't even think about approaching Isaac. I will live the rest of my life as Adelia Cross. Not as a princess of the Kingdom of Ters, but as Isaac Ducard Maishal's exclusive maid."
"..."
"And if—just if—you people ever cause harm to Isaac..."
Adelia clenched her fists and whispered with all the resentment she held inside.
"I will become a blade of vengeance and gouge out your hearts."
"..."
"Like Envy in the Xenon Biography, I will cut off your heads and turn the kingdom to ashes, no matter what. So..."
Her voice choked up, and she paused for a moment before finally forcing the words out.
"Please... don't show your faces before me. Father."
"..."
"Even if our relationship is worse than that of strangers, even if you are the one who created my terrible past, I don't want to kill my own blood. So..."
The lingering attachment that had been tormenting Adelia.
"Go. Now."
It was completely severed today.