Chapter 18
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18
‘Is this some kind of paradise?’
I tried my best not to gawk like a total amateur as I moved.
Have you ever walked on the surface of a rolling sea?
That was exactly what this massive room felt like.
The light blue marble floor, boasting a vivid wave pattern, was composed of pieces so exquisitely joined that the seams were invisible. Thanks to that, the space looked surreal, as if a beautiful bedroom had been constructed right on top of the water.
It was secluded yet extravagant. In this bedroom, which evoked two contradictory impressions at once, tapestries adorned with crystals hung from the main walls and pillars.
Was that why?
Despite its inherent opulence, this vast bedroom, with its thick curtains covering every wall, felt like a space that had been slumbering for a very long time.
Perhaps that was why it felt like a room without a master.
There wasn't a single fragile trinket in sight. Instead, a grand piano with a heavy, deep hue, a large harp exquisitely carved with a golden goddess, and a milky-white porcelain vase as tall as I was stood silently, like ruins frozen in time.
It was a place where one could find no trace of vitality.
Grand Duke Asis Frezier, whose stride was much larger than mine, walked briskly ahead and pulled a milk-colored tassel hanging on the wall.
With a crisp shhhk, sunlight flooded in, brilliantly illuminating the previously dim room.
‘Whoa.’
My eyes widened involuntarily.
Like his office, one entire wall here was a floor-to-ceiling window.
In this world, glass of uniform thickness was a considerable luxury. The more transparent the glass and the larger its size, the more the price skyrocketed. It was possible that a single pane of glass in that window cost more than the long, thick, golden-threaded damask curtains hanging from the ceiling.
By modern standards, would this be equivalent to the finest suite in a five-star hotel?
In this mysterious space that practically reeked of wealth, Grand Duke Asis Frezier stood with his hands behind his back and spoke.
“Tulia Frezier.”
His voice sounded ominous, so I quickly replied politely.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
In that moment, I felt a sense of confusion.
Until now, I hadn't noticed because I was always bowed low like a groveling eunuch in front of him, but the look in Asis Frezier’s eyes, reflected translucently in the window, was peculiar.
I felt a sense of déjà vu.
It was the kind of expression one might wear when encountering a stray cat that suddenly stops to act cute, even though you don't have a single treat to give it.
‘But unlike me, who was actually broke, Grand Duke Asis Frezier has a ton of stuff.’
Even that reflection soon vanished as the sunlight hit the glass, washing out the image of the Grand Duke’s face.
‘Well… I must have imagined it.’
“You have never once attended a Frezier council meeting.”
Meanwhile, his overbearing voice rang in my ears.
“How did you know you could use a proxy vote?”
“I remember reading about the family laws in the main castle's library, Grandfather.”
It was a relief I had prepared an excuse in advance, just in case. Since Tulia actually did visit the library regularly, the alibi was perfect.
“In the library? How strange.”
However, as if mocking my expectations, Grand Duke Asis Frezier continued.
“From Lilius, I heard that the only books you read in the library were shallow ones meant for showing off in social circles, containing knowledge thinner than a sheet of paper.”
“…….”
‘Has that crazy guy been tattling on every single book Tulia read until now? What kind of uncle is he?’
Well, I knew Lilius was inwardly wary of the Marquis of Frezier—the Grand Duke’s eldest son and Tulia’s biological father. Even so, I wondered if there was a reason to bully Tulia, a child the Marquis had already cast aside, in such a petty way.
I vowed to make sure Lilius faced an even more agonizing revenge.
“……Those books were the majority, yes. But I also grew curious about the Frezier family, so I read about it from time to time.”
“From time to time?”
Grand Duke Asis Frezier turned to look at me and asked, “Do you know which generation of Grand Duke Frezier I am?”
“Pardon? The 17th.”
“……The Freziers were originally a ducal house. From which generation were we appointed as a Grand Ducal House?”
“Pardon? From the 5th generation. Starting with Lord Solei Frezier.”
“……?”
Grand Duke Asis Frezier stared at me intently before asking another question.
“By what merit did they receive the hereditary title of Grand Duke?”
“Publicly, for dealing a great blow to the barbarians at the border. Privately, for deciphering the ancient language and discovering an intact dragon skeleton in the abandoned lands.”
“……And where was that dragon skeleton found?”
“Under the lowest cliff to the west?”
“…….”
“……?”
Grand Duke Asis Frezier looked at me with strange eyes.
“Those parts are written in the ancient language. When did you learn it?”
‘Crap, right.’
I was startled inwardly. Everything I’d said was information I’d naturally picked up while playing The Milk Bread.
Since The Milk Bread was a game, there were segments where you had to answer quizzes correctly to select benefits that led to a good ending. Having replayed The Milk Bread several times, I had memorized the answers to almost all the quizzes.
Half of those answers were written in an incomprehensible alien tongue, which was referred to as the ‘Ancient Language’ within the world of The Milk Bread.
The setting was rife with interpretations—some said it was the script of a fallen ancient kingdom, others said it belonged to the royalty of a ruined nation from a distant continent.
“I came across characters I didn't know, so I looked them up in the library.”
Fortunately, the information I had mentioned consisted of particularly short and simple words, even for the ancient language. So, I could somehow pass it off as self-study….
Of course, it seemed I was the only one who thought so.
“……I am surprised by you several times today.”
After looking at me with eyes full of an inexplicable solemnity for a moment, Grand Duke Asis Frezier quickly returned to his usual cold expression and spoke.
“Tulia Frezier. Today, you overturned the voting results as you pleased.”
“…….”
“Even though it was a matter your uncles voted in favor of.”
“…….”
“Even if your father is a Marquis, your rank is strictly lower than that of your uncles. That is the family law of our Frezier house. What you have done is no different from insubordination.”
“…….”
“And in a public setting, no less.”
“…….”
The heads of great families can never tolerate insubordination. Grand Duke Asis Frezier was no exception.
I was well aware of that fact.
In particular, Grand Duke Asis Frezier disliked family disputes being exposed in public. Well, that was true for anyone.
Therefore, I was able to speak up with confidence.
“I only cast a dissenting vote because of the hierarchy, Grandfather.”
“What?”
“Grandmother is a higher elder than my uncles, isn't she?”
A fox without power must live by riding on the tiger's back.
“Does it make sense to dispose of land that an elder cherished and tended to during her lifetime just for my uncles' petty interests? Isn't that the real insubordination?”
Since I had already decided to be the fox on the tiger's back, I didn't forget to speak as clearly as possible.
“We should honor Grandmother’s last wishes. My uncles are people who already have so much.”
As I’ve said repeatedly, if my uncles were poor, it would be right to try and revive the family by selling land.
But for people who already enjoyed so much to suddenly sell off the land their own mother had personally tended to, all for their own minor advancement?
Huh? Is that right?
‘Especially when that business is going to fail miserably?’
In the long run, I had basically performed a huge act of filial piety for the Frezier family.
And Grand Duke Asis Frezier….
He smirked.
Though it was a very brief laugh, it was enough to make my eyes light up.
Grand Duke Asis Frezier had a cold personality and rarely smiled, to the point where he was nicknamed the ‘Ice Grand Duke.’
“You are not wrong.”
And then, like magic, a gauge appeared above Grand Duke Asis’s head.
‘That’s….’