Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Pouring Water into the Pit. (5)
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My hand was rather large, so it completely covered Melina's and then some.
"Got it? Remember that."
I released Melina's hand calmly. Then I pulled a white glove from my pocket and held it out.
"If you need the exact measurements, use this as a reference."
"Ah, um, yes."
Melina took the glove with a somewhat dazed expression. I emphasized my words so she would hear them clearly.
"I'm saying it again, but I don't need any jewels or anything like that. They're just cumbersome. What I want is something true to its purpose."
"That doesn't make sense!"
Melina, who had been listening blankly, shook her head in protest.
"You're saying one set will cover that debt? Unless you make multiple gauntlets..."
"Don't you trust your mother?"
At my retort, Melina bit her lip with a startled look.
"Don't overthink it. Go help your mother properly."
"......"
"Forgot how things ended up like this?"
Tears began to well up in Melina's eyes.
"If you hadn't come here and gotten drunk, none of this would have happened."
In truth, I felt a bit grateful to Melina. Thanks to her, I had smoothly saddled Alessia with the debt.
So this was... prescribing a bitter medicine.
"I clearly said one set of gauntlets, so I hope there are no more misunderstandings."
With a cold expression, I turned away from Melina.
"Tell them to bring something I'll be satisfied with."
I had no intention of letting those two mother and daughter live like that anymore. They had to stand up on their own power.
Whether it was out of anger toward Abel or whatever.
'Just get back on your feet.'
Then everything else would work out somehow. A girl with eyes like that wouldn't fall again.
'She's probably cursing me out right now, though.'
I gave a wry smile and walked toward Magna Morten. The life of a villain was truly arduous.
❖ ❖ ❖
I sat on the sofa in the center of the room and looked around.
"Hmm."
Still an extravagantly luxurious sofa, furniture and bed made of high-grade wood. And the physical training equipment that had vanished.
'It feels just like when I first possessed this body.'
I leaned deep into the sofa and grinned.
'It's only been a few days of living like this, and it already feels unfamiliar.'
I tilted my chin back to gaze at the ceiling, then shifted my eyes to the clock on the wall.
'Wonder when he'll come.'
There was only one reason I had cleared out the room like this. Today, Diego—Abel's father—was returning.
'It should be about time.'
Today, I hadn't gone to the office or stepped outside. I was faithfully observing my confinement.
Instead, I decided to do what I could in the room. Training with the memories of Liam instead of physical conditioning.
'I can't afford to slack off even for a moment.'
There were only three days left until Requiem appeared. Time was steadily pressing me.
'No time to waste.'
Every day, every minute and second was precious.
How much time had passed while I immersed myself until I was drenched in sweat?
Puuu—
A horn sounded from afar.
'Looks like he's arrived.'
I approached the window and peered outside.
Even from a distance, I could see a man with flowing blue hair sitting atop a large, sturdy black horse.
'Diego Kindriel.'
The lord of Ovest Territory, the empire's strongest frontier count guarding the west. And my father.
I brushed back the hair that had fallen over my ear. The vivid sky-blue color was undeniable proof of his bloodline.
'Time to get ready.'
I quickly washed up and straightened my disheveled clothes.
A few minutes later,
Knock knock.
Someone rapped on the door.
"Young Master."
It was Philip's voice.
"The Lord requests to have lunch together."
I followed him down to the dining hall.
'First time he's come back at lunchtime.'
The dining hall was mostly used for dinner. During the day, meals were usually taken in the office.
"This way."
Two servants opened the dining hall doors, revealing a long table inside. And at its far end sat a massive man.
"......"
Diego's piercing blue gaze turned toward me. It felt like he was dissecting me from head to toe.
'What kind of look is that for looking at your son?'
Even if I was a complete stranger to him, his demeanor was hard to understand.
'Whatever, doesn't matter.'
I withdrew my gaze from him and walked slowly forward.
"Young Master."
A servant who had been waiting pulled out a chair for me. It was directly opposite Diego—and as far from him as possible.
'The seating arrangement is killer.'
It perfectly reflected the cold distance between father and son.
'Not sure if he'll even be audible from here.'
Not that we were going to talk anyway.
For now, I sat quietly in the chair and stared at the tableware. Diego also stared at me without a word.
No warm greeting for the father who had returned after so long, not even a question about his well-being.
"......"
A stifling silence settled over the dining hall, making the servants' backs stiffen.
They brought in the food with sounds minimized as much as possible. Only the faint clink of tableware and the roll of cart wheels could be heard.
'As expected, only the castle's top veterans are here.'
Diego didn't spend much time in the castle. At most, a few days every one or two weeks.
So the servants put the most effort into making sure the returning lord could rest comfortably.
'In truth, there's not much reason for the lord to get angry in his own home.'
As long as his son didn't grate on his nerves.
Diego had loved only one woman his entire life and married her. When he lost his wife, he lost his smile as well.
The rest of his life was just a meaningless string of days. Even the son she left as her only trace in the world was little more than a burden to him.
'And that's the result.'
Their bitterly cold father-son relationship.
To begin with, Diego wasn't a warm father. If anything, he was a harsh one, and he often disapproved of Abel's behavior.
No son liked hearing lectures, so Abel avoided his father as much as possible.
'And he wasn't exactly affectionate toward his father either.'
Because of that, the two rarely crossed paths in the castle. The only place they occasionally met was the dining hall.
In the end, the most capable and quick-witted servants were assigned here.
"......"
The servant placed food in front of Diego while glancing at both of us.
With an expressionless face, I waited for Diego to pick up his utensils. When he bit into the pre-meal bread, I began eating as well.
For a while, only faint noises filled the dining hall—an excessive quietness for a father and son eating.
'Somehow he eats without choking.'
I shook my head slightly and focused on my meal. At least the food suited my taste perfectly.
'The chef's skilled.'
Thanks to the chef accommodating my picky demands without complaint, mealtime had become the highlight of my day.
I silently emptied my plate, ignoring Diego's eating pace. Soon, dessert was served.
'Mm, this is really good.'
I bit into the lemon sorbet, swallowing a satisfied hum.
The sharp citrus scent and tartness stimulated my salivary glands, followed by a leisurely wave of sweetness that blended perfectly.
"One more of this."
I pointed to my empty plate, and the servant bowed his head.
"......"
At the same time, Diego stared fixedly at my plate.
'What, does he want more?'
If so, he could just tell the servant.
In front of him sat a glass of wine and a few pieces of easy-to-pick-at cheese.
'The lords in novels always seem to enjoy wine.'
It was a very fitting dessert preference for him.
Soon, a new plate of lemon sorbet was placed before me. I averted my gaze from Diego and devoured it.
Even then, Diego didn't say a word to me. He merely swirled the wine in his glass, lost in thought.
'Guess I'll have to speak up.'
I wiped my hands clean and stood from my seat.
"I'll take my leave."
"......"
"Does this mean my confinement is over?"
I asked curtly, chuckling inwardly.
'Not that it meant anything anyway.'
Still, while Diego was here, I had to at least pretend to follow it.
"......"
Diego finally lifted his eyes to look at me.
In his pupils, I wore an insolent expression devoid of any respect for my father. No, that's the expression I had to wear.
A week of confinement wasn't enough to change Abel. It would only foster more resentment toward his father.
I thus performed the image of the son Diego had known all this time.
Diego's brow twitched faintly.
"......Do as you like."
He turned his eyes back to his wine glass.
"Go."
I immediately stood and left the dining hall. As I passed Philip standing by the door, I whispered softly.
"Watch who Father meets and report back."
Instead of nodding, Philip blinked slowly in acknowledgment.
I patted my full belly and headed out of the castle.
"Time to go."
I had told Liam in advance not to train on the day Diego returned. Just in case my training got spotted.
'What would Abel, whose week-long confinement just ended, do...?'
I grinned and ordered a servant to prepare the carriage.
'Obviously, go out.'
And today was the final day of the deadline I had given Alessia.
❖ ❖ ❖
I headed straight to Alessia's forge. I passed the corner where I had once carried Melina.
'Just around here, and it'll come into view.'
Just as I was about to turn the corner,
"Mother, is it done?"
"Wait just a moment, dear."
I heard Melina and Alessia's voices. I pressed myself against the corner and observed them.
'Ho.'
The cold forge blazed fiercely, and the dust-covered tools had all been restored to their original state.
Clang, clang!
Alessia was hammering something on the anvil. Sparks flew brilliantly with each swing of her arm.
"Hand me the cord."
"Yes."
Melina swiftly found the desired item amid the complex tools.
"Here."
Her face shone radiantly as she extended her hand to Alessia. It brimmed with a sharpness I had never seen before.
'Yes, this is their true selves.'
In the original story, they had met Cain like this. Alessia's competence and Melina's charm had drawn in the readers.
'Definitely looks better now.'
With a light smile, I stepped out from the corner.
"Looks like it's going well?"
At the sound of my voice, the mother and daughter's bodies stiffened.
"Young Master Abel."
"Young Master."
The two startled and bowed deeply.