Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Chief Retainer's Plea
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Chapter 21
Ariel furrowed her brow at the question.
“I understand your intent, but there were no suspicious figures among the close aides. Investigations were conducted from every angle.”
“What was the exact cause of death?”
“It was heart disease. That’s why his passing was so sudden.”
“Can you be certain?”
“Though I’m the one seeking your counsel, I can’t let anyone tarnish Tian’s name. So please, drop it there.”
“Who ordered the investigation?”
“Mr. Lander.”
Ariel’s voice rose slightly. He watched her struggling to compose herself, then glanced at Willett standing behind her.
Willett met his eyes and lowered his gaze at a pace that was neither hurried nor sluggish.
There was no hint of agitation. It was the proper demeanor for an attendant, but showing no reaction to such a sensitive topic suggested another reason.
“Have you reviewed all the circumstances? Did you witness the autopsy yourself? Did you examine the body right up to the end?”
“Enough! It was the death of our father—no, the patriarch of Tian. There were no gaps in the investigation. More than anyone, Mother oversaw it from start to finish.”
“So the lady of the house oversaw it from start to finish. In that case, let me rephrase: Can you trust your mother?”
At that, Ariel shot to her feet. She pointed at the door with a trembling finger.
“Our conversation ends here. I’m afraid I can’t see you out.”
She was fighting to swallow her anger. He rose from his seat and bowed to Ariel. As he turned to leave, her voice rang out.
“Since I invited you, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. But never speak such an insult again.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He stepped out of the shop. Ariel’s vehement reaction was expected.
To a First-Class Noble who prized honor above all, suggesting suspicion among family was an unforgivable humiliation.
He had posed the question despite knowing it could cause trouble, all because of his senior’s dying wish. Now, it was all up to Ariel’s decision.
“Mr. Lander.”
After just a few steps, Willett called out and hurried after him.
“Thank you for graciously accepting my lady’s sudden invitation.”
“No need. Rather, please tell her that I spoke out of ignorance. It was thoughtless babble from an uneducated fool.”
“Ignorant remarks… Her anger wasn’t because your words were disrespectful, Mr. Lander. She was just caught off guard by your piercing question.”
Willett finished speaking and looked him straight in the eye. Lander peered past Willett’s shoulder into the shop.
He could see Ariel pacing inside, her lips pressed tight.
“Why did you stop me?”
“To ask for your help.”
“There’s nothing I can do. As you see, I’m just a common citizen. I can’t meddle in the affairs of nobles.”
Willett drew something from his breast pocket. It was an object wrapped in glossy cloth. As he slowly unwrapped it, he spoke.
“The master of the house often said this: The Empire will fracture one day. It’s an inevitable course that can’t be stopped. But as long as the Emperor and the Grand Commander stand together, the Empire will remain steadfast.”
Inside the cloth was a notebook. The moment he saw the drug-treated red leather, he recognized it. Willett studied his face and said,
“You seem to know what this is.”
“I’ve seen it a few times. The Legion Commander carried it with him.”
“Yes. As you say, it belonged to the master. Neither the madam nor my lady knows I have it.”
Willett paused while flipping through the notebook, then clasped his hands and offered it politely with both.
He looked at Willett. Willett nodded, as if urging him to examine it.
He took the notebook. The bold, flowing script was familiar after so long. No doubt about it—this was Gesthalt’s notebook.
“He detailed his battlefield experiences here. Formations based on terrain, countermeasures, ways to rally troops—essentials for any commander.”
“It’s for his daughter.”
“Indeed.”
Amid the rough wording, fatherly advice brimming with affection for his daughter stood out. As he read on, his eyes stopped at an entry from a day when the snow began to fall heavily.
Instead of tactics and strategy, it held a deeply personal account. A record of the day he’d brought warmed liquor to the commander’s tent.
“When you mentioned receiving a carving from the master, it felt familiar. Then I recalled this passage. He wrote clearly: ‘The first and last time I gifted my shoddy carving.’”
“So it says.”
“The master enjoyed carving as a hobby, but he never gave one away. Handing an imperfect work to someone else didn’t sit right with him. Yet here he wrote of gifting a carving—with strokes that seemed utterly satisfied.”
“You can read emotions from handwriting, I see.”
“I devoted my life to him. I know that much.”
“But what does this have to do with me? Maybe he changed his mind later and gifted them to others. Like he did with me.”
Willett took the notebook back.
“I thought the same at first. The recipient was General Hess, the Supreme Commander at the time.”
“So it says.”
“Then what do you make of this?”
From between the leather covers came a single folded sheet of paper. Willett unfolded it.
It was a photo of four men in military uniforms, the Empire’s flag at their backs. Next to Lander, who held his dress uniform, stood Gesthalt with a relaxed smile.
A photo taken upon returning to the Holy City after ending the 15-year war. Before their audience with the Emperor, before cleaning up—captured in their disheveled state. It was the very photo he kept on his desk at the office.
“How many people ever saw the war hero’s face up close? We can only guess from the statue in the Holy City modeled after him. Without this photo, I wouldn’t have entertained such an absurd idea.”
He took the photo Willett offered. Seeing it here felt oddly heartwarming. Memories from back then surfaced.
“Striking resemblance, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
He handed the photo back to Willett.
“But the man in the photo is dead. The Emperor decreed it, and the mourning period ended long ago. My resemblance to him isn’t all that important.”
“Yes, I know. The Empire’s hero is undoubtedly deceased. That’s why I’m asking you, not General Hess, for help. Won’t you aid Tian? Aid my lady?”
“Whose will is this? Not my lady’s, I take it.”
“Impertinently, it’s my decision alone. Tian desperately needs a person now. Someone to support my lady.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t go that far. I’ve already given all the advice I can.”
“I heard you were close with the master. He mentioned you to me several times. The battlefield with Sir Hess was truly joyous, he said. It was the first time I saw him like that—free of all worries in that moment.”
“I see.”
“So please…”
Willett pressed his hands to his thighs and bowed deeply, exposing the crown of his head. His shoulders, those of a middle-aged man streaked with white hair, seemed burdened with as much weight as Ariel’s.
“Rise. People are watching.”
He saw the guards at the shop murmuring. As Willett straightened, he lowered his voice.
“The name Hess has been erased. That’s what I wanted, and what the Emperor desired. Whatever you stir up using the fact that I’m alive, I won’t interfere. But the Emperor will.”
Willett’s expression hardened in an instant.
“The moment you breathe that dead Hess lives, the Emperor’s men will come for you—for Tian. They’ll pin endless charges on you. And then one of the First-Class Noble seats will change hands.”
A First-Class Noble who’d stood with the Empire? Slap treason on them, and it’d be easy to cut them down. The current Emperor had the capability and resolve for it.
“I’ve no intention of hiding, but I won’t reclaim my old name either. I’ll live moderately as Lander. So I have no power to lend Tian. Hess is buried—what political help could Lander offer?”
“Beyond political power, you possess strength, Mr. Lander.”
“If you mean personal force… Yes, to some degree. Had Senior Gesthalt asked me directly, I’d have taken up my sword without hesitation. Even if it meant spilling blood, if there was cause, I’d have helped. But you—and the lady in there—you’re not him. That matters most to me.”
Willett squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them with a shallow sigh.
“My apologies. I was rude.”
“Desperation makes people grasp at anything. And this is just my guess, but it seems you’re hiding one more thing from my lady.”
“What would I hide? As you said, Mr. Lander, the madam is involved in the master’s death.”
Was that why she showed no emotion despite the insult? He lifted his head slightly.
“The family now barely holds together by the madam’s power. My lady can continue her negotiations with other houses under the guise of travel only because of the madam.”
“Why hide it from her…?”
“My lady’s mental pillar is the madam right now. Learning the truth would shatter her. That would mean Tian’s collapse.”
“It’s contradictory. The killer of the patriarch props up the family.”
“That’s why it had to be hidden.”
“How did you learn of it?”
“The master told me. It was written in the note he left with this notebook. When he gave it to me, he said nothing. Just that something would happen soon, and when it did, to check the contents.”
“So Senior knew and was still murdered?”
“Yes.”
A senior who knew and accepted death. He could guess why.
“He was a man who never regretted his choices. Even if stabbed in the back by the woman he chose, he’d accept it.”
Willett looked stunned for a moment, then said,
“You two really were the best of friends. You understand him without me saying.”
“That’s the kind of man he was.”
He gave a wry smile.