Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Translator – zimming

Next is Henry’s turn.

It isn’t as fierce as Isaac, but he is certainly an outstanding talent.

Henry also sprout out an aura

On the contrary, he dealt with the aura more delicately than Isaac.

However, when his training partner is replaced, he failed to show his strength. Henry’s new opponent is an old man with gray hair. Despite being much weaker than his former opponent, who was a young man, Henry fell to the floor several times.

“Are you treating me like an old man?”

The opponent shouted at Henry, making an impression that he thought so, too.

“Don’t ignore me!”

Henry quickly got up and avoided the old soldier, but soon saw something as his pupils dilated. Soon the child dropped his head, and at the same time the sword fell from his hand. The old soldier raised his neck with the ground firmly set.

‘You’re gonna get hurt!’

“No”

I shouted and rushed between the old soldier while spreading my arms before Henry.

“Down’t hit Henwy! (Don’t hit Henry!)”

“Child, this is a fair game.”

The old soldier smiled awkwardly and said, but I frowned.

“Henwy didn’t gwab the sword, it is on the gwound (Henry didn’t grab the sword, it is on the ground.)”

“……”

“It’s nwot a game for gwandpa to get angwy. (It’s not a game for grandpa to get angry.)”

The old soldier groaned and looked at the sword that Henry had dropped.

“Oh, no, ……. I guess I was too into the fight.”

The old soldier reached out to raise Henry. But Henry stood up on his own, not holding his hand.

Henry went out of the training ground, I hurried along and pulled his arms.

“What are you doing?”

“Henwy is huwt. Appwy medicine. (Henry is hurt, apply medicine.)”

“No thanks.”

“Awe you afwaid of doctors? Oh the owld doctor is nice (Are you afraid of doctors? Oh the old doctor is nice.)”

He treated me kindly when I was sick. I’m not afraid of him.

“I’m not afraid of doctors! I just hate old men–!”

The child, who was shouting like that, suddenly shut his mouth. Standing by the side of the road, I stared at him.

‘Don’t tell me you don’t like old people’

I am aware of the hidden circumstances of the Dubbled because I had been a duke’s child many time.

Dubbled is a rich family with both wealth, power and fame on the surface, but inside it was a terrible battle. From generation to generation, the children of Dubbled had to give up their parents warm care instead for enjoying the abundant wealth that their predecessors had achieved. The immediate lineage of Dubbled is raised in the hands of their predecessor and his close associates upon birth. Only a few anniversaries at best they can meet their parents.

Since childhood, the system has been designed to give absolute loyalty to the family and to designate the most outstanding successor. And the children of the current Duke, are all raised in their hands until the predecessor died.

‘The scary old man’

The Duke of Amity, the father of my first life, shuddered at every mention of the Dubbled’s tradition.

“Cain Dubbled is a terrible man. Isn’t that the devil who murdered his second son, Chris, in front of his grandson? Do you know why the murder happened? Because he’s not up to Dubbleds standard. He killed him because he didn’t need such a child.”

What if Henry was the grandson that was with him when he killed the second son?

‘Then you’ll be traumatized by the old man.’

I clenched my fist. Yeah, no matter how smart you are, you are a child. This is a child who considers trauma to an elderly person as a flaw. And Henry must have been hiding the abuse because he thought of it as a flaw.

‘People didn’t know about this abuse because Henry had been hiding it thoroughly.’

Teramore must have known of Henry’s obsession with perfection. So he dare to abuse the Duke’s child. What a terrible old man

‘So what do we do now?’

The smart way is just to keep your mouth shut. Would people believe me when I’m this young? Unlike previous incidents in Dubbled, this case involved the vassals. People here have seen Teramore for much longer than I have. Of course, the credibility is higher for him.

‘What i’ve been building up so far could fall apart.’

But—

Henry’s hands were shaking. I could not turn away from the child. I stroke Henry’s head. Then the startled child pull away my hand.

“What are you doing?”

I breathed out a sigh

“What the hell…..”

“I’ll pwotect you, Henly. (I’ll protect you, Henry.)”

Henry narrowed his forehead with a look on his face

I can’t help it, I’ll protect you. So repay me later.

***

Two days later, i headed with Lea to the office. As I poked my face through the crack in the door, Nos, who was with the Duke, approached me, calling out, “Little miss.”

Nos bent his knees and made eye contact with me, while asking.

“What’s going on here?”

I’m going to dig up Teramore’s information.

Knowing your enemies will lead to a plan to defeat them. But I couldn’t get any deep information from my position. ‘In that case, you need to find someone who has a lot of information.’

The Duke of Dubbled, who owned one of the greatest intelligence units in the Empire.

“I miss the dyuke”

Nos who looked at me says,

“As expected, little miss is the cutest…”

Then he hugged me and headed for the Duke.

“Leblaine is here.”

The Duke quickly took me away and put me on his lap. I put my hand on the table, and peeped at the Duke’s papers.

“What are you looking at so closely?”

I was so surprised and quickly made an excuse.

“Youw writing is pwetty. Wow! (Your writing is pretty. Wow!)”

“You admire me for nothing”

And then Nos laughed.

“You don’t know how to write yet, right?.”

The duke picked up an empty piece of paper from one side of the desk, put a pen in my hand, and covered the back of my hand with his big warm hand. I am wondering what you are going to do, but you seemed to hold my hand on the blank paper and write for me instead. My hands are not moving well, so it is a little crooked, but I could read the letters at a glance.

One more time.

“Can you read it?”

“Weblaine’s my name. (Leblaine’s my name.)”

“She remembered that since the maids wrote it often.”

At Nos’s words the Duke laughed and stroked my head. Indeed the Duke did things with me beside him in the Office. I overheard this and that, staying calm so I wouldn’t get in the way.

“How is the new advisory body going?”

“I’m going to let the vassals know about today.”

“Is that so?”

Most of them were stories of politics. But there were also helpful stories. There will be a vacancy in the senior position, so the council will select new members of the committee. The candidate is Teramore. Other than him, there is Myshank.

***

That afternoon. I pretended to be playing, killing time in the garden in front of the crowded entrance. Sitting on Lea’s lap, picking flowers, peeped at her watch.

‘It’s four o’clock….’

Viscount Myshack is said to have an appointment with the Duke at 4:30 p.m., so he will pass the gate by this time. I am wondering when you’d come, so I pulled my neck out, and someone came in through the gate.

A brown curly hair, drooping eyes, there’s also a cut under his chin. He looks about mid-thirties. It’s exactly the same as the picture.

I hugged her shoulders and said to Leah,

“It’s cwold (it’s cold,)”

“Then shall we go inside?”

“No, i’m gwoing to make twese and gwive it to Nea. (I’m going to make these and give it to Lea.)”

When I showed her the flower crown I am making, Lea wrapped her cheeks and said, “You want to give it to me?”

Lea, who looked around and confirmed that there are far-off guards, rose up.

“I’ll get the coat and blanket.”

“Yes.”

As Lea hurried inside, I saw Myshank coming over the gate. As he is about to enter, he found me and turned to me.

“I see the famous child of fate here. My name is Carl Myshank.”

“It’s Bwaine. Hi.”

Let me greet you as childish as possible. He looked me up and down. He seemed to be curious as to why i attract the Duke’s interest.

“What were you doing here? It’s chilly.”

That’s right, I waited for that question. I laughed and said,

“Waiting fow gwandpa Tera. (Waiting for Granpa Tera)”

“Teramore?”

As expected, as soon as he is mentioned, his face doesn’t look good.

“Lebwaine will also take cwasses with Henly and Isyac (Leblaine will also take classes with Henry and Isaac.)”

Myshank’s mouth twisted when i said that i was waiting to ask for a class together.

“You misunderstand something. Teramore is an old man who is not qualified to teach Dubbleds. His knowledge are not so wide and…”

When I blinked on purpose, Myshank told me easily.

“That means you can’t learn anything from Teramore”

“No, gwandpa is smart. (No, grandpa is smart.)”

“What did he say to you?”

“He said that he is weawing a vewy cool wobe now. (He said that he is wearing a very cool robe now.)”

It meant the dark red robe worn by the Senate, who represent Dubbled.

‘Myshank, the robe that you want.’

As I spoke with my arms raised, his face changed at once.

“Did he say that?”

“Yes, tawking to another guy. Bwaine heard it.”

“That’s nonsense. The position is……!”

“You don’t mean to be the chairman,···”

The chairman……Myshank face has hardened.