Chapter 7: Betrayal and Belonging

This wench is for real.

I involuntarily cursed. She should mind her own test; why the fuss over me!

"You..., got a blank score?"

I barely exhaled the breath I'd held.

When I avoided her gaze, Misha came right over and sat next to me. She must think I'm her friend now.

I said in a placating manner.

"Misha, it's better not to tell anyone about this. Because, no matter how shameless I am, getting a zero is embarrassing, so..."

"It was because of your mother? It was because of your mother, right? You don't have to say no. I know it all. Your mother wouldn't just leave you!"

I tightly closed my mouth. Even you, Misha, I wanted to twist and smack the mouth that had cheered me on.

Misha leaned back, as if my expression was enough of an answer.

How to shut this wretch up, I thought, and Misha whispered.

"I know how much you wanted to go to the academy. You wanted to leave this house by going to the dormitory, right?"

"...."

Looking at Misha's innocent eyes, I felt jealous for some reason. She lived in a clean world where my kind of worries didn't exist.

Yes, you wench. If you know, why don't you just let me go?

"I have no responsibility for what my mother did. I didn't ask for it, and I didn't even know. But I feel sorry, so I'll give you a gift."

Hey, you.... I also feel like grabbing your hair, Misha.

I held back something bubbling up inside me, but Misha was walking on clouds.

She leaned towards me with a happy face and whispered in my ear.

"Your mother has been sending letters here every year."

"...!"

Perhaps at that moment, my eyes trembled as if they were shattered. Mother. Letter. I heard the sound of a corner of my heart breaking.

Misha whispered very quietly, glancing at the door.

"Your mother started sending letters a few years before you came to this house, but our mother burned them all. Father doesn't know about it."

My heart was fluttering like a bird fallen from a tree.

Misha said.

"Mother paid the people Father hired to find your mother to lie that they failed. You know our family is connected to the commercial side, right? Even to mercenary groups and such."

"...."

"And yet it's amazing how Father found you, you know? The reason I'm telling you this is to let you know that Father didn't pretend not to know you on purpose."

I was confused.

"You acting so standoffish with Father, I think Father's secretly hurt by it too.... You know this is a secret, right?"

Misha suddenly stood up and said this as she left.

"Now I'm a student at the Imperial Academy. There won't be a chance to see you again.... I'm telling you this as a commemoration that our tiresome relationship is finally over."

I slowly stretched out on the sofa, gazing at the ceiling, muttering feebly.

"That wretched luck, right until the end...."

The reason Earl had come to me, who had been living on Mount Tunbar, all at once entered my mind.

Mother thought she couldn't raise me in such an environment any longer. Perhaps since the time I'd come back bleeding from beatings and becoming a foul mouthed brat.

She must have feared not knowing when she might die, leaving only me behind. Mount Tunbar was notorious for hating people. It often took people and never returned them.

So, Mother risked danger and contacted the Earl, but there was no reply.

Mother gave up after several years like that. If that is your will, then I will not search any longer, and she sent flowers and a ribbon as a sign of severance.

Without a single memo, only the Earl's sole gift that she had kept.

The farewell bouquet reached the Earl's hand safely as it wasn't marked with the sender's name. The Earl recognized that gift, even after a decade.

But by then, it was all too late.

How sorrowful must Mother have been to be abandoned again by the Earl.

If the Earl had received even one letter, would our mother still be alive...?

I cried for the first time in 7 years.

Everyone thought I had failed the exam, so fortunately, there was no need to excuse my sorrow.

(This is a time separator.)

The notice of the results of the Imperial Academy entrance examination also arrived at Duke Kaidel's residence. There, it was brought directly by Academy staff rather than a courier.

Duke Rocard Kaidel was frowning as he looked at the notice on the sofa.

"So am I the top student, or not?"

"The highest score is another student. Even including the music practical score that the student did not take."

"Who is that?"

"It's Labori Siha."

"That's a strange name."

The Duke standing nearby asked.

"Is there no 'Siha' family in the nobility list? Is it a commoner?"

"I can't identify the origin."

The staff member said to the Duke, seeming embarrassed.

"We have discussed this internally. Even if Labori Siha appears, we have decided to invalidate the score based on the fact that he is not on the applicant list. The top student will be announced as Duke Kaidel's son."

"I see. Thank you."

As the staff member left, Rocard flipped through the notice with a nagging look on his face.

"I thought I was going to be the top student. The questions were easy."

"You failed even including the unattended subject?"

"My violin string broke while I was tuning it. I've only been holding a sword lately, so I couldn't control my strength."

Though he didn't show it, the son's appearance seemed rather wounded in pride. The Duke laughed softly.

"The Academy has made it clear that there will be no reversal, so that's settled. Don't worry about it since they also thought of contingencies and kindly informed you."

"Yes, Father. But will the Academy be useful to me? The order doesn't seem right."

The scions of prestigious families often go through the Academy to decide on their masters or factions that determine their destiny.

Soon, like Rocard Kaidel had done, leading an army and participating in battle was an elite path taken only after graduation.

But since Rocard had already jumped ahead and started fighting, it was only natural for him to see the Academy as a waste of time.

The Duke shook his head.

"The Academy eagerly awaits your entrance. It's an honor for them to accept a student like you who has established a major at such a young age."

Rocard shrugged nonchalantly.

"There are things you can only gain at the Academy. Look carefully and reap those fruits. Live up to the name of your father's first lion."

"I've already done that."

"Rocard!"

The Duke scolded his son with a stern face, but Rocard left the room with a mischievous smile.

The Duke said no more. He knew and supported his son's choice.

If only his son, full of youthful vigor and overflowing with confidence, was a bit more careful with his words.

After all, the story of the Second Prince Greyion calling Rocard "Tagar's Cub" on the battlefield had already spread widely.

Second Prince Greyion Tagar. He owed his life to Rocard in the recently concluded Amata battle, which ended in an imperial victory.

If one is to become the strong heir of a powerful family, he must be chosen by the Emperor and take responsibility for the family's survival.

And creating the Emperor who would entrust himself and his family's fate was a more trustworthy survival strategy.

(This is a time separator.)

Misha insisted that she should only take brand new clothes and shoes when moving into the Academy dormitory.

'The other young ladies all do it too!' she said, magically persuading the Countess to call the merchants into the mansion. The mansion was quite chaotic because of them.

I listened to the noise without thinking much. As I read a romance novel bought from the city, lazed around, or snacked, the day flew by.

Eating and sleeping were enjoyable and comfortable, but I was increasingly uncomfortable.

I told myself not to, but I kept going on. Damn it.

"Lorisha. Did I interrupt you?"

"Count!"

The Count, who suddenly visited my room, kindly ignored the snack crumbs on my cheek.

"I'm going on a journey. Come with me."

"...."

I didn't know what to say.

The Earl called it a 'trip,' but leaving his estate was almost a business trip due to a royal command. So it was not something to take Misha, nor his illegitimate daughter.

Besides, if I spent time alone with the Earl now, I didn't know if my conscience might crumble and burst.

As I hesitated, the Earl looked a little displeased.

"I know that the fact that you're illegitimate gives you a strong drive. But try to let it go when you're with me. You need to know how to do that."

"...."

What would I say in response? I awkwardly asked where he was going and said I would prepare.

Seeing that the destination was a beautiful beach at the southern end, it seemed the Earl was deceiving me.

Under the pretext of a trip, consoling me.

------------------------------

This novel has been translated up to chapter 100.

To read ahead, join my Patreon, it's totally free.

Find my Patreon in the synopsis of this novel.