hotmtlnovel Chapter 21
Chapter 21
[Translator - Prøks][Proofreader - Kawaii]
Chapter 21: Learning of Mother's Tragedy
"Ah, that is..."
After fidgeting with his lips for a while, Peter spoke as if he had made up his mind.
"After all you've done for someone like me, young master, I can't be disloyal."
"That's right. It would be shameless."
"The truth is..."
Peter continued.
"When you first asked, I thought you might be deliberately avoiding it."
"Why would I?"
I asked back in bewilderment.
"Is it that serious?"
"Yes."
Peter's face turned sorrowful.
"This is far more significant than I thought."
If that was the case, I needed to uncover these hidden circumstances even more.
Only then could I determine if I had any maternal relatives who could support me and if so, why none of my maternal grandfather or uncles had offered any help.
'If that tragedy consumed my mother's family...'
Settling that debt of gratitude could become an opportunity to turn misfortune into a blessing, strengthening my honor and legitimacy as an heir.
An impressive achievement, a story widely circulated among people - these would become the jewels and justification to illuminate me, Allenvert Grunewald, in the succession battle.
Why wouldn't it?
'In the underworld, when a boss dies, it's natural for the second and third in command to gather the remaining forces and wage war under the pretext of revenge.'
Honor belongs to those who seek vengeance. This principle was no different in noble society.
"I only entered service as a servant after 'that incident,' so I don't know the exact details, but..."
The very story that had forced Allenvert into seclusion was finally about to be revealed through Peter's lips.
***
"As you know, your mother was Lady Lusatia, the fourth wife of Duke Grunewald."
"Lusatia Grunewald..."
I spoke that unfamiliar name aloud. Though my mind might have forgotten, my body seemed to remember - I could feel my fingertips trembling slightly.
Is this trembling from longing, Allenvert?
"Lady Lusatia's maiden name was Eisenach."
"That's an unusual name?"
I tilted my head. The pronunciation felt quite foreign.
"She was the daughter of a tribal chief of the Mountain People."
Recalling all the slurs I'd heard about my bloodline, I asked.
"So they're people who live in the mountains?"
"Yes."
"A migrant tribe that lives in the mountains. So that's why they were called barbarians."
"...I apologize, but that is what people tend to call them."
"What are you apologizing for? You're just telling me what they're called."
Peter slightly bowed his head before continuing.
"The Mountain People are, as their name suggests, minority tribes who live along the great mountain range that crosses the kingdom."
"Given that they're called barbarians, I doubt they lived peacefully."
"They mainly sustain themselves through raiding, hunting, slash-and-burn farming, and trade."
I nodded.
"Living in the mountains, they must naturally have excellent physical strength and know how to use the terrain. I imagine their children are trained as warriors from childhood, learning to handle spears and shoot arrows?"
Peter asked with an astonished face.
"...How did you know?"
"You think I haven't done any re
After all, a hasty divorce would have endangered not just her but me as well.
'Even if she understood it intellectually, the wound in her heart must have been impossible to heal.'
If isolation was her choice as a result, how could a child blame their mother?
...But Allenvert might have resented his mother and hated his father. Such is the human heart.
"That must be when I started my seclusion too."
"...Shortly after that incident, you were diagnosed with a terminal illness. That was the final blow."
‘His maternal family was destroyed in an instant, his mother went into seclusion refusing to see him, and then he received a terminal diagnosis on top of that.’
It was suffocating just hearing about it. How could a noble boy raised with such love possibly overcome all these tragedies?
"Now I understand why I had secluded myself for so long."
"It was such a massive tragedy that even the servants dared not speak of it. Moreover, several servants who carelessly gossiped about it were severely punished by the head butler and expelled."
"I see."
The story was far more significant than I had imagined.
"That's why visiting my mother wasn't a simple matter."
The story felt uncomfortably familiar, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘Allenvert, there was nothing you could have done during those events.'
Allenvert was just a young boy, raised like a flower in a greenhouse. No wonder he fell into despair and became mentally ill.
'You gave up competing with your siblings, abandoned your training, and chose a path of no return. It's been seven years already.'
However, I wouldn't consider that time wasted. Seventeen is far too young to lament that it's too late.
"Peter."
Noticing the change in my voice, Peter straightened his posture.
"Yes, young master?"
"I want to thank you. Thanks to you revealing the truth, I've also strengthened my resolve."
"...Do you intend to seek revenge?"
"How else could I become the head of House Grunewald? Who would follow a son who couldn't avenge his mother? I won't become a king without honor."
Peter didn't seem particularly surprised by my words. Perhaps the idea seemed too far-fetched or too grand to fully grasp.
"The end of the path I seek is far beyond your imagination. And somewhere along that path, the milestone of Mother's revenge surely awaits me."
I don't know how long it will take to reach that milestone. And precisely because of that...
"First, I want to meet Mother and help heal her mental wound."
That must have been what Allenvert wanted most. But that wasn't the only reason.
'This terminal condition might be related to my maternal bloodline.'
Breaking free from the fate of being terminal - that was the first shackle I needed to remove before embarking on this long journey.
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]