Passing through the main gate and arriving at the mansion, as the carriage door opened,
the knights in full armor simultaneously fixed their gazes.
At the forefront of the group stood an elderly man draped in a cloak adorned with intricate embroidery, his expression dignified and commanding.
When the man took a step forward, the knights swiftly drew their swords and saluted in perfect unison.
A calm yet heavy atmosphere filled the air around them.
The man lowered his body and bowed deeply in a respectful gesture.
“Your Grace, we received word of your arrival. You must have endured much on your long journey. I am the lord of this estate, Wolfreich. If you would allow it, please come into my mansion and rest from your travels.”
The lord’s voice was low and steady, yet it carried a profound sense of respect and reverence.
It felt strange.
I had assumed they would treat me with disdain, merely acknowledging basic formalities due to my illegitimacy, but somehow, the sincerity seemed genuine.
“First, could you lend me some soldiers? The knights escorting me were ambushed by the Demon King’s forces.”
At my words, the lord’s eyes widened in shock.
With a startled expression, the lord spoke up.
“Is that true?! You there, escort His Grace to the mansion at once! Your Grace, I shall personally lead my soldiers and investigate!”
Before I could say anything further, the lord urgently issued commands to the soldiers, then quickly mounted his horse and disappeared beyond the city gates.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, I stood there in a daze.
A man who appeared to be the steward left behind by the lord approached and spoke to me.
“Your Grace, allow me to escort you.”
I accepted his offer with a slight nod and slowly stepped out of the carriage.
The sight of majestic stone buildings lined with precision and a meticulously manicured garden greeted my eyes.
It was a serene yet grand atmosphere.
Passing through the main entrance adorned with a red carpet, I was welcomed by a vast hall illuminated by a dazzling chandelier.
The man bowed and spoke politely.
The room I was shown to was among the finest, even by ducal standards.
Elegant furniture, a plush bed that seemed to embrace you, a softly crackling fireplace, and a terrace overlooking vibrant greenery.
Everything seemed overwhelmingly perfect, almost excessive.
I wondered why they were being so kind to me, but as soon as I lay down on the bed, the exhaustion from my journey washed over me all at once.
Perhaps due to the unfamiliar and grueling length of the journey, my body felt utterly worn out.
The image of Ludwig standing in my defense against the demons came to mind.
What might have happened to him?
Though I had thought no one but Flora mattered to me, recalling how earnestly he had respected me and risked his life to protect me,made me wish he were still alive.
I wonder what happened to Flora.
I need to ask the lord to prepare a magic circle to the border quickly…
But my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
As deep exhaustion engulfed me, I closed my eyes without realizing it.
The hoot of an owl woke me.
Shaking my groggy head, I made my way to the terrace.
Cold night air slipped through the slightly open window, brushing past my shoulders.
Stepping out onto the terrace and looking up at the sky, I saw that the once-red sunset had long since been swallowed by the depths of night.
I raised my hand to my neck.
The smooth texture of a white leather collar met my fingertips.
The intricate rose pattern embroidered with silver threads was still vivid to the touch.
Flora’s warm touch.
Her voice, sweet yet tinged with obsession, whispered faintly in my mind.
Leaning against the terrace railing, I gazed down at the lights spread across the city below.
The view, brimming with red and golden hues, seemed dazzling on the surface, but somehow it felt hollow.
The night sky was filled with cold, deep silence, but my heart felt even colder, sinking heavily.
A soft knock came from behind me.
“Excuse me, Your Grace.”
A familiar voice cautiously carried through the door.
Opening it, I found a young attendant in a pristine uniform bowing deeply.
His demeanor was overly polite, but a faint tension flickered in his gaze.
“The lord has invited Your Grace to dinner. If it is inconvenient for you…”
He carefully chose his words, his eyes attentively gauging my reaction.
It was a good opportunity, as I had questions to ask the lord, as well as matters to discuss.
I nodded in agreement.
“Then I will await you in the dining room.”
Walking down the corridor toward the dining room, the light from the ornate chandeliers illuminated the long table ahead.
The table was adorned with colorful dishes arranged neatly, and the subtle scents of sweet spices and freshly baked bread wafted through the air.
At one end of the table sat the lord.
Beside him were a boy and a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, gazing at me with curious expressions.
The room was filled with the warm, familial atmosphere of this household, but there was one presence that stood out as particularly cold and sharp.
It was the woman introduced as the lord’s daughter.
She sat with a stiff expression, leaning back slightly, glaring at me openly.
Her eyes held more than mere discomfort—they carried outright hostility, and she made no effort to conceal it.
Oddly enough, that gaze felt comforting.
It was truly strange.
Since arriving at this mansion, everyone had been overly kind to me.
The attitude of the lord’s daughter was closer to the kind of “normal” reaction I had grown accustomed to experiencing.
For now, since I had many questions, I sat down and slowly opened my mouth.
“Were there any survivors among the knights who escorted me?”
The lord hesitated for a moment, his expression conflicted, before shaking his head.
“Unfortunately, there were only bodies.”
A faint ache stirred in my chest.
Was it sorrow?
Perhaps.
But it was a feeling that barely lingered.
I thought it would be hypocritical to mourn Ludwig now.
When faced with the demons, if I had fought alongside the knights, perhaps everyone could have survived.
But I hadn’t.
To me, Flora’s life was the only one that mattered.
What happened to others didn’t concern me at all.
If Fiora died…
I thought I might feel a little sadness.
I cautiously picked up a knife and fork and began to cut into the steak.
The tender meat parted effortlessly under the blade, but as the succulent piece touched my lips, I couldn’t taste a thing.
Only the texture teased the tip of my tongue.
Food had long since lost any meaning to me.
“As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, I will have a teleportation spell to the capital prepared for you,”
the lord said in a quiet voice.
“No, please prepare it for the border instead,”
I replied.
The lord’s face showed clear signs of confusion and concern, but he spoke after a brief pause.
“The border… you say?”
I nodded.
His expression betrayed his unease, his hesitation, but he finally relented with a resigned tone.
“Understood.”
After finishing the meal, I walked down the hallway, heading back to my room, but a voice called out behind me, halting my steps.
“Hey, bastard child.”
Turning around, I saw the lord’s daughter standing there.
Her deep navy dress accentuated her sharp silhouette, but while the fabric was neatly pressed, her expression was as crumpled as a piece of discarded paper.
It was a familiar coldness.
Her gaze pierced me with icy disdain and contempt.
I intended to ignore her and continue walking, but her next words rooted me in place.
“Just a few days ago, everyone in this mansion would sneer and hurl insults at the mere mention of your name. Called you a monster with no clear lineage.”
Her lips twisted into a smirk dripping with scorn.
“But as soon as you arrived, everyone’s attitude changed. As if… they’d become completely different people.”
Her gaze brushed over the white collar around my neck, cold and sharp.
“Don’t you think it’s strange? What’s your take on it, bastard?”
The last word was laced with blatant mockery, muttered low like a hiss.
The flickering candlelight in the hallway cast shadows across her face, deepening the contours and adding an ominous edge.
In the sharp, uncomfortable silence that followed, words quietly slipped from my lips.
“Who knows, maybe Mirkala snuck in.”
I invoked the name of a mythical creature said to enchant anyone who saw it, filling them with an overwhelming sense of goodwill before devouring them.
The lord’s daughter’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
She looked down at me, twisting one corner of her mouth.
Her blue eyes betrayed open displeasure she didn’t bother to hide.
“Mirkala, huh. Interesting joke… for a bastard like you.”
A sly laugh accompanied her words, but her tone dripped with cold contempt.
“A monster from legend. Don’t tell me… you think you’re something that impressive?”
Her gaze deliberately swept over the white collar around my neck again, her eyes cold and her tone snakelike in its cunning.
“It suits you. You look just like someone’s pet.”
At that moment, Flora’s face came to mind, and without meaning to, a soft laugh escaped me.
The quiet smile that spread across my face seemed to irritate the lord’s daughter further.
“Wh-what was that?”
Her expression twisted with shock and disgust.
Misinterpreting my smile, she frowned deeply and took a few steps back.
“Don’t tell me… you actually have that kind of fetish?”
Her voice overflowed with revulsion and scorn.
“Filthy… revolting woman.”
She shrank away as if to distance herself, her blue eyes filled with utter disdain.
Pointing a finger at the collar around my neck, she sneered.
“That collar… yes, it’s the perfect accessory for trash like you. Disgusting.”
Her expression suggested she might spit on me at any moment.
She seemed ready to hurl more insults, but I ignored her completely and resumed walking down the hallway.
There was no reason to entertain such a trivial argument.
Once I entered my room, I closed the door behind me.