Chapter 100
Chapter 100. Only Trying to Reclaim
Lupeon, who had exuded a chilling aura for a moment, relaxed his lips and replied.
“Don’t worry. I’ve only come to retrieve my father’s keepsake.”
A look of puzzlement appeared on the faces of all the nobles attending the state council meeting.
It did seem strange that he was coming now to retrieve something he hadn’t sought until now.
Nevertheless, many were curious about what the late Emperor’s keepsake, which the Grand Duke had left behind, might be.
The Emperor, who had been quietly mulling over Lupeon’s words, raised one eyebrow and cast a glance at him.
“A keepsake… Is that the only reason you attended the state council meeting?”
The Emperor’s appearance, as if trying to grasp his nephew’s intentions, looked quite anxious and nervous.
Seeing this, Lupeon barely swallowed a laugh before answering in a dry voice.
“That’s right, but is there a problem?”
The Emperor, who had been staring intently at Lupeon’s expressionless face, soon shook his head.
“After the main meeting is over, I’ll instruct the chamberlain to give you the key to the storage room.”
The Imperial Family had already sorted through the late Emperor’s belongings, but insignificant items they might have missed would typically be in the storage room.
The Emperor’s expression, having accepted his nephew’s request, somehow looked not at all relieved.
Lupeon seemed no different than usual, but perhaps that made it impossible to shake off the sense of dissonance emanating from him.
With the Grand Duke’s appearance and the impact of his ambiguous statements, the meeting room was filled with an increasingly unsettled and ominous atmosphere.
The nobles watching the two confronting each other seemed to be rapidly calculating their options.
Whether they should continue to trust and follow the current Emperor, or whether they should align themselves with the Grand Duke of the North, who might have different intentions.
However, no one dared to speak carelessly. They might have their tongues cut out by imperial decree if they made statements that offended the Emperor.
There was no need to act in a way that might incur the displeasure of the current Imperial Family, who held overwhelming imperial authority.
Amidst the stirring atmosphere, Lupeon, who had been calmly observing the Emperor, spoke again in an emotionless voice.
“There’s only one thing I desire.”
“…”
As the Emperor’s gaze trembled slightly, seemingly filled with doubt, Lupeon raised one corner of his mouth askew.
“I’m only trying to reclaim what I’ve lost.”
* * *
As the conversation between Lupeon and the Emperor at the state council meeting leaked to the outside, public opinion showed an ambivalent reaction.
Some speculated whether the Devonshire Grand Duke, who had finally revealed his true self, was preparing for rebellion. Others argued that this couldn’t be the case, given that he had only retrieved the late Emperor’s watch chain before immediately returning to the North.
While everyone was on edge watching Lupeon’s moves, he himself showed no particular reaction.
The Emperor, too, seemed to be refraining from commenting on this, lacking a plausible justification.
He was merely desperate to uncover which noble had carelessly spread the word.
In reality, Lupeon had never intended to attend the state council meeting in the first place.
However, when a noble who spotted him at the Founding Festival spread the news that the Grand Duke was in the capital, he had no choice but to visit the Imperial Palace.
He had decided to preemptively remove anything suspicious before the Imperial Family could dig too deeply.
In the end, as no one could fully grasp Lupeon’s true intentions, the rumors surrounding him were gradually subsiding.
Elena and Lupeon, having disembarked from the express train at the northern station, boarded a carriage that had been waiting for them.
The Devonshire family carriage began racing towards the Grand Duke’s castle.
Elena, casting a worried glance out the window, swallowed a shallow sigh.
Although she had received occasional reports on the situation at the Grand Duke’s castle through magical communication devices, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy thinking about the child left at the mansion.
“I can’t wait to see the young miss. I hope she’s been doing well?”
As their schedule in the capital had been longer than expected, the two had to leave the Grand Duke’s castle empty for about two weeks.
Fortunately, it seemed that Anasha had stayed healthy and safe, but she must have missed them greatly.
Lupeon, perhaps worried about his young sister, answered in a low voice with a seemingly pensive face.
“I’m sure… she has been.”
As the carriage passed through the castle walls and approached the courtyard of the Grand Duke’s residence, the servants bowed respectfully.
“Welcome back. You must be tired from your long journey.”
The head butler, who had greeted them on behalf of the staff, raised his monocle.
Elena, standing next to Lupeon, soon tilted her head slightly.
This was because Anasha, who would have run out happily upon hearing the news of their arrival, had not appeared.
‘Where could the child be?’
Lupeon, too, inquired about his young sister before anything else.
“Where is Anasha?”
When Gale seemed hesitant to answer, looking troubled, the head maid beside him spoke up instead.
“The young lady is in her room. However, she seems a bit upset.”
“The young miss is upset?”
In response to Elena’s question, her eyes wide, Gemma nodded slightly.
She explained that the child had been counting the days on the calendar every morning, wondering when her brother and new sister would return, but as they didn’t come back for so long, her disappointment grew day by day.
“Lupeon…”
“I’ll go up first.”
Elena nodded helplessly. She thought the siblings needed time to talk alone.
* * *
Lupeon climbed the stairs and found his sister’s room in the middle of the long corridor.
“Anasha, it’s me.”
He knocked on the door, but as expected, there was no answer from the child.
When Anasha was deeply upset, she would pretend not to be in her room even when she was.
Lupeon hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should give the child who wanted to be alone more time, then knocked on the door again.
Knock knock—
“Since there’s no answer, I’m coming in.”
As he entered, he found Anasha’s room was darker than usual, unlike its normal state.
After glancing at the window where the curtains were drawn to block out the sunlight, he soon found Anasha.
Seeing the child sobbing under the covers, Lupeon felt his heart sink.
“Ana—”
“I hate you, brother! I don’t want to see you right now!”
Anasha, who had shouted loudly, curled up even more under the blanket and cried sorrowfully.
Lupeon looked at his sister with increasingly downcast eyes.
According to the head maid, they had told Anasha that he would return today, but instead of being happy, she had become very upset and retreated to her room.
Since then, she hadn’t come out, leaving the servants at a loss for what to do.
“Anasha…”
Lupeon didn’t know what to say in this situation. He had left briefly to protect her, but it seemed he had only hurt her instead.
“Huu-ung, why did you come back so late! Do you know how long I waited…”
Feeling sorry for his young sister whose voice was cracking from her sore throat, Lupeon sat on the bed and carefully pulled back the blanket.
Anasha glared at him with blue eyes full of resentment.
Her eyes were so red and swollen from crying that Lupeon wiped her tears with the back of his hand.
“…I’m sorry, Anasha.”
Anasha pouted her lips as if trying to hold back her tears, and hit her brother’s arm with her soft little fist.
“Hic, I thought you had left like Mother and Father…”
The moment he heard the child’s sobbing words, Lupeon’s pupils dilated greatly, as if he had received quite a shock.
Anasha, who had lost her parents at a young age, was living a different life from her peers while staying in the North.
She already carried a great wound, and perhaps she had been afraid of losing her brother too, following her parents.
Gently embracing the child, Lupeon patted her small back and slowly continued his explanation in a way that a young child could understand.
“Anasha, how could I go anywhere without you? That will always be true.”
Perhaps reassured by her brother’s words, Anasha’s irregular breathing gradually subsided.
“I know. Because brother is strong.”
“Yes, I’m strong, just as you say.”
He chuckled at the child’s words, then continued in a low voice.
“There might be times when we have to part briefly, but it will only be for a very short while, so you don’t need to worry.”
Lupeon had a duty to protect his sister. Just as he had promised their parents.
