Chapter 36
When she returned to her room, Mary spoke.
“The Grand Duke executed the vassals by killing their family members, their knights, their messengers, everyone.”
Her white fingers gripped the hem of her skirt nervously. She hesitated several times before lowering her head.
“Since then, many people have left the village. Even the butler and the maid who trained us next, His Highness left for the battlefield, and we were alone in the castle.”
Mary's eyes were tearing up.
"A lot of people died, ma'am. I still remember."
Her expression was filled with fear.
She wiped her eyes and gasped.
“That is why I am afraid of His Highness.”
Omarion couldn't keep up with him.
All of her maids were trembling, as if they were standing in front of a terrible monster.
Seeing the executioners must have triggered bad memories in them.
Omarion hugged the little maid tightly.
“It's okay, Mary.”
“I'm sorry, ma'am.”
“Don't worry, it won't happen again.”
She didn't dare say that Victor wasn't scary or wouldn't hurt them because she wasn't sure anymore
Omarion comforted the maids and sent them to sit on the sofa.
When she opened
, the page she had been reading yesterday appeared.
Flamberg, smiling horribly, and Dordovin, the fool, watches as she poisons the teapot.
[The cruel and beautiful Flamberg screamed. ]
“Ah, Dordovin! Now bring me a sword. Find a dragon scale sword that can cut anything. I won’t hurt anyone. I just want to prune the flowers in the flower bed.”
said Dordovin.
[“I'll get you anything, my love.”]
I looked silently at the book.
Dordovin's astonished expression caught her attention.
“Does he really not know? Or is he pretending not to know?”
Even when she heard the Welsh family's reason for closing their doors, she was the only one who firmly believed that Victor could not have done such a cruel thing.
Because she wanted so badly to believe it.
Because Victor was a respectable man in her mind
Because Victor was always kind, just like a good knight in a fairy tale.
But as soon as her doubts blossomed, they covered her heart like vines.
Suspicion that he may not be the person you know.
***
Victor didn't come to dinner. Instead of calling him, she ordered the snacks to be delivered to the Grand Duke's office. Daedric followed her instructions without question.
She ate alone, showered, changed, and went to bed.
Victor didn't return until very late. After nodding to the attendants without a word, the candles were extinguished one by one.
Victor asked suddenly.
“Do you want to go out?”
I looked at him calmly.
He looked exhausted, immersed in the gloomy darkness.
Just like the day they first met.
She shook her head.
"no".
"I see"
He put his head quietly on the pillow.
She was silent as she sat beside the bed.
The castle was quiet.
The square, the village, and even the execution site were the same.
Victor's whispers could be clearly heard.
“This is all I need”…
Victor's eyes slowly closed.
She looked at his appearance and bit her lip.
I suddenly wondered.
“What is he dreaming about?”
“What nightmare is tormenting him?”
Victor you didn't know... What kind of life did he live?
She hugged her sword a little tighter and curled up next to the bed.
Victor Morte
Victor Morte wanted to die.
He always did.
From his distant childhood he couldn't remember well, the only thing he could think about was death.
He was the second son of the Grand Duke of Morte, who controlled the northeastern part of the empire.
Morte's lands were cold and full of monsters, but he was famous for training excellent knights.
After the difficult birth of her second son, his mother named him Victor.
Victor.
In Southern language, it meant victory.
She gave Victor such a name in the hope that he would become a great knight, but she died before seeing Victor holding a sword.
This was Victor's first death.
After the death of his young wife, the Grand Duke was saddened.
The entire palace mourned the death of the Grand Duchess, and the Grand Duke was so sad that he never returned to the castle.
Abandoned by his father, young Victor is left alone with the servants.
The servants were indifferent towards the little boy.
They served the duchy with all their hearts and took care of his needs, but that was all.
No one spoke to him casually, so Victor spent most of his time alone in the library.
The Grand Duke had collected all kinds of private books from liberal arts to romance novels, philosophy to religion.
Victor learned about life and death through books.
He also looked at his mother's photo from time to time.
He wondered if he would ever see his mother again when she died.
The person who pulled him out of that dark abyss was his older brother who returned from the capital.
Morty Morty, who was seven years older than Victor, had dark hair and warm brown eyes, a Morty family trait.
After returning from school in a hurry after his mother's funeral, he finds his neglected brother. He immediately knelt down in front of him and held his little hand.
Victor said quietly to his brother, whom he had not seen for a long time.
“I want to go to our mother.”
Morthion's face twisted at these words.
He hugged his little brother with all his might.
“Victor, I love you. You are my dear brother. I will protect you no matter what.”
In his arms, Victor cried for the first time.
He desperately needed someone to tell him that.
***
Morthion was a loyal successor despite his young age, as he tempered the chaotic atmosphere of the castle.
He kept in touch with his father to understand Murti's politics, and did not skip his studies.
The knights and vassals welcomed the wise and powerful successor to the Grand Duchy.
Once the political situation stabilized with the help of his advisors, Morthion immediately began training Victor.
His education was delayed because he was “too precocious.”
But Mortheon strongly insisted that he learn, and found the best teachers for Victor.
Many teachers began to visit the castle.
Accounting, Politics, Tsarist Studies, Social Arts, and Dance Victor did well in all subjects, and Morthion was very pleased with his brother's prowess.
[Note: Tsarist studies mean political leadership]
Everyone praised him for his talent and greatness.
Victor liked to be praised, so he worked extra hard.
He had the same thoughts the day he first held the sword. He wanted his older brother to praise him.
The young Duke's first duel training attracted a large crowd of spectators.
It was normal.
This was the land of knights, and the Grand Duke's children had always had talent in martial arts.
“The Little Duke certainly has talent!”
“Lord Mortheon also had outstanding skills from a young age.”
Victor nodded and held out a wooden sword with a nervous expression.
His opponent was an apprentice knight, the same age as Morthion.
The Vice Captain planned to train both Victor and the apprentice knight at the same time. Focus on posture, as well as the correct way to hold the sword.
Since Morte Knights focused on single combat, it was common to train in this manner.
Their match started with a signal.
Victor thought the knight was making fun of him.
His path was very clear.
It was slow and sloppy.
It was such a sloppy move that he wondered if the knight was doing it on purpose.
Victor was a little upset. Even though he was a child and the son of the Grand Duke, he had to train hard.
If a knight behaves this way, he will not be able to learn properly.
Victor couldn't stand it and swung his sword.
Once on the wrist and once on the shoulder. After stabbing the weak-looking parts of his opponent, he hit a knee and knocked him down.
His opponent fell so easily that it was ridiculous.
Victor picked up his opponent's sword and raised his head with a wide smile.
However, what he heard was not praise, but exclamations of astonishment.
... “No, how? Still...”
“Today was his first time”...
... “Mortheon was like this”...
Victor looked around slowly, his eyes widening.
No one praised Victor when he solved a difficult problem or greeted him correctly according to etiquette.
They whispered as if they saw something strange.
The apprentice knight who fell to the ground and the vice captain who helped him were acting in the same way.
Victor felt like he had done something wrong.
He looked at his big brother, his last hope His big brother was always different.
He looked at it differently from others.
... “Oh my God, Victor.”
However, as soon as he saw his brother's pale face, Victor knew.
This was no ordinary thing.
“I'm not ordinary.”
***
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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