Free Web NovelChapter 13: Duke’s Decision²
"I’m sorry, young master, but the Duke requests your presence in his office."
I raised my head and looked at him with annoyance for a moment, but when I saw his strange gait as he gathered the shards of the broken cup from the floor
"Prepare a bath for me."
Let us not add to this man’s suffering.
"At once, young master."
He got up and went off somewhere. I didn’t have to wait long before he returned and the bath had been prepared for me. So, with the maids’ help, I had a bath. Having been sweating for four days due to the fever... let’s just say I smelled like a corpse.
After my bath, and with the maids help, I put on decent clothes. Although I don’t usually bother with such details, that doesn’t mean I refuse looking good on occasion... especially in front of strangers. An outcast like me has nothing but his reputation to uphold in front of strangers...
And given that I’ll have to wander almost the entire length of the castle to reach the Duke’s office, passing through the outer courtyards, there’s a high chance of encountering some strangers.
"Is there anything I should know?"
Just to be on the safe side, I asked my personal servant; perhaps he knows what has been happening over the past four days or why the Duke sent for me.
"I haven’t been briefed on anything, young master."
Disappointing but expected. Forget it...
Before I left, I noticed the Domain Reader artefact placed on my desk, so I pointed to it.
"Give this to uncle’s man; he left him here for this very purpose."
"Understood, young master."
Once the maids had finished the final touches, I stood in front of the mirror to look at the finished result.
I found a handsome young man with violet eyes and honey-coloured hair standing bored in front of the mirror
wearing white trousers, a white high collar shirt with a black waistcoat over it, and a white long coat; the embellishments, accessories and decorative chains were all gold
Among my brothers, I am the only one who took after my mother’s features. Is this a curse or a blessing? I do not know. Perhaps it is this face that prevents them from beating me, despite my being the outcast son! ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
But it is a face that reminds me, whenever I look in the mirror, why I am an outcast.
Forget it...
Let’s just go.
I rarely leave my room, but these days I can hardly even sit in it. I don’t know if the Duke is suffering from a split personality or what.
Did he punish the side character NO.1 and my personal servant just because I had a fever? Yet he didn’t even give me a moment’s rest. The moment I opened my eyes after four days, the first thing he did was summon me!... What a strange man!!!
As for the Duke’s office, it’s in the north of the castle, literally on the other side of my room. And, to our misfortune, unlike the imperial residence in the capital—which consists of multiple palaces you can travel between by carriage—here you have to get everything done on foot.
And when we say the residence of the Ducal family of Askelund... we simply mean an entire town, given that even the collateral branches live here
And unlike the Throne Room, which is in the middle of the castle, it took me over two hours to get there because I had to go through the Knights’ Courtyard, and crossing that alone takes over an hour, as it is the headquarters for more than 100,000 knights and squires residing in the Duchy.
Damn the designer and the architect...
But as soon as I entered the north, even the air seemed calmer here, and all the knights guarding the place are Requiem Knights, the true elite knights of the Duchy.
The Requiem Knights, or what are generally known on the continent as Death Knights; the least of them is what might be considered... Let’s say swordsmasters in fantasy novels...
That’s right, every one of them represents the pinnacle of human strength, and in any great power you won’t find more than a hundred or two hundred, because raising these knights is difficult—you have to train them whilst taking care that their own domain doesn’t kill them at least...
I don’t know the exact number we have, but it is certain that our number of Requiem Knights must have risen significantly recently, unless the last two successive dukes of the duchy were fools
because our duchy has gained a significant advantage in this regard thanks to the side character No.1; and in fact, given that he is merely an illegitimate child, perhaps this was the sole reason the former duke kept him, recognised him as a son, and gave him the name Askelund,
otherwise, in noble houses, illegitimate children are rarely kept in the household unless these children have something that catches their attention and makes them worthy of their care,
and these children have no right to the throne, nor to inheritance, nor claims of blood, nor any legal right on the part of the father or, sometimes, even the mother if the mother has abandoned the child.
They are more outcasts than I am, even I who caused the greatest disaster for the ducal house.
...
Now, let us leave aside the tragedy of the illegitimate children...
I stood before the Duke’s office, and the guard spoke in a relatively loud voice as soon as I arrived, after he had saluted me
"The fourth young master requests an audience."
"Come in." freewebnoveℓ.com
In his usual tone. Cold. Direct. He gave his permission, and the guards opened the door for me. I entered, whilst Caio respectfully remained outside the door; then the door was closed behind me
For a man who always claims to be busy, it was somewhat surprising to find him sitting by his window, one leg crossed over the other, leaning back with a cup of tea in his hand, sipping it elegantly whilst gazing peacefully out of the window, like a character from a romance novel, especially given his long black hair
Behind him, on his desk, on the table and even on the floor, lay the real disaster, which I wisely chose to turn a blind eye to so as not to get involved; the place was full of organised chaos, with reports, files and maps piled high.
I stepped forward, then stopped, keeping a metre’s distance between us, and greeted him.
"You asked for me."
.
"Sit down."
He ordered.
well... I stepped forward and did so, sitting down in front of him.
"You look well."
I didn’t know what was required or how to respond, but I nodded to him.
"Good." he replied
"...."
"...."
"...."
"....."
HELP
What’s wrong with this bloody man today?
Has the Duchy’s situation affected him that much? Should I call the therapists?
