MTLNOVEL Chapter 49
“Your Highness, Count Gale requests an audience.”“Let him in.”The door opened, and Count Gale hurried in, bowing respectfully.“Y-Your Highness. I see you had a restful night—”“The Cardinal?”Cedric, unable to conceal his irritation from the growing sense of unease, cut him off sharply.“Didn’t you say he departed long ago?”Count Gale’s mustache quivered as he responded in a noticeably smaller voice.“T-That is… He headed to the Ferdian estate, not the palace.”“…He went to the Ferdian estate?”Feeling the chill in Cedric’s demeanor as if it were tangible, Count Gale swallowed nervously before continuing carefully.“Y-Yes, Your Highness. He… is conducting a search of the Ferdian estate.”Cedric’s face twisted into a dark scowl at the news, and he flung the glass in front of him across the room.Crash!The glass shattered loudly against the marble floor, fragments scattering everywhere.“That stubborn bastard…”Count Gale instinctively flinched, trembling in fear.He actually bit into his own father’s throat?Cedric never imagined there would be another madman like Tezette Rittenhouse.Grinding his teeth, Cedric barely managed to contain the rage boiling inside him.Letting emotions take over wouldn’t solve anything. Right now, he needed to figure out how to deal with this situation.If the Cardinal exposes the Marquis of Ferdian, I could be in danger too.He had to act before Astaire dug any deeper.While pondering his next move, Cedric suddenly recalled what Count Gale had mentioned after returning from the temple yesterday afternoon.“Count Lort claimed there was someone impersonating Your Highness that day.”“…Impersonating me?”“Yes. With red eyes, no one suspected otherwise. The knights present confirmed it as well, and it didn’t seem like a lie.”A new plan to overcome the situation formed in Cedric’s mind, and a crooked smile appeared on his lips as he poured another drink into a spare glass.Taking a sip, he called out to the count.“Count.”“Y-Yes, Your Highness?”“Go to the Cardinal and deliver a message.”“W-What message shall I deliver?”“Tell him… we’ve found the real mastermind behind all this.”Cedric’s crimson eyes gleamed menacingly as he downed his drink.
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At that time, in the Ferdian estate.The Marquis of Ferdian was going about his morning as usual, smoking a cigar after breakfast while reviewing his documents.A knock on the door was followed by one of his subordinates entering the study.“You called for me, my lord.”“Bolton was caught yesterday, so we’ll need to find another way. Secure new sacrifices, but be careful this time. Make sure nothing leads back to us.”The Marquis issued the order in a calm tone, as if yesterday’s incident was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.However, his subordinate hesitated, not leaving immediately.Noticing the hesitation, the Marquis narrowed his eyes.“Is there something you wish to say?”“My lord, wouldn’t it be wise to lay low for a while, just in case?”“You think Astaire is going to dig into our family’s affairs?”“…Your holiness—”The subordinate froze mid-sentence, realizing too late that he had misspoken. He nervously gauged the Marquis’s reaction.The Marquis of Ferdian despised anyone referring to Astaire as “Your holiness.”As the Cardinal, Astaire held a position second only to the Saintess in the Holy Kingdom, outranking even an imperial marquis.Worse yet, Astaire was hailed as the “Hero Who Saved the Nation.”His son, who had left the family out of disdain for his father, now paraded his success for all to see, as if challenging him outright.It’s as if he’s saying, ‘I was right. My father was wrong.’The subordinate quickly corrected himself.“I doubt the young master would go that far, but… it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, just in case.”The Marquis of Ferdian scoffed at the suggestion.“I know my son well. He’s not cruel enough to tear his own father apart.”He recalled a memory from Astaire’s childhood.Once, his eldest son, Rix, had been bitten by a hunting dog he had brought home.It was obvious that Rix had provoked the dog, but a dog that bites its master, no matter the reason, couldn’t be allowed to live.The Marquis had grabbed his rifle, intending to put the dog down himself.Astaire had thrown himself in front of the barrel.“Please, Father! I’ll train him well. I promise no one will get hurt again. Please… don’t kill him…”“Servants, take him away.”Astaire had been dragged away by the servants, forced to watch as the dog was shot before his eyes.Covered in blood, Astaire had cradled the dying dog, sobbing, and later buried it himself.He had fallen ill for days after.That was the kind of person Astaire was—his son.A boy who couldn’t bear the death of a mere dog he had barely bonded with would never raise a sword against his own father.Yet, the subordinate’s unease remained evident.“But, my lord…”“Since when were you permitted to question my orders?”The Marquis’s cold rebuke made the subordinate flinch and fall silent.“…Forgive me, my lord. I’ll carry out your orders.”Bowing, he exited the room.The Marquis clicked his tongue as the door closed.“Useless coward. How can I entrust him with anything important?”Bolton had been the most reliable, but he was now in the temple’s custody after yesterday’s incident.Well, Astaire won’t go that far. Bolton will be out soon enough.Just as he was about to dismiss the previous night’s incident, another knock came, and the butler entered, visibly flustered.“M-My lord, you need to come outside immediately.”“What’s going on?”The butler hesitated briefly before answering.“Holy Knights… from the temple… have arrived.”“…What?”The Marquis stood up and walked to the window.At the estate’s entrance, Ferdian’s knights stood at the iron gates, facing off against the Holy Knights.Did Astaire send them?No, that couldn’t be. His son wouldn’t tighten the noose around his own father’s neck.The Marquis headed to the estate’s entrance himself.The knights of Ferdian parted to make way as he approached the Holy Knights, led by Lancelot.“I must say, it’s quite a sight—Holy Knights surrounding a noble’s home in broad daylight. Do you even know where you are?”“Last night, Bolton Asner was apprehended for the attempted kidnapping and murder of children and civilians. During interrogation, he named you as the mastermind.”The Marquis’s brows furrowed deeply.No doubt Bolton had done so intentionally, knowing Astaire would protect him by covering up the family’s involvement.“This case is suspected to be linked to a cult that worships the Demon God.”“……”“By order of His Holiness, we are here to escort you to the temple.”“Who gave you that order? My son?”The Marquis let out a derisive laugh.“So, you dare humiliate me, claiming it’s Astaire’s command?”“……”“Bring Astaire here. If my son suspects me, he can come and take me himself. Until he shows up in person, I won’t open these gates.”He turned on his heel after his outburst.But then—the ranks of Holy Knights parted, and through the gap, Astaire appeared.The Marquis’s eyes flickered with turmoil.Astaire stared at his father with an unwavering, icy gaze.“It’s been a while… Father.”Then, with a soft sigh, he corrected himself.“Ah, I suppose I should call you Marquis Ferdian now.”His piercing blue eyes, colder than ever, held a chilling frost as he spoke.“Open the gates, Father.”Until that moment, the Marquis of Ferdian never expected this.“Before I break them down myself.”The son who once wept over a dog’s death had returned, now ready to hold a blade to his father’s throat to protect countless innocent lives.