Chapter 3 : Regression (2)

“What kind of wind is blowing through you this time?”

“…Excuse me?”

When summoned to the office, the Duke greeted me with this abrupt question.

Glenn blinked and looked at his Father.

But still, his Father’s gaze remained on the documents he was writing.

Come to think of it, it really has been a long time since I’ve been in this office.

I always came here just to get scolded, so I only remembered it as a stiff and heavy place.

Now that I see it again, it really does look like a cold, hard place.

At least the flowerpots, which must have been arranged by Mother’s hand, add a touch of warmth.

And finally, the ever-familiar sight: Father sitting behind the desk, frowning.

Yes, just like now.

“You’re daydreaming again. Answer my question at once. What on earth are you thinking this time?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand the meaning of your question.”

Sigh.

The Duke let out a deep breath, set down his pen, and looked at Glenn.

In his eyes were annoyance, disappointment, and perhaps a hint of worry?

“Why are you suddenly doing things you’ve never done before? I heard you were swinging your sword at dawn yesterday?”

At those words, I realized a certain truth.

Up until just a month ago, I was nothing but a thoughtless, delinquent son.

…How should I answer this?

“Well, I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf and—”

“How many times do you think I’ve heard those words from you?”

The Duke’s eyes grew cold, filled with deep distrust.

Honestly, I had nothing to say, even if I had ten mouths.

It was all because of my own past deeds.

That’s why Glenn bowed his head obediently.

“I’m sorry for disappointing you until now.”

“I’ve heard that one at least twice. Have you already forgotten beating up those two servants?”

This is driving me crazy.

Should I just tell him straight out that I came back from twenty years in the future?

No, not yet.

Back then, I was afraid of my Father, and the Duke could only be disappointed in his eldest son.

When I saw the expectations he once had for me being directed toward my Younger Sibling, I started to go astray.

Before I knew it, I had gone past the point of no return.

But even so, Father was willing to lay down his life for me and our family.

If he had truly hated or despised me, would he have done that?

Absolutely not—I am certain of that now.

Ironically, I was able to understand Father much better when I was no longer Glenn, but Riclang.

They say a man understands his Father more as he grows older.

It was only after struggling among all sorts of twisted people that I finally realized this.

That the harshness he showed me was only possible because he cared.

Without love, there is only indifference. But Father was never indifferent.

Slowly, Glenn rose and knelt on the office floor.

“Father, I can’t pretend to know the full extent of your disappointment in me. I was angry at myself for not living up to your expectations. And when those expectations shifted to my Younger Sibling, I was jealous. That was so frightening I could hardly bear it. It made me feel like I had become a useless person.”

“Well, that’s a new one.”

His tone softened a little, but the sarcasm remained.

Distrust does not melt so easily.

Just as trust is hard to build, distrust is hard to break.

Knowing this well, I could understand my Father now.

But even Riclang never knew how to win over someone who didn’t trust him.

He simply killed those he couldn’t trust.

So I didn’t really know how to win over Father’s heart.

All I could do was be a little more honest.

I truly am sorry, Father—this, at least, is sincere.

“I won’t ask you to trust me just because of a few shameless words. A Northern Man proves himself with actions, not words. So I won’t say much more. Just watch me. I’ll show you that I, too, am a Northern Man.”

A long silence, punctuated by the sound of his armrest being tapped.

Then—

“Raise your head.”

The Duke gazed at the green eyes before him.

Unlike before, when Glenn would flinch and avoid his gaze, he now met his eyes steadily.

There was no desperate longing to be believed, nor the burning passion of youth.

Just calm resolve.

As if, whether he was believed or not, it didn’t matter.

Ha, what a shameless brat.

Should I let myself be fooled again?

“Fine. As you said, you’ll have to prove yourself through your actions.”

“That’s all I hoped for.”

“Dimit Eilheim! Come in.”

At the Duke’s call, a large knight entered the room.

“You summoned me?”

Glenn’s gaze naturally turned to the knight.

Dimit Eilheim, Captain of the Lepent Territory Lion Knights.

He’s also famous as the only Swordmaster in the duchy.

He and Father have been close friends since their apprentice knight days.

“Can you assign a knight to this brat?”

“By that, do you mean…”

“Have him train again as a Lion Knight.”

In other words, Glenn was being reinstated as an apprentice knight in the Lion Knights.

This foolish young master had once been stripped of his knightly qualification for neglecting his training.

Even if the Duke had acted on impulse back then, reversing that decision now was unusual.

“Just make sure you don’t go easy on him.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

The Lion Knights are known for training as harsh as the northern weather itself.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the Duke’s son or the heir to the house.

Either you break and get thrown out, or you’re forged into something sharper—there is no third way.

“If he gives up this time, don’t ever let him back into the knights.”

At those words, Dimit Eilheim’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.

Isn’t that a bit too harsh, no matter what?

For nobles in this era, military and knightly experience is extremely important. After all, they command knights.

Of course, if you have overwhelming wealth, background, or political power, it’s a different story—but not for the Lepent family.

This has always been a family of knights, and never has a non-knight become its head.

A lion that isn’t a lion can never lead the pride.

In other words, the Duke was saying that if Glenn gave up again, he would be stripped of his right as heir.

If that happened, he’d be cast out from the family in all but name.

“You understand what this means, don’t you? Do you want to back out now?”

Still met with a cold gaze, Glenn smiled faintly.

“Thank you for giving me the chance to prove myself.”

A Northern Man does not shy away from a challenge.

“Cheeky brat.”

As Glenn left, the Duke muttered to himself without realizing.

There are few who could be so brazen to him within this mansion.

Of course, his son Glenn was included in that number.

Usually, he couldn’t even meet his Father’s eyes, biting his lips and blushing in shame.

That had always been his reaction.

Except for today.

To be honest, he was dissatisfied with both sons.

More precisely, neither of them satisfied him.

Northerners are as stubborn as iron, and Lepent is a land of knights as fierce as beasts.

And it’s the head of Lepent who leads this pride of lions.

Naturally, an ordinary person could never fill that role.

Ian is too gentle and only has average talent.

He’s humble and diligent, but that’s it.

He might make a good king, but he doesn’t have the charisma to lead beasts.

Glenn, on the other hand, is talented enough, but narrow-minded and arrogant.

He’s quick to envy, quick to jealousy, and lazy in his efforts.

Not the makings of a ruler.

He’d thought so for a long time.

But today, that belief wavered just a little.

What he just saw was definitely different from before.

Could someone fake that so well?

No, was he ever the type to speak so boldly in front of me?

It feels like I’m being fooled again.

Thinking that, the Duke’s face twisted naturally.

How much longer must I indulge this eldest son’s recklessness?

Without realizing, the Duke gripped his armrest.

“How are things between the two brothers? Is one still growling at the other?”

At the Duke’s question, the butler standing quietly in the background bowed his head.

“Surprisingly, they seem to have grown quite close.”

“…What? What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure myself, but it’s true. Ian was seen laughing and talking with him. Glenn no longer shows his usual prickly attitude.”

Not just with me, but even with his Younger Sibling?

What is he scheming?

Why is he acting like a changed man overnight?

“…I don’t get it. Did that brat lose a gambling debt or something?”

Or maybe he did something wrong and is acting this way because of guilt?

Suspicion began to creep in.

The Duke’s gaze naturally shifted to Dimit Eilheim.

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

Still the same blunt expression.

The Duke gestured with his chin for him to continue.

“As you said, while the young master was out and about, he was always tailed by a few knights. There were no reports of him visiting gambling dens. He always went to taverns and drank until he was completely drunk. Especially after he was bedridden, it got even worse. The innkeeper said he always caused trouble, and recently, it was practically violence.”

“What a disgraceful brat.”

Hearing it laid out so bluntly only made the Duke’s face burn hotter.

He thought it was a relief Glenn hadn’t fallen into gambling or drugs, but now even that felt empty.

“But since he got up from his sickbed, he hasn’t gone out at all.”

“Of course not, the brat’s only been up for less than a week.”

“That’s not it—I mean he doesn’t even show any sign of wanting to. He’s like a completely different person, from his eyes to his actions.”

“Hm, so you feel it too.”

“Why not just observe him a little longer?”

He asked with the same blank expression.

It was a cheeky thing to say to the Duke, but coming from Dimit, it was possible.

“How many times do you think I’ve done that already?”

“There’s definitely something there. Glenn always betrays trust the moment you start to believe in him. Keep a closer watch on him.”

“…As you command.”

A distrust so deep, it hardly felt like blood could bind them.

But at least, it wasn’t without reason.

Glenn had brought it all upon himself.

“Phew… troublesome brat.”

In the end, the answer is always the same.

All he can do is keep watching, once again.

A lonely sigh escaped his lips.

Then, almost unconsciously, his eyes fell on the letter he was holding.

Suddenly, a much bigger headache came to mind.

“…Damn those southern idiots.”

This time, a genuine curse escaped his lips.

Naturally, both the butler and the knight captain pretended not to hear.

Dimit quietly asked,

“There aren’t many who make you this angry, my lord. …Is that a letter from him?”

“Yes. We’re short on border guards, but he’s demanding we send more troops. That damned bastard is finally showing his true colors.”

The duchy is overflowing with problems.

Every single one of them is enough to give the Duke a headache.

But the worst of all is the owner of this letter.

The Duke glared at the seal at the bottom of the letter with hatred.

It bore the seal of the damned Emperor of the Southern Empire.