Chapter 297: Words Left Unsaid

“Yaoong~.”

As I settled into my seat, Yor let out an adorable, lovable sound and slipped into my arms, cuddling against me.

Then he looked at Valtraus with wary eyes.

My wise baby dragon seemed to think Valtraus wouldn’t say anything good to me either.

Well, in Chapter 145, Valtraus didn’t hesitate to call me, this possession body, “a child born by devouring its mother.”

After all, all those aggressive words he spews are directed at his younger brother, Karbaldr.

They’re not directed at me, so if I try to let them slide, it’s not impossible.

Knowing this, the baby dragon’s kind heart worrying about me was so, so grateful. So I held Yor tightly and stroked the soft fur growing along the baby dragon’s spine, conveying my gratitude while simultaneously.

Looking the other person straight in the eye, I threw out a question.

“So, what is it you wanted to say to me?”

“Your voice is prickly.”

“And your voice, brother, is as cold as can be.”

“Isn’t that because you’re treating me like a villain first?”

“If we’re talking about who started what, wasn’t it you who hated me first, treating me like ‘a child born by devouring its mother’?”

“…”

Valtraus flinched and shut his mouth, his facial muscles stiffening and hardening.

Seems like the criticism from his father for being foolish had some effect.

Or maybe Ragfrid’s ‘education’ of Valtraus after kicking me out of the dining hall in Chapter 147 bore fruit.

“Haa…”

Valtraus sighed heavily, pressing his forehead as if troubled.

I don’t know what’s so hard for him, considering he hasn’t done anything right.

Maybe he’s worried, even as a head of house.

A cheetah-type familiar, striking with its white body and purple spotted pattern, rested its head on his lap.

‘That familiar’s name was… Rascatl, wasn’t it?’

He’s a person from a family where you can’t find any familial bonds even if you wash your eyes out looking.

Perhaps precisely because of that, he built a strong bond with his familiar, as Valtraus stroked Rascatl’s head with a familiar hand and parted his lips.

“I heard the second son of the Offrausi Family treated you with contempt… Why didn’t you write about that in your letter?”

It was a truly unexpected question.

So I couldn’t help but widen my eyes and make a surprised expression, but I only held that expression for about three seconds.

The reason is because of Valtraus’s following statement.

“Regardless, you are a member of the Austri Ducal Family. If you, being who you are, tolerate being disrespected by the child of a vulgar nouveau riche family, didn’t it occur to you that others would look down on our family? Did you forget even the awareness that you shouldn’t harm the family along with your memory?”

As expected, there it is.

He was worried he’d get collateral damage, wasn’t he?

Not that there’s any reason for Valtraus to bring this up as an issue unless that were the case.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think that far ahead. You see me as an existence born by killing our mother, so I thought you’d be delighted if others looked down on me.”

“…Stop being sarcastic.”

“It’s unfortunate my tone sounded sarcastic. I was just explaining my honest feelings.”

“You really thought that?”

“Yes.”

“…..”

My answer must not have pleased him at all.

Judging by how Valtraus is contorting his face irritably.

“I knew you’d hit a rebellious phase, but I didn’t know your resentment had festered this badly.”

“Rebellious phase? It seems you don’t even know your own brother’s age, brother. I’m not that young. And if my heart is twisted, it’s definitely not because of a rebellious phase, but because I grew up in a home that warranted it.”

“…You don’t back down on a single word.”

“It seems before I lost my memory, I always gave in to you, brother, without ever rebelling. Even while being hated by you.”

“……”

Again, Valtraus couldn’t immediately answer and clamped his mouth shut.

Seeing me snapping back at him, I wonder if he’s feeling nostalgic for his real brother, who was docile only to his family.

Even as I think ‘he should have treated him well when he had the chance…’

Anyway, since the other person treats me like his real brother but isn’t exactly doing well by me,

My thoughts conclude that even if the real Karbaldr returns, Valtraus probably won’t treat him well either.

“…Anyway, be careful from now on.”

“You don’t need to concern yourself, brother. I don’t want to be disrespected by others either. When the second son of the Offrausi Family mouthed off to me this time, there were few people watching and listening, so I just let it slide. Didn’t I handle it fine myself at the beginning of last semester?”

“Beginning of last semester…?”

“Ah, don’t you know? The day Yor was born, in the dormitory lobby…”

“The dormitory lobby? What happened there?”

The Extrac, who could be called the culprit of the dormitory gossip event, quickly dropped out and holed up in his family home for a self-imposed seclusion right after the incident, before anyone could raise an issue.

It seems it didn’t blow up big enough for the news to reach Valtraus’s ears.

Even so.

If Valtraus had even a shred of interest in his brother’s affairs, he wouldn’t have missed the related rumors.

Come to think of it, even Ragfrid didn’t seem to be aware of that incident.

“…Never mind. It happened a long time ago and was resolved well, so let’s just move on. I have some pride, so I don’t want to recount what I heard back then with my own mouth.”

Saying this, I turned my head sharply and threw my gaze out the window, at the scenery changing by the moment.

It’s about Karbaldr anyway, so saying things about pride is just an excuse.

Because I questioned the very necessity of explaining that incident.

If Valtraus was genuinely curious about what happened back then and asked, he’d look into it himself.

If not, he’ll just erase it from his mind and lose interest right now.

“Why did you… send me a letter?”

Less than five minutes after I started idly stroking Yor and gazing out the window, Valtraus asked in a dissatisfied voice.

So I turned my head back toward him and saw a strangely complicated expression on his face.

“Because I thought it was the fastest and most reliable method. Father would obviously never read a letter I sent him, but coincidentally, I heard you are close with the eldest of the Offrausi Family…”

“I have never been friends with anyone from that vulgar family.”

“Yes, I figured as much. But there is a connection nonetheless, isn’t there? And in a way, it’s also related to Mother, so I figured you wouldn’t just sit still if you found out.”

It was a half-right, half-wrong thought.

Valtraus did take immediate action and summoned me and the villain brothers to one place.

But once there, Valtraus did nothing but sit quietly and drink tea.

“Is that the only reason?”

“You’re asking a strange question. Did you think I wrote the letter because I was relying on you, firmly believing you would help me?”

“That wouldn’t be the case.”

“Of course not.”

A brief silence fell.

Because even after I finished answering, Valtraus’s mouth didn’t open immediately.

But since he was staring at my face with an expression that said he still had more to say, I kept watching him instead of turning my head to look out the window like before.

Just when I felt like we were having some sort of staring contest.

“Why were you just sitting there?”

— those words flowed from Valtraus’s mouth.

“Pardon?”

“You heard the second son of the Offrausi Family rambling about the head of the family’s remarriage, and you knew it wasn’t a statement unrelated to our family. I’m asking why you sat there writing a letter instead of going to confront the offender directly.”

Did he not realize the remarriage talk was just an excuse?

After all, I’m not a member of House Austri, so I don’t care about the dukedom’s honor at all.

The possession body’s mother is a complete stranger I’ve only seen in a portrait, never met even once.

To me, Hard is just a heartless man who neglected his children, and a dog-like jerk who slapped my face the first time we met.

‘But the real Karbaldr would never feel that way’

Maybe Valtraus is misunderstanding.

He probably thinks I was going to just endure being disrespected by the confession villain, but couldn’t hold back anymore the moment I heard about the remarriage.

If that’s the case, he’s got it completely wrong.

‘But since I have to act as Karbaldr, I can’t tell him the truth.’

I thought up a suitable excuse in my head, organized what I needed to say, then.

Slowly parted my lips so it wouldn’t feel like I was hastily making things up.

“To argue that the head’s remarriage shouldn’t be linked to the family’s prestige, I’d need evidence, wouldn’t I? So I thought about why Father hasn’t remarried. And then…”

“And then?”

“Since there are already two heir candidates, I figured he just didn’t want to bring in a new person who would pester him for affection. That was the only reason I could think of.”

“……What?”

“Talking about this is essentially spitting in my own face, isn’t it?”

“……”

“So I had no choice but to pass it on to you.”

“………”

My words must have been quite shocking.

Valtraus froze stiff with a blank expression.

The only thing moving was his purple eyes, trembling as if an earthquake had struck.

“Father… loved Mother. Truly. That’s why he never took a new wife. Because he didn’t want to give her place to someone else.”

“Truly? He wasn’t just acting in front of others for his image?”

“Absolutely not. If you had seen the way Father looked at Mother, how gentle and warm his gaze was, you would never say that.”

So what Pret said in Chapter 266 was true, after all.

To think Hard was not only captivated by the Duchess’s beauty, but even loved her throughout their married life.

I’m truly shocked.

I said,

“Even hearing that… I can’t believe it. Because I know all too well how indifferent Father’s gaze is when he looks at me, with a face identical to Mother’s. He even slapped me.”

“Wasn’t that because Mother sacrificed herself to bring you into the world, and you dared to try and end that very life?!”

What is Valtraus saying right now?

Is he blaming Karbaldr entirely for trying to end his own life?

And to defend someone like Hard??