TL: IceCherry
ED: Flowerfly12
“Hoo-Ha! Hoo-Ha!”
The blue moon still hung in the early morning sky.
Ian was sitting by the window, staring out. He had stayed up the entire night because he had so much to think about. Despite his exhaustion, the noises below somehow continued to keep him awake.
“Align left!”
“Align left!”
“Go forward!”
It was the sound of Bratz’s soldiers training at dawn. Ian held his chin and observed it closely.
That’s quite a lot for a private military force.
It was not easy to run out of the main gate with their tails in their tails1Following one after another..
Considering the general number of soldiers stationed at the mansion and those deployed throughout the manor, Derga seemed to have an excessive force.
It’s ambiguous to reduce the number of soldiers. I’m going to have a headache.
Other estates would reduce the number of soldiers if they had a peace treaty.
Could an unemployed soldier not return to his main job, plow farmland, sell goods, and pay taxes to his lord again? The peace treaty was meant to bring economic benefits along with peace.
However, Count Derga did not reduce the number of soldiers, even though he had already made peace with his predecessor. This was probably because it was an imperfect and untrustworthy formal peace treaty.
The Count’s second brother died in an attack across the border, and Ian was an offering sent with the assumption that he would meet death.
It would be better to break the peace treaty than to do so.
The army could only be maintained if it supported the economic activities of the people of the fiefdom. Now there were too many soldiers compared to civilians.
It would be more balanced if there were frequent battles. If the battle continued, the number of troops the fiefdom would have to deal with would decrease, and, if they succeeded in occupying more land, they would gain new labour and capital.
Of course, the alternative of defeat was another problem, but it was obviously more problematic. They had to settle before it came to that.
War is war. Peace is peace.
One of the two must be brought for sure, but if it was an uncertain situation where neither could be pursued, it would only compound everyone’s pain.
This was the case for Hannah alone. She was a servant working in the Count’s mansion, not anywhere else. However, if she were not also working as an errand girl, she would be in a situation where she would starve.
Screech.
Ian went out of the room after dressing up. He saw a servant dozing in the corridor. He must have been on duty guarding Ian throughout the night.
“Hey.”
“I-Ian-nim?”
“The air is cold. Let’s get in.”
Was this a dream or reality? The servant wiped his mouth and blinked. It was the first time Ian came out at dawn. Until now, he had been checking up on Ian by handing over breakfast trays, but…
“Uh, where are you going?”
“I’m going for a walk.”
At this early hour? Maybe he was up to something.
As the servant’s eyes narrowed in suspscion, Ian smiled softly and gestured with his chin. Ian’s gaze was cold.
“What are you looking at?”
He meant to look down and step aside.
The servant came to his senses and bowed, but he could not erase his embarrassment.
The mansion seemed too deserted to send Ian away and there was no reason to hold him.
“Um, Ian-nim…”
“You can follow me.”
Ian took the lead in the corridor after allowing him as if there was nothing more to say. They would not listen to him even if he told them not to follow him, and Ian did not know anything about the mansion anyway. Ian thought it would be nice to take the guard around and ask about this and that.
“Is that annex locked?”
“It’s for guests, so I sweep and wipe it every day.”
“You’re saying it’s open. Then what about over there?”
“The armoury is all about security.”
The servant is pretty tight-lipped.
The servant understood Ian but did not answer him clearly. As soon as his surveillance shift was over, he seemed to run somewhere to report. Ian could see that, but he didn’t care much. The guard would not do anything that might cause a problem. The real problem was elsewhere.
“Sigh.”
Ian exhaled and straightened his back. He was eager to collect information on his own, and the first problem he noticed was his current body’s stamina.
Ian had expected an untrained body, but it was more serious than he imagined. He did not anticipate it would be so hard just to walk around the mansion. Before meeting the Cheonryeo tribe, he would be almost exhausted near the border.
And the second problem.
I don’t think there’s Gula.
Ian checked not only the well-maintained garden and even the less-visited backyard, but no Gula was found.
Since the plant had a strong effect on both reproduction and survival, it must have been picked and burned. Ian would not be able to see it anywhere other than deep mountains. This was also a problem because Ian could not go outside.
“Ian-nim, the morning has come. It’s time to have a meal.”
The servant yawned at length. It was time to end his night duty. It was rude behaviour for a servant, but given his circumstances, it was understandable. Ian nodded and obeyed obediently.
“Yes. Let’s go to the main dining room.”
“Pardon? The main dining room?”
Ian understood the meaning of the servant’s questions.
Had he not received dinner in the room last night on a tray? Ian would have spent every meal that way.
But Ian had no intention of doing so. He was far too hungry and needed to face the people of the Count’s family who were holding his life.
“Oh, Ian-nim? Good morning.”
“What business do you have here…”
The busy servants in front of the dining room were flustered when they saw Ian. Judging by the table setting, it seemed that there were two people inside.
“I’m here to dine.”
“We have the Countess and Young Master Chel inside.”
“No Derga? What about my father?”
“He went out yesterday and hasn’t come back yet.”
Tsk. Ian clicked his tongue, but it was not such a bad situation. Without Derga, it would be easier to deal with the other two.
“Open the door.”
When Ian ordered, the servant was forced to pull the handle. Soon the interior of the glamorous dining room came into view.
The eyes of the two people waiting for the main meal inside were conflicted. Chel trembled wildly in surprise and the unpleasant Countess looked offended.
“What’s the matter?”
What a sharp tongue she has.
Ian responded deftly.
“Hello, mother. Good morning.”
After a casual greeting, Ian sat across from them.
Chel looked back at his mother nervously, but did not notice his mother was glaring at Ian. She looked so vicious that Ian could not believe that she was the same person as the kind wife he saw in the garden yesterday.
“If you want to eat, take it in your room.”
Despite her veiled words, Ian calmly pushed himself in front of the table.
“I certainly did it last night. But when I chewed on a piece of bread, I didn’t think it was right.”
“What?”
“I drank the finger bowl yesterday, wouldn’t Lord Moline be so surprised? Only two children in the Count’s family and they all made a mistake.”
Chel’s face reddened at his words.
Mary put down the knife roughly and shut her mouth. If Ian did not shut up, he would be punished. Her eyes warned him.
“Father also asked me. Be diligent in my studies. It is difficult to learn courtesy when eating alone on a tray, so I think we’d better be together.”
Ian deceived them skillfully. It was not Derga’s order, and it did not betray Ian’s intentions.
“Mother?”
“…Sit down.”
Ian was feeling a bit queasy this morning.
The Countess nervously grabbed a fork and knife and cut the Frittata. Chel sat still and glanced at Ian as if his appetite had disappeared. Ian gave a big smile and exchanged glances.
“As expected, it’s better to learn it at the table than a tray. Right? Hyung-nim?”
“Huh? Uh-huh…”
The portions were much larger. Ian satisfied his hunger with a graceful and industrious hand. Meanwhile, he examined the Countess in detail and found that the trinkets and dresses, as well as everything worn on her body, would have been worthy of praise even in the time of Emperor Ian.
The lower ones had nothing to eat, so they even hungered after the bastard son’s bowl, but the Countess was showing off her wealth.
A wretched lot, the whole family.
“Mother, I have something to tell you.”
“Can’t you just shut up and eat?”
“Please change my room. I’d appreciate it if you could give me some candles.”
“Ha!”
It was only then that she looked at Ian. She even burst into laughter as if she was taken aback.
“You don’t even know your place. Change rooms? What do you need a candle for? It’s a waste to spend it on you, when you can’t even recognise a word because you are slow-witted just like your worthless lowly mother.”
It was beyond insulting, an excremental level.
Chel’s body had become noticeably stiff. It was clear that he was worried Ian might be angry and would show his golden eyes, thereby pouring out unknown power.
“My mother is a Countess, and isn’t it natural that I look alike? What madam said is right.”
But Ian smiled brightly as he dealt her a blow. You called yourself a worthless lowly woman.
Because of his polite tone, the Countess did not notice immediately, but soon realised that it was a disgraceful comment and blushed.
“…You!”
“Lord Moline asked me to show him my room when he came next week.”
The Countess was about to shudder and scream. Ian cut in neatly. It was a lie, but it was an acceptable and useful lie.
“I can’t show such a room to a very distinguished guest, can I? Even if I only change it for that day, he’s a very shrewd person and he’ll notice the awkwardness right away. It’s not like you don’t have a room, and it would be better to give me the room this time.”
“Where are you focusing your attention?”
“If I show my dull and lacking side, it will only put a lot of pressure on my hyung-nim. Of course, you don’t wish for that, do you, mom?”
Although it was a formal procedure, Lord Moline was a central official sent from the Imperial Palace. It was natural to keep the local nobles in check. If things went wrong, he might really have to send Chel instead.
“I’ll do my best, mother.”
Ian chewed the meat with a smile. So shut up and help me both materially and spiritually.
The Countess was beyond bewildered, even perplexed. How could a living corpse become so daring in just one day?
Baang!
The wife stormed out of her seat, as if she were really displeased. Chel also stood up after hesitating.
“Hyung-nim?”
“Ah? Uh…?”
Chel, who was sneaking out of the door, turned around.
“Never mind what happened yesterday. Everyone makes mistakes, don’t they?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Bringing up the past would be petty.”
On the surface, it was a word of consolation for Chel’s mistake, but what Ian meant was for Chel forget what he saw yesterday. Chel nodded silently and dashed out.
There will be a lot of food leftover.
Ian looked at the bountiful table in front of him with his eyebrows raised. Then, after he had eaten enough, he put the rest away to the side. It was for the servants.
“Hmm.”
Ian looked out, savouring his food very leisurely. It was so peaceful sitting alone in a spacious dining room. It was a luxury that he had never felt before.
Then suddenly, Ian saw himself reflected in the window. A short, small, and yet unfamiliar face.
Ian.
If Emperor Ian was here, where did the bastard son Ian go?
Ian rested his chin facing the calm child’s face. The beautiful trees in the garden swayed gracefully.
Meanwhile, late afternoon that day.
The Countess was infuriated that she had no choice but to move Ian’s room to an annex. The servants searched Ian’s room to pack a few things, and soon found a strange piece of paper.
“What is this?”
Ian had described Bariel’s history the night before. But it was soaked in a cup of water, so the ink was smeared and the paper was crumpled and torn. The contents were completely unidentifiable.
“Did Ian-nim study?”
“But why did he dip it into water?”
“Why? I suppose it was embarrassing for people to see.”
The servants threw the paper into the trash can without knowing what it contained. The bastard son Ian was illiterate; no one in the mansion doubted that.
T/N: Last chapter. DROPPED. I’m getting busier and I’ll focus on IBTYPITN first. If you’d like to know what happen next, you can join my server for the mtl. I’ve shared it. Thank you for riding with me and sorry for any inconveniences. 🙏
I find this story to be very intriguing so far. Thanks!