Chapter 220

It was a matter best kept secret, as there was nothing to gain from making it public.

Erich added with a bitter expression.

Indeed, in the way the Archduke treated Iona and Leroy today, there was no trace of a grieving father who had lost his son.

During the meal, the Archduke had given the impression of being quite emotional, but perhaps that was limited to moments where he had deemed it acceptable.

It was remarkable how, even in this situation, he had gone through with meeting the couple without the slightest wavering.

“Anyway, the first time I met the Archduke was near the Nant Tribe settlement. He had gone out searching for his son, and we ended up in a chase.”

“A chase?”

“I was on a secret mission and couldn’t afford to be caught, while the Archduke...”

Erich awkwardly lifted a strand of his own hair and admitted,

“I think he mistook me for his son. He said our hair color was similar.”

“You look like the Archduke’s son?”

“I had a chance to see his portrait later. Not at all.”

Erich shook his head firmly, clicking his tongue in distaste.

“Maybe the distance made it hard to see my face properly, but... do you really think a parent wouldn’t recognize their own child? He probably just wanted to believe he had found his son.”

Recalling his first encounter with the Archduke, Erich was momentarily lost in thought.

If he had truly been the Archduke’s son, he wouldn’t have run away from his father. Yet the Archduke had chased after him desperately, spurring his horse to its limits.

Even now, Erich could still hear the Archduke’s anguished voice calling his son’s name, echoing in his ears.

And the heavy groan that escaped the Archduke’s lips when he realized the face before him was not the one he had hoped for.

Shrugging off the brief moment of sympathy, Erich quickly composed himself, as if the thought had never crossed his mind in the first place.

“Anyway, since I was an unknown outsider keeping an eye on the Nant Tribe’s movements, the Archduke wasn’t about to simply let me go. And somehow, that led to me taking refuge in this castle.”

It was intriguing why the Archduke had chosen to accept a suspicious outsider as a guest, but Iona decided to resolve a different question first.

Crossing her arms with a serious expression, she asked,

“The only reason you assume the Archduke’s son is still alive is because a body was never found?”

“Essentially, yes.”

“There haven’t been any attempts to use his son’s safety as leverage for negotiation?”

“That’s the strange part.”

Erich snapped his fingers as if pleased with the way she had phrased it.

“If the Nant Tribe had kidnapped the Archduke’s son, wouldn’t they have demanded a ransom in exchange for his life? On the other hand, if they wanted to humiliate the Archduke, they would’ve beheaded him and displayed it as a warning. But instead, they continue attacking as usual, without any changes in their behavior.”

“Which means there’s a possibility that another force is involved.”

Leroy nodded quietly, following Erich’s reasoning.

Iona suddenly recalled that Erich had come here to keep an eye on the Empress.

Scratching her chin, she asked,

“Is the Archduke suspicious of the Empress as well?”

“At this point, everyone is a suspect.”

“That means he won’t be able to build any real alliances until he finds his son.”

“That’s likely.”

“Erich, you didn’t arrange this meeting just to help us, did you?”

At Iona’s quiet but pointed remark, Erich faltered for a moment.

It was true that he had granted their request, but it seemed his decision had another underlying motive.

Iona thought to herself indifferently.

‘Looks like he’s developed some personal attachment to the Archduke while staying here.’

More than anything, Erich’s true purpose in arranging this meeting must have been to help the Archduke.

At this point, the best way for them to win the Archduke’s favor was to find his son.

If things went well, the Archduke would be reunited with his son, and in return, they could secure his cooperation. A win-win situation for both sides.

Of course, that was only if everything went according to plan.

Erich muttered in a half-excuse,

“Dame, you do have quite a knack for these covert dealings, don’t you?”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a compliment.”

“Did I offend you?”

“No, actually, I think this is the best possible approach.”

Iona recalled how the Archduke had avoided giving any clear answers during their meal.

She had thought she made a rather enticing proposal, yet he remained unfazed.

It seemed the Archduke had engaged in the conversation from a fundamental position of distrust.

Well, who would be willing to cooperate with a stranger who suddenly appeared in the midst of uncertainty about their son’s life or death?

Iona glanced at Erich, the first to gain the Archduke’s trust, with a curious expression and asked,

“But how did you manage to earn the Archduke’s trust?”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you. The only reason he let me inside the castle was so he could keep an eye on me more easily.”

“…….”

Iona added another theory to her growing list of suspicions about Erich’s true motives.

‘This guy… he just wants to clear himself from suspicion.’

Either way, everything would be resolved once they found the Archduke’s son.

Determined to look at the situation in the most positive light possible, Iona made up her mind.

Once she set a goal, she had a tendency to focus solely on achieving it, shutting out all other distractions. Whether that was a strength or a flaw was up for debate.

‘But at least now… I have someone by my side to keep me in check.’

With that thought, she turned to Leroy, who sat beside her, and gazed at him in silence.

Feeling her stare, Leroy turned to her with a questioning look, as if to ask, What is it?

Iona smiled faintly before speaking.

“I think it’s time we change our approach when talking to the Archduke.”

***

The Archduke stood atop a high tower.

Given how frequently battles had taken place in this region, the tower had been designed to allow for an early sighting of incoming enemies from afar.

Though the world was shrouded in night, the moonlight provided just enough illumination to make out the terrain.

His pale eyes, fixed on the horizon beyond, narrowed slightly as he suddenly spoke.

“Just because I’ve aged a little, don’t think I’ve lost the instincts of a man who’s lived his whole life on the battlefield.”

“Who said I was underestimating you? I didn’t even try to hide my presence.”

At the sound of a woman’s voice, the Archduke slowly turned around.

The Duchess, who had shared dinner with him that evening, was standing alone at the railing in front of the staircase.

Her hands were empty, a silent signal that she had no ill intentions.

The Archduke asked,

“Couldn’t digest your meal? Out for a walk?”

“The atmosphere was a bit hard to stomach.”

“Your husband seems rather attentive when it comes to your meals.”

“He’s always been a very thoughtful man.”

As she spoke, the usual hardness in her expression softened ever so slightly.

The Archduke found her to be an intriguing woman.

She had served the Crown Prince for years with unwavering loyalty, yet now she was willing to help avenge a husband she had barely known for half a year.

And what was even stranger—

‘She acts as if she truly loves him.’

Or perhaps…

‘She claims to despise her own father.’

The Archduke let out a small chuckle.

It was a claim that suited him just fine.

After all, he was not the kind of man who would welcome Hayden Modrov’s daughter with open arms.

The mere thought of his sister and the child she had once borne filled him with an old, simmering rage.

A man like him had no reason to extend kindness to the offspring of that wretched bastard.

As memories of his sister—who had been imprisoned in silence—flooded his mind, the Archduke realized with a sharp pang that her face had become too faint to recall.

Well, it had been over twenty years.

Desperate to preserve what little was left of her in his mind, he closed his eyes tightly before reopening them.

Yet, when his vision cleared, it was not his sister’s face he saw.

Standing before him, her silver hair cascading like liquid moonlight, was the Duchess, who had silently drawn closer without him noticing.

For a brief moment, he had wondered if she might be his sister’s daughter.

But that had been an absurd thought.

Although they were of similar age, that was the extent of their resemblance. When he had done the math properly, there was a clear two-year gap between their birth years.

As he studied Iona’s face, the Archduke suddenly blurted out,

“Did Hayden have any other illegitimate children?”

-- End Of The Chapter --

 

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