Chapter 23

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Chapter 23 – Completely Different From The Original (2)

He couldn’t abandon his son again. It was the same as twenty years ago. Even then, he chose one of the two precious things in his life, and this time, he had to make the same decision. To choose between the precious daughter who had escaped from his arms and a precious son who was in danger in his arms. Now that the daughter had evaporated overnight, the Archduke chose the son he could embrace with more certainty.

“I’m not good enough. To you and Eve…” He recalled the conversation he had with Ethan on the wall. The Archduke closed his burning eyes and said, clenching his jaw.

“Also strengthen the security of the castle. No one should enter without my permission.”

Understanding the meaning of his order, the butler bowed his head with a pale complexion.

“Yes, Your Highness…”

Alonso didn’t dare to say anything to the Archduke who chose Ethan over Evelyn.

“What about Ethan?”

“He is in the bedroom.”

“I want to see that kid.”

He stumbled for a moment, but the Archduke moved on his own. When he finally arrived at his son’s bedroom, he could see his pale complexion and heavy breathing. He felt like his eyes were getting dark. The faces of those who shared Ethan’s life came to mind. Sylvia and her husband in Heros, and even Duke Orman. So many different people, the worries that filled him were full of them and weighed on him. He wasn’t just worried about Ethan. Sylvia was also a dear friend to him. It was a combination of distress over a close friend and a close friend’s family, of course, he would be worried. His heart was heavy because their life and death were uncertain.

It was already heartbreaking to hear about the passing of the brother whom he had trusted all his life. It was also hard to think what to say to Ethan when he regained consciousness. In the meantime, Evelyn’s face, who had left his side, glimmered in his mind, making it difficult to breathe. However, it was time to accept the sudden breakup and change.

Forcing himself to lead and make decisions, he received a detailed report of the inside story, and he closed his eyes, feeling devastated.

When he arrived at the castle, he was greeted with news of five arrows stuck in Ethan’s back and side. He managed to escape from those who rushed him to death. If Ethan’s skills were even a little lacking, the Archduke would have lost his son. Just imagining that made his heart constrict from intense anger and fear.

The Archduke held the hand of still unconscious Ethan and prayed for him to wake up safely.

It was all he could do, he was helpless.

Waking with a faint moan, the first thing Ethan felt was pain. His stomach, back, legs, and shoulders were burning as if on fire. In addition, his eyes, which had been accustomed to the darkness, complained of pain even in the dim light shining through his eyelids. Nevertheless, Ethan overcame the pain and lifted his heavy eyelids.

“Young Master!” Philman’s familiar voice hummed from afar.

“Are you awake? Physician, call the physician immediately!”

By the time the sound began to be heard clearly, he was able to distinguish things beyond his blurry vision.

Ethan glanced behind him and scanned the room.

“Philman…”

Ethan turned his head about, looking through the bedroom. But no matter how much he looked around, Philman was the only one there. Ethan had to face the emotions that filled him inside.

‘What the hell makes me so upset?’ As soon as he asked himself this question, the figure of Evelyn he had seen just before he lost consciousness hovered in his mind. Her face, which appeared precariously pale and tired, seemed to have been embedded in his eyes. Only then did Ethan realize that he was looking for Evelyn. He was worried that she might have been surprised by the unsightly scene she had witnessed unnecessarily. Ethan wanted to see Evelyn so badly, he forced his mouth to open.

“Evelyn?”

He looked for Evelyn with a cracked voice, but no answer came back. In that eerie silence, Ethan was about to say something more, but those who heard Philman’s shouts rushed into the room.

“Young Master, are you awake? Can you see me?” The physician and other servants entered his bedroom, which became noisy in an instant.

None of them was the person Ethan wanted. He asked again, looking at the physician who had begun examining his wounds.

“Where is Evelyn?”

There was no answer this time as well. If there was anything different from Philman’s silence, it was that the servants flinched in unison. Even in his still hazy mind, he could feel something odd.

“What…”

“Ethan!”

This time, it was Archduke Fedora who came in, bursting through the door and cutting his question short. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he saw the Archduke.

“Father…”

The Archduke staggered towards the bed. His eyes were red as he lowered himself immediately and grabbed Ethan’s hand.

“You woke up. What about your body? Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere?”

“I’m fine…”

Judging from the circumstances, it seemed that much time had passed since he lost consciousness. Ethan smiled softly to reassure the Archduke. As if imitating him, the Archduke smiled sadly.

“As for the raiders…”

There was no way that the Archduke who returned to the castle could not have heard anything. He wanted to ask how things were going, but the Archduke shook his head.

“Later, we’ll talk about that later. You need to rest. For the time being, you just focus on resting well.”

Ethan, noticing that the Archduke’s hand was trembling, nodded obediently. He was too tired to share complicated stories right now.

“Yes… All right.”

Having decided to obey the will of his father, Ethan finally brought up the unanswered question he had asked upon waking up.

“But…” His gaze rested on the closed bedroom door. “Where is Evelyn?

Distracted by Evelyn’s absence, Ethan didn’t notice the shade formed on the Archduke’s face.

“…We’ll talk about that later, too. When you recover… Now rest.”

“Yes? What does that…”

‘I only asked about Evelyn, but why is everyone avoiding answering?’ Ethan asked while feeling puzzled, but instead of an answer, the Archduke stood up from his seat with a stiff look.

“Father…?”

“First, rest. I’ll take care of everything.”

Wiping his tired face, the Archduke turned around. Ethan couldn’t stop him as he left the bedroom. He looked around the room again, but the physician, who was examining the wounds, and the servants waiting to serve him, all avoided his gaze.

“…Everyone, out.”

After bidding them away, Ethan stared at Philman. When he forced himself to stand up, Philman supported him. As he put the pillow up and leaned on it, Ethan’s body sagged. Taking a deep breath, he asked.

“How long has it been?”

“A week has passed.”

“That long?”

Ethan clicked his tongue briefly and touched his stomach. The pain as if his skin was burning was clear. When he looked back at Philman immediately after taking a breath, the guilt deepened. Philman was covered with bandages, too. There were visible signs of convex swelling under the clothes. He had a splint on his left arm, and his left ear was also covered with a bandage.

“Are you okay?”

“I apologize. Because of me, the Young Master….”

“If it wasn’t for you, I would have died right after the attack, so don’t blame yourself. That’s my role.”

Ethan didn’t bring a separate escort when he left the great castle. He was planning to run lightly on the plains outside the city, so he only took Philman as usual. By the time he got out of Holfman while riding on a horse, the chill of winter rushing from the front was just pleasant. The strange heat seemed to cool down.

However, despite the long galloping, his enthusiasm remained the same. No, at some point, it rather became even hotter due to a person who occupied his mind. A face with graceful features, a clear yet sharp voice, smooth movements like flowing water, and even the touch of a gentle hand holding him. As his attention had been sold elsewhere, it was too late when he caught the signs of assailants hiding in the snow. Because of this, he was exposed to the unexpected attack of as many as twenty unidentified men. When the battle that came at an unprepared moment began, Ethan blamed himself for his recklessness.

“Philman!” When Philman blocked the arrow that was aimed at him with his body, his recrimination turned into rage. Nevertheless, Ethan put his reason first. Struggling while outnumbered, he could be confident that while he might have been shaken by emotions, he was not devoured by them. However, the moment when he realized his life was in danger after suffering a wound in his abdomen, he recalled Evelyn, smiling while raising one corner of her mouth. He wanted to see her, who carefully reached out while keeping a distance as if been wary of him. The sudden memory took full control of Ethan.

Blue mana overflowing in the air cut off the unidentified men, and Ethan ran away with Philman, who had fallen.

It was Evelyn’s image that held onto him while he rushed to the castle before a relentless pursuit.

He longed for those straightforward scarlet eyes that had never avoided his gaze.

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