CH 48.2

Daymond was human, and yet not.

Something inhuman was mixed in his blood. It wasn’t what he wanted. He just inherited his father’s lineage. He later found out that the blood was from an unknown entity.

Being of transcendental blood did not mean that he could freely use magic, control the weather, or possess great powers that could destroy a kingdom in the blink of an eye. It was just that he was faster than ordinary people and had a little more strength. It was just that no one could hide their fear in front of him.

Above all, the most special thing that differentiated him from other humans was eternal life.

Daymond’s mother was Mariel Cromund, the only daughter of Grand Duke Klein Cromound, who ruled the Northern Territory. With her radiant blonde curly hair, pure as a snowflake, she was more noble than anyone else. There was no one who didn’t treat her like a goddess.

One day, Mariel broke through the snow and fell in love with a man who suddenly appeared in the estate.

The man was a man with a bewitchingly beautiful, mysterious appearance, so she fell in love with him at first sight. With ardent love, Mariel had a child, but the man left her as soon as he found out she was pregnant, leaving her with strange words.

[Can’t you tell me who the child’s father is!]

[…]

Grand Duke Cromound was furious with the fact that his daughter was pregnant. He then imprisoned her in the annex of the castle on the grounds that she had dishonored the family.

It was a natural reaction, as impure blood was mixed in the noble blood born with the lineage of the Imperial family. He criticized his daughter for having a bastard child and treated her harshly without even looking at her face.

She went from being a respected woman of the northern territory to being stigmatized as a prostitute who recklessly threw away her body overnight. The world’s condemnation of her having an illegitimate child and the ten months of being locked up alone behind the iron gates were enough to drive her deep into the abyss and led to her consequent collapse.

Mariel couldn’t forget the man who abandoned her, so she wept endlessly and became ull. Soon after, her mind and body weakened, and she died of difficult labor on the day she gave birth to Daymond.

Because of this, the Grand Duchy’s illegitimate son attracted all sorts of attention from the moment he was born. The child who was born from the mother’s sorrow and tears was gloomy from birth. He didn’t smile or cry, and he didn’t show much emotion.

Moreover, the child did not have the characteristic of the Grand Duke’s family that has been passed down from generation to generation, but resembled the secret man’s appearance. A child with black hair and red eyes was born to the Grand Duke’s family, where before there had only ever been blonde hair resembling the sun. So it was obvious how his appearance would be reflected in people’s eyes.

Even though he was a lovely child with smooth black hair and ruby-like clear eyes, people started to say baseless things because of his odd appearance. That the Lady bore the seed of a non-human being . . .

[That hair color, those red eyes. It’s terrible.]

[No matter how you look at it, he must be the devil’s child.]

The blame for Mariel’s death was directed at the young Lord.

Since illegitimate children were originally regarded as a source of sin, the rumor spread like wildfire.

Knowing how it would affect the child, they blatantly grimaced and walked away every time they saw Daymond’s face. It was because they quickly realized that there was nothing the little noble boy could do. On top of that, no one would protect him.

There was also a common opinion that they felt displeasure and fear when facing the child.

The Grand Duke closed his ears despite hearing the rumors and locked himself in his room out of the guilt of causing his daughter to die. The only ones taking care of the young Daymond were the careless servants. They only prepared meals according to the time, just like feeding a dog, and no one cared for him affectionately.

Until the child was seven years old, he grew up all alone.

A child who grew up alone amidst the shunning of the world, once he reached educational age, he began to stand out with distinction. He was so intelligent that even a private tutor would be rendered speechless. He quickly mastered things such that, if he was taught one martial art, his skills would be ten times as great.

Around that time, the Grand Duke finally came out of his room after hearing the news of his clever grandson. Although he was of illegitimate blood, Daymond was the only heir to the Grand Duke’s family.