CH 176

Duke, Please Repent! chapter 176

36. The Duke's Family Reunion (1)

Serpence must have returned, too, and I went to the dining room in the main building with Eugenes to have breakfast.

When we got there, as usual, Serpens sat first and waited for us.

"Did you sleep well?"

Yes, I slept well.

Serpens answered the question asked like a habit.

He replied with an elegant smile.

I know that politeness is a conscious reaction to the maids who carry food, but the perfect expression on her face bothers me.

It's not just the face.

Always you] when asked if you slept well. Did Zion have a good sleep?' The question came back, but it felt like he was strangely emphasizing that he slept well today.

Oh no! You can't do that, you should sleep well.

I wasn't the only one who noticed his abnormality.

He said with a tone that he was worried.

That's right! The second most important thing after eating is sleeping.

I lost the player because I was lost in thought, but my opinion wasn't too different from her.

I nodded my head vigorously and listened to her.

Seeing the two of us react, Serpence's perfect smile was slightly eroded, revealing a bit of absurdity in the gap.

I, didn't I say that I slept well?

Yes! You didn't!

Serpense's eyes blinked rapidly at my confident answer. The head was also slightly tilted.

He must have been reviewing his words once again by looking back at his memory.

Then, as if he had found the problem, he smiled fervently.

Ah... I'm sorry to bother you. It's not a big deal, I was just a little tired and couldn't sleep.

It looks like the scissors have been pressed because I am so tired.

Maybe it went beyond that and I had a nightmare. Heard about the Heretic Inquisitor and thought of his father... .

'By the way, didn't this guy react strangely to yesterday's request to go to rest?'

how gloomy

I thought it was because I was just drowsy and confused, but I guess that wasn't the case.

Looking back on the situation now, I think I knew it before I went to bed.

Is it normal to have nightmares when you are tired? Why did I only notice this now?'

When a child struggles to sleep, I should have asked the reason why, but when he looked tired, he only thought about putting him to sleep.

That's basically what children are.

It's okay to say things that are okay, even if you don't ask them, they'll get along just fine.

"More than that, did you get a call from the church asking if you could visit me this afternoon?

all.

The guy spoke in a way that could be seen clearly.

But I couldn't bite it and hang on here.

For more details, I'll ask when the two of us are alone, and for now, I'll have to focus on the topic he raised.

"Did you allow it?"

Yes. I replied that you would come around three o'clock.

Eirich-sama must have wanted to see the Duke quickly.

"You mean me?"

What kind of bullshit is that, a serpent throwing it like a sneak peek?'

It's worth it. No matter how many families you come from, it's your first chance to see your cute nephew up close.

"But according to the discipline of the denomination "

"It's separate from that. No matter how thoroughly you follow the rules, emotions alone cannot be resolved with effort. That's why our elves also said, 'When making an oath on the World Tree, swearing with emotions is taboo.

regarded as.

I think I've heard that story.

As if he understood what Euges was trying to say, Serpens nodded in reply.

Of course, that doesn't mean he really understood, he just pretended to be like that.

How was it in the sight of Lord Zion?

Are you Eirich?

Yes. Yulydia-sama gave a brief talk yesterday, but I remembered that I didn't hear Sir Zion's opinion...

I did my luck first, but I didn't think he'd ask about the Heretic Inquisitor first.

Even when Euges spoke up yesterday, didn't he openly show his reluctance?

But when I think about meeting him, he seems very anxious.

"Being a heretic inquisitor by profession, it's a bit suspenseful there's no strict part about it, but basically, I seemed to like people who were good and innocent."

'Why didn't the monkey cut off Xeon's ear and take a different approach?

Before making suspenseful remarks such as 'Are you going?

He looked at us with gentle eyes, who had no doubts about it.

And I didn't hear this in person, it's just my guess.... The reason why Eilee-nim has completely cut off ties with the Prasidus family may have been due to the discipline of the Order, but it's not a threat to me, the Duke's position. Perhaps it was more because of the fear that it might not happen."

To be precise, it would include the squadron duke, but the job of a nobleman is beyond my knowledge.

Instead of answering with a moron, Serpens pretended to choke lightly, pondering what I had said.

He must be analyzing who the Heretic Inquisitor is.

Oh! And I even scolded Shion.

Oh, I remember. It's clear from the report...

It seems that Euges wrote that. It was needlessly detailed.

Somehow, it seemed that the heretical Inquisitor's evaluation had risen a bit in Serpence.

'The reaction was that they didn't know what I was talking about, so why do you think it's okay because you scolded me?!'

I felt sad, but in the end it was a good situation.

It is more important to reassure Serpence than these personal feelings for now.

It's okay to say things like this on the subject of scolding, but I'm sure I'm not a scary or bad person. Like Eugenes said, I think I'm a good person too.

If you both thought so

certainly . Oh! Before I met him in person, I asked him about this . uh... , maybe I was wrong... .

Serpens nodded and did not give the heretic inquisitor's pre-evaluation, but abruptly covered his mouth with a smirk.

Being restless is like looking at someone's eyes.

Just live comfortably.

There is no such thing as 'The Duke of Prasidus is a fan of background investigations.

You might be wondering. No, isn't it natural to wonder? And

Excuse me for something like that? After all, Eirich-sama must have heard all the rumors about the Duke.

That's right. The important thing is not to be prejudiced. Wouldn't it be more pleasing to know that Serpens-sama was interested and asked about you first?

I think so too! Would that have been worse if I hadn't asked for anything?

Me and Euges said give and take, and calmed Serpens.

I'm glad if that's the case.

As if he was relieved then, he said with a smile when spraying.

If there's one problem, it's about glancing at me that I don't know why it's sad?

But where is his fault?

'For Serpens, blood is not a warm and sticky bond, but just a cold, squishy swamp .'

The story of the Heretic Inquisitor is no longer mentioned.

Instead, the little things that happened in the duke's house when Serpens was away.

There was talk about

Occasionally, the two of us had conversations about dessert.

"Did you hear that there was a new work for ; Sweet Days ? They made a pound of chocolate with plenty of banana puree, and they said it was so delicious."

I heard that if you make a special order, they put other puree instead of banana puree.

"But wouldn't yuzu puree go well with a pound of chocolate?"

Uh, how did you know that I ordered yuzu puree !

Serpens didn't participate in the conversation, but he listened, playing with his hands more slowly than usual to keep pace with us.

* * *

After dinner, I left and Serpens headed to the office.

Eugenes said that it was frustrating to be alone in the mansion, and Serpens returned.

So, before lunch, I left the message that I would be back and left.

She didn't say where she was going, but no one at the Duke's house knew that she had a hobby of climbing forested mountains.

"Serpence, did you have a nightmare last night?"

" what the hell."

You put out tea like that, and what do you say to whom?

Instead of going to my seat and sitting down, I went to Serpens's seat, put my desk on the table, and made eye contact with him, arguing and arguing.

Then the boy made a squeaky sound and narrowed his eyes as if they were shedding.

Before you went to bed yesterday, you knew you were going to have a nightmare? Why didn't you tell me?

" doesn't it change anything by talking about it?"

Why doesn't anything change...!

I was about to scream in tears, but I shut my mouth at a sudden thought.

As a child, my sister and I often covered ourselves with blankets and watched horror movies on TV.

My sister, who was trembling and afraid of me, calmly approached me, and then the strangely scary thing went away.

'I pretended to be strong in front of me, and when my parents came, my sister ran out first.'

And when I spread the blanket in the living room and fell asleep next to my sister between my parents and my sister, I could not even get a glimpse of nightmares or fear.

'Did Serpens have such memories?'

For him, nightmares are not something we can overcome together, but rather alone.

It would have been just an ascetic that had to be patiently endured.

"Are you okay now?"

Thanks, better than before...

A sigh escaped me.

Even with such a past, I had never seen him have nightmares before, so he was completely vigilant.

Is it always when you're tired? I was quite tired when I first went down to the Duchy, and when I came up, I wasn't like that back then.

It's not about being tired, it's about falling asleep deeply. Tired at that time

One thing was the mind, and thanks to the divine power, my physical strength was intact, so I could control it enough. But just in case you didn't know, I went to bed before I got any more tired... .

It just means you haven't slept well.

I'm afraid of maggots, so I can't cook, I'm afraid of nightmares, so I sleep and drink... .

He slept very little, but even that wasn't sleeping properly.

'Yeah, I was wrong! Why didn't you notice this?!'

omg man sleeps head

It was absurd to say that a single aura could not be disturbed.

I should have felt strange earlier, but I thought it could be because I was a Serpense and not someone else, and the problem is that I overdid it unintentionally.

Knowing that he was no more than an ordinary human in the end.

Angels, honorary elves, and everything else, they treated me like an outsider.

It was half a joke, but I should have kept reminding myself that he was actually the softest human being.

place .

" Have you ever had another nightmare after I came?"

"At this time last year?"

It is said that the guy who was running away because he was afraid of nightmares ended up having a nightmare because of me.

twice as well.

'It's crazy that I've noticed by now! No, you should have noticed yesterday!'

Raising a serpent, I am as much as I am today

I have never felt my own shortcomings.

Then why don't you leave the Holy Power yesterday, why did you write it to me?!

"It's okay if it hurts. And that side is more beneficial to me ."

"Is this an abbreviation for this kind of pain for Serpence?"

Think about it. It's much better to not wake up and go to sleep until morning than to repeat waking up with nothing in the way of divine power or stamina.

What are you thinking, ma'am!

" Do you want to get down on your knees and raise your hands?"

I quietly touched my forehead.

Oh my gosh.