CH 4

It was an unexpected proposal.

“Ho.”

Mihalis, who was stunned and speechless, could only laugh out loud.

‘It’s easier to deal with pirates than this.’

The seal has already been stamped on the marriage certificate. If she had been a pirate, he could just grab her and throw her into the water.

‘This is crazy.’

Mihalis was truly astonished as he gazed at Eliana who was smiling innocently. This normal young lady looked leagues weaker than a pirate. Like she would break somewhere if he held her with a tiny bit more force.

He wasn’t the type who would fight and commit some ‘evil act’ just so she would give up marrying him.

If conciliations and threats did not work, there was nothing Mihalis could do right away.

“If that’s what the lady wants, we will proceed as scheduled.”

For now, he had no choice but to retreat.

‘That d*mn old man…’

Forced to pull back, Mihalis recalled his father who had already passed away.

He was a genius of strategy who had won numerous naval battles. He was easily defeated by his father’s last trick.

The majority of the wedding details were taken care of without his knowledge and they were scheduled to be wed in two months.

“If you change your mind, even after marriage, please let me know.”

Having made up his mind to some extent, Mihalis looked at Eliana and said,

“Divorce is always on the table.”

Perhaps she wants to get married because she doesn’t know anything right now, but she will soon regret it anyway.

Mihalis had no intention of ruining the life of a pitiful lady. His father was divorced three times. Just because it’s him doesn’t mean he can’t do anything.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Eliana was delighted as the words she hadn’t expected came out of Mihalis’ mouth.

The duke was such a cool character so it was a really good decision to snatch him.

***

Rumble!

That night, there was heavy rain, thunder and lightning roared viciously.

“Nanny!”

Awoken by the sound of thunder, the six-year-old Mihalis pulled the covers over his head and shouted for his nanny.

“Nanny!”

Rumble bang!

The terrified child’s cries were drowned out by the thunder.

“Nanny, where did you go?”

There was no answer no matter how hard he called out to his nanny, so Mihalis took his pillow and went out into the hallway and opened the door to the room next to his.

‘I’m scared…!’

The fact that his nanny’s room was empty made Mihalis even more frightened. His legs trembled with fear, but he did not cry out loud.

‘Because I’m the eldest son of the Atcher family, the shield of the empire…’

He couldn’t show tears just because he was afraid of this thunderstorm.

‘I want to go to Mother.’

Mihalis held back his tears and hugged the pillow in his arms even tighter.

‘I’m not afraid of thunder and lightning… I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid. I just don’t like to be alone.’

Crackle. Bang!

Is it a typhoon? The tightly closed windows rattled loudly and flashes of lightning stung his eyes.

“Why is no one here…?”

Mihalis, who went up from the second floor to the third floor without crying, was anxious as he hadn’t been able to run into a single one of the many servants.

“Kyaaak!”

Then, through the thunder, a shrill scream set off Mihalis’ anxiety. The sound seemed to have come from his mother’s room.

“Mother!”

Mihalis ran to his mother’s room without delay.

“Mother!”

Without knocking, Mihalis opened the door and rushed in. 

Shocked at the terrible sight in front of him, Mihalis dropped the pillow he was tightly holding in his arms.

***TW***

“Fa–.”

Mihalis involuntarily took a step back. The scene inside the room was even more horrifying than the outside that had been torn apart by the thunderstorm.

“Fa… Father.”

His mother was lying naked on the bed, and his father, who was on top of her, was strangling her.

“You, why are you wandering about at this hour?!”

The Duke’s eyes, glistening with madness, glared at Mihalis as if he would devour him.

“Father I… I’m…”

Mihalis turned pale, startled by the eyes leaking murderous intent, and took another step back. The Duchess’ torn clothes caught on his feet.

“Keurk! Mihal… Keuk! Go back to your room.”

As the Duke’s attention focused on Mihalis, the Duchess, freed from his stranglehold, swallowed her coughs and said with difficulty.

“Mother…….”

Her body was heaving from the coughing.

With one glance, he saw his mother’s back filled with traces of bites and red snake-like marks.

“Father! Spare… spare Mother!”

At that moment, he saw the clear handprints on her neck and the dizzying scars all over her body. Mihalis swallowed his fear and ran to his father, clinging to him.

“Father!”

Weren’t those the marks of being whipped? It was something that should not have happened to his mother, a noble duchess. The tears he had been holding back ran down his soft cheeks.

“Father, Father please!”

Slap.

In an instant, there was a flash, right in front of him. It felt like lightning struck Mihalis’ cheek.

Boom!

Immediately after the lightning flashed, an ear splitting thunder shook the castle.

“Mihal!”

The Duchess screamed at what had happened before she had time to stop it.

“Heuk…”

Mihalis, who had fallen about a meter away due to the  strong impact, struggled to get up. The smell of blood filled his tender mouth. Blood dripped from his nose and onto the rug.

“What do you know! You dare to command me?”

As his anger had not yet subsided, the Duke’s murderous aura bore down on Mihalis.

“Heuk.”

His eyes brimming with tears blurred. It was the first time he had been struck ever since he was born. Mihalis struggled to stop the tears that were welling up.

“Get out of here. Go back to your room!”

“…..”

Unable to say anything further at the duke’s command, Mihalis’ steps as he turned back were heavy, as if he had fallen into mud. The thunder and lightning no longer felt terrifying.

‘Filthy…….’

The hero who saved his country from the Zaifen Kingdom’s invasion ten years ago. The one who everyone respected. He was the one he loved and respected until yesterday.

The future of not being able to respect his father, who was his own hero, was more terrifying than thunder and lightning.

***

“Mihal… my son… Mom is sorry.”

The Duchess, who was clearly ill, held Mihalis’ hand and sobbed.

“It’s not Mother’s fault.”

Mihalis—just seven years old—said calmly, looking down at his mother in her sickbed. Even while lying down with an illness, she couldn’t wear comfortable clothes, and the clothes that covered her neck looked suffocating.

“I’ve shown you something you shouldn’t have seen…”

Was it such a shock to her psyche—for having shown something she shouldn’t have to her son? It had been six months since she laid in her sick bed.

“Mother….”

Mihalis held his mother’s hand as her life flickered. No tears. Because his anger was greater than his sadness.

‘I can’t forgive you.’

Mihalis was angrier at himself for not being able to protect his mother than at his father, who refused to come home with the excuse of naval training when his wife’s life was in danger.

“I’m really sorry…”

After her last words, a tear ran down the Duchess’ dry cheek and she closed her eyes. It was the lonely end to the life of the woman who was Mihalis’ mother and the third wife of the Duke.

***

“An answer arrived for the marriage proposal I sent to the North.”

“You did something pointless.”

It has been quiet for a while, but it started again. Mihalis sighed lightly as he looked at his father, who had come in without notice.

“You will get married this time.”

“I don’t want to.”

His white eyebrows twitched at his son’s prompt and firm response.

“What the hell do you want? Keulk! Keurk!”

The Duke, distraught at his son’s attitude, raised his voice and coughed. The taste of black blood was bitter.

“As I’ve said before, I have no intention of getting married.”

Mihalis looked at the portrait the old duke held out. She was a pretty girl with fair skin and rare silver hair.

“Isn’t she really pretty?”

Mihalis’ looked at the portrait so the duke relaxed and said soothingly. If she was this pretty, his son might change his mind. She was a really hard-to-find daughter-in-law.

“I don’t feel anything. Remove it. I’m busy.” 

Mihalis’ expression conveyed annoyance at the obstruction that covered the documents that needed to be signed immediately.

“St*p*d b*st*rd.” 

The body of the duke leaning on his cane, trembled. How many times has it been already? The old duke’s son who has grown and matured has become a pain in the neck. Had he known this sooner, he would have arranged a political marriage before his head grew.

“Are you going to go to the North now?”

This id*ot*c son of his made it difficult for him to get married as he would often run to the other party’s family and give them a ‘polite refusal’.

“Did you leave all your work to me so you could do this?”

It was strange. His father, who seemed like he would never let go of his power until he dies, appointed him as the “Temporary Head of the House” on the pretext that he was sick, so Mihalis had been busy day in and day out.

If it had been the usual, as soon as he heard the news, he would have gone and left to break off the engagement. But now, a mountain of work was holding him back.

“You are my only heir. What’s wrong with handing it over a little sooner? Keugh keurk!”

Fuming due to Mihalis, the Duke coughed. His lungs, which were already a wreck, hurt as if they were being ripped apart with a knife.

“If you’re done talking, go back and rest. Standing for too long is not good for your health.”

Mihalis looked indifferently at the old duke as he wiped the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief.

“Ungrateful j*rk.”

He would never have expected that the son he barely got in his mid-40s would upset him. The problem was that this guy was his one and only heir. If he had only one more son. No, even if there was only one useful guy in the collateral line, he would have kicked out this reprehensible son a long time ago.

“It won’t be easy for you to interfere this time.” [Duke]

“What are you talking about?”

Mihalis, who raised his pen again to start signing, stared at the old duke.

“I didn’t write your name on the marriage proposal. They will probably think that they are coming as my wife.” [Duke]

In the meantime, the duke had accumulated enough experience in his son’s sabotage operations so he had now taken a different route.

If his name was not written on the marriage proposal, there was no reason for him to run off and reject it.

“What did you do!”

“As soon as I received the marriage certificate, I sent a gift. I told them to leave as soon as the bride is ready.”