CH 123

Heinrich realized the moment he saw a child who resembled his biological father.

It was ‘that child’.

The newborn baby in a warm blanket.

A child who slept soundly as he peered in through the window, shivering from the cold.

A child who was carefully born into a perfect family.

He was different from him from the start.

The boy seemed to be around 12-years-old, and when Heinrich looked into his bright eyes, he was enveloped in strange feelings.

And the feeling of that time came back to him.

Looking at the white and small infant, Heinrich at the time seemed to have felt a little affection.

“It must be my brother… pretty…”

—That’s what he said.

And the feeling sharper than that faint affection…

…Was envy of the child.

Madly.

But even the feeling of envy seemed to be a crime against his mother, so young Heinrich hid his emotions tightly and swallowed them.

The emotions of that time covered Heinrich in an instant.

Overall, it was an unpleasant feeling.

“Ah.”

The child looked at Heinrich’s face, and then quickly removed his hand in surprise.

“Sorry! I thought it was someone I knew. You look so alike.”

The child didn’t seem to know Heinrich.

The nine great wizard families who live in the Magic Tower occupied only the 99th floor, so they didn’t show up often in the social world.

Besides, a child this young wouldn’t even be able to participate in the wizard’s meeting held in the tower.

“I’m Eric! The eldest son of Grand Duke Valentino!”

“…….”

“Are you a distant relative of our family?!”

Eric asked with a face that had never been hurt in his life. The child didn’t even look bound by aristocratic formality.

The emotions such as ‘discipline, responsibility, and oppression’ that noble children had as a side effect of high status were not visible on his face.

Overflowing love…

As if he had grown up very nicely.

People who have gone through a difficult childhood often feel intimidated by the aura that radiated such brightness and preciousness, but Heinrich thought to himself.

‘What is this bastard?’

‘What is he saying?’

He made the mistake of grabbing the waist of the person he saw for the first time and started talking in a bright way. Not knowing who he was talking to, being rude.

It was a situation that an average person would think, ‘Am I being too harsh on a child?!’

However, Heinrich, being honest with his feelings, just frowned.

“Go away.”

“……!!!”

It was then that the child’s eyes trembled.

“Grand Prince Eric!”

At that moment, a woman rushed over and grabbed Eric’s hand.

As if to protect him from Heinrich.

“H-Hello. Your Excellency, Grand Duke Hyacinth.”

She seemed to know Heinrich.

“Our Grand Prince did not recognize you and committed disrespect. My name is Mislyn Blanchet, the maid working in the Grand Duchy of Valentino.”

Blanchet was of a marquis family.

She was a middle-aged woman with no sense of incompatibility even if she had a child as old as Heinrich.

Heinrich looked at her expressionlessly.

“…….”

“The master is waiting for you. I will take you to him.”

Eric left with the other attendants with a gloomy face, and Heinrich followed Mislyn’s guidance.

After passing through the public space on the 99th floor, a corridor that extended into nine branches came out.

She opened her mouth and said while guiding him into the first hallway.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’ve always been watching you, Grand Duke Hyacinth.”

“Me?!”

“All the servants know.”

Usually, people only thought that Heinrich merely resembled Grand Duke Valentino’s characteristics (eye and hair color).

Sshhh— They would whisper, asking if Heinrich was actually a close relative, but became an orphan for some reason.

Even so, the Grand Duke Valentino mercilessly refused to take in the relative and pretended not to know that he was adopted elsewhere.

But at least, the servants knew the truth.

That a courtesan had his child.

And that he coldly abandoned her.

Heinrich’s eyes hardened and he raised the corners of his lips.

It was a terribly cold smile.

“What do you know?”

“……!!!”

‘Oh, I almost crossed the line.’

A woman named Mislyn, startled by his bleak eyes, immediately bowed her head. Her body trembled in fear.

At that moment, a servant who doubles as a gatekeeper appeared, and she nodded her head politely.

“Please wait a moment, I’ll go through the procedure, Grand Duke Hyacinth.”

The Archmage’s residence on the 99th floor of the Magic Tower has always had an entrance procedure woven by complicated magic.

“Madam Mislyn, your master is looking for you.”

“…Yes.”

Mislyn, terrified, swallowed her saliva and left, as if her life was miraculously saved.

Heinrich only frowned unpleasantly, but did not catch her and make a fuss.

―Anyway, he was right in front of his biological father’s residence.

It was then.

A muttering conversation could be heard from the corner of the tower.

“I think the master is trying to apologize today. His Excellency the Grand Duke will soon be the full-fledged master of the tower, and he will see him often in the future.”

“…….”

‘My father, he wants to apologize to me?’

“I agree with you. As people get older, they tend to dwell on past mistakes… It’s late, but I can’t imagine how much he would’ve thought of a son who he didn’t treat well?”

“I’m glad he realized right now.”

“It’s understandable that he’s sorry. Such a genius son would have been the light of the family.”

“I know right.”

Heinrich could hear soft conversations from afar thanks to his highly developed magical powers, and the servants did not even know he was eavesdropping.

They just disappeared after turning the corner.

After a while.

After the procedure was over, and Heinrich could finally enter the drawing room, he was confused by the feelings that were tangling up.

‘What are these feelings?’

He felt his chest tighten.

‘I can’t believe he’s going to apologize.’

Only one thing seemed to be clear.

He was sad now.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

“My master…”

Duncan opened his mouth. About the whole story.

“He was anxious from the beginning.”

“…….”

“From the first day we arrived on the island.”

―To the extent that he would rather say that the past 10 years of being crazy have been more comfortable.

Heinrich, who found Annette in Bayonaire, was always nervous and unsure.

“Why don’t you go to bed?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Why?”

Heinrich replied, standing and staring at the little log house on the hill.

“If I fall asleep, I think Sister will leave forever in the meantime.”

“…….”

“She used to try to sneak away when I was asleep.”

“Didn’t Miss Annette promise not to leave?”

“The promise is…”

Heinrich’s lips rose bitterly.

“She did it when she left me.”

Even at the time when she locked him up and left him coldly forever. He actually wanted to ask, ‘How can you leave me and go away?’

‘I can’t live a single day without you, you’re all I have.’

But in their reunion, Annette was so precious and sweet that Heinrich dared not even blame her.

Swallowing anxiety alone…

The little piece of affection she gave him was like poison and he couldn’t help but put it in his mouth.

“Duncan, I found a way. How to make Sister unable to leave.”

Heinrich said that if Gerard found her, she would have no choice but to marry him.

“If she doesn’t want to be registered with Gerard, marriage is the easiest way for now.”

“…….”

“I’m not sure if I’m the man most attractive to her.”

Heinrich was completely convinced.

“But I’m probably the most comfortable person to marry. I’m going to seduce her through a ‘contract marriage’.”

After listening, Duncan asked,

“Do you want to take Miss Annette to El Dorado, where you live?”

“What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter where I live. If Sister likes it, I can make bread for the rest of my life on a small island. However…”

“…….”

“If I don’t do this, Sister will leave me. Or go to Sislin.”

Saying that, Heinrich had an anxious look like an 11-year-old boy.

He wanted to do something bad because he was afraid that the affection of the girl he loved would be taken away.

Just like when he secretly told the location of the hideout to incite the model student.

Heinrich’s heart had not grown at all since Annette left and remained the same.

“If Miss Annette finds out later—”

“Sister shouldn’t know that I did something bad.”

“…….”

“Never.”

The narrowed purple eyes felt arrogant as usual, but his eyes gleamed with an anxiety that he could not hide.

Anyway, Gerard was bound to come soon.

Sislin and Heinrich could not stay on Bayonaire Island indefinitely.

The two were already rumored to be looking for Annette, therefore, Gerard would be suspicious if both were away from the capital for a long time.

In turn, Gerard had no choice but to notice at any time.

If Annette found out about this, she would leave Bayonaire and run away again.

Heinrich looked out of the window and muttered expressionlessly.

“I know. I’m not normal.”

“…….”

“But that’s all. How else can I be with Annette?”

‘Sister, I’m sorry.’

Like someone said, it’s like a Vivantum with a broken part somewhere in his brain.

But he didn’t know any other way.

‘How can I catch you…’

‘How can I not be left alone?’

‘How can I make you love me even as much as a single piece of my heart that loves you madly?’

He still had no idea.

It was killing him more and more.

‘Annette, save me. No, kill me.’

‘Let me know how you can drive this dark and terrible anxiety away.’

…Please.