It took less than half a day for the relationship between the host and the guest to change. Viscount Willem knelt down and handed out the papers with trembling hands.
“Bah, please accept it.”
“What’s this?”
“This is the flow of the quantity received from the deputy count.”
Luke snatched the papers and skimmed them. How many trade items were received and how they were divided and hidden were recorded in detail.
To the viscount, it is the same as confessing one’s own sins. However, Luke’s reaction was cold.
“You are doing something useless.”
Fire.
“… … !?”
Seeing the papers thrown into the fire, the viscount opened his mouth wide. Without having time to say anything, the paperwork quickly turned into a handful of ashes.
“It’s none of my business how the deputy count distributed the goods or how much you siphoned off.”
“That, that word… … .”
“I only want one thing. Stability and development of the West and the establishment of order.”
The viscount shut his mouth at the shrill sound. believe me now? However, when Luke added a word, he immediately understood.
“Conflict begets chaos, and chaos begets difficulty in control. I want the West to follow Ray’s orders faithfully and without any confusion. Do you know what that means?”
“Ah, I see.”
“No, it seems I don’t know.”
A sharp smile formed on Luke’s lips.
“It’s fine as long as we fight each other. But you crossed the line. They used their lord, instigated conflicts between territories, and were greedy for wealth that was not theirs.”
“I have to tell you… … .”
“No. It shouldn’t be there.”
Viscount Willem felt a cold sweat run down his cheek and down his chin. Luke’s anger in front of him was never meant to be shown.
The man in front of me was seriously worried. Whether or not the Vindeln family should be completely wiped out.
“Tell me again. The papers don’t matter. What matters is whether you can undo the damage caused by what you did.”
“You can recover! I will definitely enjoy more prosperity than before!”
“well. It seems to me that it is already wrong. The deputy count is still the same, and the amount you receive and the order of distribution have not changed. But can you recover this?”
The viscount closed his eyes tightly at the words that stabbed him in the middle. That was right. Already, the reputation of the Vindeln estate among outsiders has fallen considerably.
A trump card to overturn that fallen reputation was the replacement of the deputy count. However, the ploy that was built has long since been broken.
‘But the moment I talk about the impossible, I’m finished.’
Already lost too many points for Luke. However, in this situation, you say that you will not be able to rectify what you have done? It was almost certain that merciless punishment would be meted out.
“If you give me a chance… … !”
“I will tell the deputy count. From now on, the quantity and order should be the same as other families.”
“… … !”
The viscount suddenly raised his head at the unexpected sound. A ray of hope passed through his eyes. There was a little hope just because the order was equal.
“Go, thank you!”
“There is nothing to be thankful for. If you can’t recover under this condition, there’s no need to look after it then.”
“I will do anything to make it to a level that you will like! In the name of this Willem Bindeln, surely!”
Tears welled up in Viscount Willem’s eyes. lived There will be many hardships in the future, but I have lived for now.
Both the family and himself have a second chance. That alone made me happy enough to bring tears to my eyes.
* * *
“Did they all leave?”
“Yes, he said he just left the castle.”
“is it. You are gone.”
In the empty room, Viscount Willem sighed deeply. Even though it was less than half a day, I felt like I had aged 10 years.
Suddenly, the son’s face appeared in the viscount’s mind.
‘I should have listened to him.’
Regrets came later. Viscount Willem called the knight in charge of Walter’s escort and asked.
“Where is Walter now?”
“You went to see Sir Luke, who was leaving, and just returned.”
“what? Why did you do that!?”
“It sounds disrespectful, but… … .”
The knight paused for a moment and said hesitantly.
“The Viscount must have caused trouble, so he said he was going to apologize.”
“… ha ha ha.”
A dry laugh escaped Viscount Willem’s mouth. I thought of him as a pathetic child. He’s still immature and can’t see the big country.
From noble mtl dot com
‘I was the one who couldn’t even see an inch ahead.’
I walked to the entrance of the abyss with unreasonable tricks. Despite being warned several times, he did not listen. The son, who could not stop his father, soon chose posthumous probation.
If you can’t stop it in advance, you should try to fix it after committing it. How funny. A son who runs around trying to catch up on his father’s mistakes.
“Get Walter. I have something to tell him.”
* * *
“Starting today, you are the head of the Bindeln family.”
“yes!?”
Walter asked involuntarily at the sudden sound. I suddenly called, but what kind of lightning is this?
“Did you have another change of heart this time?”
“If it were you, wouldn’t you know?”
Seeing the viscount’s face, Walter took a step back. The eyes of his father, who were like birds of prey, were nowhere to be found.
All that was there was a pair of tired-looking old eyes. Viscount Willem smiled bitterly.
“I bought Lord Luke’s wrath. Insulted, shamed. But I couldn’t say a word. Because I knew that if I went against it, everything would be over.”
“Ah, father.”
“I should have listened to you right away. I was stupid. I was so stupid. You got caught up in your egotism and ruined everything.”
Viscount Willem covered his face with both hands. Seeing that look full of regret, Walter couldn’t say anything.
“I get it now. Trying to ruin the relationship between the ruler and the subject was the worst choice. As a result, it was like touching Sir Luke’s wrath.”
Luke gave her another chance, but it was only a chance. The Vindeln family may not know it, but the individual Viscount Willem will never be forgiven.
Every time they meet, they will surely suffer humiliation close to retaliation. I’d rather hang myself than that. Or give up the seat of the family head so we won’t have to meet each other.
“So you take over the family head. I believe that you will be able to lead Yeongji well. At least it will be better than this father.”
“… … .”
Walter kept his mouth shut. It’s not because he’s surprised by his father’s change, or because he’s taken aback by the sudden situation. It really made me think that it could be.
‘Sir Luke is a man who is infinitely ruthless to his enemies. If my father went against Sir Luke’s heart, then nothing good will come of it.’
It is fortunate that it ends with only one father. The head of the Gajuran family. Anger toward the household comes back to the family.
If the viscount made another mistake, the real family might fall.
“… All right. However, I am lacking in many aspects, so please help me a lot.”
“I’m glad you did. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Walter trembled at the face of the viscount who smiled with a detached face. Do you mean that people change that much because of what happened to them?
‘Even in my dreams, I shouldn’t disobey Sir Luke.’
Walter re-engraved his old oath.
* * *
I couldn’t officially inherit the title right away. No matter how much the family head directly gives up the seat, there is a procedure.
First of all, Walter, who was in charge of the deputy head of household on a temporary basis, wrote a letter.
– I’ll say it with a grain of salt. Lord Luke was furious. His Excellency, too, joins in his wrath. My father, the mastermind behind the current situation, gave me the title to escape Lord Luke’s wrath. Maybe it will come to you too. Please, if you see this letter, be careful what you do in front of him. I don’t want to lose a neighbor I’ve known for a long time… … .
Upon receiving Walter’s letter, the two families were shocked. Ray knew at least that Luke was the boss of his pants. I also knew that Luke was the subject of the Elf trade.
But I only knew it in my head. For the first time, everyone wondered what would happen if the true masters of the West were to exert themselves.
“Did the viscount’s family name change due to the anger of the knight who had just undergone the coming-of-age ceremony? Does this make sense?”
“Why doesn’t it make sense? In effect, the trade route itself is a trade between Sir Luke and the Archduke of the Elves. We are in a position to accept and eat the rice cakes graciously thrown to us.”
“you’re right. We are the four families of the West, and there are plenty of replacements for us. If you just swear allegiance and prove your abilities, I’ll gladly switch places.”
“Trade is cut off now? In a situation where the scale of the economy is so bloated, if the supply is stopped, the entire estate will go bankrupt! The whole family will fall!”
Aware of their position, the two families were terrified. Luke Bernstein was furious. I could feel the ripple effect of that single word.
When Luke arrived one step later than the Vindeln family’s messenger, the two families bowed down to greet Luke.
Fortunately, Luke passed without a word. After all, the two families showed an attitude closer to bystanders than supporters. However, the warning was not forgotten.
“You just have to do it like this. Don’t try to get more, don’t try to take away from anyone, just develop your territory faithfully with the benefits given.”
And when you need that strength, don’t hesitate and jump right out. Frightened, they nodded their heads as they understood the meaning of the words.
After looking around the two territories, Luke gave a final warning to Leone.
“Don’t stir up conflict by trying to resolve old grievances, Deputy Count.”
“I will keep that in mind. We will adjust the quantity and order immediately.”
After finishing all the work, Luke left the manor and felt the weather colder than expected. When I calculated the date, it was exactly one year since I left the family.
Luke smiled at the white snow falling from the sky.
“Now, let’s go back soon.”
It was a time of splendid return.
* * *
The lord’s castle of the Bernstein family. Inside, in the lord’s office, the head of the house, Leonard Bernstein, was doing his hair.
“Is this really the truth?”
“Absolutely. I didn’t hear about it, but I saw it all myself.”
“Is it possible that the exaggeration was mixed?”
“There will be very few. Both nobles and commoners gave the same testimony.”
“Huh.”
Count Leonard swallowed the wind at the knight’s words. Months after Luke’s departure, the Count sent a trusted knight to investigate Luke’s footsteps.
A child’s future that he was looking forward to. How can you not be curious? The problem was that the news that I heard after that was all beyond imagination.
“In the West, you raised Lord Ray to the countship, saved an elf princess, and revitalized the West by pioneering trade routes between the two races? That was not enough, so he participated in the battle for the throne in the north, swallowed the dragon’s heart left by the hero Godfrey, and later killed the hydra and the six flame dragons, earning the title of dragon slayer… … ?”
Count Leonard’s eyes trembled as he read the letter. Is this really a fact-based report? Didn’t you tear up a few pages of heroic stories from old novels?
‘Son, what the hell are you doing?’
Wkwk