Jack's gaze swept past the Tax Collector, and he immediately saw the carriage parked by the wooden fence on the road.
The carriage was made of dark oak, its style sturdy but not ostentatious, pulled by two strong draft horses, with a simple shield-shaped emblem outlined in dark gold on its body.
The coachman, wrapped in a thick wool coat, deftly jumped off the carriage step, his movements deliberately light as if afraid of disturbing something.
The carriage door opened, and a silver-haired old butler stepped out first.
He turned and extended a hand, clad in a neat black leather glove, into the carriage, his movements showing trained deference and a subtle hint of worry.
"My Lord, he has come out," the butler's voice was low and clear.
A pale hand rested on the butler's gloved hand, followed immediately by a figure appearing at the carriage door.
He was wearing a dark emerald green velvet overcoat, thickly lined with wool.
The collar and cuffs of the coat were inlaid with a circle of warm, deep brown otter fur, adding a touch of nobility.
His face was deeply sunken, his skin like bleached parchment, thin and fragile, revealing an unhealthy waxy yellow undertone, with a faint, sickly grayish-white beneath.
His eye sockets were deeply set, surrounded by heavy purplish-blue shadows, and his lips were almost bloodless and cracked.
His sparse black hair was neatly combed, yet it only accentuated the paleness and breadth of his sunken forehead.
Although he tried hard to straighten his back, attempting to maintain a noble demeanor, his thin frame, wrapped in thick clothing, still appeared precarious, as if a slightly stronger gust of wind could blow him over.
He used the butler for support, slowly stepping down from the carriage.
As he landed, he swayed slightly, and the butler immediately steadied his elbow with his other hand.
"Cough, cough, cough… cough, cough!"
The man took a deep breath, and the cold air seemed to discomfort his lungs, triggering a series of suppressed, short coughs.
He quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, his shoulders gently shrugging with the effort.
The butler waited for him to calm down, then asked in a low voice, "My Lord, do you need me to…"
The man weakly raised a hand to stop him, his voice hoarse but with an undeniable calm, "No, Hans, let me… stand for a moment myself."
His gaze swept over the low fence, landing on Jack by the half-open wooden door.
His eyes held a complex expression, a mix of deep nostalgia and a trace of timid hesitation.
The moment Jack saw the man, his brow furrowed, and he thought about closing the wooden door.
But upon seeing the man's gaunt, extremely pale face, he stopped his action of closing the door.
He just stood by the wooden door, watching the man walk with difficulty, step by step, towards him.
Hans, the butler, followed half a step behind him, hands at his side, ready to assist at any moment.
"Long time no see… Jack."
"Elisa… is she doing well? Can I see her one last time?"
His words carried a pleading tone, as if the man felt guilt towards the Elisa he spoke of.
Jack raised an eyebrow, intending to retort, but remembering Elisa's dying wish, his expression softened.
"Raymond… Elisa passed away many years ago."
"Cough, cough, cough… What did you say?!"
"How is that possible? Elisa is a few years younger than me…"
Upon hearing this, Raymond coughed rapidly, his body swayed, his eyes filled with disbelief and rapidly surfacing grief.
Seeing this, Hans, the butler, quickly stepped forward, wanting to support him.
Raymond reluctantly pushed Hans away, approached Jack again, and looked sideways into the house.
Jack shook his head slightly, sighed softly, and at the same time stepped aside.
Raymond was able to enter the house, looking around at the interior: simple wooden tables and chairs, plus two beds and blankets.
There were no women's accessories or clothing, only a wreath and a portrait of Elisa in one corner.
Seeing this, he was momentarily lost in thought, realizing that Jack had not deceived him, Elisa was truly gone.
Suddenly, tears streamed from Raymond's eyes, and he sobbed softly, leaning on the chair in immense grief.
"It's all my fault. If I had disregarded her objections and firmly left with her, perhaps none of this would have happened…"
"Heh… A noble title, I'm just a wretch who can't be with the person I truly love!" Raymond murmured softly.
After many years, he had long since understood all the causes and consequences.
Initially, he truly believed that Elisa had fallen in love with someone else and eloped with another man.
But later, he carefully recalled all the small details of his time with Elisa.
Elisa had expressed her worries about the difference in their social status more than once in front of him, but at that time, he hadn't taken it to heart.
Instead, he naively believed that as long as they truly loved each other, their families would eventually agree to them being together.
However, it wasn't until his family arranged for him to meet a girl from another family for an arranged marriage that he realized noble marriages were not as free as he had imagined.
But it was all too late; Elisa had only left him a farewell letter, wishing him a complete and beautiful marriage, and then completely disappeared from his life.
Raymond gradually came back to his senses, tears still streaming from his eyes.
His lips trembled as he said in a hoarse voice, "I was glad to hear you all returned to Badov, but I kept suppressing the urge to see her."
"I've contracted the Pale Sickness and wanted to see her one last time before my life ends, to give her a portion of my assets, but I never expected…"
Even upon hearing about a huge fortune, Jack remained unmoved, keeping silent and not mentioning Karl's existence.
Because the relationships among nobles were complex, Karl's identity was strictly speaking only that of an illegitimate son, without any inheritance rights until recognized.
The order of succession for inheritance was the eldest son, then the second son, and finally the illegitimate son, but it was not easy for an illegitimate son to be legitimized.
He didn't understand the specific situation of Raymond's family; if he rashly revealed Karl's identity, it would instead cause Karl to be drawn into the dangerous whirlpool of inheritance, which was not what he wanted to see.
So, Jack, expressionless, feigned confusion and asked, "You are a noble, and your partner must also be a noble."
"According to the law, the eldest son among the current descendants should inherit the title and assets, or perhaps the second son."
"Even without descendants, the spouse can inherit."
But Raymond shook his head, sighing deeply with a bitter expression.
"I have no descendants, not even an illegitimate son, and as for my spouse…"
"Hmph, that bitch died at the hands of a water ghoul while having an affair with another noble."
"If no heir is found, then… everything will be reclaimed by the King after I die."
For a moment, Jack was speechless, unsure what to say to comfort the other man.
He couldn't question the truthfulness of Raymond's words, because relationships among nobles were very chaotic, and such things truly happened.