Side Story 6: Mother (2)
Junior Count Orgiu, aka Malcolm Orgiu was the lord of a small fief next to Obituth.
In place of his father, the count, who was sick in bed, he was titled junior count and had played the part of the count for a few years, and had great ambitions.
It was to make his household one of the major aristocracies in the capital, not stay a mere insignificant little county. To be precise, it was to become the right hand man of the great duke house Louvremont.
For that aim, Malcolm had already invested a few years. He investigated Abel Louvremont, the heir, and slowly started rumors over a long period of time so that they could not make a move so hastily.
Since the only thing Malcolm inherited from his powerless father was his smarts to scheme, he had no doubt that his plan would succeed.
“The letter we sent to castle Louvremont came back precisely 3 hours later with a reply.”
Malcolm was staying in a small inn in the Louvremont duchy. He entered the room grinning as he took out the letter from the inner pocket.
Inside the room sat a skinny woman in shabby clothes with fear in her eyes. Her name was Serena, and she was the heroine of the scam of a lifetime prepared by Malcolm.
“He must be quite nervous.”
Drawing the letter with Louvremont seal on it up to his nose and breathing in, Malcolm gave another grin.
He carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter and unfolded it.
For some reason, his eyes immediately widened at once like a surprised rabbit.
“Duchess Louvremont?”
He expected some butler or someone on that level to write up what the duke said to enter the castle, but what was this?
The reply, written in graceful handwriting of a highborn lady, was a hand-written letter from Duchess Louvremont, known as the holy maiden.
[Dear Junior Count Orgiu,
I am truly grateful for you to have travelled all the way here. We must surely have a lot to talk about.
I will be awaiting your arrival with a welcoming heart. Visit us whenever is convenient for you.
I am looking forward to our first encounter.
Truly,
Aisha Louvremont.]
Though it was a short letter, it seemed to be giving away how desperate the duchess was feeling. Malcolm couldn’t help but laugh.
Though there was no mention of Abel in the letter he had sent to Louvremont, there was no way that they didn’t know of the rumor that accumulated since they came up from the capital and stayed here.
“Well well… I do feel sorry for what we’re doing to the duchess.” Malcolm snickered as he patted Serena’s head. “Still, no need to grow a useless guilt. You won’t be the only one dead if this goes sideways, you know that don’t you?”
“M-my lord, i-if people find out the truth, you won’t get out alive either. P-please, let’s leave quietly while we still…”
Serena suddenly stopped her shivering and gulped for air. It was because Malcolm had his eyes wide open like a lunatic, his face right up close to hers.
The whites of his eyes gleamed as Malcolm whispered silently.
“The truth? What truth?”
“…”
“Serena, don’t talk nonsense. You are not scamming the duke. You’re the birth mother of the young lord of Louvremont, and I am your savior who took pity on you and took you under my wing. What we know is the truth.”
“My lord…”
“There is no proof in this world that would overturn this truth. Do you understand?”
Malcolm’s eyes tilted slyly into crescents.
He slowly rose as he recalled incidents from 10 years ago.
Obituth.
Malcolm saw Hades Louvremont for the first time there.
He was there supposedly to raid magical beasts, but took Abel, who was in Obituth to Louvremont and made him his heir for no apparent reason.
Suspecting that action was the start of this grand scheme.
He didn’t come to Obituth to look for his bastard child from the start, but happened to come across him there?
‘There were so many things that were odd about it.’
Malcolm brought one child, who had survived the ruins of Obituth after the raid, back to Orgiu
He was the only friend who knew of Abel’s childhood.
-Abel? He didn’t know where he came from. Of course, he didn’t know what his mother looked like either. Whoa… to think he was the son of Duke Louvremont. I’m so jealous.
-Something odd about him? Well… Oh yeah! His nexus was here, around his left chest, but I have never seen a nexus with a color like his. No, should I even call it a color? It was a nexus that looked like transparent glass without any color at all.
A suspicion that Abel may not be the duke’s son by blood.
That soon turned to curiosity as to why the duke wanted to make him his heir, even going as far as lying.
The answer was not so hard to find.
The odd nexus that was different from an average Crescentian’s.
Malcolm did not exactly know just how much value that nexus had, but he could at least know one thing for certain.
There was something special about Abel Louvremont, enough for the duke to consider making him his heir despite not being his by blood.
“Childe Louvremont doesn’t know who his birth mother is. He was probably discarded when he was an infant. There is no one to suspect your existence, Serena.”
Malcolm spread his arms happily and took a deep breath.
This play with Serena as the poor main lead, who could never betray him, would certainly succeed.
* * *
Inside a temple in the North of the Crescenta Empire.
Since the ‘Calamity of the world’ 4 years ago, the number of Crescentians not believing in Gaionia had increased and the temple’s position as worshippers of god was not the same as before.
But thankfully, it was made known that Grand priest Michael Lighart was of assistance when the holy maiden Aisha Louvremont delivered everything from the calamity, which lead to the increase of members of the temple who trusted and sought after him instead.
“Hello, Grand priest.”
“Yes, hello priest, may god’s blessing be with you as always.”
Behind Michael passing by the white marble hallway of the temple, followed the respectful gazes of the deacons.
That wholesome gaze and ever affectionate expression.
Grand priest Michael Lighart.
Regardless of the temple being held lower than before in people’s eyes, there were few light elementalist Crescentians who wished to become priests from just seeing how beautiful he looked.
Walking through the long hallway of the temple, Michael arrived at the small prayer room. He opened the door and halted.
Inside the dark prayer room, there was someone praying with a single candlelight on.
Having become less talkative and her complexion having become slightly darker, the 10-year-old priestess with her shoulder-length violet hair tied to one side was none other than Deborah.
“Priestess Deborah, what’s the occasion? What brought you here to the prayer room?”
“I had something to pray about.”
Of course, the being she was praying to was not Gaionia but another god. Michael once taught Deborah that if she has something she wishes dearly and wants to pray to someone, she could think of his brother to pray to.
Michael grinned and patted Deborah on the head and sat by her side.
“What is the matter?”
“…”
“Hm, let me guess. It’s about the rumor going around in the capital currently, right? Perhaps you were praying that Childe Louvremont does not get hurt?”
Surprised at how accurate Michael was, Deborah opened her eyes wide.
Michael gave a small chuckle and continued, “I had something to talk to you about that anyway, Priestess Deborah. Though there is some time left until the regular baptism day held in Louvremont, I am intending on making a visit.”
“R-really?”
The temple visited the Louvremont duchy on monthly basis with the purpose of baptism.
Deborah, who has become noticeably gloomier since the incident 4 years ago, only looked evidently lively when she was visiting Aisha and Abel.
Since there was still half a month left until the regular baptism, Michael’s suggestion certainly made Deborah happy.
“We are.”
After finding out the rumor that Childe Louvremont’s birth mother had appeared and that this rumor had been spreading from mid-south deliberately for a few years now, Michael prepared to head to Louvremont right away.
The higher one was in power, the easier it was to get hurt by small rumors and instigation.
Though he wasn’t worried about Hades, he couldn’t help but be concerned about Abel who was still young, as well as Aisha who was too kind for her own good.
Michael held the back of his stiff neck and shook it a few times, then spoke with his blue eyes lit up, “the Childe’s birth mother or whatnot, if there is an annoying fly hindering my sister from finally being happy…”
“…”
“…I should get rid of it for her.”
Though his grinning face was oddly terrifying, Deborah didn’t mind and smiled back.
The true colors of the charming Grand priest were something she was already used to.
* * *
Like father, like son.
My dear Abel avoided me all day just like Hades did after reading
“Are you really going to do this?!”
Today I came out, deciding to end it once and for all.
Managing to find Abel at the back of the training ground, I held onto his arm first so that he wouldn’t run from bafflement.
“Why in the world are you doing this? Don’t tell me that you don’t need me anymore now that your real mother’s here?”
“Y-you know that’s not what this is!”
“Then what is it?!”
Abel huffed, outraged, then soon turned gloomy. It broke my heart to see his handsome face about to break into tears with a pout.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand how Abel must be confused more than anyone.
“Son,” I said, embracing him.
“Nothing will change. Why are you so afraid?”
“I don’t want to see you get hurt because of me, mother. I don’t want people to think less of father either.”
“Why would I get hurt? I know well that His Grace didn’t fool around for real in his younger years.”
“Others don’t know that. If father tries to keep me as his heir, then I would have to acknowledge my birth mother…”
“…”
“This is really strange. People would take pity on you and badmouth father. And I, I wouldn’t know how to treat my birth mother either…”
“Mommy will take care of everything.”
“How? Are you intending on letting her into the castle, since she gave birth to me?”
“Well… I certainly wouldn’t be able to give her the cold shoulder since she gave birth to you.”
“Why are you so…!”
Abel was shouting when he noticed someone approaching from behind and stopped.
“The duchess should be here somewhere.”
It was Jax’s voice.
He wasn’t alone. Beyond Abel’s shoulder, I could see two more strangers other than Jax.
A man in his mid-30s and a skinny woman standing by his side.
Both Abel and I were able to realize who they were right away.
“Ahh, duchess! They are the guests the butler just brought in. They said they were invited by you. The butler was trying to make them wait inside, so I brought them in since I knew you were nearby!”
Ah…
‘Read the room, gosh darn it.’
“It’s a great pleasure to meet you, duchess Louvremont, Childe Louvremont. I am Junior Count Orgiu.”
Junior Count Orgiu gave his salutations by bowing deeply.
But the woman beside him was staring straight at Abel with surprised eyes as if she was in too much dismay to even say hello.
I carefully looked up at Abel’s face. He seemed as confused as she was.
“The pleasure is all mine, Junior Count. But this is no place to talk, so let us…”
As I was speaking to tidy up the situation a little, the woman stepped forward at once.
She reached out to Abel with much yearning on her face and Abel trembled as he took a step back trembling.
“Hey now.”
I stepped in and the woman got to her senses and pulled away her hands, startled.
“S-sorry, I’m so sorry.”
“…”
“But I couldn’t… I couldn’t hold back…”
The woman suddenly clasped her hand over her mouth and started to full-on wail.
Viscount Orgiu eyed me apologetically as he soothed her by patting her on her shoulders.
Though I thought I should see her face, this kind of sudden encounter wasn’t what I wanted…
I had no intention of making confused Abel meet his birth mother unprepared.
I turned to Abel who was still trembling.
“Wait for me inside. Mommy will…”
“Duchess!”
At that moment, the woman called me urgently. I turned around to see her roughly wiping away at her reddened eyes with her sleeve as she spoke.
“P-please… let-let me hold my son once.”