Chapter – 64
On the second page of Lorelei, there was an article titled:
“Joshua Prelai attends the Imperial Palace Banquet for the first time! A detailed analysis of his banquet outfit!”
‘He said he would absolutely never attend banquets, yet here he is enthusiastically publishing reviews for the whole world to see… ha, seriously.’
As I quickly flipped past the page because I couldn’t stand seeing brand designers’ names and prices listed everywhere—
“Seriously, I can’t even—ahhh! Grandfather!”
I was so absorbed in Lorelei that I ended up bumping straight into my grandfather, who had been walking toward me.
“Kiana.”
Grandfather gently grabbed my arm.
“Don’t read printed materials while walking. You’ll ruin your eyesight.”
“Yes…”
Sorry, Grandfather. My eyes are already a mess from reading magical tools in the dark during my growth years anyway.
“Are you on your way to Julius?”
“Oh, yes.”
“It’s still early. He hasn’t finished breakfast yet.”
Grandfather said sternly.
“Come talk with me for a moment.”
“Yes!”
I quickly folded Lorelei and handed it to the spy maid, answering brightly. I was curious about how Grandfather had retaliated against Duke Perves yesterday.
We sat together on a bench in the garden.
‘I need to hear every detail.’
Just as I was making up my mind, Grandfather spoke quietly.
“Kiana.”
But his voice was so serious that even my lifted lips lowered slightly.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I had no idea those damned people were saying such nonsense to you when you were a child.”
“Ah.”
So that was what this was about.
I knew the standard answer here. “It’s okay,” or “You already punished them enough,” or “Let’s go further and crush those trash nobles.” Dwelling on the past wouldn’t change anything, and it would only make things awkward.
Melissa would have said something like, “It’s natural Grandfather didn’t know—I never told him. Please don’t worry.”
But what came out of my mouth was different.
“…It might not have been nonsense.”
I regretted it as soon as I said it.
“I couldn’t summon a beast, and… I do look different from the others…”
But once my mouth opened, it didn’t stop on its own.
‘There was no need to bring this up at all.’
Even if I exposed my own weaknesses, it would only make the conversation uncomfortable. It wasn’t helpful to my relationship with Grandfather at all, yet my mouth kept moving on its own.
‘What am I doing? This is stupid…’
So I immediately regretted it.
What was I even hoping for? Was I throwing a tantrum? Why reveal weaknesses to someone I need to maintain good relations with?
This kind of topic should be avoided strategically… I had known that since childhood. So why now…?
Grandfather remained silent for a moment.
‘Is he going to find this troublesome and leave?’
Just as I was about to bite my lip—
“To be honest, I don’t really know, Kiana.”
He spoke in a voice as heavy as a mountain.
“…Pardon?”
Only after a moment did I realize that “I don’t know” was his answer to the question of whether I truly belonged to the Prelai family.
“But then again, no one in this world truly knows, do they?”
I stayed silent.
Grandfather continued.
“To be honest, my son Hyde was my pride for a long time, and I couldn’t help but cherish his wife Eners as well.”
“….”
“They had three lovely children, and those days were the warmest and most beautiful of my life. It all felt like a spring that would never end…”
He sighed softly and looked up at the sky.
“But I think I failed to respond properly when winter suddenly came one day. Nothing in this world is guaranteed, and yet I forgot that.”
I could feel his sorrow and sincerity directly.
“As you said, you couldn’t summon a beast and your appearance is different. But that doesn’t mean you are not a Prelai either.”
“….”
“So why should we assign meaning to something we don’t truly understand?”
Strangely enough, it felt more trustworthy than if he had said, “Of course you’re a Prelai.”
He looked at me gently and smiled.
“We are bound together as family, and that is all. You don’t know how brightly the manor shone with joy the day you were all born. I will always love all of you through that memory—of course you, and even Joshua.”
“…Grandfather.”
“Hyde looks just like him, and he wears those ridiculous outfits that make me want to sigh. Joshua is just as hopeless in his behavior, too.”
“….”
“But you are just like my other grandchildren. Recently, I admit I’ve come to acknowledge you more than the others because your achievements are outstanding—but I cherish all of you equally.”
My heart pounded.
In other words, whether I was truly blood-related or not… it didn’t matter.
“Otherwise, do you think I would pour so much money into you all and overwork myself for the sake of this family? It’s all for you—every last one of you!”
Of course, there was quite a bit of grandstanding mixed in…
“Strangely enough, I still don’t hate Eners.”
Grandfather said in a voice filled with lingering regret.
“Maybe I, like Hyde, still haven’t accepted reality.”
“….”
“Even if that’s true, it’s not hatred—it’s disappointment. And disappointment only exists between people who matter to each other.”
“….”
“There is nothing about you that bothers me just because you resemble her. What Duke Perves said is complete nonsense.”
And with that, he firmly struck down my earlier doubt that maybe Perves was right.
It really was just nonsense.
Whether I could summon beasts or not, whether I was truly Prelai blood or not—it didn’t matter.
For some reason, I felt strangely light, as if something inside me had softened.
“Kiana.”
Grandfather gently patted my head.
“And the families that dared to feed my granddaughter such nonsense since she was young… I will personally erase them from existence.”
Destroying a family meant risking enormous losses for oneself as well. In conflicts between equal powers, no one comes out unscathed.
So his words carried immense weight.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
I nodded firmly.
“Please destroy them.”
Normally, I would have said, No, you don’t need to go that far because of me.
So my intense response seemed to surprise him a little.
“Huh? Ah… yes…”
I then recalled the letter I had sent about letting Ben be for now and spoke again.
“Let’s make sure they can never even show their name again. Let’s bury their entire house.”
Using someone else’s hands, of course. We didn’t need to engage in full-scale war ourselves. We could simply make them fall into the same trap that destroyed Prelai in my previous life.
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
I smiled brightly at him.
“For thinking the same as me. I’m happy.”
“W-well…”
Grandfather awkwardly replied, then narrowed his eyes.
“Anyway, if you want to attend banquets with family in the future, call me.”
“…Pardon?”
“Why do you keep calling that old man Julius instead of me? You and I are much closer.”
“Ah… but Grandfather, you don’t usually attend banquets…”
“That old man just swings axes around and causes trouble. In the end, I was the one who dealt with Duke Perves.”
“Yes…”
The conversation ended with him boasting, and I answered vaguely.
After a while, I realized enough time had passed.
Julius should be done with breakfast by now.
“Th-then I’ll go see Lord Julius now.”
“Let’s go together!”
Grandfather stood up as I did.
He marched ahead, snorting.
“That old man was saying something strange yesterday. I should go and shut him up if he says anything ridiculous.”
“Huh? Something strange?”
“Something about strange things happening to you, or something like that. He couldn’t explain properly. I didn’t hear the full story because of the banquet.”
Strange things?
What was he talking about?
‘Is something unusual happening to me?’
I tilted my head and followed Grandfather toward the annex.
