* * *
“You really came in person….”
“You look better than expected. Ahem.”
“Is his condition that bad?”
“More importantly, shouldn’t we be discussing the first Grand Duke rather than the previous one…?”
They probably thought they were keeping their voices down.
Pretending not to hear their absurdly loud whispers was exhausting.
By the time they finally quieted down to some extent, Haen arrived at the conference room.
“Looks like I was the last to arrive. Asis, well done. I’ll take over from here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Before I could even object, Haen took the handles of the wheelchair and slowly pushed me into the room.
I didn’t like how he acted as if everything was his decision.
Still, the conference room was a much better alternative than the hallway—where I had once been punished and locked away at the age of eight.
So, instead of refusing outright, I let myself be guided without resistance.
Haen tried to place me at the highest seat, but I refused under the pretext that it would be inconvenient when leaving, opting instead to position the wheelchair near the door.
Once the door shut, today’s agenda items began to be discussed one by one.
Perhaps because of the significant final topic waiting at the end, everyone seemed eager to rush through the earlier matters.
And then, at last, the final topic was introduced.
“The last item on the agenda… The nomination of Vivisian D. Teian as the acting Grand Duke.”
The moment the words were spoken, every elder in the room turned their gaze toward me.
If looks had a physical presence, I would’ve resembled nothing more than a porcupine by now.
Under the weight of their stares, I let out a faint, reluctant smile and slumped back against my wheelchair.
As I did, the elders, who had been sneaking glances between me and Haen—the one who had proposed the agenda—began voicing their opinions one by one.
Since I was the only direct heir, it was a natural course of action.
But even if it was just a temporary position, appointing a criminal as Grand Duke was unheard of.
It would be better to find a collateral relative.
But if we wait until we find one, the seat of the Grand Duke will remain vacant.
That’s even more unacceptable.
They spoke as if I wasn’t sitting right there.
At first, they at least pretended to be mindful of my presence.
But as I remained indifferent, the remarks grew bolder.
Those against my appointment as acting Grand Duke had now entirely forgotten my existence, spitting out accusations and listing off my so-called crimes in detail.
“To be frank, if he were to truly atone for his crimes, the only fitting punishment would be execution! If not for his bloodline, he would have— Guh!”
“Oh.”
It wasn’t hard to figure out who had boldly demanded my execution.
Everyone’s eyes were on a single person.
For a moment, I wondered if he was genuinely courageous enough to shout “Execution!” right in front of me.
But no—it seemed he had simply lost his composure in his eagerness to oppose Haen’s proposal.
I clicked my tongue and observed him with disinterest.
Regardless of the commotion in the room, Haen—who had remained silent all this time, seated in the most prominent position—finally opened his mouth.
“It’s temporary. The young master has already agreed to step down as soon as a suitable collateral relative is found.”
His tone was calm, reassuring.
The elders hesitated, clearly weighing their options.
I could practically hear the mental calculations clicking in their heads.
I merely watched, hands folded over my stomach, as if it were none of my concern.
Contrary to my expectation that the debate would drag on, the matter was settled rather quickly. Haen was exceptionally skilled at handling people.
As the discussion drifted toward a consensus—where I would indeed become the acting Grand Duke—an elder who had remained silent until now finally spoke.
“May I ask who first proposed the idea of appointing the young master as acting Grand Duke? Was it the young master himself or the Count?”
At this, Haen smiled, as if he had been waiting for the question.
“The young master was the one who brought it up first. He stated that, since he is the only one left in House Teian, he would take responsibility for the position—at least temporarily.”
Wait a minute.
That makes it sound like I was obsessed with becoming Grand Duke and immediately snatched up the title the moment my brother died.
…It’s not just me who thinks that, right?
I scanned the room.
Judging by their expressions, they were thinking the exact same thing.
I considered asking Haen to stop lying but quickly gave up on the idea.
Instead, I let out a shallow sigh.
Fine. Do whatever you want, you lunatic.
Regardless of what I muttered inwardly, Haen shamelessly continued.
“The last remaining heir of House Teian personally requested to safeguard the family. How could I refuse such a plea?”
“But Count, the young master is—”
I could already predict the rest of that sentence.
A lunatic.
A disgrace.
A monster who treats human lives like insects.
Ah, seriously, I keep telling you—I didn’t do those things.
Suppressing the pointless complaints bubbling in my throat, I turned to look at Haen.
How would he respond this time?
As I speculated on his possible answer, he suddenly put on a remarkably devout expression.
“It’s fine. The young master has already promised me. He will issue a public apology for his crimes and assist in making amends. Isn’t that right, my lord?”
The room fell silent, every gaze locking onto me.
This level of attention was far from welcome.
I curled my lips into a slight smirk.
Resisting would only make me look pathetic.
So, I played along with his little act.
“That’s right. I did say that. Count, I will do as you say.”
So you all have nothing to worry about.
I kept my tone even, but before I could finish speaking, a chuckle slipped out.
An apology? What a joke.
Neither I nor Haen had a shred of remorse for the supposed victims.
For Haen, it was all about protecting the ducal house.
And for me…
After Vivisian left the room, Haen fell into brief silence.
The other elders continued their discussions, filling the conference room with voices laden with doubt, curiosity, anticipation, concern, dissatisfaction, and unease.
Haen let the chatter flow in one ear and out the other.
None of it mattered.
This arrangement would last only until they found a collateral relative.
The moment they did, it would be over.
Vivisian had no interest in the position.
Anyone could see it in his icy blue eyes whenever the ducal house was mentioned.
And if, by some chance, he changed his mind and decided he wanted to remain Grand Duke—
Haen had no intention of allowing that to happen.
‘If he wants to die as Grand Duke, then I’ll simply kill him while he’s still in office.’
Haen rolled his eyes, thinking that he should look into ways to kill an Apostle in advance.
He blinked slowly, staring at the window tightly covered by curtains.
Just having to treat the one who killed his mother as a friend and serve him as a Duke was already more than enough…
“…It’s insulting.”
Muttering to himself, Haen’s expression was astonishingly cruel.
He finally spoke once the tension in the conference room had eased to some extent.
“For now, let’s continue searching for collateral branches.”
“But we have an acting Duke in place… Searching for collateral bloodlines could seem suspicious.”
“Everyone in the Duchy knows that the acting Duke has a major flaw.”
The word “flaw” carried an unusual weight.
Only then did the elders recall the fact that the person before them had lost his mother because of Vivisian.
No one could be feeling more conflicted than him.
The elders, feeling both sympathy and admiration for his devotion in making the right choices for the Duchy, remained silent.
Though Haen could read their thoughts from their gazes, he didn’t let it show.
He simply smiled quietly and continued.
“So, looking for a collateral heir wouldn’t be that strange. Of course, we don’t want odd rumors spreading outside the territory. Hmm, let’s just say we’re looking for a successor.”
“Understood.”
“That sounds reasonable. Also, from what I’ve heard, there are rumors that the young lord Vivisian suffers from madness. How about we say that his madness was cured by the death of his family? That the veil covering his eyes was lifted only after losing all his loved ones…”
There are often wayward sons who come to their senses only after the death of their family, aren’t there?
Since the young lord Vivisian was rather brilliant in his childhood, it’s not a bad excuse.
As one elder made the suggestion, Haen pressed his lips against the back of his hand, deep in thought.
He knew that the Duke—no, the former Duke, Letiyan, who had died—absolutely despised Vivisian.
Even when Vivisian had yet to commit any misdeeds, Letiyan had felt that way.
And Vivisian hadn’t liked Letiyan much either.
At first, he had said he disliked him because he made him feel inferior.
Then, as Vivisian accumulated sins, he had wanted to kill him.
Moreover, Vivisian didn’t even love his own parents.
He didn’t love the people of the territory, who, to a Duke, should have been like his own children.
The opposite of “I don’t want revenge” or “I don’t hate him” isn’t “I love him.”
The real answer is “I don’t care.”
Vivisian simply had no interest in anyone.
And now, after losing his entire family and being left all alone, they were trying to frame him as a remorseful young lord who repented for all his sins…
Who knows if it will work?
But it should be amusing to watch.
To see how someone so indifferent to everyone would outwardly pretend to feel regret and remorse.
Haen smirked faintly, running through words in his head that Vivisian would have found utterly repulsive.
“I like it. Yeah, I really like it. A prince who finally came to his senses and was saved through death… Not bad. It’s an old-fashioned morality tale, but it’s entertaining.”
Haen glanced at the time with a soft chuckle. It was already quite late.
He decided to wrap up the meeting.
“As I said earlier, I have a certain degree of control over the young lord. That was the agreement from the beginning. But if things don’t work out, once we find the collateral heir or establish a successor, I plan to kill him immediately.”
* * *
