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Join the Server“Where the hell is he hiding? Why can’t I get in touch with Ethan Prescott’s guarantor!”
Early that morning, the Lord of Veliki raged upon receiving a report about Hans Palmer. Viscount Samuel Gradis answered cautiously.
“I was told he is currently in the southern region with Marquis Douglas Moore. When I contacted the Moore family, they said even the Marquis is often unreachable when attending to important matters.”
“At this rate, the adoption papers won’t be processed until after the festival.”
“It’s already spread among the central aristocracy of the capital that Ethan Prescott has become Ethan Gradis. Besides, weren’t you planning to stay a little longer anyway, my lord?”
“…That is true.”
Veliki, sustained primarily by the natural resources of its barren lands, was far from wealthy, possessing fewer mineral deposits and less natural gas than even Riga.
But an unexpected opportunity had presented itself. The Moore family, the largest in the empire, was plagued by the kind of internal power struggles common to oversized houses, leading some influential members to build factories on their own useless plots of land. What first appeared to be an internal family matter was later revealed to be connected to Prince Devon Green when the territorial war with Zaisler erupted.
The emotion he felt then was pure elation. He had married his daughter off to Riga—a territory only slightly better off than his own—in a marital alliance, but he hadn’t hesitated for a moment. He was determined to advance into the central political sphere. And so, he had allowed Zaisler to tear Riga to shreds. It was merely a territorial dispute, so he had been a bit surprised when the Antares Unit requested a diversionary tactic. But since Riga had long been isolated by that point, he could feign an excuse for withdrawal, claiming he could no longer sacrifice Veliki soldiers for a meaningless cause. The excuse was flimsy, but it provided just enough justification that it couldn’t be questioned.
“My lord! Someone from the Moore family is here to see Viscount Samuel!”
The butler, who had knocked urgently on the door of the lord’s office, reported with a slight gasp for breath. A subtle frown creased the lord’s face.
“Not me, but Viscount Samuel Gradis?”
He glanced at the viscount’s expression, but he too was staring at the butler with a look of puzzlement. At least it was clear Samuel Gradis hadn’t deliberately arranged to receive a message from the Moore family behind his back.
“They held a joint training exercise with the Royal Guard at the palace yesterday and require Sir Ethan Gradis’s guiding.”
“…Who came as the messenger?”
“He said his name is Dale Kenis, the man who manages Lord Bliss Moore’s private residence.”
The lord and the viscount’s eyes widened slightly at the name. Bliss had sent one of his own retainers to meet Ethan.
“Show him into the main building and prepare some tea,” the lord commanded arrogantly.
In an age where one could easily communicate via calls, emails, or messages, sending a subordinate in person was a profoundly polite and respectful request. That the messenger was Dale Kenis, whose brother was Prince Herace’s chief chamberlain, made it feel as though they were being honored by the lord of the Moore family himself.
However, the butler, stealing glances at the lord, squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out as if shouting.
“My apologies, my lord! Sir Dale Kenis has already entered through the rear gate and parked his car in front of the viscount’s annex, so the viscountess had no choice but to show him in there! I was only sent to fetch the viscount on a message from the annex’s butler!”
The lord’s face hardened.
“…Then it seems there is no need for me to greet him. I suppose since he’s here for guiding, he needs to seek the parents’ consent. It must be that this ‘guiding’ business involves acts too shameful for public display. I can see why they’d want to keep it quiet.”
The lord tried to dismiss it as nothing, salvaging his pride by framing the guiding between an Esper and a Guide as a secretive and vulgar act.
“Indeed. As you say, my lord, it seems Espers and Guides think nothing of getting together in broad daylight,” the viscount added, his own opinion not much different. Still, the lord’s attempt to save face by muttering such things made him seem rather small.
“Ahem. Even so, one cannot keep a guest waiting. You should be on your way.”
Viscount Samuel Gradis suppressed a twitching smile and bowed his head to the lord. The title of Ethan’s adoptive father carried more power than he had imagined. The Lord of the Moore family had ignored the Lord of Veliki to show him proper courtesy.
After meeting with Dale Kenis at the annex, the viscount gave his wife a discreet instruction.
“Let’s stop tampering with the food for a few days. I know it was the lord’s order, but with a lord from the Moore family visiting, it seems having Ethan Gradis alive and well wouldn’t be so bad.”
The viscountess spent a considerable sum on the finest ingredients, and for the first time in a long while, the annex buzzed with life.
****
Bliss Moore arrived at the viscount’s residence a little before noon. Driving himself, he appeared in a light-colored jacket, a shirt, and black jeans that perfectly complemented his sleek, blue, sports-style new cube car, creating a picturesque scene.
“We greet Lord Bliss Moore.”
Among the people bowing slightly, Bliss’s eyes found Ethan staring at him, completely captivated. He offered a gentle smile. Though Ethan hardly looked like an ‘Esper in desperate need of guiding,’ it didn’t matter. Acting on Maxon’s advice, he had dressed a bit more casually, and his guide’s reaction was deeply satisfying. Having realized his guide quite liked—no, *blatantly* adored—his face, Bliss had been paying more attention to his appearance lately.
The meal was so lavish it felt more like a feast than a luncheon. The amount of food was almost excessive, but for the first time in ages, Ethan ate his fill with a peaceful mind. Just as Bliss had said the day before, the Lord of the Moore family treating Ethan’s parents with genuine respect had a significant impact. He wondered if his own bravado, boasting that they wouldn’t dare put anything in his food tomorrow, had anticipated this.
“…You seem to have adjusted well here. You looked a bit thin when I saw you at the palace yesterday.”
Could a person look thinner in just two days? Especially after he’d feasted on the food Bliss had brought.
Ethan tilted his head as he swallowed a piece of the salmon that was served as the main course.
“Ha, haha. Ethan has proven to be a surprisingly considerate and gentle person.”
The corner of Bliss’s lip twitched upwards. Ethan was pragmatic, realistic, and strongly self-defensive. He handled interpersonal relationships well enough but was merciless to those who meant him harm. Conversely, he was endlessly generous and kind to those he accepted into his inner circle. For the oblivious viscount to describe Ethan as ‘gentle’—as if he had already been welcomed into that circle—soured Bliss’s mood.
“…Is that so? I worked for months to receive Ethan’s ‘gentleness,’ yet it seems the wall between you and Ethan disappeared in just two days, thanks to your parental standing.”
“Ah, no… that’s not quite…”
Watching the viscount and his wife flinch, Ethan inwardly clicked his tongue. At this rate, he would earn their resentment, and the tampering with his food might start again as soon as tomorrow.
‘You said you’d help me eat in peace.’
[Bliss, Ethan wants to eat in peace.]
At Dongja’s words, Bliss, who had been about to press the couple further, sighed internally. After finishing his meal, he presented the couple with the gifts he had prepared.
“Oh, my…!”
The couple’s eyes widened, a greedy glint appearing in them as they beheld an emerald necklace more splendid than any she had ever owned and a high-end watch. Their original goal—to gain the lands of Riga, be recognized as an autonomous lord, be promoted to count, and maintain friendly relations with the Lord of Veliki—had seemed so firmly set it was unlikely to change. But now, a seemingly impossible alternative was asserting a powerful presence on the other side of the scale: ‘What if we receive a countship and a business, or even a hereditary fief, as vassals of the Moore family?’ And here was the lord of that very family, utterly smitten with their adopted son, bypassing the Lord of Veliki to treat them with the utmost respect.
“I’d like to have tea in Ethan’s room. We need to do some guiding, after all.”
At Bliss’s words, the viscount and his wife, already eager to examine their gifts, readily agreed and called for the butler.
“Of course, you must. We will have tea sent up shortly while you look around Ethan’s room. I’ll make sure no servants go near his room so you can guide in comfort. We will also prepare a hearty dinner for you.”
Huh.
The viscount and his wife clearly thought ‘guiding’ was synonymous with ‘s*x.’ The idea of having s*x for guiding in this place, which still felt like a stranger’s house, had never crossed Ethan’s mind, and his face showed his alarm. Bliss, who hadn’t anticipated this either, looked surprised for a moment before breaking into an exceedingly kind smile.
“I’ll stay for dinner. Please make it a hearty one.”
Huh. Wait a minute.
Ethan flusteredly tried to explain something to them, but the viscount spoke first.
“May we invite the lord to dinner?” he asked, unable to hide his excitement at the thought of keeping Bliss there until the evening.
“If there is anyone you wish to invite, feel free to have them join us.”
At Bliss’s magnanimous reply, the couple’s faces split into wide grins.
“Oh, where is my mind! I must speak with the chef at once!”
“You two seem to be in a hurry for your guiding, so you should head up right away. We will have a tray with tea left discreetly outside the door so as not to disturb you.”
Bliss’s lips curled into a smile at the viscount’s ploy to compile an invitation list as quickly as possible. His tone was one of immense satisfaction.
“Now that you are Ethan’s adoptive parents, I shall gift you both a new car, befitting your station.”
“…!!”
‘I think I’m screwed.’
Ethan muttered in despair as he watched the beast seize the opportunity without batting an eye. By the time he had gathered his wits, he was already standing in front of his own bedroom door.
“Haha. Bliss. How about you just stay for a nap?”
As Ethan babbled with his back to the door, Bliss pressed his own lips close to his. Every time Ethan spoke, their lips and breath brushed against each other.
“They said no one will come here until dinner. Shall we have s*x out here, then go inside for a little nap?”
“…That’s a remarkably creative and perverted threat.”
Ethan mumbled weakly as he turned the doorknob. Bliss’s lips, which had been pressed against his, stretched into a long smile. As the door swung open, his tongue invaded Ethan’s mouth.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Looking For My Child's Father is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
