Chapter 53: The Count Knows

‘Because… I trust you.’

Swallowing those words, Kebel reached out and gently caressed Osh’s face.

His skin felt as cold as the rain pouring down around them.

Each time Kebel brushed his thumb across his cheek, Osh’s trembling brows looked painfully forlorn.

Watching him, Kebel smiled faintly.

“If you tried to kill me, then you must have had a reason. I don’t believe you would ever try to kill me without one.”

“…”

“Osh, there’s something I want to give you.”

Kebel pulled the flower petal from his pocket.

When he placed it on Osh’s palm, he noticed that the petal had wilted a little more than before.

Feeling awkward, Kebel wondered if he should take it back.

Before he could decide, Osh asked,

“What is this?”

“Ah, well… When I came up here earlier, I saw some flowers blooming beautifully. People say that if you catch a falling leaf or flower petal, good things will happen. It’s nothing special, but I wanted to give it to you.”

“…”

“You can believe it or not, but I think this petal will bring you nothing but good luck.”

Osh silently stared at the petal resting in his hand.

For some reason, now that it was in Osh’s possession, the petal looked embarrassingly shabby.

A wave of embarrassment washed over Kebel, and he scratched his cheek.

‘What if he doesn’t like it?’

Unable to help himself, he cautiously watched Osh’s reaction.

Fortunately, Osh didn’t seem to find it strange.

Instead, he closed his hand tightly around the petal.

Then, as though it were something precious, he pressed a kiss against his clenched fist.

“Thank you…”

‘Why did he look so lonely?’

The sight of him made Kebel’s chest ache.

Kebel helped him to his feet.

Then he took the coat Osh had draped over his shoulders and settled it back over Osh’s own.

Afterward, he lightly patted Osh’s shoulder.

“Come back safely, Osh.”

“It won’t take long. You’ll wait for me, won’t you?”

“…Mm.”

It was a hesitant answer.

The truth was, Kebel wasn’t confident he could wait.

He only said it because he thought Osh might feel less lonely that way.

Afraid his true feelings would show, Kebel kept his eyes fixed on the falling rain.

And that was the last image he had of Osh.

****

With that, Osh left.

Unable to bear watching him depart for war, Kebel spent the entire day lying in bed.

He didn’t want to accept that Osh was truly gone.

He could vividly imagine him struggling alone amidst the loneliness of the battlefield.

As though trying to shake away the image, Kebel curled in on himself.

Osh would surely return safely.

So why did he feel so uneasy?

The ominous feeling refused to disappear.

Eventually, Kebel rose from bed.

Perhaps because he had spent all day lying down, his head ached.

A dull, throbbing pain squeezed at his temples.

Kebel grabbed the water pitcher from the table and filled a glass to the brim.

The moment it was full, he drained it in one gulp.

Then he sat on the edge of the table.

A sigh escaped him.

Since yesterday, his chest had felt uncomfortably tight, as though he had indigestion.

Even after drinking water, the discomfort remained.

Kebel opened a drawer.

Inside was a small bottle.

The potion he had received from the temple.

They had said it would increase his divine power.

After hesitating for a moment, Kebel opened the bottle.

Just in case, he lifted it to his nose and sniffed.

Contrary to his worries, there was no smell at all.

Since he intended to drink it eventually, he figured he might as well do it now.

Tilting the bottle, he poured the liquid into his mouth.

It tasted slightly salty, like diluted seawater.

At first, he thought it wasn’t anything special.

Then the sensation slowly spread throughout his body.

A clear, cool freshness flowed through him, as though he were standing in the middle of a forest.

The feeling coursed through every corner of his body, leaving him refreshed and invigorated.

When he finally realized, ‘So this is divine power,’ the energy inside him settled neatly into place.

“Wow…”

Amazed exclamations escaped him one after another.

Curious, Kebel raised his hand.

A small light gathered above his palm.

His eyes widened.

Good heavens.

The priest had been right.

To think his abilities could increase this easily.

Kebel finally decided to acknowledge the priest’s abilities, which he had doubted until now.

He had only used a little of his power, yet he already felt drained.

A sudden wave of hunger struck him.

Kebel rang the bell and ordered food.

His appetite, which had been absent only moments ago, returned with a vengeance.

When the meal arrived, he devoured it like someone who hadn’t eaten in days.

But before long, his stomach felt heavy.

It didn’t seem like he would be able to fall asleep easily.

Thinking a visit to the training grounds might help, Kebel headed out.

Then he encountered someone.

His steps stopped immediately.

“It has been a while. Or rather, exactly ten days, has it not?”

“…Has it? I wasn’t counting, so I’m not sure.”

Count Sulleban.

Accompanied by a servant, he approached Kebel.

Why had the Count come to this estate at a time like this?

The unwelcome sight instantly soured Kebel’s expression.

Unlike Kebel, the Count seemed completely unconcerned.

In fact, he boldly stepped closer and struck up a conversation.

Kebel wished he would simply walk past.

Did they really have to do this every time?

The pointless emotional drain quickly made him irritable.

“Shouldn’t your business be with my father rather than me?”

“Can’t I stop by and greet the Young Duke while I’m here?”

“Unfortunately, I’m rather busy right now. I hope your meeting goes well.”

“…Young Duke. How are you so calm?”

Kebel had been about to walk away.

The Count’s words stopped him.

‘Calm?’

Something about the word immediately ignited his temper.

He spun around.

As though he had been waiting for that reaction, the Count smiled, revealing his gold teeth.

“You are aware that my son… Osh… has gone off to war, aren’t you?”

“So?”

“My only son has gone to the battlefield. Did you hate him that much?”

Kebel was dumbfounded.

The sheer audacity nearly made him laugh.

Of all people, who was saying such a thing?

His mood had already been terrible enough.

The Count’s constant needling finally pushed him over the edge.

Even knowing this was probably exactly what the Count wanted, Kebel couldn’t stop himself.

“…Are you seriously saying that I sent him there?”

“I heard the Ilya Ducal House played a major role in his participation. I thought perhaps you would try to stop him…”

The Count lowered his eyes, looking pitiful.

Truthfully, if Kebel could have stopped Osh, perhaps he would have.

If crying and throwing a tantrum would have worked, he might have done even that.

But he hadn’t.

For some reason, it had felt like he shouldn’t.

Still, hearing the Count’s resentful words made him wonder whether Osh might think the same thing.

Kebel remained silent.

The Count smiled lightly, as though he had expected exactly that.

“However, Young Duke, your aura has grown much stronger.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Why so serious? I’m simply saying you’ve grown considerably in the past ten days.”

It was a vague answer.

Yet somehow it felt deeply unpleasant.

Like a serpent coiling around him, something unseen seemed to tighten around Kebel’s throat.

The gaze directed at him was dark and unsettling.

A chill crept down his spine.

“I still find it difficult to understand. I heard that on that day, the Young Duke stabbed that boy in the stomach. Do you think that’s truly possible?”

“Why bring up something that’s already over?”

“It isn’t over for me. What parent would sit quietly when their child has gone off to war?”

“That sounds very much like a declaration of hostility toward the Iliya Ducal House.”

“My, is that how it sounded? That wasn’t my intention at all. I simply…”

The Count lifted the cane he had been leaning on.

Slowly, he ran his hand along the length of the shaft before rubbing the handle.

For someone who supposedly had difficulty walking, his posture looked remarkably steady.

Just as Kebel began wondering if the injury had been a lie all along, the Count lightly struck the cane against the ground.

The movement was neither large nor small.

“I simply don’t understand. Most of all, I cannot believe that someone as kind-hearted as the Young Duke would stab my son’s stomach after seeing him every day. And even if he truly intended to harm you, doesn’t it seem strange that my son was stabbed so easily?”

“…”

Kebel said nothing.

The Count suddenly grabbed his arm.

It happened so quickly that Kebel couldn’t react in time.

“What are you doing?!”

He violently shook the hand off.

The grip had been surprisingly strong.

His wrist throbbed painfully.

Kebel narrowed his eyes and glared at him.

“To think that such a slender wrist stabbed that boy… Isn’t that peculiar? And the fact that the child who was stabbed recovered without a trace by the next day. There are many things that trouble me. I was simply curious what the Young Duke thought.”

It was a psychological battle.

One wrong answer, and getting trapped would only be a matter of time.

Kebel carefully steadied his gaze and erased all signs of tension.

Straightening his back and squaring his shoulders, he put on a relaxed smile.

As though nothing the Count said could shake him.

Seeing that, the Count’s lips curved upward in a dangerous smile.

“Who knows? The answer you’re looking for is probably in the Duke’s office, not from me. If you have something to discuss, you should speak with my father.”

“Indeed. I suppose I should. However, Young Duke, there is one thing you ought to know.”

As Kebel turned away, the Count stopped him once more.

This time, Kebel didn’t bother looking back.

He merely halted his steps.

Then the Count’s cold voice sounded from behind him.

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