Doctor Resignation

By the time Erhan arrived at the castle, the sun had already set in the sky.

“Huh?”

The Duchess ordered the bodies of Hans and Esther to be recovered, saying it was time for Lise to come back. Joaquin, who had two bodies unloaded at the gate, turned his head unconsciously and was surprised.

“Young…… Master?”

It couldn’t be, but the man running on a black horse resembled his master. He is tall and has strong features.

“Sir Joaquin.”

With the red sunset behind him, the young man looked down at him and grinned.

A low, deep voice rang. “Long time no see.”

Joaquin was an old knight that had been through a lot of hardships, but he was surprised at that moment and couldn’t help opening his mouth.

Although he resembled the late Duke, the cold-looking eyes under the thick eyebrows resembled the Duchess a lot.

“Well, no way…… don’t tell me……”

It still took him a while to accept it with his heart even though he knew who the young man was.

“Master Erhan?”

Erhan nodded unaffectedly on the black horse.

Joaquin’s pupils shook wildly. Five years ago, he was a pathetic and cute little boy who could not even hit his shoulder.

However, he was now a young man who felt more threatening than the previous Duke.

“Why are you here alone? T-the rest of the knights and the rest of the servants……”

“I left them behind because they were whining about the long voyage.” He spoke low with an indifferent look.

Joaquin seemed to harden at his completely changed, shuddering way of speaking.

“They would just get in the way of me to come quickly anyway. Anyhow……”

Erhan’s eyes pointed toward Esther and Hans’ bodies.

“It’s been a long time since the chaotic days of my father’s death. Hanging a body on the wall……”

Erhan, with a calm expression, asked. Twisting his head sideways. “What happened?”

“That’s……”

Joaquin unknowingly began to answer politely.

“This body was a man who pretended to be Miss Lise’s biological parent with the help of this woman, a maid. We don’t know why or who’s behind it, but it was concluded that it was a fraud aimed at Miss Lise’s wealth, which is living well-off in the Duchy.”

Erhan’s eyes flashed cold after hearing what had happened to Lise.

The hand that held the reins tightened and bloodlines stood up in the arm where the fine muscles were located due to strength.

“…You killed him too kindly.” He murmured as he looked down at the body, which was almost rags.

“Y-yes?”

Joaquin stuttered without knowing. The atmosphere that was already heavier sank in an instant.

“The limbs are still intact.”

It was a word that was lightly said, but it was a tone full of disapproval. Joaquin almost said ‘I’m sorry’ without realizing it. He was suffocated to see him bending his eyes sensually even though he said such cruel things.

He kept on wondering if it was only his dream or reality about whether this young man was really the little boy, who came to him five years ago wanting to learn how to hold a sword.

What the hell is the Young Master, who seemed to not be able to kill a single bug talking about now……

It was a sense of weirdness that even the Duchess, his mother, could not easily adapt.

A long shadow hung behind him towards the red sky.

“Well. See you later.”

As he spoke to Joaquin, he drove the horse inside the castle.

For some reason, his back gave a sense of urgency.

***

Joaquin wasn’t the only person embarrassed by Erhan’s unexpected early arrival.

The Duchess was caught in a sense of disjointedness as she looked at Erhan’s face who was sitting in front of her. 

The duchess felt somehow embarrassed as she was having dinner with her son who left all the knights and servants at the port and ran back to the castle alone riding his horse in just a day.

“So…… She went to the Free City.”

“Yes. It’s time for her to return, so I ordered them to clean up the bodies. I won’t show such things to Lise.”

Erhan’s elegant features and somewhat decadent energy were unfamiliar to her even if he was her own child.

Obviously, he seemed to give off this impressive aura just like his father, but the gap with his childhood was so great that it would take some time for her to adjust. 

This was far from the scene of the reunion the Duchess imagined.

The reunion after 5 years she thought of, was her holding her vulnerable son, who returned with the knights and the soldiers, patting his back and saying, ‘I know you’ve suffered far away, you must’ve felt lonely. But still, you grew up quite well.’

‘You did grow up well. But, wasn’t it too much?’

Erhan didn’t seem to have suffered very much, nor he had a gruesome face that felt lonely as in the old days.

If he had a hard time, he couldn’t have grown this big.

“They didn’t open their mouths after all.”

“One said he didn’t know until he died, and the other bit her tongue before we could even do anything.”

“Did you look up everything about them?”

The Duchess felt strangely being accused by her son.

She was not the only one who felt strange, even the servants who were serving dishes were very nervous by his low voice.

“One was a vagrant and had no family, and the other was from a foreign country, so there was no trail for further tracking.”

“Oh, so it’s over just like that just because the two of them died,” Erhan said, chopping the steak. “It’s pretty detailed.”

As he moved the knife without hesitation, red blood flowed through the steak.

He continued, “It’s just a simple task for them to get rid of the beloved employee of the Duke.”

“S-seems like it.”

Everyone who worked at the Duke’s Castle’s memory of Erhan stopped five years ago.

So, even the maids on standby in the dining hall froze, and they were reluctant to exchange eyes with each other.

How did their master, who had a gentle baby-like tone, didn’t eat well, and always had droopy shoulders with a sad face, change like that……

The maids also made a fuss when they first saw Erhan, saying that he became too handsome and that his eyes gave off a strong feeling. But when he began to open his mouth with an eerie expression, they all turned into ice.

“It’s all because I have a lot of enemies. Lise said that maybe, someone was trying to put a spy in her place……”

“That’s a reasonable inference.”

For the first time during the meal, a slight smile appeared on Erhan’s face.

“How’s Lise doing?”

“Of course she grew up beautifully. She is still smart and cute.”

The atmosphere of the conversation has finally softened.

“We thought you would arrive in three days, so when she comes back, she will be very surprised. She’ll be back soon.”

“I see.”

“Even if it’s late, make sure to say hello. When you were a kid, Lise took care of you a lot.”

“Yes.”

The answer was short, but when she saw his expression brightened, the Duchess smiled feeling a little relieved.

“What should I do now that you are an adult? I didn’t give you a Coming-of-Age Ceremony……”

“What’s the point of that?”

When the conversation about Lise ended, he lowered his eyes and said indifferently again.

“What’s important is that I’m already an adult.”

“Yes. If nothing happens, you’ll safely take over the Duchy.”

The Duchess put her fork down on the plate that was only half-emptied and looked at her son who had the same eyes as hers.

“There’s something I’d like to discuss before that.” Her voice calmed down softly, “We can discuss it slowly, but……”

“Please speak.”

“Thanks to Lise, I’m still alive. What would have happened if it hadn’t been for her in these five years without you.”

“That’s the same for me.”

“With this incident, I realized that I really think of Lise as a family.”

Erhan nodded indifferently. The atmosphere of the conversation always becomes soft when Lise is the topic of the conversation.

“I’m doing anything as best as I can for her, but I still wanted to do more.”

“Yes, please do it all.”

“That’s why……” The Duchess took a sip of water and continued, “I want to make Lise my foster daughter.”

“…What?”

-clink.

Erhan put the knife down.

“I think she has done enough to deserve the title of Casseus.”

The Duchess continued, not noticing that Erhan’s eyes were completely changing.

“Not only I will raise her more preciously than anyone else, but also marry her to a commendable noble……”

“It’s not possible.”

Erhan stared coldly at his mother.

“Never.”