A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 56

Though I had made up my mind, I naturally had no intention of tattling outright. That would be rude.

I was just planning to casually drop hints to Cain.

Even with trivial matters, there’s a big difference between laying groundwork beforehand and not doing so.

Especially with Cain—just a slight hint would be enough for him to wrap things up cleanly.

‘I feel like I’m becoming a bit petty.’

It felt like I was acting all high and mighty with someone powerful backing me up…

But if it would help the knights, I was willing to become as petty and underhanded as needed.

I sprang up from my seat.

‘Is Cain in his study right now?’

But as I checked the clock and was about to leave, I soon stopped in my tracks.

I had belatedly realized one fact.

‘Oh, right. He’s not at the manor.’

Because Cain had left for the capital.

Since coming here, this was the first time he had left the manor, so I had forgotten.

‘Hmm. I wonder if he’s met the Emperor by now.’

Speaking of which, the Emperor…

In the original work, the Emperor was a character who appeared occasionally, but he left quite an impression.

The Emperor’s character setting was quite unique for a romance fantasy.

‘Usually in romance fantasies, emperors are typically either wicked, insane, or incompetent—one of the three.’

The Emperor in 『Future Saint』 was surprisingly normal.

A devoted husband who looked only at his wife with pure love, and a kind father to his children.

He even governed well, revered by the imperial citizens as a wise ruler.

A rare sight in romance fantasy—a competent and family-loving normal emperor!

Recalling the original work, he seemed to treat Cain quite kindly too.

‘But I wonder what this is about?’

It felt like he had summoned Cain quite urgently.

Though I was somewhat curious, I decided not to worry about it.

* * *

“If you ever meet a lonely child, treat them well. Think of them as family.”

Walter fell into deep contemplation at his sister’s words that suddenly came to mind like a dying wish.

Emperor Walter Rosenheim had one sister.

Ophelia Rosenheim.

His half-sister with beautiful pink hair, five years his senior.

Though they had different mothers, Walter had sincerely looked up to Ophelia since childhood.

There was no one as wise and compassionate as her.

Ophelia was respected by all for her good character.

If only she had been healthy, she would have been greatly loved by the imperial citizens as a princess…

Unfortunately, due to her frail constitution, she died young in her early twenties.

After his sister’s death, Walter wandered for a while.

Though he hadn’t been particularly well-behaved to begin with, he deliberately sought out rough situations to forget his grief.

Like wandering around dangerous regions and fighting monsters.

The former Emperor was troubled by his only heir’s wandering, but Walter’s wandering came to an end through an unexpected encounter.

It was over a decade ago.

On the red lands of a dangerous region teeming with monsters. A treacherous place that even the imperial palace knights feared to enter.

There, Walter encountered a boy who was merely eight years old.

That small child, with emotionless eyes, cut down a ferocious monster in a single strike and introduced himself.

“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am Cain Ashern.”

A flawless, perfect noble’s greeting.

Even with the dark red blood of monsters splattered on his pale face, the boy paid no mind and simply moved on to cut down the next monster.

Walter was left speechless the moment he faced young Cain.

A secret story he had heard from his aide flashed through his mind.

‘So this is what they meant when they said Count Ashern was jealous of his child.’

Cain’s father, the Count Ashern of that time, was by no means a good person.

His pride in inheriting dragon blood reached the heavens, but he lacked the ability to match it.

Though he possessed immense wealth and fame thanks to being born in Ashern, he was mediocre, never able to create achievements beyond those of his ancestors through his own power.

‘So he harbored an inferiority complex toward his youngest son, who possessed nearly complete dragon blood.’

That boy was certainly extraordinary.

Walter, born as royalty, was not easily intimidated by presence, but the boy before him was different.

An intense presence that would terrify anyone.

Despite his young age, he was powerful yet emotionless.

The boy was unmistakably complete dragon blood.

Even the way he ceaselessly cut down monsters, calling it the duty of dragon blood. It was as if the dragon, the founder of Ashern, had manifested.

‘So the Count pushed this young boy into such a dangerous region.’

That boy couldn’t be unaware of the inferiority complex his father harbored.

Yet the boy, perhaps having lost his emotions as the price for being perfect dragon blood, simply carried out his duty silently.

Walter, twenty-two at the time, was concerned about such a Cain.

Who wouldn’t be concerned about a young child staying alone in a dangerous region?

But it wasn’t just that.

Rather, it was because of the words his sister had left behind.

It was about a year before she died young.

As if foreseeing her death, Ophelia often uttered incomprehensible words.

Like telling him to treat any lonely child he might meet well.

Random words whose intention and meaning were hard to understand.

Even when asked for details, she would only smile gently each time.

But for some reason, the moment Walter faced Cain, he had a strong intuition.

That the lonely child his sister had spoken of might be that very boy.

Thus, Walter made efforts to close the distance with Cain in his own way.

He fought monsters alongside the boy who wandered dangerous regions alone to fulfill his duty as dragon blood.

Fortunately, Cain didn’t particularly mind whether Walter stayed by his side or not. Though he seemed a bit annoyed.

Walter tried to look after Cain with the heart of an older brother.

The emotionless dragon blood boy showed little reaction, but Walter didn’t stop.

That strange companionship couldn’t last very long.

Soon after, Walter had to return to the Imperial Capital as he ascended to the throne as Emperor.

Even after Walter became Emperor, Cain’s life didn’t change much.

Cain, now in his teens, wandered only through dangerous regions as if he had left the manor entirely.

Walter was concerned about him and often deliberately summoned him to the Imperial Palace, but even so, Cain’s behavior didn’t change significantly.

Unlike his completely expressionless past, he now had small expressions as if he had mechanically learned people’s reactions, but that was all.

His red eyes still held only a terrible sense of duty.

It was the same even after Cain inherited the Count title.

The past three years were especially the worst.

With mutant monsters constantly causing waves, he couldn’t stop fighting for even a day.

Only recently, after Cain led his knights in fierce battles, did the monster waves subside and peace return to the Empire.

‘With this long-awaited peace allowing him to return to the manor, the Count must be quite busy.’

There would be issues like accumulated official duties and organizing the manor’s interior affairs.

Even knowing this would happen, the Emperor had no choice but to summon Cain.

It was because he had something important enough to convey.

‘Well. Perhaps there was no need to go as far as playing such a mischievous prank.’

It was necessary in its own way. This matter was classified enough that even the eyes within the Imperial Palace had to be deceived.

Even Cain himself, the person involved, was no exception for now.

Creak.

As soon as the greenhouse door opened, Cain’s face hardened at the scene that unfolded before him.

“…So the important matter was His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday party.”

His expression upon seeing the gorgeous three-tiered cake on the table and the Crown Prince wearing a party hat while looking up with excitement was quite a sight to behold.

Walter burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha! Exactly right!”

“…Are you serious.”

“Of course I’m serious. Are you saying the birthday of the Crown Prince who will become the Empire’s sun isn’t important?”

At the playful tone just like in the past, Cain let out a short sigh.

“Your Majesty hasn’t changed at all.”

“When you get older, you become reluctant to change. Take it as a compliment.”

Though he felt like the worst boss who forcibly summoned a subordinate to his child’s birthday party, the Emperor deliberately acted even more shameless.

He had to go this far for any watching eyes to be completely deceived.

“Don’t be like that, since you’ve come all this way, have a seat.”

Cain made an annoyed expression as if he’d been dragged into this, but didn’t refuse the Emperor’s invitation and pulled out a chair to sit.

The gazes of the Imperial family members seated around the dining table focused on him.

The Emperor deliberately cleared his throat pretending to be dignified, then asked about his well-being.

“So, Duke. Have you been well all this time?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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