Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 274

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 44.
Not Every Child Is an Angel (44)
When Hispanie finally defied Father’s orders, caused a great scandal, and left the family, Arthur had his youngest son’s name struck from the records and commanded that he never be allowed within the Castle again. Even after decades passed and Arthur died, and his eldest son Friedrich inherited the title, this remained the official stance.
Then one day, Franz mistook a letter addressed to Father for one meant for himself and opened it—only to discover that the youngest uncle, supposedly dead, was still alive. After carefully studying the letter, Franz managed to locate the small port where Hispanie had been staying: Ibeland. Even Hispanie was startled by this discovery.
Thanks to Franz’s bold venture, Duke Friedrich von Arnim made a secret journey to find the son who had left with only a letter, which resulted in Father and Uncle meeting again after decades. Looking back, it was undoubtedly the right thing to do—for that night’s meeting would be the last time the two brothers ever saw each other in life.
At the time, Franz watched his respected father converse with his newly respected uncle and was half-dumbfounded. Though they possessed opposite temperaments, they understood each other with remarkable precision, possessing an almost uncanny ability to irritate one another with equal skill. Yet simultaneously, they were more sensitive to each other’s praise than anyone else’s. After listening to their conversation for about ten minutes, Franz began to suspect that perhaps Hispanie had left home because of his brother, not despite him.
Friedrich was an expert at genteel provocation of the world’s most accomplished younger brother, but he didn’t stop there. During that visit, he asked about the repeated thefts occurring within the Castle, the whereabouts of artworks that had vanished at some point, the reason two retainers had recently been at odds, and the rights issues concerning newly acquired forest lands—all at once. He received answers instantly, then departed with a self-satisfied smirk, muttering, “Ah, so this is how easy it used to be.”
In any case, from that day forward, the connection between Hispanie and the family fell to Franz. Friedrich seemed to have welcomed this arrangement. He quickly realized that while his brother might speak to him with sharp sarcasm, he made an unexpected effort to be a sincere adult toward his nephew.
And Franz eventually had to admit that writing to his uncle proved to be quite an effective solution whenever complex problems arose. Even accounting for the risk of letters being lost in transit. Hispanie would sometimes end his replies with: “Once you’ve heard my answer, pour a glass of wine at your father’s grave and come back.”
Such correspondence ceased for a time after Hispanie left Ibeland, briefly resumed when Hispanie stayed at King’s Island, then stopped again. However, considering that a quick reply came to the letter entrusting Joshua to him, it was possible he had deliberately ignored the previous letters.
Hispanie shook his head once more.
“As you know, I’m not someone who can remain in this place.”
“Surely that no longer matters, Uncle? Grandfather has been gone for a long time. Father never hated you, and the reason you had to leave was not your fault—so why must you still obey that command?”
“No, it won’t do. This isn’t a matter of stuffy rules. The old royal house is gone now, but breaking the rules today would bring no good either.”
“Why not? Time has passed. The master of the family is now neither Grandfather nor Father, but me. Do you truly believe there is anyone left who would speak of you in such terms before me?”
Franz avoided voicing a certain word midway through his sentence. Yet Hispanie smiled faintly, as if he understood everything.
“There’s no need to strain yourself. Just as I had a father, I also had a mother. And Father had no choice but to cast me out—it was no one’s fault but my own foolishness.”
“There’s no need to try so hard. Just as I had a Father, I had a Mother too. And it wasn’t anyone’s fault that Father had to cast me out. I was the only one who was foolish.”
At his uncle’s self-deprecating tone, Franz cut in with evident indignation.
“There is no one in the Anomarad Kingdom who could call you foolish, Uncle.”
“But I was foolish. The First Duke of Arnim was also a Demonic, and with that power, he raised this family. It was a truly radiant name then—before his descendants cast it into the mud. I was called Demonic before I was even four years old. Can you imagine how much I was conscious of him from childhood? I wanted to become like him, sometimes even surpass him. Yet in the end, I became nothing but a curse upon the noble family he built, and I fled. Running away was the only thing I could do for the family.”
“But Uncle, you had no choice back then. It was such a natural thing to do!”
At that moment, Hispanie’s expression hardened and his brows rose sharply.
“Franz, do you intend to protect your son by inviting a calamity like me back into the house? Do you truly not understand what a threat my existence could pose to King Checel? Even if Joshua grows up safely, what future awaits him if he falls out of the king’s favor? Do you wish to see the family torn to pieces in the hands of the king you yourself placed on the throne?”
“That is a concern for the distant future. I will think of what comes after once I’ve eliminated the threat before us. I harbor not the slightest doubt that my choice to hold you here is right. Of course, if you refuse, there is nothing I can do. But having said this much, will you not lend me your strength?”
That is a matter of the distant future. First, I will eliminate the threat before us, and then I will think about what comes after. I have not the slightest doubt that my choice to hold onto Uncle right now is the right one. Of course, if Uncle refuses, there is nothing I can do about it. But even after saying all this, will you not lend me your strength?
“Do you truly believe my remaining here would help?”
Franz looked at Hispanie with bewildered eyes before answering.
“You don’t trust my words, it seems.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Listen—Duke Arnim has lost his daughter. More than dozens of people witnessed it. They’ll all spread rumors: the duke’s daughter was poisoned at Jade Ring Castle before countless eyes. Anyone with a modicum of insight will insist that the real target was Joshua. The rest anyone can imagine. The duke will rage and grieve, search the Castle thoroughly, suspect countless people, and stop at nothing to protect his son. Now, what if I appear? In such a situation, would the poisoner dare show their face again? Wouldn’t they hold their breath and hide in the depths?”
“If they slink away like that forever, all the better. Joshua would be safe, after all.”
Hispanie’s eyes narrowed. He pressed further.
“Then what of Ive? What do you intend to do about her?”
Franz’s face contorted.
“She is already lost to me….”
“I know. There’s no way to bring a dead child back to life. But will you simply leave it at that? Does death mean she is no longer your daughter? No, let me ask first—why do you wish to protect Joshua? Is it because you fear losing an heir, or because you fear losing a son?”
Franz lowered his eyes as if struck by something, then answered.
“Your words are strange. Surely it’s both, is it not?”
“Both is meaningless! If the heir comes first, then drag me in and tear the house apart—make the poisoner flee to the ends of the Continent. But if the son comes first, if the son comes first….”
Hispanie strode forward and suddenly drew something from behind his waist, slamming it onto the table with a sharp crack. It was not a dagger but a short weapon resembling an awl—a stiletto. So keen was its edge that it sank two finger-widths into the wood and trembled there.
“Make an example. Show them that no one who lays even a needle’s point against Arnim lives to tell of it. Find whoever harmed Ive. Crush them to death.”
The handle of the stiletto bore an engraving that had not faded even after decades of separation from the family—the shape of a ship’s wheel, the family crest drawn by Schouan Oblivion, who had been the sworn ally of the First Duke of Arnim.
“That is the most proactive way to protect Joshua. Attack him. The Arnim way.”
“Uncle.”
Franz’s eyes darkened. He watched the vibration of the stiletto cease before speaking quietly.
“I cannot act recklessly. The loss of Ive tears at my heart until I weep blood. Yet when I think of Joshua, I cannot help but prioritize defense. If I lose that child, nothing remains. The honor of the family, so painfully built amid the chaos of the republican revolution, would be shaken by a foolish conflict.”
“What remains is Arnim itself.”
Hispanie’s nimble hand drew near again, grasping the hilt of the stiletto.
“Honor painfully earned, yes. But since when was Arnim a duke? Since when did we become some petty nobility? What good are all the reputation we’ve accumulated, the wealth, the rank of duke?”
As he released his hand, the stiletto sang again—a low, resonant hum. The wheel was a force and symbol that guided sailors even in the waves. It was a mark showing that House of Arnim had its origins in the sea.
“Are you afraid of dishonor? What you should truly fear is becoming a coward who suffers such an attack at the heart of the family and yet remains silent, seeking only a place to hide. Yes, isn’t it dishonorable? Isn’t it shameful to lose a daughter and fail to avenge her? Jade Ring Manor is Arnim’s castle. Is the Duke of Arnim searching for a place to hide within his own castle? The enemy creeps about like a rat!”
Both men’s eyes were fixed upon the stiletto, staring intently as though the wheel engraved upon it might reveal their direction.
“If I were in your position, I would let rumors fade and feign peace, waiting for the enemy to grow careless and emerge. I would hope he moves again, targeting Joshua. I would lure him into a false confidence that he can harm Joshua through his own strength, and seize the decisive moment. Thus would I wash the blood Ive shed today with his blood.”
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months of Books
The copyright of this book belongs to the author and 14 Months of Books.

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