Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 416

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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 186.
In the Name of Loyalty and Vengeance (28)
Dulcia tapped her parasol against the desk.
“Who else could it be but Count Armorique, who will inherit Periwinkle Island in the future?”
Count Armorique—that would be the boy said to be seventeen years old this year. The moment I thought this, my mood improved slightly. Dulcia continued speaking.
“You should go see him right away, Steward. He’s gone to Arnim Mansion. My two sons accompanied him. You’re going now, aren’t you?”
Of course I had to. I rose from my seat, rounded the desk, and observed the half-dazed expressions of the people crowding the room, as well as Dulcia’s flushed face of excitement. And inwardly, I let out a scoff, thinking: How utterly devoted these Arnim loyalists are.
What has Duke Arnim, sitting in the Capital, ever done for them that they should be so pleased? And what do they expect from the Young Duke—merely the Duke’s son, still nothing but a boy?
Even as I thought this, I summoned my secretary from the adjoining room and issued detailed instructions about what preparations should be made for our departure. I cautioned them to maintain courtesy toward these excitable people.
When Richard Fell, Dulcia, and the long procession following behind arrived at Arnim Mansion, the Old Gatekeeper sat alone at the entrance.
I found this puzzling. The Old Gatekeeper, who loved nothing more than talk of Arnim—more than his own meals—surely must have seen the Young Duke, yet why did he sit there so indifferently?
“How are you, Aemon? Where has the Young Duke gone?”
Dulcia asked first, but the Old Gatekeeper gave no answer. Only when she asked a second and third time did the old man raise his hand and point toward a corner of the Garden, his expression deeply hesitant.
The two in front and those following rushed into the Garden. It was not as vast a maze-garden as Jade Ring Castle. However, this Garden, rather than being shaped and trimmed, was left relatively wild, and thus had even more shadows and corners. They soon encountered the gardener, who said he had not seen the Young Duke.
“Where could he have gone? Could he have lost his way?”
The group made nearly a full circuit around the Garden surrounding the Mansion. Behind the Mansion, almond trees formed a small forest. Branches spread wide like shrubs, casting shimmering shadows upon the earth. Beneath the trees sat several chairs.
In the warm Southern Region, the almond tree was the earliest to bloom. By February, its branches were said to be covered in white flowers. It was said that Icabon von Arnim had loved these impatient almond trees. Icabon was a man who did not wait, who accomplished everything swiftly, the moment it occurred to him. And he had the ability to do so. The almond trees he had first planted had gradually increased in number until now there were just under a hundred.
From behind the almond forest, Dulcia’s two sons appeared and pressed their fingers to their lips. Dulcia then turned and made the same gesture.
“Shh. Wait.”
The Lady slowed her pace and entered the almond forest. Those following stopped, but Richard Fell saw no reason to obey Dulcia’s unspoken command and followed after her.
Pushing through the branches, I saw long chairs arranged in a pentagon in the distance. On one of them sat a gray-haired boy. A calm, rhythmic voice reached my ears.
“…They bloom so quickly, and by summer the fruit is already ripe. Because they flower early and fall early, some people associate them with Demonic. Of course, the first Duke liked them too. And also because the harvest comes once every four years.”
“Once every four years? What does that have to do with Demonic?”
“Demonic appears roughly once every four generations.”
Riche nodded and asked.
“But your grandfather also had Demonic, didn’t he? So you appeared in just three generations?”
Joshua laughed.
“Perhaps the harvest came early. Come to think of it, I couldn’t even wait for four generations to pass—doesn’t that make me just as impatient as the almond tree?”
Maximian crossed his arms and murmured.
“The fallow period is so short that there’s not enough fertilizer, which is why you’re so thin.”
Maximian was aware that people had appeared beyond the forest. He did not think Joshua would not have noticed. Yet Joshua paid them no mind. He simply remained, natural and unhurried.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves that covered the sky. Even in a season without flowers, it was an elegant tree. A gentle breeze blew, and the shade was cool. Though not the sort of feeling one should have in another’s garden, it was quite peaceful—if only for the rustling footsteps of those eavesdropping from a distance.
No, Maximian corrected himself. It was not another’s home. Even if he had come here for the first time, to Joshua this was his own house. There was nothing strange about sitting beneath the almond trees planted in the Backyard, conversing with a friend and resting. He had not entered the Mansion, but there was no need to. After all, where they needed to go was not the Mansion but the Columbarium.
“This house is so nice.”
Riche, who had been envious ever since we began walking through the sun-drenched Garden, murmured once more. Joshua could only laugh awkwardly. Maximian, recalling Jade Ring Castle, which he had first visited at the party where he met the “doll,” spoke.
“What’s this compared to that? The castle in Keltika is the real thing.”
“But Mak, I feel more at ease here than at Jade Ring Castle.”
“You liked that countryside hovel in Kotzboldt more than that castle too, didn’t you? What’s surprising about it now?”
Joshua tilted his head back to gaze at the gleaming leaves. For a long while, only the sound of sparrows could be heard. At last, Joshua spoke.
“When I pushed open the door and came in here earlier, it was so quiet. No one was around.”
Riche spoke up.
“I thought you enjoyed being watched by so many people?”
“Well, I don’t dislike it, but something feels different today. I wonder why?”
Maximian knew the reason but saw no need to point it out. The people who had marveled at Joshua von Arnim today had not truly been looking at Joshua or Max Cardi at all. Joshua was accustomed to attention and acclaim, but this was his first time experiencing praise solely because he was the “Young Duke of Arnim”—praise divorced entirely from his own efforts or merit. Instead, the weight of his father’s name and his family’s legacy had been placed squarely upon his shoulders.
He must have felt the burden. That was why he had retreated to this quiet place to find peace of mind. He likely needed a moment to consider how to navigate this unfamiliar role—that of the “welcomed Young Duke”—going forward.
But there was no time for such respite.
“I hope I’m not disturbing your rest?”
He had instructed the Old Gatekeeper not to reveal his whereabouts, though he harbored no genuine hope that no one would come. Joshua turned his head. Two people stood nearby, and beyond the almond grove, many more awaited. Whether he felt prepared or not, the moment had come to play the part of the Young Duke.
“No, not at all. I’m quite refreshed now. Who might you be?”
Dulcia approached the chair where Joshua sat and bowed with clasped hands.
“I am Dulcia Tarant. I cultivate pearls to present to Your Majesty’s father. They are the finest pearl oysters found nowhere else. As you know, it is a traditional secret method passed down through Your Majesty’s lineage.”
Joshua looked up at the elderly woman in confusion at the word “Your Majesty,” yet her face bore no sign of having misspoken.
“What did you just call me?”
“Please do not diminish yourself, Your Majesty.”
Joshua rose from his seat. He offered the woman a light bow before speaking directly.
“I am not Your Majesty. That is a title reserved for the Royal House alone.”
Dulcia did not yield. Her upturned face conveyed stubborn resolve.
“The House of Arnim is the Royal House of Periwinkle. We have long called the Duke ‘Your Grace.’ It is an ancient tradition.”
Joshua found himself momentarily at a loss for words. His father rarely spoke of Periwinkle. He had only heard it described as a distant island his father had never even visited. His father had never mentioned whether taxes were still sent from there, or whether he appointed a regent to govern in his stead. Before arriving here, Joshua had doubted whether the people would respect him at all.
Yet now he was beginning to understand. He grasped why the Duke’s House had been forced to abandon Periwinkle. If it was natural for people to address the Duke as “Your Grace,” then was it not reasonable to suspect that Duke Arnim had sought to establish an independent kingdom?
To dispel that misunderstanding, the House of Arnim had to leave the island and come to Keltika. They had to pretend not to rule the island, to maintain no contact with it.
“I apologize for breaking with tradition, but I cannot accept such a title. I would prefer to be called simply the Young Duke.”
Dulcia’s expression fell with disappointment.
“If the Young Duke insists, then so be it. But if this is because of the King of the Continent, preventing us from honoring our traditions, then our pride will surely be wounded.”
Joshua began to respond but stopped himself. She was an elderly woman. When the House of Arnim had left Periwinkle, this woman had likely been a girl. The pride she had cherished for all those decades could not be altered by a few words.
Then a man who had been standing behind the elderly woman stepped forward. He possessed a dignified bearing, though his shoulders were narrow and his cheeks somewhat gaunt—a middle-aged man of modest frame.
“I am Richard Fell, the Steward. It is an honor to meet you.”
Yet his expression did not seem particularly honored. As Joshua nodded, he continued.
“You arrived by quite an unusual method, I understand? Everyone has been curious about that.”
Joshua smiled faintly.
“Well… there simply is such a method. I’m sure an opportunity to explain will present itself later.”
“I see. In any case, meeting a member of the House of Duke Arnim is a first in my lifetime. I have only ever seen the Young Duke through the portrait hanging in the manor.”
It did not seem he had made that remark to substantiate his claim of honor. Maximian observed that Richard Fell had spoken with an almost reproachful expression. Joshua pretended not to notice and asked instead.
“Is there a portrait of me in the manor as well?”
“How else would we have recognized the Young Duke?”
His tone was peculiar—as if to say there would have been no way to recognize him without the portrait. Yet Joshua responded with a smile rather than matching his sarcasm.
“I see. In any case, I should take a look inside the manor. Shall we discuss this indoors?”
As Joshua turned to leave, the Steward spoke once more from behind him.
“There are also matters I must discuss with you.”
Matters to discuss? Maximian felt a sense of foreboding at those words.
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months Publishing
The copyright of this book belongs to the author and 14 Months Publishing.
To reuse all or part of the contents of this book, written consent from both parties is required.

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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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