I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 53

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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 53

 

It was a pleasant, cool afternoon. When Aren entered the room at his uncle’s summons, he witnessed hell.

 

Uncle’s study, which he had entered countless times in his childhood, treating it as his own playground.

 

From when he began to mature, he no longer entered freely, but even as an adult, it was undoubtedly a warm place for him.

 

“Uncle?”

 

“Yes, Aren. You’ve come.”

 

And in that place filled with warmth, his brother lay collapsed at his uncle’s feet.

 

“What is this…?”

 

His brother tried to move his body, but maintaining consciousness was all he could manage. Aren grabbed hold of him.

 

“Poison… you must have been poisoned! I’ll quickly call for a physician!”

 

“I did it.”

 

Aren raised his head. His uncle’s face was hard to see against the backlight. But his uncle’s words didn’t end there.

 

“But, Aren. You knew, didn’t you?”

 

“…”

 

“I knew you would enter the study without permission, and while it was my fault for not being careful enough, you pretended not to know that I was trying to kill Sionel.”

 

He felt his brother’s gaze. He couldn’t say anything.

 

Because he alone knew.

 

On the day he learned all the truth, he covered his own eyes and sealed his mouth.

 

He was afraid. He knew that his uncle’s betrayal, the uncle who had saved the brothers, would leave deeper wounds than ever, and he didn’t want to experience losing family in an instant again.

 

Still, he thought that the love given to them couldn’t have been entirely false.

 

“I’ll give you a choice. If you stay by your brother’s side like this, I’ll stop the assassination attempts I’ve been making and kill myself.”

 

“…”

 

“But if you leave this room abandoning Sionel, Sionel will be processed as killed by an unidentified assassin… and I will remain your uncle forever.”

 

Aren looked back and forth between his brother and uncle. He had to save his brother. Sionel was his only sibling.

 

However.

 

It was also his uncle who had comforted and put him to sleep every night after losing their parents, who had spent much time with him to ease his loneliness while his brother was busy with heir lessons, who had played the role of a parent.

 

Thud.

 

His brother’s body collapsed to the floor again. Aren slowly stood up.

 

“S-sorry, brother. I just… wanted to live…”

 

He could never forget his brother’s eyes looking at him. Eyes filled with shock and deep betrayal.

 

As Gideon said, it was he who delivered the final despair to Sionel.

 

It was only later that he thought his uncle being caught with the assassination plan might have been intentional.

 

And on the night they came to Mirban Forest, his uncle told him:

 

“When this schedule is over, I’m thinking of making you my heir.”

 

His eyes, which had been looking down the entire time, looked up for the first time. His uncle had already declared before his retainers that he would make him heir in case of emergency.

 

However, this was only in the case where his brother’s death was confirmed, and it was an unofficial statement.

 

Announcing him as the new heir before the nobility was tantamount to confirming Sionel’s death to everyone.

 

And seeing his uncle’s relieved face, he had no choice but to realize.

 

His brother was dead. Just a few hours ago at that. He had lost his life while breathing in the same space as him.

 

Gideon’s casual attitude was just like handling paperwork that had been briefly postponed.

 

His ears felt muffled. At Aren’s fear-filled face, Gideon frowned.

 

“Aren’t you happy?”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t think you’ll be inferior to Sionel.”

 

Gideon leaned forward.

 

“Just as I surpassed my brother, you can certainly do the same.”

 

Gideon’s eyes were directed at him, but at the same time, they weren’t looking at him.

 

There had been several such moments.

 

His uncle often gave him words of encouragement when he tried to follow Sionel, saying he had abilities superior to his brother.

 

Back then, he thought it was comfort for himself who was easily compared to his brother, and unconsciously, he liked his uncle’s love that seemed to give him more affection than his brother.

 

He had been starved for a guardian’s love.

 

But he was merely identifying him with himself.

 

He didn’t want that. He loved his brother and wanted to help his brother who would become duke to elevate the ducal house to greater heights.

 

But he had ruined everything.

 

With the goblin right before his eyes, Aren finally sensed that the time had come. This was the only way he could atone to his dead brother.

 

Aren closed his eyes and waited for the peace that would soon come.

 

But his wish was not granted. His powerless body was dragged away.

 

When he opened his eyes again as his body was helplessly pulled along, a red flag was fluttering. No, it was long red hair.

 

Soon, she turned around and opened her mouth. Her fresh light green eyes sparkled.

 

“Don’t die in my forest without permission.”

 

* * *

 

How is it that people from this family are so desperate to die in this forest?

 

Ponia, who had forcibly rescued him from the goblin, ran to catch up with the Prince’s group that had evacuated to a safe zone.

 

“Young master, if you keep losing strength like that, we’ll be caught in no time. Me included.”

 

“Please just leave me behind!”

 

Ah, is corruption a family trait of the Devonham Duchy?

 

“I’ll take that as you begging me to take you along.”

 

Casually ignoring his words, Ponia no longer asked for his opinion.

 

Fortunately, unlike Sionel, he didn’t have the strength to shake off Ponia.

 

“Why are you trying to save someone like me…?”

 

“As a forest keeper, I have a duty to protect you, young master.”

 

Ponia recalled the original story. There was a time when Sionel, while building intimacy with the female protagonist Lana, had talked about his sibling.

 

Unable to overcome the guilt of betraying his brother, he eventually took his own life.

 

Except that it happened before Sionel ascended to the ducal position, the timing and location weren’t mentioned. Ponia muttered to herself.

 

“There’s no particular reason it has to be here.”

 

Aren seemed more unbearable now, holding her hand, than when he was in front of the goblin.

 

Does Aren know that Sionel is here?

 

Though words lingered in her mouth, Ponia just pulled him along with all her strength.

 

It was a cruel thing to say, but Sionel was most important to her. The fact that Aren had no place in a world where Sionel would be happy constrained her actions and words.

 

So she simply dragged the boy before her in silence.

 

Fortunately, they safely reached the Prince’s group. Honestly, Aren was so much slower than expected that she thought they’d be caught with time to spare, but they survived when the goblins suddenly showed interest in something else and moved away.

 

Seeing Ponia bring Aren back, Nicolaus’s expression brightened. It was the face of someone who had avoided a troublesome situation.

 

“I’m glad you understood my intention correctly. You’ve safely rescued the Devonham young master.”

 

As the Prince deliberately praised her and patted her shoulder in front of everyone, Ponia smiled awkwardly.

 

“It’s thanks to Your Highness’s insightful judgment.”

 

How well he fabricates stories when he used him as monster bait. But what can a powerless forest keeper do but endure?

 

She briefly watched Aren being helped along by the guards. At this rate, Aren would try to die again soon.

 

Watching someone heading toward a predetermined ending didn’t sit well with her. But for Sionel’s sake, doing nothing would be…

 

Just then, the weakened Aren collapsed. Ponia instinctively approached him and helped him up.

 

Grasping his thin arm, Ponia finally whispered.

 

“If you want to be punished, shouldn’t you receive it from the person involved?”

 

Even if that person would give him the same death.

 

A brief change came over Aren’s expression, but it was fleeting as he moved away with the guards.

 

* * *

 

On a night when everyone was exhausted from the monster attack,

 

Ponia took advantage of the loosened surveillance to find the cave. However, Ponia couldn’t discover anything there.

 

The cave was clean as if no one had ever visited it from the beginning. Except for something embedded in the inner wall.

 

Ponia looked at her finger that had traced the wall.

 

“Blood?”

 

What had happened here?

 

And at the same time, at the Devonham Family Tent. Two guards were stationed at the entrance, but they were nodding off, overcome by sudden drowsiness. It was only natural that they had already failed in their duty.

 

An unidentified man stood before Gideon’s sleeping bed.

 

“…”

 

Sionel quietly looked down at his defenseless sleeping uncle.

 

With a dagger clutched in one hand.

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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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