The Devil In The Cage (5)
As soon as she noticed Rowan, who came out to meet her in the garden, she ran and hugged him.
“Father!”
“Altair, I’m glad you returned home safely. Are you hurt?”
He blushed at his daughter’s sudden embrace as he asked in a worried tone.
She shook her head with her face still buried deep in his arms.
“That’s a relief… Well, I have a present for you. It’s a bit late right now, but would you like to take a look?”
“A present? What is it?”
“Bring ‘it’ over here.”
When ordered, the servants instantly brought a long box wrapped in blue silk. As if they had been waiting.
A sword?
Upon receiving the box, she was able to figure out the width and weight of it.
‘This is definitely a sword. Plus, it likely will be a great item.’
Pulling the ribbon off with a reminiscent look, she opened the box and looked at the pure white long-sword inside it as it seemed to spill out of the box.
The snow-white sword seemed to radiate a delicate yet magical aura. It’s golden handle embossed with antique plant designs.
Engraved in it was a blue mana stone that resembled her eyes.
Upon noticing Altair staring at the sword for a long time, Rowan asked carefully.
“…Do you like it? Someone had suggested that a longsword would be more suitable for your style of fighting as compared to a rapier.”
“That’s right. Of course, I love that rapier you gave me the other day, however, this is more than that. Thank you. I’m so happy.”
The sword itself was a favourite of Altair. It was a blow to Arsene, who had mocked her father for not presenting her with a proper gift.
The next time she goes to the Count, she will make sure to play with this new guy properly.
Altair glanced up and down at the blade satisfactorily as it reflected the afternoon sunlight before carefully placing it into the scabbard.
Rowan suddenly opened his mouth as he watched her closely with his arms crossed.
“A letter came from the 7th Prince, inviting you to the palace…”
“I heard the Prince had something to talk to me about.”
“…Go. What a sly raven.”
Rowan frowned as he clicked his tongue loudly.
For a moment, Altair paused to think before replying.
“Perhaps they will ask about how Count Estarrot, who’s known for benign a hard worker, how I am being taught.”
“And he’ll be talking nonsense. Just know that you need not answer if you don’t want to.”
During the conversation, the father and daughter arrived at the mansion. Rowan had wanted to hear about what happened at the Estarrot mansion over dinner.
With the help of a maid, Altair changed from an outdoor dress to an indoor one before immediately heading downstairs.
The Duchess’s restaurant was a rather simple place.
The four-person mahogany table has a white tablecloth with luxurious lace at the ends. An elegant porcelain vase in the middle was beautifully decorated with roses and different kinds of wildflowers that were freshly picked from the garden.
In accordance with the Duchess’s usual habits and actions, only a few imperial southern-style dishes were placed in front of her. Right across from her, dishes such as meat, steak, and stew were plentiful. It was as if the chef was conscious of putting out unhealthy dishes from a lady who had just begun learning to master the sword.
As she sat down, wearing a napkin, Rowan drank a few sips of wine before continuing.
“So, what did Arsene mention about accepting the visit with my consent?”
“He didn’t even bring it up at all.”
“Well… Ever since then, he’s been acting so confusing.”
“Yes, I agree.”
He smiled softly as he saw her nodding enthusiastically.
Feeling the pang of hunger, Altair quickly lowered her eyelashes and began concentrating on the meal before her.
However, Altair, once again, raised her head after noticing the persistent gaze that’s locked onto the top of her head and opened her mouth to ask.
“…Do you have any more questions?”
“After the training session, I heard you had a private meeting with Arsene in his study.”
“Well, there’s nothing special or important to tell you about that. He didn’t know much about my style of swordsmanship and had just made a few sarcastic remarks about something insignificant.”
She had broken her sword during the fight with Ahin and did not mention that Arsene had noticed it.
Rowan, who lowered his gaze for a second to eat, asked in an unchanging tone.
“Why did you visit the abandoned illegitimate child?”
The question instantly struck Altair as she paused, swallowing as she tried forming a reply.
So, they had made a report.
Even though she thought they had joined her team, their loyalties have yet to go away.
Dismayed, she opened her mouth in a cold sweat.
“…It’s not how you think it is…”
“That’s what everyone who has seen it said.”
One morning, his daughter had woke up muttering the name ‘Ahin Estarrot’.
From that point on, her personality, tone of voice, everything had changed. Including the gain of transcendent sword skills.
And now, such a daughter had returned from a secret meeting with Ahin Estarrot.
It was perhaps natural for Rowan to think that his daughter had been dominated by evil forces.
‘So if I were to drag you through the story of my past life, I’ll end up being more suspicious.’
Inhaling sharply, Altair opened her mouth.
“…At first, I was just curious about who he was. After all, most if not all of the aristocrats accused him of being a demon.
But when I had met him in person, he was just an ordinary kid except for the fact that he was born with red eyes. Furthermore, there are children of the northern immigrant population that are born with red eyes from time to time too.
Considering that the Countess was the Princess of Gehen, his appearance is completely normal.”
“Is it simply just his appearance? After all, there have been dozens of employees who have quit working under the Count ever since he was born.”
“It is deplorable that many of our people still believe in superstitions and rumours.”
“There wouldn’t be smoke in a chimney unless there was a fire below.”
“Someone could’ve placed the smoke in it.”
She answered with a shrug and a rather nervous voice after having been silent for a while.
“Either way, that doesn’t change the fact that he is a child of the enemy’s family.”
A child of the enemy’s family.
If I did not have a deep connection with Ahin in my past life, maybe that would be what I would have thought of Ahin now.
‘…I was the only comrade he was able to entrust his back to on the battlefield, let alone the enemy.’
She replied in a serious tone.
“Father, Ahin has the essential qualities fitting of a great knight. I can also assure you that I will never act like the Count.”
“Altair.”
“It will be a great loss for the empire if he keeps being driven out and portrayed as a demon. I’ll help him receive the right treatment.”
“Just because you want to help him means that the bastard thinks the same way.”
“Then I’ll persuade him.”
Silence.
After a while, the voice that seemed to come from the other side of the table sounded divided.
“Altair. Do you know that you’ve never thought of me as your father?”
…!
Altair’s eyes widened at his unexpected remark.
“Arsene and I had attended the same academy. Together with your Aunt. He liked her very much, and so did I-”
Stopping to swallow, he slowly closed his eyes before opening them again.
“I thought he was just another human being with flesh and blood. We had tried to appease and approve of him, even though it was against the wishes of his parents. And look at the result of that.”
“…”
“Altair. Ever since then, I have regretted my actions. Very much. I don’t want you to make the same mistake that I did.”
In his dropping eyes held clear remorse.
Altair lowered her gaze with a confused look. For a split second, all kinds of thoughts and emotions washed over me.
My father tried to conciliate Arsene?
Besides, I also remember hearing that Aunt Lizzie had passed on before I was even born.
Did her death have anything to do with Arsene? How far in the world is all of this even intertwined?
Slid.
Rowan got up from his seat, the food in front of him was left almost untouched.
Speaking with a pale expression,
“I’ll go upstairs first. I’m sorry.”
Seeing his back as he hastily made his departure, she instinctively realised that she would not be able to hear a more detailed recount.
If so, then she would not easily get any answers from her butler and the other servants.
However, such information was not only available within the family and people in it.
After tapping her finger on the table for a while, she decided to visit the information guild in which she used to visit to investigate her parents’ death in her past life.
***
“I’m scared.”
When Altair, dressed in pink pyjamas, suddenly came into his room. Rowan Chernobog was wondering how to make her understand the severity and seriousness of the situation.
He put down the book that he was holding open on the table before raising his upper body and asking abruptly,
“…Altair?”
She rolled her eyes nervously.
“I fell asleep for a while in the morning. In my dream, Count Estarrot was following me with a sword. Then I went to sleep with Father until I felt safe enough.”
“…”
Rowan wordlessly looked at her.
His little daughter was fidgeting with her fingers nervously, avoiding his gaze.
Fidgeting out of nowhere was a habit that the child had that came out whenever she was nervous.
Then, she must be lying about the dream. He thought, raising his eyebrows.
She had come to look for him to ease her father’s anger through the use of any excuse she could think of… If he were to let her have her way, she will definitely underestimate the severity of the situation.
In that case, I will have to scold her here, hard, and send her back…
“Can I go up?”
His daughter now looking up at him like a homeless kitten, her chin and hands both placed on his bed.
Without realising, Rowan’s stiff face broke apart.
‘…Yeah. This is what happens instead.’
Sighing, he carefully hugged and carried his daughter who had come to his bedside.
Carrying her to the right of the bed, Altair sprang up and said as she wriggled over to his left.
“I’ll lie beside the window…”
“…Do whatever you want.”
Altair, lying on the left, felt uncomfortable with her father’s side. After all, she was the one who was invading his space. So, once in a while, she would wiggle or toss her doll’s body around.
Rowan, who was observing the situation quietly, smiled in a fit of laughter.
“You can’t seem to sleep.”
“Ah, no. But doll… Because I didn’t listen…”
She frowned as she tried climbing over the white lion’s abdomen.
Her once slim doll now thick after having been stuffed with candies and snacks.
Rowan suddenly thought as he laid down with one hand on his face as he slowly observed its shape.
‘At times like this, you really don’t look your age…’
Is this really the same child who had went up against Arsene Estarrot countless of times?
Once again, he sighed. Kissing his daughter’s forehead before blowing out the candles that were burning brightly in the silver candlestick.
She could vaguely make out the sound of heavy breathing.
As soon as she realised that her father was asleep, Altair slipped out of the bed.
Suddenly, she took out two sharp daggers from the tail of the white lion doll and flung them towards the ceiling and bookshelf respectively.