Chapter 45: Heilon (2)
After a while, Sigren received a formal invitation from the Emperor. Despite finally being recognized by his biological father, Sigren remained cynical. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“It came?”
There was nothing unusual about Sigren’s disdain. Until now, the imperial family, especially the Emperor, had ignored Sigren despite being aware of his existence. They considered him useless. However, now that Sigren had succeeded in subduing the dragon, their attitude had changed dramatically. Clearly, they wanted to leverage his achievement to bolster the imperial family’s status. The prince who had been hidden for so long had captured the head of a monster? It would serve their plans well.
“Don’t crumple the paper,” Abel said as he saw Sigren angrily crumpling the invitation.
Sigren then waved goodbye to Abel and left the office, likely heading to the practice hall to cool off.
“That hot-tempered head,” Abel remarked sourly.
I didn’t think that was really what he wanted to say. Of course, I kept my thoughts to myself.
Abel turned his attention to me. “By the way, Fiona, I heard you decided to stay here.”
“For now.”
Abel’s smile was inscrutable. “You must have fallen for that Sigren bastard’s temptation.”
“Not temptation. I’d say it’s more about not being able to ignore the grief of a friend.”
Sigren was special not only because I created him but also because I raised him. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Never mind; there was no way we would ever be able to handle monsters as we used to in the capital anyway. Let’s consider this real re-employment. Since I had decided, I was definitely going to help. To do that, it would be better to have the Heilon surname.
Abel then made a strange face. “Sometimes, I can’t tell if you’re smart or foolish.”
Wait… that evaluation seemed too harsh. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
But, anyway, I couldn’t deny it.
“Especially when it comes to Sigren.”
“I think so too sometimes.”
“Then, it’s not good. You have to inherit the Heilon family.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to give it to me.”
“No way. I’ve had my eye on you for years.”
“….”
To be honest, I felt like the destruction of the world would come sooner than the day Abel’s stubbornness was gone. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Fiona, don’t you even wonder why I chose you?”
“That’s… because I don’t really think about it?”
Abel lightly clicked his tongue. “Indifferent kid. Please pay more attention.”
To be honest, if he weren’t an elder, I would have replied, “Here. Attention,” and then walked out of his room.
“I have no interest in marrying and passing down this family to my children. So, I need to adopt one.”
“That’s also…”
In fact, I knew why. Abel was a descendant of the imperial family, but there was never any real family affection. On the contrary, Abel harbored a deep hatred for the emperor. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
When the current emperor was young, he killed or forcibly expelled all potential rivals to his position. Abel’s father was driven out to the north for this reason. At that time, Heilon was constantly being attacked by monsters. The territory was in chaos, and the people there were starving to death from the cold. Abel’s father, who had lost his past glory and retained only the title of duke, could not remain passive and rapidly revitalized the Heilon family. Now, in Abel’s generation, Heilon was enjoying its most prosperous days.
I was fairly certain there must be a reason why they decided to send me in the past. Logically, there was no reason to send me, a young girl without any knowledge of magic, to Heilon. Yet, they sent me anyway, despite the fact that I was merely a child. If the emperor had genuinely intended to support Heilon, he would have prepared a proper mage, not a child like me. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. The emperor must have only pretended to support Heilon; he didn’t genuinely intend to offer help. The Green family must have known this, so they let me go.
Despite creating this plot, it was really a messed-up family dynamic.
In any case, this was the reason Abel did not marry or have children. If a child were born, they would have the blood of the imperial family and the right of succession. Such a child would be closely monitored and, more importantly, their life could be at risk.
The only people the emperor showed generosity to were his own flesh and blood; everyone else was merely a tool to be controlled. To prevent such a possibility from the start, Abel chose to adopt a child to inherit the family. He had a talent-oriented mindset and didn’t concern himself with bloodlines.
Actually, Abel’s situation was part of a side story, with additional settings beyond the main plot. But let’s not dwell on that. It was unnecessary to give myself a headache over it. The most important thing was that Abel deeply hated the current emperor. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
It also seemed I would be the next head of Heilon.
“Fiona, you don’t ask about details and you don’t care much about those around you, but you are always fully aware of the situation. It’s impressive.”
“….”
His words were so sharp that I couldn’t think of a rebuttal for a moment. Truly, I could not be vigilant against Abel.
As if he didn’t want to pursue the matter further, he waved his hand lightly. “Anyway, from now on, your name is Fiona Heilon.”
“I understand.” I replied, feeling goosebumps on my neck. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Try to be happier, would you? Also, it means you no longer need to use a pseudonym in front of someone like Arrendt. It doesn’t matter if he accuses you of ignoring him.”
Abel then solemnly declared, “No, ignore him no matter what.”
It seemed he hated Arrendt a lot.
“Well, I don’t really want to deal with him either.”
I didn’t actually hate Arrendt, but he made me uncomfortable. Honestly, wasn’t a guy like that someone only the female protagonist could control? He seemed like the kind of legendary man who could only be touched by the lead female character. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Hearing my words, Abel made a satisfied face.
“Okay then, now—”
Somehow, I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say.
Abel continued with his very arrogant smile, “For real… call me father.”
I refused in a small voice.
“I insist.”
Why hadn’t he given up on that? Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
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