# Chapter 025
“If you’re really concerned, I could…”
He was about to ask if he could keep those children. But the Duke, as if he could no longer hold back, slammed the table once more and glared at Asher.
“Who said you could question my words? All the children you brought today will be sent to an orphanage. And you, as punishment for what you’ve done today, will reflect on your actions for two days confined to the house.”
“…I promised to take responsibility for those children.”
“What?”
“You can’t just send them to an orphanage like this… Couldn’t you at least let me take responsibility for them?”
Asher pleaded. He implored with desperate eyes to at least let him keep his promise, but the Duke’s cold response was all that came back.
“It seems I’ve been too lenient with you lately.”
“Father…?”
“Asher Anest.”
The Duke called his full name, sending chills down his spine. Simultaneously, Asher felt his breath constricting as pheromones were released. Threat, killing intent. He thought he had felt all these through the Crown Prince. But this time, the level of pheromones was different.
It felt as if someone was blocking his airways and tearing his limbs apart. Just when he was suffering in the painful pheromones, feeling like he might actually die, the Duke stood up from his seat and looked down at Asher.
“You may not remember because you’ve lost your memories, but you were beaten quite often when you were young.”
“…kugh,”
“From tomorrow onward, if you don’t want to enter the Room of Thought, it would be best to follow my words.”
His words didn’t come through clearly. With the continuous constricting sensation, Asher felt his vision gradually blurring.
“The children will be sent to the orphanage as planned. You must ensure that the location revealed by the child doesn’t reach anyone’s ears. If the matter surfaces, I won’t forgive you. Even if you are my beloved son.”
It was a threat disguised as affection. What secret could be hidden there that would make him oppress with pheromones like this? Unless the Duke was involved in this and was plotting something through them. The Duke withdrew his deadly pheromones directed at Asher, who was nearly dying, and looked down with a cold gaze.
“Even with memory loss, you’re still quick-witted. If you understand, try to be clever like before, resembling me.”
“…khugh,”
“Who knows? I might give you something like before.”
With his breathing suddenly freed, Asher took rough breaths. As if he had inhaled acrid smoke, dry coughs spilled from Asher’s mouth, and unswallowed saliva streamed down the corner of his lips. Asher wiped the tears flowing down his cheeks with the back of his hand and forcibly held back his crying. It was too unfair to cry like this.
“You must be tired, so rest well.”
The Duke’s threat, a warning not to climb back up, and submission. Even though the pheromones were gone, they still seemed to constrict his body. Asher rubbed his arms and anxiously wrapped himself.
“He tried to kill me… really, without lifting a finger…”
He had tried to kill him. Clearly, the Duke in the original work was warm and affectionate toward Asher. Of course, that only applied to the real Asher, but he didn’t know he would be so cold to the fake Asher. This could only be described as insane. Feeling nausea rising, Asher hurriedly went to the bathroom attached to the room and vomited everything. He vomited even the dinner he had happily eaten with Luke and rinsed his mouth at the sink.
“…I’m scared, it’s so scary… what should I do?”
His sorrow exploded. The unfamiliar sensations he had felt just moments ago seemed to crawl all over his body like insects, making every sensation creepily eerie. Asher poured out the tears he had been holding back along with the sound of running water.
*
He was bedridden for two days. Without eating anything, Asher had to fight the nightmare he had directly experienced from the bed. The guilt and sense of helplessness for not being able to protect the children made it even harder for Asher, and the more he felt that way, the more his self-esteem plummeted.
“…What’s the use of being the Duke’s child.”
There was nothing he could do. To be precise, he hated his body, which became powerless in the face of pheromones. But he couldn’t just lie down, so Asher had to somehow find out what the Duke was plotting. Even if it threatened his life again, he couldn’t just stand by knowing that many children were being sacrificed. Asher hurriedly went to his desk and wrote a letter to the Grand Duke.
The contents of the letter were simple. He sent the location that the child had told him to the Grand Duke. Along with a plea to raid the place and catch the culprit, Asher secretly delivered the letter through Jan.
“It should be fine until the real one returns…”
Reminding himself that it wasn’t his fate to die yet, Asher clasped his trembling fingertips together. Whether the mission succeeded or failed, he might die by the Duke’s hand. Not in the sense of saying goodbye to this world, but knowing that a situation where his life would be threatened might repeat itself. Asher pressed his forehead against his clasped hands and quietly took a deep breath.
For some reason, the scene of him holding his hand came to mind. Luke, who had been affectionate recently. It could be said that all his luck had been used up there, as the situations he was facing now were not good. But thinking of him, Asher forced a smile on his lips. As if doing so would make him happy.
“…Asher?”
Startled, Asher raised his head to look at who it was. Shaki was standing in front of him, looking down with a worried face.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Your face says otherwise.”
He placed his hand on Asher’s forehead. The affection transmitted through the skin and the coolness felt through the fingertips were pleasant. Asher slowly closed and opened his eyes, then gave Shaki a tender smile.
“It feels nice and cool…”
Shaki frowned at Asher’s foolish, ‘heh-‘ smile.
“Shouldn’t you be lying down?”
“I’m fine, really.”
“Be honest. What did you and Father talk about on the night you returned from the festival?”
Asher’s expression darkened at the mention of the Duke again. Seeing him turn pale as if about to collapse, Shaki could roughly guess that something had happened between him and the Duke.
“What is it? Was there a problem with the Grand Duke?”
“It was nothing.”
When Asher evaded the answer, Shaki sighed and sat on the sofa in the room.
“I’m heading to the capital after lunch. Want to come with me?”
Knowing that sometimes there are things one doesn’t want to talk about, Shaki didn’t press further. Grateful for his consideration, Asher got up and sat across from Shaki.
“Are you going alone, Hyung?”
“It’s boring to go alone, so I’m considering. Your condition doesn’t look good.”
“I’m really fine. Actually, after lying down for two days, my body feels stiff.”
Honestly, he wanted to stay home. The lingering fatigue from the festival hadn’t subsided yet. But seeing Shaki’s constant consideration, Asher smiled brightly.
“How about we go out for lunch?”
“Are you really okay…?”
“Yeah. Just thinking about going to the festival with you makes me feel good.”
Shaki hadn’t been able to attend the festival properly due to his busy schedule. Asher sent a positive look with a bright smile to Shaki, who had probably killed time just going between work and home.
“But this outfit won’t do. I’m headed to a swordsmanship competition.”
“Swordsmanship competition…?”
“Yeah. Actually, I’m planning to participate.”
“…”
“Of course, it’s a secret from Father and Braden.”
Shaki loved swords. His affection for swords was always genuine, so much so that he would spend time in the training hall whenever he had no work. Knowing this, Asher nodded slowly to Shaki’s words.
“Then we need to dress so that your identity isn’t revealed.”
“I’ve already prepared clothes, want to come along?”
“Yeah. I can’t miss such a precious experience if you’re participating.”
Shaki laughed out loud at Asher’s words. As if he knew that would be the answer, Shaki called a servant outside to bring clothes.
“And there’s something I want to tell you…”
Unlike his usual self, Shaki dragged it out. Whether he knew or not that it made people more anxious, he scratched his head once and stared at him.
“The children were kidnapped by someone on their way to the orphanage.”
“…”
“The problem is, the kidnapper isn’t an ordinary person. As you know, our family’s guards are called the Steel Brigade, right?”
As Shaki said, the Duke’s knights were generally excellent people. Of course, one might wonder how many personnel they sent to take children to an orphanage, but judging by the Duke’s reaction, the children seemed to have some important value.
“Father let it go, but I thought you might worry, so I assigned someone to look into it. So don’t worry too much.”
“…”
“I’ll make sure to find the children.”
Looking at Shaki, who was concerned, Asher somehow thought of Luke. He wondered if Luke already knew and had made a preemptive move.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
