Chapter 16
“Conquer the Head of the House”
“No, I already said it, Idrish. I really want Rodrio to live.”
Rodrio looked up at him, a mix of worry and hopeful expectation on his face.
Idrish put on a deliberately serious expression.
Thinking? Why are you thinking about this? Just say yes—it doesn’t cost anything!
I quickly made my expression speak in the direction Rodrio wasn’t looking:
“Say yes! Say it!”
Idrish furrowed his brow slightly.
“Really, Idrish?”
Idrish slowly looked at Rodrio. The child’s face held both hope and anxiety.
“Yes.”
“R-Really? You… you mean it?”
Rodrio tried to hold it in, but the peach-colored flush of joy on his face couldn’t be hidden.
“That’s right. Now, Chestnut, I have something to do, so come with me.”
“Something to do? Okay. Rodrio, sleep well. From tomorrow you can walk around. If possible, let’s go on a picnic, just the three of us with Idrish.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Wouldn’t it be fun?”
Idrish tried to object, but I cut him off first.
“Yes! Great, Cecilia.”
Rodrio didn’t notice. Phew.
Was this mission to cheer Rodrio up finally over?
Then Rodrio muttered softly:
“But… Tesmilion Grandpa won’t come, right? Even if Cecilia says so, I just can’t believe it. Grandpa wouldn’t do that. Yeah… he wouldn’t…”
Damn. How could anyone ignore such a pitiful little cat of a boy?
“Wait, is Tesmilion really Rodrio’s real grandfather? How has he not come even once? Even the neighbor next door wouldn’t be this careless!”
I muttered to myself in the room.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told that little white lie in the first place…
But how could I! Seeing that cute, chubby little face saying, “Nobody cares about me or worries about me. It doesn’t matter if I live or die…” makes even the most devilish heart want to tell a small lie for good.
Falling for that pitiful face, I had ended up in a situation where I had to call Tesmilion to take responsibility for my lie.
Damn it! Tesmilion even scares me a bit.
Especially since last time, with all those bizarre noises I made in front of him, he probably thinks I’m half-crazy… Could I really do this?
Eh, maybe I should just pretend I don’t know?
But a nagging feeling lingered. Tesmilion, I think, really cares about Rodrio.
When Rodrio first came back hurt, Tesmilion’s face wasn’t indifferent—it was full of worry and fear.
So why, once Rodrio’s condition improved, did he suddenly act cold, flipping like a pancake?
Well… as long as he doesn’t die, I guess that’s enough for him.
“Alright. I’ll go ask him. Why hasn’t he visited his grandson even once after nearly dying?”
I immediately went to Zeros.
Tesmilion spent most of his time in the study unless someone summoned him. He didn’t even like servants coming in often. They cleaned only when he was out. Such a peculiar old man.
Of all the servants, Zeros came and went in the study the most. At least some communication passed through him.
“Zeros, I want to visit Tesmilion.”
“Eh? Why?”
“I have something to say.”
“That’s not allowed!”
“What? You’re refusing without even hearing me out?”
“No matter what, it’s not allowed. Lord Tesmilion hates visitors. And…”
“And…?”
“He thinks you’re a strange person, Cecilia, and said to avoid you entirely.”
Ah, that must be because of the weird noises I made in front of him last time. Why did it have to be Tesmilion?
“So I just want to clear up that misunderstanding.”
“No. Absolutely not. Don’t go. You’ll get thrown out of this house for sure.”
Tch, what a stubborn old man.
What am I supposed to do?
I rubbed my chin. I had no intention of barging into a room where I wasn’t wanted. Nothing would come of gaining the old man’s hatred.
“So if I just happen to meet him by chance, that should be fine, right?”
I decided to wake up very early.
Even if Tesmilion stayed holed up in the study, he wouldn’t sleep there.
I just needed to catch him moving from the bedroom to the study in the morning.
With Zeros’s help, I could estimate Tesmilion’s wake-up time. Very, very early—before the sun even rose.
Idrish was not pleased.
“Haa…” I crouched in the dark hallway. Sleepiness weighed on me.
“Does Grandpa not need morning sleep? But why hasn’t he come out…?”
My eyelids grew heavy.
Then the door opened.
In the darkness, Tesmilion moved silently like a ghost.
If I called out immediately, he’d be startled. I’d have to speak naturally along the way.
But he moved faster than I expected.
Not straight to the study… he headed outside.
A small, unkempt garden had an old bench. He slowly sat there.
Just enjoying the breeze? Now would be the perfect chance to “accidentally” start a conversation.
I stepped forward.
But just a few steps in, I froze.
Tesmilion sat like a rock, saying with his whole body, “Don’t come closer.”
His figure was still large, but his back seemed lonely, almost pitiful.
There was a sense of solitude I hadn’t noticed before. His white hair swayed weakly in the wind.
He looked like silver ashes left alone after a fire.
What was he thinking? Past glories? Lost family? The pain of losing everything at the top of power?
I began to suspect that Tesmilion’s absence wasn’t simply a lack of interest in Rodrio.
I leaned against the mansion wall and watched the sky with him.
The sky slowly brightened. Through thick clouds, the sun became visible.
Smoke rose from the mansion—breakfast was being prepared.
Finally, Tesmilion stood and slowly moved back toward the study, ghostlike.
I missed the timing to talk. I couldn’t stop him even as he entered.
“Tomorrow I’ll wake up early. I can do it then. Haa… I’m so sleepy.”
But even the next day, or the day after, it was hard to speak to him.
Anyone seeing morning Tesmilion would feel the same.
About a week into my unintended “shadowing” of him, Tesmilion once again sat on the bench staring at the sky, while I quietly leaned against a corner.
I hadn’t slept much in days, and my eyelids kept drooping. My head began to tilt uncontrollably.
Then a shadow fell across my closed eyes.
A bad premonition. I opened them.
Tesmilion was right in front of me, looking down.
No trace of loneliness remained—he looked like a ferocious beast.
“Uh… good morning.”
“Why are you following me?”
“You knew? I don’t have bad intentions. I just… have something to say.”
I smiled and awkwardly scratched my head.
“If you follow me one more time, I’ll throw you out of this house.”
Tesmilion turned.
Huh? That’s not right. Usually, if I say I have something to tell, he’d ask, “Let’s hear it.”
In an instant, I jumped up and grabbed his hand.
He said “follow me again and I’ll throw you out,” but not now!
“What are you doing?”
Tesmilion’s face darkened at the sight of his hand held.
But I gripped his wrinkled hand with both of mine.
“You said if I followed again, I’d be thrown out. So I have to say it now.”
“What?”
“Lord. You know Rodrio woke up, right? Rodrio Artigrado, your grandson.”
“I know. You really came to tell me that?”
“Really? Rodrio waking up isn’t just something to casually tell? You saw that day—he was practically at death’s door. It’s a miracle.”
“So what exactly is your point?”
“Rodrio is waiting for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You—the grandfather, Lord Tesmilion Artigrado.”
Tesmilion frowned, as if he didn’t understand.
“I don’t want to hear pointless words.”
I was outraged. To call it “pointless” is to dismiss Rodrio’s feelings and pain.
“Do you know how much Rodrio wants your love and attention?”
“Pathetic.”
“Pathetic?”
My ears couldn’t believe it. My little grandson, barely alive, is waiting for you—and that’s pathetic?
I felt my cheeks heat up.
“Lord, I’ve been trying not to speak badly as a guest, but this is too much. I knew you neglected Rodrio before, but now he almost died and came back. Do you mean to say as long as he survives, it doesn’t matter how sad or tired he is?”
“Impertinent.”
“Yes! Even if I’m impertinent, it needs to be said. You have zero sense of responsibility or affection a guardian should have! That’s why both Idrish and Rodrio grew up so crooked!”
“What?”
“Exactly! If you had given them love, Idrish wouldn’t have gone ‘pirolong bbungbbang baraba’ later!”
Damn it, I can’t even put it into words!
You see why Idrish became the villain ready to burn the world?
I spun around, moving away from Tesmilion.
He stayed standing there for a long while, but I didn’t look back.
Was I overreacting? It’s someone else’s family business…
But leaving a child neglected is abuse! Stuck in a study all day, it’s not that hard to check on a kid in the same house!
