Chapter: 104
Beneath the heavily overcast sky, snow fell as white as dead butterflies.
A world crafted entirely in shades of gray, without a single trace of color.
Ten-year-old Dietrich stood expressionlessly, looking down at the black coffin being lowered into the grave.
“My goodness, who would have thought that even the Duke would meet such an untimely end?”
“Just what on earth is going on in the ducal family…?”
The mourners, dressed entirely in black, whispered among themselves in hushed voices.
“Are those two the only direct descendants of House Claudius now?”
“Yes, apparently so.”
“Both the Young Duke and the Lady are still so young…”
Pretending not to hear the mourners’ whispers, Dietrich deliberately straightened his back even more.
‘I must not let anyone look down on me.’
He steeled his resolve inwardly.
Today was his father’s funeral.
His parents had died one after another, only two weeks apart.
They did not even know what had caused their deaths.
They could only speculate that it was some infectious disease whose cause had yet to be properly identified.
But.
“……”
Dietrich bit down on his lip until it bled.
‘If it’s an infectious disease, then why were only Mother and Father the ones who died like this?’
‘Why are Evangeline and I, along with all the other servants, perfectly fine?’
All sorts of questions tore through his mind, leaving it in complete disarray.
And at the end of those questions…
‘Mother. Father.’
He could no longer see them.
He would never again hear his father’s strict yet warm voice, nor his mother’s nightingale-like laughter.
……Now, somehow, he would have to endure everything alone.
The weight of responsibility pressed heavily upon his shoulders.
Just then, a small hand fidgeted its way toward him and grasped the edge of Dietrich’s clothes.
Dietrich looked down at the owner of that hand with an overwhelmed gaze.
‘Evangeline.’
His little sister, who was only six years old.
“Oppa…”
Fear filled his little sister’s blue eyes.
“Come here, Eva.”
Dietrich firmly took Evangeline’s hand in his own.
Her frail little body.
Her teary eyes.
……The only family he had left in this world.
Dietrich bent down until he was at eye level with Evangeline.
He reached out and awkwardly wiped away his little sister’s tears.
“Don’t cry, okay?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Evangeline sniffled and nodded.
But then.
A man called out to Dietrich.
“Dietrich.”
“……”
Dietrich held Evangeline’s hand tightly and looked up at the man with wary eyes.
It was the Marquis of Evans.
His father’s brother, and therefore Dietrich’s uncle.
Originally, he should have become independent without even holding a title.
However, the former Duke of Claudius had shown favor toward his younger brother and bestowed upon him one of the titles owned by the family—the Marquis of Evans.
“Are you all right? I don’t even know how to comfort you…”
The Marquis of Evans looked sorrowfully at the two siblings before soon smiling amiably.
“That’s why I was thinking… Would it be all right if I took care of you two for a while?”
“……Take care of us?”
“Yes. Only temporarily, until you, Dietrich, come of age.”
His tone certainly sounded as though he genuinely cared about the two siblings.
“There are probably some things that would be easier for an adult to handle. Until then, I intend to take care of all the troublesome matters for you…”
But there was an unmistakable greed glimmering in the Marquis of Evans’s eyes.
Meeting those sinister eyes, Dietrich made up his mind.
‘Eva.’
His grip tightened slightly around his little sister’s hand.
‘I have to protect her.’
Dietrich spoke coldly.
“You have addressed me incorrectly, Marquis of Evans.”
“What?”
“It is not Dietrich. It is the Young Duke of Claudius.”
Dietrich continued speaking clearly to the Marquis of Evans, whose face had gone blank.
“Until now, considering our blood relationship as uncle and nephew, I tolerated your speaking down to me.”
Dietrich raised his chin slightly.
“But now that it is certain I will inherit the title of Duke of Claudius, I believe it is only proper that you address me respectfully.”
“Dietrich!”
The Marquis suddenly raised his voice, but Dietrich did not even flinch.
“I will overlook the disrespect you have shown me this once.”
“How dare you treat me like this!”
The Marquis of Evans’s face turned bright red.
“I’m your uncle! I only said that because I was thinking of you!”
But Dietrich merely asked calmly in return.
“If you truly care about me, would you raise your voice at me during my father’s funeral?”
“……”
The Marquis of Evans belatedly realized his mistake and looked around.
The mourners were staring at the Marquis and Dietrich with their eyes wide open.
The Marquis tried to hide his embarrassment, but all his efforts were rendered useless by Dietrich’s next words.
“You also said that you would take care of us…”
Dietrich firmly shook his head.
“But that will not be necessary.”
The Marquis’s face flushed all the way up to his neck.
“Damn it!”
The Marquis spat out the curse through clenched teeth before leaving with irritated steps.
At the same time, the other retainers came rushing toward the two siblings.
“Young Duke!”
“What on earth happened…?”
Evangeline cautiously asked at the same time.
“Oppa, are you okay?”
And she had good reason to ask.
The hand of her brother, which she was holding, was trembling uncontrollably.
Dietrich smiled and nodded.
“Of course.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
As he answered, Dietrich tightly clenched the hem of his clothes.
It was to suppress the trembling of his hand somehow.
His only blood-related sister.
The countless people living throughout the Claudius Duchy.
The servants working under the name of Claudius.
And all the various businesses as well.
‘I have to take responsibility for them.’
Dietrich gritted his teeth.
He had to become an excellent duke.
So that no one, whoever they might be, would dare even approach the Claudius Duchy.
This land that his parents had left behind, and where his little sister would live in the future.
So that no one would harbor ambitions toward it…
Therefore.
‘I must not trust anyone.’
His vivid blue eyes sharpened with determination.
‘I am the only one I can trust.’
The pure white snow fell silently, swallowing everything in its path.
Dietrich’s smile, his tears, even the innocence of his childhood.
That day, together with the snow that fluttered down like dead butterflies…
They all melted away without a trace.
His ears felt as though he were submerged deep underwater.
His eyelids were heavy as if weights had been attached to them, and his entire body felt limp and damp like soaked cotton.
He thought it would be nice if he could just fall asleep forever like this.
‘What is this?’
Something cold and moist touched his burning forehead.
‘……It’s cool.’
The cool thing repeatedly brushed across his forehead, carefully wiping his cheeks and chin.
It felt good.
Perhaps because it had been such a long time since someone had taken care of him like this.
More precisely, not since his parents had died.
Even though he had endured things by swallowing medicine on his own so that he would never show weakness…
He did not think he had ever been cared for like this while sick…
‘Who is it?’
At the same time, Dietrich struggled to lift his eyelids.
Beyond his blurry vision, someone’s face gradually came into view.
Delicate features and long eyelashes.
And a pair of flower-pink eyes gazing down at him with concern.
“……My lord!”
The voice sounded as though it were coming from beyond his sleep, muffled and distant.
“Duke, are you awake?!”
At that cry, his consciousness suddenly snapped back, as though he had been dragged out of the water.
“Lady…… Ansi?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Laritte tightly clutched the wet towel in both hands, looking as though she was on the verge of tears as she gazed down at Dietrich.
“Do you know how frightened the Lady was when the Duke collapsed like this?”
Then, biting her lip tightly, she murmured,
“And…… I was frightened too.”
