Chapter Seventeen: Shadows of the Duchy
The ball ended shortly after the incident in the grand hall. The tension in the air and the silent stares made its continuation feel like nothing more than a hollow formality.
At the gates of the palace, Ren stood beside his father, Malphos, with Liana quietly behind him, as they bid farewell to Galen, Cecilia, and Marianna.
Galen gave a faint smile.
"Our meeting was… different."
Ren responded calmly, his eyes scanning the movement of guards in the distance:
"That's what makes it memorable."
Then… just before boarding the carriage, Cecilia stepped toward Ren—one step more than necessary. Without a word, she hugged him, briefly.
She whispered softly, her voice trembling:
"When… will we meet again?"
Ren replied in a quiet tone that only she could hear:
"I don't know… maybe soon."
Cecilia lowered her eyes slightly, while Marianna watched Ren with a deep gaze—not anger, but contemplation… and something akin to fear.
The royal carriage rolled away, and the lights of the ball faded into the curtains of the night.
⸻
Upon returning to the Aldritch Estate, the mansion looked as if it were carved from another world.
It stood tall on a dark hill, surrounded by unending black clouds that never left, not even during the day. The mist swirled around its windows like wandering spirits, and the earth carried the scent of ash.
Shadows filled every corner, and the silence was not peace—but weight.
Alfred, the head butler, stood at the gate, bowing with perfect discipline.
"Lord Malphos, Lady Liana, Young Master Ren… welcome home."
Malphos gave a silent nod and walked straight into the mansion.
⸻
In the inner council hall, Ren sat quietly by the fireplace while Malphos stood by the window, watching the clouds that never left the region's sky.
"What you did today…" Malphos began, his voice low, "…was the right choice."
Ren raised his eyes but said nothing.
Malphos continued:
"But I won't be here for a while. I'll be taking Liana with me… a war has begun on the western border. One of the demonic dukes has appeared—rank SS_."
Ren replied with casual indifference:
"And why would you volunteer for such an annoying mission? A demonic duke… at SS_ rank?"
Malphos smiled, not with warmth—but with ice:
"Because the death energy released upon killing him… will be enough to stabilize my SS+ rank… and bring me closer to the legendary SSS."
Silence fell like a blade.
Ren looked at him sharply:
"The legendary rank… isn't that the one no one's reached since the Hero during the Holy War against the demons a thousand years ago?"
Malphos let out a quiet, dark laugh:
"That story… is incomplete. Much was hidden about that war."
Then he turned and gave Ren a strange look—a look as if he were about to open a door the world had long shut.
"Our ancestor from House Aldritch reached that rank as well. But he found ruling to be… a nuisance. So he chose to be a duke in name only."
He stepped forward, his voice carrying the wound of ages:
"He came north, where the sun barely shows, and death lingers in every breath… because this land was the battlefield of the Holy War. Its mana—saturated with death."
Then, more slowly:
"We… House Aldritch… are the only ones with autonomous rule. We don't fall under imperial command… not really."
Ren looked at his father, realizing for the first time why the eyes of imperial nobles were always laced with caution.
Malphos went on:
"The Emperor has no right to command us. That's why emperors, generation after generation, keep trying to weaken us. Because they can't control us… and they fear our power."
The room fell still, while smoke rose from the fireplace like the souls of the past reborn in ash.
Ren remained silent… but for the first time, he felt his feet standing on a land unlike any other.