In this era of backward communication, it sometimes took several days or even more than ten days for a message to reach Francis' ears, and he didn't dare to use all his resources to search, so the final result was … until now, he still hadn't been able to confirm who his target was.
He had almost lost his mind when he found nothing. Now that he had finally found some clues, he immediately made up his mind to solve these damned things as soon as possible. The disappearance of the scouts for no reason was very strange. Coupled with the previous suspicions, perhaps the person he was looking for was really hiding among these scouts.
He comforted himself in his heart, but the anxiety in his heart couldn't be alleviated.
He picked up the parchment on the table. It was a surveillance report about Sally. Because there was no way to put a spy into the Rose Cross Temple, these guys who were guarding outside the church day and night couldn't get much useful information. They could only indirectly ask around and get some useless information such as "attended the morning service" and "got the bishop's appreciation".
He thought about assassinating Sally, but it was too risky. If he offended the Rose Cross Temple, it would be hard for him to bear the consequences. The madness of the religious organization was far less "elegant" than the lords who talked and laughed while stabbing each other. So in Francis's heart, he left this backup plan at the last moment …
Walking out of the room with such a gloomy mood, Francis sighed and prepared to go to the garden to relax. But when he opened the door, he saw the old butler of the Ducal Palace walking by with a silver tray. He stopped and greeted him.
Butler Alpha had served this family for more than fifty years. He was sixty-seven years old this year, but he still looked hale and hearty. His back was straight, and his silver hair was neat. Even though he was so old, his movements were still agile when he walked by with the tray.
When the old butler saw Francis, he immediately stopped and nodded to greet him with a smile on his face, "Young Master Francis."
Francis had heard such a greeting for twenty years, but now he felt that there was an inexplicable irony in it. He nodded and asked as if he was trying to find a topic, "How's father recently?"
For a long time, the conversation between Francis and Alpha had always started with this topic. Even though they were father and son, before they inherited the title and territory of the Duke, everything was still in the father's control. As the executor of orders, Alpha had more power than Francis to some extent.
Therefore, he did not dare to offend the old butler. Even though the old butler always treated him with respect, he never let his guard down.
Butler Alpha lowered his gaze and maintained his respectful posture. He said in a low voice, "Master's condition … is relatively stable."
Francis sighed at the ambiguity. In fact, everyone knew that the Dukes Of Angmar's illness had never improved. No matter how many doctors, priests, and even druids from the southern forests were invited, no one could cure this strange illness. Speaking of which, all he could do now was to watch the Dukes Of Angmar grow old and dispirited day by day. There was nothing he could do.
"Then … let me bring lunch to him today, Old Alpha."
He had wanted to say this for a long time, but he did not say it in the end. Now, because he was in a bad mood, he suddenly wanted to see his father. When he was young, whenever he was in a bad mood, he would always go to his father to comfort him. Although he knew that he would only see a taciturn and senseless old man now, he suddenly … missed the old days.
"Young Master, Master will understand your painstaking efforts."
Because they were familiar with each other, and it could even be said that Alpha had watched Francis grow up, Alpha did not refuse the young Duke's request. He obediently handed the silver plate to the eldest son of the Duke.
Francis took the plate and walked to his father's bedroom with a heart full of worries. Behind him, the old butler who had been bending his back all this time slowly raised his eyes.
His greyish-white eyes narrowed slightly. His face that was filled with a warm smile just a moment ago was now filled with coldness.
This feeling disappeared in a flash. In the dimly lit corridor of the Duke's mansion, the old butler seemed to only stand there for a moment. When he turned around and left, he returned to his usual calm and indifferent self …
Because of the state of "retirement", the guards in the Ducal Palace were not only less vigilant, but even the number of servants had decreased a lot. And now, the Dukes Of Angmar rarely walked out of his bedroom. Every day, except for when it was time to eat, he did not allow anyone to enter his room. It was as if he had completely closed himself off.
So it had been a long time since Francis last walked in here. When he pushed open the thick solid wood door, everything in front of him made him feel a little nostalgic.
In a trance, he remembered the scene when he played here when he was young. The furnishings in the room had not changed much. The crimson carpet was still soft. The armchair, which had been used by the Lucifron Family for fifty years, was glowing with an intoxicating color under the sun. The candlestick on the desk was a little mottled, telling the traces left by time here. In his memory, the fireplace was always burning, and the warm feeling seemed to have been preserved in his heart ever since.
He remembered listening to old Duke and Mrs. Duke telling him stories when he was young. The orange fireplace always made him feel warm.
In his memory, his sister Sally would always sit beside him and listen to the stories he had heard. Looking at his sister's admiring expression, he would always feel proud and proud.
All of this … when did it all start to change?
After walking into the main hall, the extremely quiet environment made his bad mood even more depressed. His eyes glanced over the decorations that had never changed. The expensive oil paintings hanging on the wall, the full-body armor by the wall, the gorgeous longsword on the weapon rack … The warm memory seemed to be torn apart by these things that had lost their color, and he was pulled back to reality.
He continued to walk through the main hall. When he came to his father's bedroom, he seemed to be a little hesitant.
The door of the bedroom was open. From here, he could see the well-lit balcony at the edge of the bedroom, and the back of the figure sitting on the armchair in front of the balcony.
Many emotions arose in his heart, including anger, unwillingness, resentment, and sighing. But he also understood that no matter what he wanted to do, the person in front of him was his father. This was an undeniable fact.
Over the years, everyone could see that his father was distant from him. Francis used to panic because of this, and he was afraid that one day his father would announce that he had lost the right to inherit the title.
So he began these plans — to contact the orcs and kill his sister without leaving a trace … In this way, there would be no second choice for the title, and he could rest easy.
But the more he thought about it, the more chaotic his emotions became. The frustration of failing to kill Sally was a great blow to Francis. Looking at his father, who had his back to him, he felt even more nervous.
"Father … your lunch."
Francis opened the hemispherical lid of the silver tray. Inside was cooked pigeon meat, fruits, bread, butter, and hot soup. This kind of food was extremely luxurious for civilians, but for a noble lord, it could only be called "simple."
Francis' words did not get any response. He seemed to have expected his father's reaction. He placed the food on the round table and walked to the armchair of the Dukes Of Angmar. He reached out his hand and gently held his father's arm.
The old man's body was very weak, even to the extent that he was only skin and bones. The skin on his face was loose, pale, and covered with age spots. Normally, the 52-year old Dukes Of Angmar should not have aged to this extent. But now, he looked like he was already in his nineties.
When Francis held his arm, the old Duke's face did not change at all. If it were not for his slightly trembling eyelashes and slow breathing, people would have thought that he was a statue.
The originally ocean-blue pupils of the Dukes Of Angmar were now gray. At this moment, he was looking straight at the scenery of Hollier City outside the balcony. When Francis bent down and repeated his words in his father's ear, his frozen eyes finally trembled a little.
Then, like a rusty machine, the head of the Dukes Of Angmar turned slowly. As if he could not move his eyes, he saw Francis' face. Then … he slightly narrowed his eyes.
"Let me help you eat."
Without waiting for his father to show any intention to agree, he stretched out his other hand and held his father's shoulder. Slowly but firmly, he helped his father to stand up.
At this moment, the Dukes Of Angmar was as thin as a stick. His weight was probably less than 50 kilograms. Francis wanted to say something, but after realizing that his father was so light, he sighed slightly and helped his father to the round table as gently as possible.
The old man's steps were a little unsteady. It could even be said that his body was completely supported by instinct. When he sat on the chair and looked at the food in front of him, there was still no expression on his face. It was as if the food was just a pile of stones.
Francis picked up the knife and fork and began to cut the food for his father. He talked about some of the recent news, such as the gossip among the nobles or the income of the territories. A few years ago, his father liked to chat with him like this, but now, it was more like Francis talking to himself.
"The income of three manors is better than in previous years. When I passed by last time, I tasted the wine brewed by Butler Bolton. To be honest, the taste is not bad."
"The marriage partner of Lord Kirk's son has not been chosen yet. He doesn't seem to like Viscount Gordon's daughter. Of course, I think he doesn't like Viscount Gordon's land."
…
As he spoke, Francis cut the tender pigeon meat into small pieces and placed them on the plate. He sat on the chair beside his father and said softly, "You can eat now."
This was perhaps the only thing that the old Duke could say in response. He held the fork in his hand with trembling hands and began to eat mechanically. Just when Francis was wondering if he should say something, the expressionless Dukes Of Angmar suddenly stopped eating.
"Where … is … Sally?"
His voice was so hoarse that Francis froze for a few seconds before he realized what his father was talking about. He suddenly had a hunch that something was wrong. His father had never behaved so strangely before. He always ate when it was time to eat and never said anything unnecessary.
But now, he actually thought of Sally?
"My sister has been chosen by the bishop as a candidate priest. She has now begun her training in the Rose Cross Temple."
Francis was speaking the truth, so his expression was very natural.
"That's … right."
The Dukes Of Angmar, whose arms were hanging in the air, slowly said this word. As if he had thought of something, his whole body seemed to be frozen in place. Only his slack eyelids drooped, but his eyes were actually trembling slightly. Apparently, this seemingly eternally silent old man was thinking about something.
Francis swallowed hard. He felt his heart suddenly beating faster. He wanted to say something, but he saw his father tilting his head slightly and looking at him with his dull eyes.
He never thought that his father would have such a look in his eyes … In the gray pupils, there was confusion and struggle, but when they focused on him, there was a hint of … disappointment.
"You did … something … wrong."
"Something … very … wrong."
The intermittent voice sounded weak because of the old man's weak body, but Francis could still hear the anger in it.
His father was angry.
This fact made Francis a little panicked. Using the orcs to kill Sally was enough to prove his ruthlessness. But Francis had never thought of killing his father and usurping the throne until now. After all, he was just a boy who had never left the southwest territory of the Kingdom of Karen. Although he had ambition, it was limited to this …
Thus, in the face of his father's sudden anger, he was no longer as calm as he used to be. He could only try his best to sit beside his father, trying to make a puzzled expression as he stuttered, "F-Father, what are you saying?"
"… I won't … let you … Inherit — "
Before Francis could finish his words, someone knocked on the door behind him.
The old butler, Alpha, stood outside the door, looking calm as usual. He bent down and said, "Young Master, Viscount Charlton wants to see the Lord. Would you like to have a look?"
Francis abruptly stood up as if he had been woken up. In just a few seconds, his forehead was covered with sweat. After hesitating for two seconds, he looked at Alpha with a stiff expression and squeezed out an ugly smile. "I'll go have a look." Then, he walked out of the bedroom and disappeared from the sight of the old steward as if he was running away.
The atmosphere in the bedroom fell into silence again.
The Dukes Of Angmar raised his eyes and pointed his skinny finger at Alpha as if he wanted to say something. But the next moment, the old butler walked to him as if nothing had happened. He stared thoughtfully at the back of Francis who disappeared into the corridor for a moment, as if he was weighing something. When he came back to his senses, he calmly scooped a bowl of thick soup for the Dukes Of Angmar and put it to the mouth of the Lord of Aferta.
"Is this the last radiance of the setting sun? You're about to succeed, but you've regained some consciousness. Heh, your obsession is really strong. "
He did not mention the "Viscount Charlton" at all. The old butler almost forced the Angmar to eat a whole bowl of soup. He did not care if the Duke wanted to eat anything else. He put the pigeon meat and other lunch back on the silver plate. When he turned around and left, the old butler gave the old Duke a very strange smile …
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