57 — Chapter 57

Jonas entered with his usual gloomy expression, but his eyes widened slightly upon seeing others in the dining hall—his daughter and son were both present. Then, as he took in Deborah’s figure, his shoulders gave a startled jolt.

“!?”

“Good morning. Before you ask, I am your daughter, the ‘Brand New Deborah,’ who has recently succeeded in a diet,” Deborah stated flatly.

Jonas stared back at her intently, but perhaps due to his dignity as a lord, he eventually regained his composure and nodded.

“…I see.”

Then, he added a quiet afterthought.

“I was surprised because you suddenly became beautiful. You’ve come to resemble Elisa.”

While he seemed astonished by the dramatic change, he didn’t appear to be excessively drawn to his wife’s features.

Could this really be the behavior of a man “dabbling in demonic arts to wish for his wife’s resurrection”? Deborah and Kevin exchanged a quick, bewildered glance.

“…Father.”

After a moment of hesitation, Kevin spoke up. It seemed it was his turn to press forward.

Acting as if he were just being casual, Kevin picked up his cutlery and pretended to butter his bread as he spoke.

“The one who transformed my sister like this is one of the maids attending the Prince… a person named Elma. She is quite talented. Besides teaching my sister beauty techniques over the last few days, she has used various skills from the Royal Capital to assist with the estate’s work.”

“For example,” Kevin paused for a brief moment. “That stagnant pond in the backyard. I heard she thoroughly dredged the Demon Insects that were swarming there.”

“…”

This time, there was a much clearer reaction than before.

“…What did you say?”

“I said the Demon Insects in the pond. Were you aware of them? It seems the algae growing there wasn’t just common algae—it was actually insects, and ones tinged with miasma at that. In other words, they were Demon Insects. With my sister being Miasma-Weak, this was a grave situation. I’m truly glad she disposed of every last one of them—aren’t you?”

“…”

Jonas’s stern face stiffened slightly.

He looked shaken, but he also looked irritated.

Lucas, who was watching the exchange through a tiny hole carved into the wall of the hidden room—camouflaged by the eye of a portrait—muttered in a low voice while pressed against the wall.

“Damn, I can’t read his fine expressions from this hole.”

“Couldn’t Elma read his micro-expressions?”

Irene, who was also stuck to the wall peering through a hole near the ring on the portrait, immediately made the suggestion.

Lucas nodded. “Elma, can you read the Lord’s micro-expressions from here?”

He asked without taking his eyes off the dining hall, but there was no answer.

“Elma?”

Feeling suspicious, Lucas turned around and was momentarily struck speechless.

“…What on earth are you doing?”

“Knitting.”

Tucked away in a corner of the hidden room, in the gap between a sofa and a sideboard, Elma was finishing a piece of lace knitting with a vigor that didn’t match her small stature.

Every time her arms and fingertips moved, the thread let out a sharp hum, and a design appeared before their eyes in record time.

Faced with the delicate and beautiful lace being formed with such overwhelming speed, both of them couldn’t help but snap at her.

“Why are you knitting in a situation like this!?”

“I heard it is ‘normal’ women to kill time by knitting while on standby. This is thread I just harvested from the Demon Moth cocoons this morning, and it turned out to be of such unexpectedly high quality that I couldn’t help myself.”

“This isn’t ‘standby’ time! It’s the critical moment to reach the truth! And wait, so you really did boil the Demon Moth larvae!?”

“Your voices are carrying; please be quiet. Oh, it seems the conversation is reaching a turning point.”

In the end, she coolly deflected their retorts.

Though frustrated by having their shouting cut short, Lucas and Irene hurriedly pressed themselves back against the wall.

In the dining hall, amidst the tense atmosphere, Kevin began to raise his voice.

“—Why do you have such a dismal look on your face? You should be happy, Father. Isn’t that right? Demon Insects are the natural enemy of the Frenzel territory. We kill them the moment we find them, and if we find their carcasses, we rejoice at the good omen. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“Kevin, I’m not particularly—”

“Or do you have some reason why you can’t be happy? You treat miasma-tinged algae and Demon Moths as if you’re raising them rather than exterminating them—can you explain the reason for such behavior that makes people doubt your sanity!?”

Finally, Kevin lunged into the heart of the matter.

“Did you think no one noticed!? Far from it! Your actions have plunged the people and us into great anxiety. You head toward the marsh deep in the forest night after night to lure the Demon Moths to yourself, don’t you? You were the one who allowed the Demon Insects in the estate’s pond, weren’t you? What is your goal! Why are you doing such a hideous thing!”

“Kevin—”

“The people are whispering that you’ve dabbled in demonic arts to bring back Mother’s soul, and that you’re planning to sacrifice the sacred vineyards to the Demon Insects. Is that it? Is that your goal? Do you… love Mother that much!?”

His scream, which sounded like he was spitting blood, felt more like a cry asking: Do you hate me that much?

Deborah restrained her brother with a sharp look as his emotions threatened to boil over.

However, before she could utter a word to dampen the heat, Jonas spoke in a low, heavy voice.

“I have no intention of casting off my yoke as Lord. Do not be swayed by rumors. I will handle everything. You need only trust your father and wait.”

It was a line meant to push his son away rather than offer a full explanation of the situation.

Predictably, Kevin’s temper flared, and his tone became even harsher.

“You haven’t answered my question at all! Is it true that you’re raising Demon Moths in the marsh? If so, why? That is what I’m asking! Why won’t you answer me!?”

“As I said—”

“Do you really not trust me that much!?”

Kevin’s scream followed without a second’s delay.

It wasn’t so much a roar of anger as it was a desperate, blood-curdling cry.

More than his fury toward a father who might have fallen into demonic arts, this was the true nature of what had been agonizing Kevin for so long.

“Kevin—”

“You’re always shut away in your room! You never even look at me or my sister! You used my sickly nature as an excuse to banish me to the depths of this estate. You haven’t taught me the duties or the mindset of a Lord; you don’t even speak to me, let alone reveal your heart. Is it because you think I’m not worthy of being the next Lord?”

“What are you—”

“Am I really that unreliable of a son!?”

Finally shouted at with a trembling voice, Jonas was left speechless.

Deborah stared at her brother with wide eyes. She had never imagined that her arrogant little brother was harboring such profound suffering.

However, seeing him burdened with the toxicity of his own complexes—the guilt of being born sickly—was something she felt deeply herself. She narrowed her eyes in pity.

“Kevin…”

At Deborah’s supportive murmur, Jonas snapped back to his senses.

He started to say something to his son, but he quickly clamped his mouth shut and eventually shook his head.

“…I have never once thought of you as an inadequate child. That is the truth. The reason I didn’t tell you about the Demon Moths wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. Please, believe that much.”

“You want us to believe you, and yet, you still won’t explain the circumstances?”

“I will do nothing to shame the Lord’s ring. I want to protect the sacred vineyards from the devastation of the Demon Moths—there is no lie or deception in that feeling. Please, I beg you to believe me.”

As Jonas spoke in a stifled voice, choosing his words with agonizing care, the siblings exchanged a silent look.

He didn’t deny luring the Demon Moths. Yet, he claimed his desire to protect the territory was genuine.

He claimed he didn’t distrust them, yet he wouldn’t explain why.

It was an argument far too vague and riddled with contradictions.

Deborah bit her lip, trying to figure out where to push next on her brother’s behalf.

However, she never got the chance to open her mouth.

It wasn’t because she had given up the pursuit.

—BANG!

“Master!”

The servants who were supposed to have been dismissed burst into the dining hall, their faces ghostly pale.

Throwing the doors open with enough force to suggest they had slammed into them, they frantically reported the crisis to Jonas.

“It’s a disaster! A massive amount of Demon Moth eggs have been found in the fields! It’s absolute chaos…! The people from those sectors are arriving one after another, demanding permission to set the fields on fire!”

“What—!?”