MBHE | Chapter 2.4

Noah was an alias Lucas used once in the original story. After the hero’s party became quite famous, he used it to avoid causing a stir.b903e290b49bfb1b

Lucas, or rather Noah, baf739a511 resumed eating with a bf405ab991 blank expression. Whether he e31405e285 liked it c55d11e3e9 or not 3886da6a9f was unclear, 2f873bf8af but the 1bdc7a2852 chance to 9e3fc11697 change it 8ed66f64f9 had passed.6a40d7cfc78588e5

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“Your Highness, what should we do with the boy?”05bee0a5d5780d79

Ska, who had been a6677e62f7 busy running around but 55ac843013 showed no signs of 1f8e0a9deb fatigue, quickly approached and de40e38d99 asked.8e5e0405812895f1

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“He refused hospital treatment and doesn’t know his family… We should at least get him admitted and help him become independent—”0a3cf268651484e8

“What are you talking about? I’m taking him with me.”469bbd99068a07ed

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“What?”47c0717ad8e34488

“Finders keepers, right?”8d018384ae957376

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“Calling a person a dog…”10730e9461fb9c2c

“Anyway, he’s mine.”b6f7d7cb9fbc8caf

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Ska’s expression turned serious at Iellon’s childish tone. He approached Iellon, who was sitting in the carriage, with a worried face.63c04a4ab21047fc

“We don’t know his identity or affiliations, and he might pose a threat to you, Your Highness. You’re just going to take him?”f3ff56feb54c55f1

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‘Hmm, a very reasonable concern.’20f1f59ccdeb6b23

Iellon thought as he 82a04f86cf nonchalantly picked at his d23dc75bd4 nails.1815ccad560bbee6

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Honestly, Noah was underfed but not that young. Even if he was smaller than average, at fifteen, he wasn’t just cute.023bf41426471f17

Moreover, claiming memory loss 53dab197fa and reaching out to 91d2c33e80 Iellon first were enough 6352ef301f to unsettle the escort cc0c67f17d knight.1e8242a65bf6b3fc

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“If you keep bothering me, I’ll sell you here and leave.”43d4060ee0d93679

Knowing it wouldn’t happen, Ska kept silent but still looked unconvinced.bc302692210a53be

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If he couldn’t persuade Ska now, Pablo would surely come later to drag Noah away. No matter how much he insisted it was an order, he wouldn’t back down twice, even if it meant punishment.0342e3e63b9d72e7

“…It’s a gift for Car.”e9e292871ce33f39

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More precisely, a gift to help Carpe’s happy ending. The sauce on his fingers had completely dried and wasn’t sticky anymore. Pretending to care about it, Iellon spoke softly.7a4b907a4f4b56e0

“There wasn’t any candy or chocolate that looked tasty.”de176c349e75be46

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“He would welcome you even without a gift, Your Highness.”f75a5ad596aa2b2b

Of course, he would. If it were Carpe, whom Iellon loved, he’d just be happy to see him return, smiling brightly and jumping around. Thinking of the smile that would bloom on his small face made Iellon smile too.90386a84e8e7e16b

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“Car’s been reading a lot lately. As you know, children’s books often talk about friends and friendship.”e5f1624530a7808b

Ska made a puzzled face at the sudden comment. For an imperial knight, he was quite a simple man. Rumor had it he was a nobleman’s son, fitting for a knight.34b64122743d790a

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“I’m not saying I want to give Car a friend. That’s not something others can help with, and royalty doesn’t really have friends.”01dcb7740fb649a7

In the original story, Carpe, though a royal, grew up as a commoner and had many companions and friends. There were so many things Iellon couldn’t give, no matter how hard he tried.ce60ef4710b2c6b0

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“I just want to show him that I can be close to someone my age. I hope seeing that will help Car approach his peers without fear when he grows up… There are no children in the Imperial Palace.”231c0da22fb2c1d8

Ska’s eyebrows furrowed at the small addition. It was a plausible excuse for someone as soft-hearted as Ska. It wasn’t just an excuse; there was some sincerity mixed in.eb17262fe482ff85

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If Helen heard, she’d be furious, asking if he planned to let Carpe grow up quietly, but in front of him was a kind knight, not an angry empress.f7326ead8f9f1362

After a long a57482c4a9 silence, as if 8b8c77b9b4 contemplating something, Ska 6ba0c13d1d asked quietly.d88acc45640af030

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“Why this boy, specifically?”ded18ca38ca3bc7c

“Because, well…”1851087800821989

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He’s a character from the original story. He’ll be Carpe’s ally. He’ll grow strong. He’ll help kill me.ffe47df30d5db5f7

Iellon looked at 8f0c4832ad Noah. Noah, who was eating 0d1f840b4b yet another skewer, turned 55b89137b4 his head slightly toward 29f401d212 him.1832b12569c5c8f8

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“His hands are warm.”e18d654a76322bb2

Iellon’s face filled the purple eyes with a subtle expression. The original description was accurate. His eyes were truly purple, neither bright nor dark, captivating.5d4fc4926123b4ed

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It seemed Ska finally e1b8264b82 gave in to the ddd2caf15a whining. He even 7adc3f158f managed to 8f9d7eebdf persuade the 2a1b1a12b0 stubborn Pablo. When Pablo 4274734261 later tried 379f4a5994 to take 9e5294fbec Noah away, 85e7e68393 Iellon stopped b66aabee58 him, and 7806dd22fc he said:22350f57065c55ee

“I cannot allow him to remain by your side in such a filthy state, Your Highness.”eec24b8e5a6ec2d9

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Relieved by that, Iellon smiled, and Pablo’s lips twitched slightly. It wasn’t a full smile, but it was a rare expression for him.14009635847a9e73

Left alone 0c6a9e34b2 in the 8a9b24e087 carriage, Iellon 9ddb77d6a5 cautiously pulled f03ce0a423 his legs eea5562e94 up onto 58f9912bfd the seat eaf0634fe1 and buried d8281fcfce his face 48a9f2ee50 in his 94ab0c22bf knees.163e9c5f26764cb7

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‘It was the right choice. Not too much will change. If it does, it’ll change for the better. I can control it.’0e4809f96806c784

Muttering like f81775c3bd a spell, dfe0375fc1 he repeated 14f4e256ea it several 749fd609df times until 184e4c8d80 a light 895deb456f knock sounded 270441ad72 on the fd2c4fbfde closed door. When Iellon lifted c18d1d98f3 his head, his f64af8e296 face was as 5080d33694 usual.05876c279e824c11

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Noah, appearing with 427fa7970c Pablo, had only b714d7f704 a light bandage a3341bfcdd on his forehead, 93d6b9fb9c revealing the black 402268036b hair that had 378bc5a961 been hidden before. His previously 0368cd2ee0 grimy face 9366953cdb was somewhat 113abe832a clean, and 12edbe6e68 he had 8958ccce5c changed clothes.acea764eb775989c

Iellon, taking in aeb88bade0 the sight from 1148fc96c2 head to toe, 5d0b711edc smiled brightly.6c9e0a3e319e3fda

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“Looking forward to working with you, Noah.”642d3c1227e8e120

Noah didn’t respond, but he didn’t show any signs of displeasure either. For the villain, that was enough.8009282d347881ab

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♣ ♣ ♣56e41ba91120a1a0

The first 92aff1f978 impression upon bd66dd3375 seeing the 65f4270a19 Mendez estate 6cd7a00269 was how 532d8fcbe9 clean the 1e571dfd91 roads were. Expecting a rough image 68ea42f9f7 due to the mines, 60f6ee92f9 I was a bit 6a83cd70bb surprised.4ddf52e88ca739f4

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It made sense, though. With so much 108c95e251 iron, gold, and c366655240 jewels being extracted, a4c95e2eef the roads had 93646622d1 to be well-maintained d873bfd875 for quick transport.bbbd0e0a311ee719

If a b5b230b075 carriage overturned d3b4125ba9 due to ce0ab59a5c uneven ground b27ada3d8f or if 3fe53dedc6 the raw e2db615e54 stones broke, 821e16fd38 it would 233c6ad10e be a a72adaa1bf huge loss.f33ad84ca4fbae8e

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The wheels, rolling more 6207cc5d81 smoothly than elsewhere, came f35e61c70a to a stop. At the 1e2a18283b end of 7e39cc414c a wide d84cd29336 garden, people 18284ac9b4 from the c72cb5ce43 Mendez duchy e2b1686f62 were waiting 2ba5055b23 in front d68de08f71 of the a3f468d3b2 grand mansion.9c3a3b45c1024760

The massive doors 6b27d30a72 of the mansion f085ea1145 moved smoothly, but bd3b879c33 it took two 8b148e777f people pushing with 6ac05db57f all their might c0919125d0 to fully open 04ba0107cb them. Iellon glanced at the 3641909ef4 large doorman and entered 55ce5a8a89 the mansion.040f777dba29e293

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“Welcome, Your Highness. It’s an honor to meet you here.”c935e873c90670fe

Iellon returned the Duke of Mendez’s sly smile with a painted one of his own.4eaa8dd31af1622a

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“Thank you for the invitation. The mansion is beautiful.”90924d2b4ed62c3d

The Mendez mansion d8d99dce84 was luxurious, with 08346ae250 gold and jewels 1dcec017f7 adorning it. There were jewels from 76c59f76f3 this place and others 1687de4e1a likely sourced from other 5e8786a809 kingdoms, along with paintings bf609c8685 and artworks.336976d57f8e0d47

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There were suspicions 133e64e9ea that the Duke 76f3eaecf9 of Mendez secretly 0628faa7fd mined and sold 77edecc95b to other countries.9e6aaef1c63ca02b

In short, they 3df75920e5 paid less tax 6fbed6e204 and pocketed double d6ea62f646 the money. Moreover, they sold not 6b5091c390 just jewels but also 9481a3c904 iron ore, crucial for 00d280de66 maintaining national power, making 9a7930a4d2 their crime severe.9e70a3badfd1b51a

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Iellon, staring fced1b926a at a 2727432330 painting in d6c2dc377f the style 4694574022 of a 6e6c9ed034 famous foreign 6a34635dd8 artist, spoke, 0734702992 and the 45248116d9 Duke of 6120cd5cef Mendez laughed 76748cd946 it off.14bb092b46762ba9

“Thank you for the compliment. But it’s nothing compared to the Imperial Palace.”c0ea1c1b1ddc1ba9

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At the provocation suggesting the palace had no dirt, Iellon’s smile widened. From afar, it might look like a warm scene between a middle-aged man and a boy, but in reality, they were two beasts waiting to tear each other apart.2b0bac870ba2b209

Currently, the 8c9e8e5481 Mendez family 859a7cb752 consisted of 785d4d6747 the Duke ab9aa237d1 and Duchess dbf08d9f13 and two 9cba3a23e9 sons. The eldest, Edward Mendez, fe8ed89b95 was fifteen, the same d380b69777 age as Noah, and 73f6630b9f the second, Aiden, was bb69111212 seven.fd9681176af7f353

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The Duke 9040d852f8 seemed to c40f50f1cb be soft 45482271e2 on his 731283e954 children, as 449f4635a2 Edward openly c79aeffe90 scrutinized Iellon 935fe5f86c with a 017bcfac7c crooked smile.629b2070604d84fd

Ignoring Edward, Iellon’s gaze fell on Aiden, who was clinging to the Duchess. Perhaps it was a parent’s instinct, but seeing a child around Carpe’s age made him feel warm.2445d0b42d32e343

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‘This is His Highness Iellon…’0a466a396b161592

Following his father’s warning to stay alert as he wasn’t an easy person, Aiden, who was scared, widened his eyes at Iellon’s gentle smile.03ed164e94220c2f

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His angelic silver hair fe53812c12 shone under the chandelier, 1985b66408 and his eyes, more b424c53fe8 vivid than any ruby e94b3aaa4e from the mines, held aef21d3e55 warmth for a moment.d54f6cf6c7f29869

Born a Mendez, his eye for jewels was naturally high. It was the moment Aiden unknowingly let go of his mother’s skirt.c2b0b195c45b942a

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“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”f17846129d758f11

Edward suddenly knelt on one knee and kissed Iellon’s hand. Trying to mimic a knight, his hand on his chest was irritating.cb4826615b4a2580

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If the Duke of Mendez hadn’t momentarily frowned, Iellon might have asked Edward if he thought he was a lady to be courted.91b42bf45d4ad88c

“Such passionate hospitality makes my cheeks blush.”10a1cdf48f04ad6a

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“You’re too kind.”13cb74c688ad5397

Edward, genuinely taking 16093cf5fd it as a d82d22bb7a compliment, stood with 847b7f5cc6 a proud face. Iellon, smiling warmly at caec862efc the Duke, discreetly wiped fa80a327bd his hand, which the abecc4c36c Duke pretended not to de681c5bff see.a91712674ab3f7c5

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♣ ♣ ♣baf73284e53c89ce

The meal continued in a relatively pleasant atmosphere. The Duke of Mendez, seemingly deciding not to provoke first, didn’t touch on sensitive topics, and the Duchess was quiet but intelligent.f9a5e521581ef12e

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Though a bit timid, Aiden seemed smart, speaking clearly, but Edward’s origins were a mystery.a5e32758f6e831e0

Despite his annoying expression, his face resembled the Duke’s, so he seemed to be a legitimate son.906214b1dc3614b9

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The knights and attendants who came with Iellon dined in the servants’ dining room. Though it would have been nice to eat together as in other mansions, they had to accept the excuse of a small table for family meals.c2a4c086dca24014

Noah became Iellon’s attendant. Even if he wanted to give him another title, there was none suitable.0a59fee495a28954

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Helper? Friend? Anything that 8ccdc21b7c would arouse 5e706a878c suspicion or afef1721f8 attention was cdd100f88f better left 9290c1ecc0 as an 9963cd5623 attendant.036b04b2c11df2da

While seriously pondering the luxury of having a future hero’s companion as an attendant, Iellon set down his fork and knife.e3283d2b5487f1c0

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The dessert offered by the Duke of Mendez was cookies baked with sugar and small lemon cakes. The fragrant lemon scent tickled his nose, and the cookies, resembling those that once ravaged Iellon’s mouth, were prettily arranged.3b69df0d4b40df26

‘Interesting.’bfe58e61916fde3e

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Genuinely thinking so, 3f91bb6bd9 Iellon gracefully put db8a282de0 a cookie in a9958a481f his mouth.3cdc7f1002daa08e

“I hope the food was to your liking. Only the finest ingredients are distributed in the Imperial Palace.”a224d231b5598aab

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The Duke of Mendez, 455746ccbc feigning kindness, spoke with 59b36b8c7c a seemingly worried tone. His smile 45b5348b7b clearly aimed 77fd7d40c2 to stir b3c8b235b7 the future d33230218c crown prince 5429d6e21a and emperor.777ac54d03a1cb09

The Mendez estate b97b1af446 was crucial to c1694fa826 the empire. While there 752301faf6 were mines b50affdf60 everywhere, none 82472b6490 were as ac5fbf5a65 large or 111857794c employed as 933457fa4a many people 07708b3c2d as this 1c651ed175 one.cfeef1e5498bd775

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Though the ducal family couldn’t compare to the royal family, they seemed confident they could at least bark that they weren’t easy dogs to command.2cda157c5b8b21d4