PT | Chapter 4.1

In his dream, Aubrey trudged through a blizzard on a mountain of ice.

It was impossible to tell how long he had wandered, but he had long since lost feeling in his arms and legs, and visibility was nil. Knowing full well that continuing in such a state was a death wish, Aubrey did not stop. His legs no longer carried him properly, so he crawled, feeling the ground beneath him. He was searching for something, but this method seemed unlikely to yield what he wanted.

It was all futile.

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Nothing would change by doing this.

As he thought this, Aubrey’s eyes snapped open and he sighed deeply.

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“…Not good.”

He had feared catching a cold before sleeping, but as soon as he woke up, he could tell his physical condition was the worst. He should have called someone to bring him a blanket before falling asleep.

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“I’m dying…”

Muttering to himself, Aubrey turned over to lie on his side. That’s when he noticed the blanket that had fallen to the floor. It seemed Lennock hadn’t used it. Maybe he should cover himself with it now. Just as his fingertips were about to touch the blanket, a knock sounded.

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“Young Master, are you awake?”

“…”

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He was awake, but his condition was absolutely dire. He thought about pretending to still be asleep, but it might be better to get some medicine instead.

“…I’m up.”

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Ugh, his voice sounded like scraping metal.

With a feeling like phlegm boiling in his throat, Aubrey struggled to sit up. He had just propped his face in his palms when the door opened and someone entered. Hearing the rapid footsteps, he lifted his head.

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It was Marquis Johan standing right next to the bed.

His face was always serious, but now it looked particularly menacing. Sensing danger, Aubrey reached out his hand.

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“Father, just a moment—”

No sooner had he spoken than a flash of light exploded in front of him. Smack. As if struck by a whip, Aubrey’s body rolled under the bed.

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“Calm down, my lord…!”

What followed was the butler’s urgent voice attempting to restrain the marquis.

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But Aubrey knew. The butler would only speak up, he wouldn’t actually prevent his father from acting. Aubrey was well aware of why his father was so agitated first thing in the morning. He knew it was better to just keep quiet and take a few more hits, yet he couldn’t help feeling miserable.

Even so, it wasn’t right.

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It wasn’t right to slap someone who had just woken up.

Aubrey, who had been sprawled on the thrown blanket and sheet from the night before, shook his head and looked up. The marquis was still glaring at him with a terrifying gaze.

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“What on earth are you thinking? Have you been learning ways to sabotage your father’s work outside?”

Tightening his grip, the marquis stepped towards Aubrey.

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“How foolish I was to believe you would come to your senses. You are no longer my son. You are…”

“Then am I to be used in your business like Lennock from now on?”

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“…”

“That’s fine. Rolling around everywhere, I might accidentally have a few children. Naturally, you would then have many grandchildren. Perhaps you might even get the large family you so desire.”

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Aubrey leaned back against the bed and rubbed his cheek where he had been hit. Realizing that his father had been relatively gentle the day before, he touched below his nose. Feeling the slight trace of blood, a sharp spike of anger rose within Aubrey.

Why should he be slapped around by that man? Overcome by indignation, Aubrey stared straight at the marquis. Just then, the butler behind his father shook his head. Seeing Aubrey’s gaze, he seemed to know what he was about to say and desperately reached out his hand, advising him to keep quiet.

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“Oh, so you only desired power. To you, family is merely a tool to be used as needed.”

“Young Master Aubrey, watch your words before the lord…”

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The butler, feeling this was going too far, gave advice that was both a caution and a counsel, but Aubrey still had more to say.

“Even though you brought him from outside and fed and clothed him for over ten years, you’re handing him over to some swindler. Lennock’s face isn’t one to be sold off so cheaply.”

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“Young master…”

“Better marry him off! With that face, he could even charm the queen!”

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Who knows, maybe Lennock was the hottest topic in Toroso these days.

An orphan brought in by the marquis. Well fed and well educated, he had grown into an underground celebrity as the most handsome man in Toroso. If Aubrey had been his father, he would have presented Lennock to wealthy women, not swindlers, thinking of the profits.

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But Aubrey had already made remarks that upset the marquis’s stomach.

The pale-faced butler hesitated, looking at the marquis. Was he considering whether to escort his master out? But the marquis moved first. Dropping to one knee, the marquis, who was still intimidating, tried to keep his tone even as he faced Aubrey, who was slumped against the bed.

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“What exactly are you dissatisfied with? After nearly twenty years of raising you, you choose now to stab your father in the back?”

A thick layer of barely concealed anger simmered in his low voice. To escape this truly dangerous situation, he would need to kneel and apologize, saying sorry no matter what. But Aubrey’s mouth, as calamitous as his many regressions, blew that chance first.

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“Am I supposed to preserve my brother’s virtue by stabbing you in the back? Fuck, not like there’s much to see there anyway.”

“…”

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The butler buried his face in his hands, and a sigh came from beyond the door. Apparently, there were servants outside as well. Aubrey stared blankly at the marquis.

Unfazed by the severity of what he had said, the marquis ordered,

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“Send him to the attic.”

“My lord…”

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The startled butler raised his head from his palms.

Despite everything, he was still the young master. But the marquis rose, exiting the room. Watching his father’s retreating back, the butler then looked down at Aubrey, still seated on the bed. Aubrey muttered to himself about how terribly it hurt.

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Reluctantly, though without choice but to execute the marquis’s command, the butler called,

“Everyone come in and escort the young master.”

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At that, the servants hesitantly entered. They approached Aubrey and said nervously as they helped him stand, “Excuse us.”

Given the previous day’s events, everyone was tense. There was concern that Aubrey might suddenly throw a fit. But having already spoken his mind to the marquis, Aubrey quietly headed to the attic. Then, climbing the stairs and feeling his stomach grumble, he regretted not having eaten.

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“I’m hungry from yesterday’s meal. Serve some food, damn stingy…”

The quick-moving butler covered Aubrey’s mouth.

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To prevent a worse situation, they couldn’t let Aubrey speak freely. The butler sent a rigid gaze, prompting Aubrey to slump his shoulders. Thus, he was led to the attic.

The attic. A space chilling enough to fulfill the ominous connotations of the word. With nothing but a bed and a desk, and bars on the windows and an iron door, it was a grim place indeed.

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It had been used to punish servants who erred or displeased the master, but since Aubrey’s arrival, it had almost become his personal punishment room. Even in this regressed life, as in previous ones, he had frequented it enough that its eerie atmosphere no longer scared him.

“You all may leave.”

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After dismissing the accompanying servants, the butler watched Aubrey, who stood leisurely by the barred window, apparently oblivious to the severity of the situation.

Perhaps in his youth, such defiance could be seen as mere childish rebellion, but no longer.

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Approaching Aubrey, the butler began to speak advisingly,

“Young Master, once you graduate, you will have to follow the lord whether you like it or not. Here in Toroso, if you fall out of favor with the lord, you can forget about doing business or even finding a job. As you know, if the lord disagrees with you, being blood-related won’t spare you. Have you forgotten the incident with the Marquess Marlboro?”

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Marquess Marlboro had been the marquis’s sister’s husband.

Not pleased that his sister had inherited the family title, he had shown immense inferiority complex when his father became the marquis. He went around disparaging his father’s origins, joking that a sparrow chasing a swan would only end up splitting its legs.

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“How could I forget that? He tried to oust my father and reclaim the marquisate, only to be involved in a mysterious accident that cost him his legs. And tragically, every venture he undertook thereafter failed, leaving him buried in debt and leading to his suicide.”

“Knowing that…”

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“But do you know?”

Aubrey turned to look down at the butler.

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“That you trying to scare me like this is practically an admission that my father orchestrated Marlboro’s downfall.”

“…”

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Perhaps mentioning Marlboro was meant to emphasize that even blood relations weren’t safe from the marquis. But for Aubrey, who knew exactly what kind of man his father was, it seemed like a hollow threat not to end up pathetically dead.

The worried butler’s expression wavered, but his eyes soon settled calmly as he looked at Aubrey with a bittersweet expression.

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“To know all this and still behave this way. I really don’t understand.”

“…”

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Neither the butler, nor anyone else working in the manor, perhaps not even anyone living in Toroso, could understand Aubrey. He could have lived an easy, carefree life as the favored son of the marquis.

Aubrey read the question in the butler’s eyes, ‘What exactly is your problem?’ A smile spread across Aubrey’s face. Really, what was his problem that had led him to this point? Feeling suffocated, Aubrey sighed deeply.

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“I have no intention of causing more trouble now that I’m here, so please go get me something to eat. And…”

Not wanting to waste time idly, he intended to ask for some light reading material. But then, the iron door swung wide open as Gray entered. Among all people, Aubrey wondered why he was here, his expression souring.

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“Why is he…”