Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 205
The Duchess of Dwight, Emma, came from a very old noble family in the south—one that had existed even longer than the Empire’s history.
Indeed, these old nobles were continually weakened by new families with each shift in power. The radical members who resisted often met their end violently, while others chose to keep a low profile.
The Empire’s center had always been in the north, and Emma’s family, adept at avoiding crises, managed to survive.
But survival was all it was. Old noble families found it difficult to hold any sway in the Empire’s political circles, and decline was inevitable. During Emma’s girlhood before her marriage, for several years, she and her sisters had to stay up late sewing their own dresses and hats so they wouldn’t have to wear old clothes to social events. Despite being noble ladies, they skillfully dismantled old garments and remade them into new ones to maintain their dignity. This hardship became history once Emma got married, but she never felt ashamed of her past. Especially in front of her children, she focused on honestly teaching them the family history and where their mother came from.
“Elven bloodline” was also part of this history education. Though it sounded grand, tracing it seriously would reveal that Emma’s ancestor was a half-elf born from a love affair between an elf and a human.
This identity alone indicated it happened a long time ago, as intermarriages between elves and other races were very rare in the continent’s history, and elves had left the continent centuries ago. Over such a long time, any bloodline would be diluted to almost nothing.
Indeed, the elven bloodline left little trace in Emma’s family history. Only the original half-elf had distinct elven features, and his direct descendants inherited extraordinary beauty. Beyond that, the bloodline legend remained just a legend.
Arnie’s obviously superior appearance compared to his parents and sister reminded Emma of this matter, but good looks alone didn’t mean much—Arnie was very smart, but the adults didn’t find any magical talents or special abilities in him. Emma believed if that extremely diluted bloodline miraculously manifested in Arnie after so many generations, it was likely only in his appearance.
And good looks seemed to have no other use except aiding in romantic success later in life, so Emma never emphasized this point. Arnie merely recorded it as ordinary knowledge. If not for being kidnapped into the forest this time, he might not have remembered it at all.
“That makes sense,” Charlie said, not looking particularly surprised.
Arnie wasn’t just outstanding in appearance; his sharp insight was truly extraordinary. But now, his lack of expression could be dismissed with phrases like “he’s just a different child”. When he grew up, this ability to understand people would be skillfully utilized—by then, he would be “Dwight”, mature enough to hide his true self behind a rigid mask.
Only after many confrontations where Charlie was nearly cornered by Dwight did he realize the young Duke was anything but ordinary. Prepared with this mindset, he felt a “so that’s how it is” sensation when Arnie casually mentioned it.
Arnie watched him for a while, finding that Oscar wasn’t startled by this matter, feeling both relieved and indignant.
“What makes sense?” he asked.
It explains your abnormal behaviors as you grew up. Charlie wouldn’t say that. Instead, he said, “You’re so smart. That’s what makes sense. Elves are knowledgeable and eager to learn, and you must have inherited that trait.”
Arnie believed it and became happy again.
“The seer might still look for you tomorrow,” Charlie said as he lifted Arnie from the chair to the bed.
Arnie was somewhat interested in the forest’s seer. He refused tonight because he felt Oscar seemed disapproving—but now it seemed he wasn’t opposed.
“Father will come to save me,” Arnie said. “And Alfred will surely come after… I want to wait for them.”
Who knew if the seer here would use some strange magic? What if they cursed him to threaten Lemena? In the face of life and death, curiosity was insignificant. Arnie understood the priority.
“It won’t be long,” Charlie comforted him. “Their big birds are fast, but the knights’ horses aren’t slow either.”
……
“Chieftain.” Shan walked briskly across the high, suspended wooden corridor, entering the brightly lit conference room. Everyone at the long table turned to look at him.
Shan brought a reply from the Imperial Capital.
The Nawen chieftain read it quickly in the light and sighed.
“What is it?” someone asked urgently.
“The Emperor denies that Duke Dwight has taken the secret treasure, and because of the Duke’s son being taken…” He paused. “His wording is severe.”
Several people passed around the letter, looking as grim as the chieftain.
They were originally victims, but due to the rash actions of a few young people, they were now at fault. Regardless, attacking such a young child was hard to forgive. Atta and the others hadn’t realized their impulsiveness could bring disaster to the tribe.
“Was the second letter sent out?” the Nawen chieftain asked wearily.
“It was sent out at dusk,” Wind replied. He placed a jar on the table, and someone brought a shallow basin.
Wind poured the jar’s water into the basin. The clear water spread across the bottom, slowly rotating, as if an invisible finger was stirring the surface.
“I obtained a bit more…” Wind said softly. As the water moved slower, an image appeared on the surface.
A fair, handsome boy was being held in someone’s arms, holding a fresh green grass stem with a beautiful butterfly perched on its tip. He was gazing curiously at the butterfly, looking like he wanted to reach out and touch it.
The man holding him didn’t have his whole face visible due to the height difference, but he was wearing a Brandenburg uniform, and like the child, his exposed skin was clean, with no signs of injury.
Most importantly, the expression of the child in his arms was relaxed and even joyful.
The image lasted for about fifteen seconds before disappearing.
“The image waterfall can only be maintained for this long,” Wind said, touching the now calm water surface where nothing remained.
“That’s enough,” the Nawen chieftain said.
They sent this image to both the Imperial Capital and Duke Dwight, along with the second letter. The Nawen chieftain knew that it was extremely unwise for a single tribe to provoke a Duke or even the Emperor of the Empire, but at this point, all he could do was try his best to make amends. Treating the Duke’s son well was the first step.
They even shamelessly denied the kidnapping, presenting the Duke’s son as a guest of the forest—after all, the forest also belonged to the Empire, so strictly speaking, they didn’t have much leverage.
“It takes a few days to get from Lemena to here,” the Nawen chieftain sighed. “The Brandenburg Knights will certainly come to rescue their master. Before that, we must keep a low profile and try to meet the demands of the Duke’s son as much as possible.”
“The seer wants to see him,” Wind reported today’s events to the chieftain. “The seer hasn’t gone out for years. Did he sense something?”
The forest’s preferential treatment of the Duke’s son was no secret among the Nawen tribe. Even if it wasn’t out of guilt, the other tribespeople were also kind to the little boy. Wind had the most contact with him and could feel that the child had a natural affinity with nature.
Very much like an elf.
“Green told me about it,” the chieftain, a calm middle-aged man with little trace of age on his face, said. He looked at Wind levelly and asked, “The servant of the Duke’s son, what do you think of him?”
Wind was momentarily taken aback. “That ‘Oscar’? He is…”
He recalled that he didn’t have much of an impression of the man. His main focus was on Dwight’s son, but the servant had never shown anything special since arriving. His expression and tone were always neutral, and everything he did was centered around his master, the Duke’s son.
The only time he showed personal emotion was when he directly refused to let the Duke’s son be taken to see the seer.
Other than that, he was like an omnipresent breeze, leaving no trace of himself.
The chieftain watched Wind’s expression. “The seer also wants to see him—the seer sensed the arrival of Dwight’s son but also believes the man beside him is worth attention.”
This was what Green had conveyed to the chieftain. According to the chieftain’s understanding, it meant there was something off about Dwight’s son’s servant. Although no one could see anything special about the unremarkable man, the seer held a high status and great power within their tribe and wouldn’t make such statements without reason.
Someone hesitated. “Perhaps the imperial cavalry is approaching the forest. Should we try to please the Duke’s son and send him back, showing that this was a misunderstanding?”
“What about our treasure?” someone angrily retorted. “It’s still missing. If this continues, our heritage will be lost. Is that what you want?”
“That’s not what I mean. But if everyone dies, who will protect our heritage?!”
“Perhaps this incident is a revelation, making us reconsider the meaning of staying in the forest.”
“Enough.” The Nawen chieftain interrupted the increasingly divergent discussion. “I will meet with the seer tomorrow and take… them along. It’s best if the seer can perform a divination.”
His brows furrowed deeply. “If things are heading in the worst direction, we need to prepare quickly before the Brandenburg Knights arrive.”
No one in the conference room knew that the Brandenburg Knights had already entered the forest.
Nightfall didn’t greatly hinder Alfred and his companions. The real challenge was finding traces of the Nawen tribe in the vast forest—an endeavor akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
The local guide had given them a general direction. The three of them couldn’t comb through the entire forest, but Brandenburg had its own methods.
“Southeast,” Shel whispered. “The signal is getting stronger. We’re getting closer.”
He held a palm-sized metal box, its needle resembling that of a nautical compass, with a similar function but more precise. The needle tip was made of a rare mineral that reacted to magic and pointed toward objects made of the same material—Arnie’s earring was made of this mineral. Once within range, the needle would guide them to their target.
Each member of the Dwight family had such a personalized magical item. The Duke and Duchess wore rings, while Priscilla and Arnie each had earrings that never left their bodies, even when bathing or sleeping.
Alfred also watched the box in Shel’s hand, his eyes gleaming like a wolf ready to strike.
Spin said, “Control all your crazy thoughts. We’re not here to kill and burn. You should see your face right now.”
“I understand,” Alfred said in a deep voice. “I’ll save my anger for Alger. That guy must be crazy to think he could steal someone else’s treasure and present it to His Majesty the Emperor in exchange for a title and wealth.”
“Isn’t it more likely he did it out of jealousy towards Brandenburg? Trying to both bypass the Duke and frame him is even more despicable.” Shel snapped the lid shut with a pop. “When His Majesty the Emperor finds the Nawen tribe’s items in the tribute pile, I don’t think they’ll be unreasonable.”
Alfred snorted through his nose.
The author has something to say:
This storyline was initially intended to be darker but writing it that way tends to drag it out, and in the end, I wanted a bit of lightness. Life doesn’t need so many conspiracies.
The Duchess thought her son’s good looks would make him a playboy, but alas, things didn’t go as planned.
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