CHAPTER EIGHT : REALITY AND FALSEHOOD (2)

The crazy villain is kneeling to him. He composed himself and glanced at the child. He stared at him lightly and clicked his tongue.

Allen spoke, "How unsightly."

Adrian's body suddenly flinched. Allen walked to the dressing room, leaving the kneeling boy. Adrian tried to call him. "Your Grace, I..."

"Don't bother. Get out." Allen's glare pierced through Adrian as he started to tremble.

"But..."

"Get out." The temperature of the room dropped a few degrees.

Adrian lifted his head and looked at the shadow who was leaving him behind. He never changes, that bastard. He was always mad as usual, he thought. He hoped his sister would be spared. Maybe, it's too late.

With a heavy heart, the 16-year-old child finally stands and gets out. Allen, who is in the dressing room, is peeking at Adrian through the door crack. He can't die now. He has more things to do. Taking a deep breath and sitting down against the wall, he stares at the wide scenery. As long as he fulfills his mission and condition, he can go back to the place he belongs.

He wore a pair of black shirts with black pants. There is a small golden rose embroidery in the neck area. Allen then wore a dark fur coat and clipped it with a golden pendant. Allen stared again at himself.

Allen Raphaelis is not someone who gets involved thoroughly in worldly affairs such as politics and the military. Even though he is a Duke, he rarely attends the Grand meeting. Even the emperor gave up on him. This incompetent man usually drinks and visits brothels occasionally, but most of the time he spends his leisure time hunting and killing monsters.

"And here I thought he was just a hard man who was unable to show his emotions. This damn womanizer." Allen sighed heavily.

If he suddenly gets interested and shows how amazing he is, the entire empire will surely plunge into new chaos. After all, his firstborn son inherited the imperial bloodline from his first wife's family side. Whether as Liam Ascente or Allen Raphaelis, living like the latter was a better choice. Allen rarely interacts with his children. Maybe Adrian will be suspicious but for now, he needs to focus on the other matter first.

To become a madman and also an incompetent bastard. At the same moment, he will leave clues and notes after his death so the villain and protagonist can defeat the demon lord easily. How laughable. He is... a former demon lord after all.

*****

Meanwhile, in a beautiful garden, Isabella is looking at the roses solemnly. Her blond hair resembles her mother and her deep green eyes resemble the Duke. She knew the Duke would never forgive her. She will die or end up in jail sooner or later.

"Isa," A small, soft voice called her from behind. Isabella's eyes lit like a flash full of brightness. She jumped into the boy's arms.

"Brother." Adrian patted his sister's head and laughed. He then pulled her to sit with him. The cheerful atmosphere made the surrounding area feel warm. The maid is looking at and admiring the two siblings. One of them is Amelia.

Adrian is the successor of the Duchy. He is a warm person, unlike his father. Maybe that's why the workers in the mansion prefer to treat Adrian as the master of the house.

Isabella is a mistake the Duke ended up committing. The bar hostess is beautiful but they never thought that the Duke would replace the first Duchess faster. Then, the second lady entered the house and gave birth to the second child, Isabella Raphaelis. She survived childbirth but she became emotionally unstable.

The Duke never visited her or the children. She spent and flaunted her wealth lavishly. Adrian is the one who took responsibility for caring for his sister. He was never there. The Duke was always in the camp in the north.

On Isabella's 8th birthday, a corpse was found hanging from the lamp. The second lady of the house finally died in her madness. Since then, the Duke has spent his time drinking and visiting brothels instead. He became cruel and crazy. Amelia still thinks about the master's expression.

'He looks disappointed yet grateful.'

Isabella pulled her brother towards the table and sat down slowly. Glancing around her, she looked back at Adrian. Her expression turned solemn. She felt extremely guilty.

"The poison is not working." Isabella clenched her fist and looked at Adrian sadly. She believed that poison from the Green spider would be enough to kill an archmage but she underestimated her father.

Adrian took a deep breath and sat down next to her. His eyes kept looking at the biscuit in front of him. He then glanced at his little sister. His hands kept holding her tightly. Isabella is the only person he has.

He remembered a quite disturbing feeling when he met his father before. "Something's not right." Adrian didn't understand it. The Duke spared them.

"Is it possible that the prophecy the man told us is unavoidable?" Isabella asked while holding the hem of her dress. If that happens...

"If that is the case, he should be able to summon a demon now. He's not a smart person. The evil society should be on the move now if it wishes to destroy the world. We still have time until 'that' day. We just have to make sure nothing big will change the prophecy the man foretold us." Adrian nodded his head and took out a note from his breast pocket.

Isabella once again lowered her head.

The Abyss invasion, The Great Holy War, and also the Great Betrayal. Adrian needed to prepare for the incoming disaster. If the prophet was right, he needed to monitor his father more closely. Klein was walking slowly approaching the siblings. Isabella hurriedly stood and hid behind her brother. He smiled softly and ruffled the girl's hair.

"Has the punishment been decided?" Adrian asked with a slight nervousness in his tone. Klein shook his head. His hand held his sister tighter.

Isabella tilted her head. No punishment? "What? Maybe he didn't know the culprit?"

"He was that stupid?" Adrian interrupted her words.

"Well, he knows... but he just..."

"Just?"

"Dropped it. At least, that is what he told me." Hearing Klein's words, both the siblings were stunned.

Meanwhile, our protagonist is sitting at a long table. He silently drank his tea while looking at a bunch of hot-blooded men expressing their thoughts. One of them is Count Dalce and the other one is Marquis Willis.

Count Dalce wished to cut some funds from the military department for the infrastructural department. He tried to convince the Marquis to change the north into a vacation spot to generate more money. He claimed that the people of the North are poor and they desire wealth and a healthier life.

Marquis Wellis refused. The north is never a vacation spot. The wall is a fortress, not a tourist attraction.

Count Dalce is the Empress's brother-in-law. Considering the current plot of the story, the current Empress lacks any support from the merchant faction. By letting people cross the northern border, she can be more associated with merchants who spread out to support the rich aristocrats and devour them one by one.

In the original novel, Allen refuses the Empress by thinking about the fact that his land is being defiled by some lowly breed. Allen thinks slowly and concludes. The original Allen made the right decision to prevent more political warfare influence.

The only problem is that he did state the fact he looked down on merchants and commoners for dirtying his soil. Allen nodded to himself silently.

Who cares about the reasons, the outcome will still be the same. The north will be isolated from the continent. Adrian, who found out about this, managed to make a deal with a merchant of the south and stabilized the situation.

The people will put their faith in Adrian and he can receive bad repercussions from his citizens. He also will ignite the spark of treason within the territory. The best current course right now is the fact he must support Marquis Willis.

Allen looked with a slightly amused face. Count Saleo, who usually keeps calm, is looking at Allen.

"What do you think, Your Grace?" The count's voice startled most of the nobles and aristocrats of the north.

Allen, who suddenly got called, stunned and glanced back at Count Saleo. Glavier Saleo is a middle-aged man who inherited the title of Count Saleo from his mother's side. He is not a person who gets involved in annoying things.

That's why Allen perked up his ears and listened carefully. Even after the great demon invasion, the count just stayed in his mansion and died without any regrets. He is a person who can run away from a three-meter-tall demonic bear while drinking a jar of beer.

The man who never involved himself in society is looking at him through his eyes as if he is saying that he saw the real Liam Ascente, not Allen Raphaelis.

"Do you expect me to let those insolent dirty blood stain my territory?" Allen spoke with arrogance. His eyes shone with disgust. Marquis Wellis smirked. He won the fight. Allen nodded to himself. Even if Adrian manages to find the merchants, the Empress will put pressure on the merchant association guild.

Some of the merchants will be implicated and Adrian will have a hard time convincing them. As long as he acts as if he knows her scheme, the Empress will focus on him instead of Adrian. This also might be a good chance for him to make enemies with the Empress. For an additional bonus, he can grab another death flag.

Allen snorted and stood up. He walked toward Count Dolce and held his shoulder.

"Now, Count Dolce, don't waste your time here. You may leave." The count clenched his teeth and bowed slightly before leaving the room. Marquis Wellis stood and bowed deeply toward Allen before the man waved his hand and left the room.

"Your Grace." Allen looked back and saw Klein standing and bowing deeply. The Duke waved his hand as if he was annoyed.

"What?"

"I have an invitation letter from the south. Count Saleo will be holding his son's birthday and also his coming-of-age ceremony." Klein said with a solemn face.

"And also, I will report that the punishment for the last incident has been decided." Klein bowed and gave Allen the invitation letter.

Allen glanced at the invitation. He remembered that Count Saleo was a man who never involved himself in politics. He has a small territory but is rich and full of natural resources. Is there something he needs to do with this man? The main character's memories didn't tell him about this. Maybe this man will be useful for the next battle.

"Are you done?" Allen spoke slowly.

"The little lady will be grounded in her room for a month without any servant to attend to her." Klein lowered his head and awaited Allen's response. The Duke just snorted and nodded. He waved his hand before leaving the room.

Allen walked out of the room and glanced at the garden. He saw Adrian playing with Isabella. Maybe he should give them some pocket money so they can live somewhere else peacefully. Allen thought for a while and then decided.

For now, let's go to the south.