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Perhaps because his life was on the line, the family knight forgot his pride and retreated while shaking his head — only to be saved by the voice of an old man that came from behind.
“What’s all this commotion?”
Is that Grandpa?
I turned around instinctively, and saw an elderly man wearing a ceremonial robe. It was old-fashioned, though somewhat shabby and worn, which made me tilt my head in curiosity.
Ash-gray hair and red eyes.
Aside from his slightly sharp eyes, this old man didn’t resemble my dad much at all.
Still, judging from how the family knight immediately bowed his head in relief, he must’ve been someone of high rank.
“You’ve arrived, High Councilor.”
My dad also gave the old man a small nod of greeting.
“It’s been a while, Great-uncle Claus.”
Great-uncle.
If he’s my dad’s great-uncle, then that makes him… my grandfather’s cousin, I think… So what am I supposed to call him…?
I gave up on the complicated family tree and just kept it simple.
He’s a senior relative.
I’ll just call him Grandpa.
Since the knight from the main family called him 'High Councilor,' I figured calling him 'Grandpa High Councilor' wouldn’t be too out of line.
“Leopord, even if you’ve practically severed ties with the main family, how could you come all the way here and challenge one of our knights to a duel? That’s unacceptable.”
Great-uncle scolded my dad!
It didn’t seem like he and Dad were on bad terms.
If their relationship were actually bad, Dad would’ve scoffed at the old man’s nagging and kept threatening the knight with his glove. That’s just how he is—he never shows mercy to his enemies.
I hadn’t known Dad for long, but that much I had figured out.
So seeing him stand there silently, just listening to the old man, was... fascinating.
“And as punishment for this incident, you’re suspended without pay for three months and placed on probation for one.”
Dad’s great-uncle wasn’t just scolding him.
He turned toward the knights who had acted rudely toward us, rubbing the back of his neck a few times before issuing a cold, cutting judgment.
“W-what? High Councilor, why…?”
“You dare block the path of the Duke’s eldest son?”
His eyes gleamed with a chilling sharpness.
“Be thankful you’re still breathing. If it had been His Grace here instead of me, do you think you’d still be alive?”
“B-but Sir Leopord is merely the head of a branch family. He’s not even the heir.”
“Even so, he remains the Duke’s firstborn. Who do you think you are, just a knight—not a family head, not an elder of the house—to stand in his way?”
Grandpa is amazing!
Hearing the old man’s harsh words, the knight pouted but ultimately stepped back.
Only then did the old man’s gaze shift toward us.
From behind, I hadn’t noticed, but now I could see his posture was slightly hunched.
His shoulders curved forward a bit too.
Maybe his neck and shoulders hurt—every time he moved, a slight grimace appeared on his face.
From what I could tell...
“So these are your children?”
Oh—this was our first meeting with this elder relative, wasn’t it?
I quickly pushed aside my professional habit of analyzing his posture and bowed politely.
“Yes. Their names are Dietrich and Mariela.”
“I wasn’t aware you had four children.”
“Of course not. This young man isn’t my child. He is His Highness, the First Prince Florian.”
The old man’s eyes widened briefly.
Then, narrowing them, he looked between Dad and Florian, sighing softly.
“I can’t help you beyond this.”
“What you’ve done already is more than enough.”
“Try not to stir up too much trouble. His Grace has grown quite old, too.”
“...I’ll keep that in mind.”
Which, knowing Dad, meant: I’ll pretend to be careful.
Apparently understanding that nuance, Grandpa High Councilor shook his head and stepped into the banquet hall.
“Now entering: Count Claus Verben, High Councilor of the Elder Council!”
High Councilor of the Elder Council... so among all the Duke’s extended relatives, he holds the highest rank.
No wonder he handed out punishments to the main house’s knight so easily.
As we listened to the herald announce the old man’s arrival, Dad turned briefly toward us.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
With a heart pounding in my chest, I stood before the herald.
He looked a bit surprised at first but quickly raised his trumpet and made the announcement.
“Sir Leopord Callenberg and his children are entering!”
One of them wasn’t actually his child, but there was no need to mention that just yet.
After all, my dad just wanted to give my uncle and aunt a little surprise.
They’d be more than a little unsettled when they saw Florian—whom they had tried to kill—walk into the grand ballroom of the Duke’s estate, alive and well.
The massive doors of the ballroom swung open.
The moment we stepped inside, it felt as if light from another world was raining down.
The glow of chandeliers, the shimmer of jeweled ornaments, and the glint of colorful drinks in crystal glasses scattered through the air like a shimmering haze, casting a dreamy, surreal brilliance over the room.
But what struck me more than the glittering lights... were the eyes.
Dozens, hundreds of gazes pierced through the air, more intense than the beams of light.
Despite the burning attention, the atmosphere was unnervingly silent.
Every step my dad took, calm and composed as always, only deepened the silence hanging over the crowd.
The enormous hall grew so quiet you could hear someone breathe.
As I tried to gauge my dad's standing within the main family from this eerie quiet, a couple confidently approached us through the silence.
“It’s been a while, Brother. I’m honored you came all this way to my birthday banquet. Had I known in advance, I would have prepared a more fitting welcome.”
That man—he must be Uncle Dominic.
Soft brown hair that radiated a gentle warmth, and kind-looking eyes.
But aside from those, his golden irises and the firmness of his lips looked exactly like Dad’s. There was no mistaking it.
Uncle Dominic’s gaze slowly drifted over me and Dietrich... before finally landing on Florian.
“Ah. And it seems you've brought an uninvited guest, Brother.”
Despite the smile on his lips, his eyes gleamed like a snake spotting its prey as they scanned Florian.
“Even if you have personal ties to His Majesty, this is too far. Bringing the son of a traitor all the way to the North…”
The moment those words left his mouth, Florian’s expression completely changed.
In stark contrast to his corpse-like pale face, Florian’s eyes blazed with hostility.
If no one stopped him, he looked like he might summon a protective blessing and charge at Uncle right then and there.
That won’t do.
Even if Dad caused a stir, he was still a member of the Callenberg family. That meant this would be an internal dispute—something the house could contain.
But if a royal prince made a scene at the Duke of the North’s banquet... it could easily be turned into political ammunition between two great houses.
I quietly stepped beside Florian and gently took his hand.
So hot…
It was like touching a metal pot that had just come off the stove—I had to fight the urge to yank my hand away.
Thankfully, he hadn’t completely lost control. Florian glanced over at me, then bit his lip and tried to suppress his rage.
That’s when Dad stepped between us and Uncle’s snake-like gaze, still smiling pleasantly.
With a wave of his hand, Dad gestured to Walter, who had entered behind us, to bring something forward.
Walter moved and presented a large box.
Uncle’s gaze followed it, finally turning away from Florian. The shift in attention seemed to help—Florian let out a small, steadying breath.
“This isn’t the right time to discuss imperial affairs. But since it’s your birthday, why not open your gift instead?”
Birthday gift? Out of nowhere?
I was sure we hadn’t picked out a present for Uncle on the way here.
If we had, especially something that size, I would’ve noticed. And it wasn’t even nicely wrapped—just a plain, rough wooden box. Hardly what you'd expect for a birthday present.
“You really didn’t have to go out of your way…”
But Uncle was a professional—specifically, a professional at keeping up appearances.
Despite how wildly inappropriate the box looked for a noble heir’s birthday, he still smiled like it was exactly what he wanted.
“Your presence here with your children is more than enough for me—”
“Cut the niceties. It's customary to open a gift in front of the giver, so go ahead.”
Of course, my dad was also a professional—but in a very different field.
If there were a competition for sharp-tongued remarks, he’d win first place without even trying.
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