Chapter 05
The place they arrived at was a hill overlooking the entirety of the Wibin territory.
Even in autumn, the grass remained vividly green, and every tree that might obstruct the view had seemingly been removed. Only small shrubs remained, carefully arranged at regular intervals.
A gravestone stood at the center.
A short inscription.
Elric sat down before the gravestone with a bitter smile.
“It’s just like you.”
The location overlooking the land he had built with his own hands, the meticulously maintained landscaping, and even the concise inscription on the monument—all of it perfectly reflected the father Elric remembered.
Given his personality, he had undoubtedly arranged all of this himself before he died.
Just from looking at the gravestone, Elric felt as though he could picture his father’s final days.
“You loved perfection so much that you probably harassed the contractors to no end.”
A man who tolerated not even the smallest flaw. Countless workers had probably suffered before this grave was completed. They must have complained behind his back plenty of times. His father had likely known and simply ignored it.
There was a reason his nickname had been the Cold-Blooded Man.
“I never imagined we’d meet like this. The reunion I pictured was somewhat different.”
After moving his lips for a moment, Elric gave up on complaining any further.
It was pointless.
His hand reached out and brushed across the gravestone.
The stone was smooth despite a year having passed.
And, as expected, cold.
That chill brought back memories of his father.
The remarkable man who had elevated the Portman family—a mere merchant house—into the greatest trading company in Wibin.
The ruthless man whose harsh personality had earned him countless enemies.
The lonely man who had never once shown a smile, even to his own son.
As Elric reflected on all of that, he realized something.
“I’m no longer resentful like I used to be.”
Even standing before the man he had once hated so intensely that tears of blood seemed possible, his emotions remained calm.
He had thought it was simply because life had been busy, because the battlefield had consumed him.
But the resentment had already faded away.
How absurd.
Once the childish emotions were stripped away, once he finally let his father go, all that remained was pity.
What had his father’s final moments been like?
How had he lived during those nine years without his son?
Lost in thought, staring at the name engraved on the stone, Elric heard a voice.
“He remained rational until the moment he closed his eyes.”
It was Aldio, who had finished tying up the carriage.
Elric looked up.
Aldio wore a nostalgic expression.
“He had heart disease. He concealed it until the very end. Only I and his physician knew about his condition.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. As death approached, he devoted himself to organizing and liquidating his businesses. I suffered quite a bit because of it as well.”
Aldio chuckled softly as he continued.
A dry laugh escaped Elric.
“You’re a strange man, Butler. What was there to admire about this cold-blooded old man?”
Come to think of it, it had always been that way.
In every memory Elric had, Aldio had stood faithfully beside his father.
Cleaning up the messes his father never noticed.
Taking care of Elric when his father did not.
As a result, Aldio had remained unmarried all his life. He had no siblings, no family—he had devoted himself entirely to the estate.
And yet he showed no resentment toward the man responsible.
“He paid me very well. What other reason would I need?”
He even shrugged his shoulders playfully.
Another laugh escaped Elric.
Then Aldio spoke again.
“Though, it’s strange that you haven’t asked.”
“Asked what?”
“About the inheritance. I told you, didn’t I? The master converted everything he could into cash.”
Elric frowned in confusion.
Aldio smiled.
“All of it was inherited by you, Young Master.”
Elric’s fingers twitched.
His gaze snapped back to the gravestone.
Shock was written plainly across his face.
“This old man?”
“Yes. The master arranged it that way.”
Confusion washed over him.
He couldn’t understand why his father had left everything to him.
After all, if his father had wanted to see him, he certainly had the means to do so.
If he had felt remorse, he could have left behind an apology instead of an inheritance.
Elric parted his lips before asking hesitantly,
“…Did he leave a will?”
Perhaps he had explained his intentions somewhere.
But Aldio shook his head.
“That wasn’t his style. He left only instructions regarding the inheritance. I can show them to you if you’re curious.”
As expected, his father was not the kind of man who made things easy.
A sigh escaped Elric.
His chest felt heavy.
He looked to Aldio, hoping for answers, but the butler merely shook his head.
“I don’t know what he was truly thinking. On matters like that, he was colder than ever.”
Elric pressed his lips together.
Why had he done it?
Even in death, his father had left him nothing but confusion.
“What will you do about the inheritance?”
Elric didn’t answer.
A concern he had not thought about since boyhood once again resurfaced.
As he delayed his answer with a long sigh, Aldio bowed his head.
“Take your time.”
Elric nodded.
* * *
The ride back was filled with unsettled thoughts.
As he stared absentmindedly at the scenery, a question suddenly came to mind.
“Come to think of it…”
“Yes?”
“My wi—”
The word caught in his throat.
For some reason, saying wife felt embarrassingly awkward.
In the end, he avoided it.
“…Why is she still living at the estate? After I disappeared, the marriage should have been annulled.”
Aldio did not answer immediately.
He remained silent as he drove the carriage before finally speaking.
“It was a political marriage, wasn’t it? A transaction disguised as marriage.”
Bitterness lingered in his voice.
“…Is that really enough of a reason?”
“It is. Come to think of it, I never told you.”
“Told me what?”
“The Portman family became a hereditary barony.”
Elric’s jaw dropped.
Aldio glanced back at him carefully.
“The master obtained a noble title. If you accept the inheritance, that title will pass to you. And if you remember…”
Only then did Elric recall something he had long forgotten.
Something he had heard on the day of his wedding.
“…The Wibin baronial family was poor.”
The Wibin family had been so impoverished that they had needed to marry into the merchant Portman family.
In exchange for Tyria Wibin’s hand in marriage, they had received money.
The noble title must have been part of the bargain.
Elric finally understood.
“So she’s still a hostage, then…”
His chest tightened.
It was probably pity.
What he still couldn’t understand was why she had remained here for an entire year after his father’s death.
The rightful heir—Elric—had not appeared.
As his legal representative, Tyria could have claimed the inheritance and returned to her family at any time.
Why hadn’t she?
When he asked, Aldio replied:
“That was the madam’s decision.”
“…She chose that herself?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why?”
“She isn’t a talkative person. To be honest, I’m ashamed to admit that I never became particularly close to her.”
Aldio spoke apologetically.
Elric understood.
After all, she possessed an air of dignity that made approaching her difficult.
And whenever someone asked her something, she usually ended the conversation with short answers.
As a servant, Aldio could hardly force her to talk.
Elric smiled awkwardly.
“Hmm. She’s a difficult person.”
“She is your wife, after all.”
“A complete stranger, more like. I’ve only seen her face once.”
“That’s how it starts for most people.”
Aldio said it teasingly, but from Elric’s perspective, it was a serious problem.
Just that morning, breakfast had been so uncomfortable that he had practically stuffed food into his mouth and fled.
How was he supposed to sit face-to-face with her?
Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck.
By the time their conversation ended, they had reached the estate.
“You go inside first. I’ll put the carriage away.”
“Very well.”
Aldio drove off.
The moment Elric entered the estate with his cane—
A rather unfortunate encounter occurred.
“…Ah, you’ve returned?”
“Yes.”
It was Tyria.
She appeared to have just come back from the wheat fields. A straw hat rested on her head, and she carried several stalks of wheat in her arms.
Her clothing was simple enough to make her look like a field worker.
Yet somehow, even dressed like a farmer, she still looked unmistakably noble.
What am I supposed to do with this awkwardness?
An artificial smile naturally appeared on Elric’s face.
“Um… well…”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Are you… going inside?”
Tyria stared directly at him for a moment before nodding.
“Yes.”
And once again, Elric regretted opening his mouth.
Trying to overcome the awkwardness himself had only made things worse.
His damned mouth was the problem.
