How to Survive as a Knight’s Son – Chapter 38

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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The mansion’s only church was packed, leaving no room to spare. Sunlight filtering through the stained glass painted the coffin resting on the platform before the altar in a myriad of colors.

Bathed in the focused light, as if deliberately spotlighted, the scene evoked an air of solemnity.

Anya, seated in the front row, dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief. The scribe, who had been a grandfather figure to her in her often-absent father’s stead, now lay lifeless in the coffin. He had been ill and had finally succumbed.

I took Anya’s hand.

“Brother…”

Anya immediately buried her face in my chest. Her unending tears soaked my shirt.

“It’s alright. He’s surely gone to a better place.”

I comforted Anya, stroking her back. Janbolt, sitting across from us, observed us with an incredulous look.

Understandably, the sight of us siblings displaying such affection after his long absence must have seemed odd. And then there was Sophia’s empty seat, she should have been there in my father’s stead.

However, it wasn’t the time or place to question these things. Janbolt was, after all, the chief mourner.

Dominico, standing at the altar, continued the funeral mass.

“Death is not the end of life, but the beginning of eternal life. Therefore, do not grieve. Daylebolt, who has joined the Lord today, will now enjoy eternal happiness with the saints and praise the Lord. Let us pray for him with one heart.”

Janbolt spoke up as the funeral procession exited the church and made its way to the village cemetery.

“What happened?”

Janbolt gestured toward Anya, who trailed behind. The two of us were leading the procession at the front.

“He grew up. We can’t keep fighting like this forever.”

“Fight? Don’t mince words. Anya did nothing wrong. She was merely on the receiving end of your abuse. Honestly, Anya’s an angel! The fact that she forgave a scoundrel like you proves it.”

“Anya is indeed angelic.”

Despite having been intimate countless times, Anya still blushed and averted her gaze whenever we were together. Yet, the way she yearned for my love and writhed beneath me was truly angelic.

A lustful angel, that is.

Once again, Janbolt wore a disbelieving expression.

“Are you really Allen?”

“I don’t appreciate that look.”

“Ha, fine. Setting that aside, what happened to Lady Sophia?”

The faint echo of Sophia’s screams from last night resurfaced in my mind. The metallic tang of blood seemed to brush against my nostrils.

Oddly, I felt indifferent, even though she was a woman I had once considered mine. Was it because I knew she could never truly belong to me? Or was it because the child she carried wasn’t mine?

These questions were no longer worth pondering.

“She’s dead.”

Janbolt stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly resumed walking as the eyes of the funeral procession turned toward him, but the shock remained etched on his face.

“What…? You, don’t tell me…”

“She was the one who conspired against my family on the Baron’s orders.”

“You’re mad…! Are you seriously planning to fight the Baron? A mere knight’s son?”

“The Baron initiated this.”

“Ha, if I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have told you.”

Janbolt’s face was etched with regret. He believed my choice stemmed from ignorance and arrogance. To him, I was nothing more than a scoundrel, so his reaction was understandable.

“Don’t worry, I won’t ask for your help.”

“I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to. Lord Joang will be monitoring my every move when I return. Honestly, I wouldn’t even have been able to return if it weren’t for my father’s passing. It was too much of a risk.”

“Lord Joang? Is he a knight?”

The name sounded familiar. If I knew it, it meant he was a key character in the story.

“He’s the Baron’s strategist, the chief scribe. He’s also my direct superior. The knighthood is just an honorary title.”

“A strategist, you say. Then he must also be aware of the Baron’s schemes? No, perhaps he was the one who devised them.”

The Baron was miserly and lacked the support of his people. He wasn’t a lord worthy of loyalty. Yet, he had managed to govern his territory effectively, which wouldn’t have been possible without assistance.

I suspected that assistance came from Joang, the Baron’s strategist. The question was why such a capable individual would serve the Baron.

The answer was simple.

“Lord Joang? He’s the Baron’s in-law. He married his daughter to the Baron’s second son.”

“Not the heir?”

“Even the marriage to the second son was only possible thanks to Lord Joang. The Baron never engages in unprofitable ventures.”

Despite being twenty-five, the Baron’s heir was still unmarried. This was because the Baron insisted on a bride from at least an Earl’s family.

He, himself, had married into an Earl’s family. His greedy nature wouldn’t have allowed him to settle for anything less.

Our conversation ceased as the procession arrived at the gravesite. The coffin was lowered into the prepared grave, and earth was piled atop it. Dominico, standing at the head of the grave, began the final prayer for the departed.

“Joang Conrad.”

I let the prayer wash over me as I continued to ponder. Janbolt believed that Joang served the Baron because they were related by marriage, but my increasingly vivid memories told a different story.

Joang Conrad had another motive.

“Sigh, just forget all this and focus on escaping with Anya. The Baron’s men will be here soon.”

Janbolt returned to my side. He had put himself at risk by returning to help Anya and me escape.

I watched the mourners pay their final respects and said,

“No, the Baron must face the consequences.”

“Think about Anya.”

“Anya will be safe. I have a plan.”

“The scoundrel and the princess? What a bizarre pairing.”

Janbolt looked at me with newfound respect when he heard I planned to entrust Anya to the Lord of Quaran. He finally realized I wasn’t simply acting on impulse.

He continued,

“So, you have a plan?”

“First, I need to sway the Baron.”

“How can you do that after killing Sophia, the Baron’s informant?”

“Greed. By appealing to the Baron’s greed, everything will change.”

Janbolt frowned.

“Surely you’re not talking about offering a bribe? Don’t even consider it. The meager resources of this small manor won’t be enough to sway the Baron. It’ll only enrage him further for the perceived slight.”

“The bait I’m offering is far more enticing than a mere bribe.”

The greedy Baron wouldn’t be able to resist the bait I presented. His greed wouldn’t allow it.

“Hmph, I can’t fathom what you’re thinking. Regardless, I believe I’ve fulfilled my duty.”

Janbolt didn’t push for further details. He had revealed the Baron’s plot out of friendship, but he wasn’t willing to join the fight.

I nodded.

“Thank you.”

Janbolt grimaced and shifted the conversation, his gaze falling on Anya, who was bidding farewell to the deceased.

“When are you going to tell Anya?”

Honestly, telling Anya about her father’s death and our impending separation was more daunting than confronting the Baron.

If only I had more time, I could have eased her into the news.

“I have to. Soon.”

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As soon as the funeral ended, Janbolt returned to the Baron’s capital. He warned me that the Baron would send someone within a few days.

I began methodically preparing for my encounter with the Baron. First, I appointed Marie as the head maid, placing her in charge of the mansion’s day-to-day operations. She would also assume some of my responsibilities while I was away.

This was an unprecedented social climb for a peasant-born mistress. One might expect her to feel the weight of such responsibility, but her eyes shone with ambition as she asked,

“Will you reward me if I perform well?”

Marie smiled coquettishly, her gaze dropping to my groin.

Compared to Anya and Sophia, she wasn’t as beautiful, but her decadent allure was a unique asset. Like a spider woman, perhaps? She was a woman who knew how to entice men.

“You’re shrewd, so I expect you’ll do well. I look forward to it.”

Click.

The door opened without warning. It was Anya. Noticing the charged atmosphere in the room, she frowned as she looked back and forth between Marie and me.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Marie bowed her head before turning to leave. She offered Anya a curtsy as she left, her hips swaying slightly.

Anya scoffed and strode towards me.

“You’re dallying with another woman while I’m here?”

“Isn’t it because of your shortcomings?”

“Even so…!”

I pulled Anya onto my lap. She was heavier than I anticipated. She continued to mature, becoming more and more like the breathtaking beauty from my memories.

Anya fidgeted on my lap and asked,

“What happened to Mother? I haven’t seen her.”

“Sophia is dead.”

“What…?”

Anya tilted her head back to look up at me. Her wide eyes resembled a deer’s. I stole a kiss, and her tongue instinctively darted out. I pulled away before our lips met and whispered,

“She chose the Baron over me.”

“Th-Then, did you…?”

Had our time entangled in the same bed created some affection? Anya’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. Given her past mistreatment, I expected her to be glad, but Anya, as always, was kind.

“No, I didn’t harm her. Sophia left the manor in the middle of the night unprepared and fell prey to the wild beasts.”

It was as good as me killing Sophia, but Anya didn’t need to know that.

“R-Really…?”

Anya breathed a sigh of relief.

We sat like that for a while, enjoying the warm sunlight streaming through the window. I wrestled with how to tell her about her father’s death and our impending separation, while Anya gazed out the window, lost in thought.

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As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and gold, Anya squeezed my hand and spoke.

“Did something happen to Father…?”

I felt my breath catch in my throat. Had Anya overheard our conversation? But her reaction seemed too mild for that.

“What makes you think so?”

“Because… you and Janbolt were talking so seriously.”

Anya turned in my lap to face me. Her eyes flickered nervously, as if she already knew what I was about to say.

A woman’s intuition, perhaps? I had been struggling with how to break the news, but now, I felt it was a blessing in disguise. I gently embraced Anya and said,

“Yes. Your father is dead.”

Anya froze. Tears welled up in her deer-like eyes. A beat later, she cried out,

“You’re lying!”

I silently held Anya close. My shirt quickly dampened with her tears. She wept uncontrollably.

All I could do was comfort her, gently stroking her back. Finally, as darkness settled outside, Anya’s crying subsided, and she looked up at me.

Her eyes trembled with fear.

“You won’t leave me, will you, Brother?”

I didn’t answer. Tears welled up in Anya’s eyes again. She struggled to break free from my embrace.

“Anya.”

I tightened my hold, preventing her from escaping.

“Let go!”

Anya struggled even harder, pushing against my chest and scratching at my face with her nails.

Undeterred, I held her face and kissed her. A sharp pain shot through my tongue as I pushed it between her lips. The metallic tang of blood followed. Anya had bitten me.

“Brother…!”

Startled, Anya stopped struggling and looked at me with wide eyes.

“Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

“S-Sorry… I just…”

Thankfully, the wound on my tongue was minor. I stroked Anya’s back, trying to soothe her.

“I believe I told you before. Every single strand of your hair belongs to me. I’ll never let you go. This time, I’m merely sending you away for your safety. We won’t be apart for long, and we’ll have opportunities to see each other.”

“Sending me away? Because of the Baron…?”

I nodded.

“Yes. I can withstand any threats against me. But if you were in danger, I couldn’t bear it.”

It was partially true, partially an excuse. Anya’s journey to Quaran was for her education and to gain the favor of the Blood Princess.

However, Anya would never agree to leave my side if I only told her that. Especially now, when we were the only family left for each other.

“I-I can help too.”

“Actually, I do have a favor to ask. Something only you can do. Become close to the Lord of Quaran. Make him our ally. An ally strong enough that we can rely on him in times of need.”

At that time, I didn’t foresee how this excuse to persuade Anya would unfold. I should have considered how ruthlessly an innocent child can act.

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Just pack all your things and go! Guess what would happen next guys?😏