Turning Chapter 932

The Diarca Duke’s mansion in the capital had been chillingly silent for some time.

Everyone stayed quiet, pretending not to know, but the reason was clear. It was ever since Emperor Keillusa had publicly condemned the Crown Prince for leaving the palace without permission. After that, the atmosphere at the Duke’s mansion became so frightening that even the butlers who had served him for years couldn't breathe loudly.

And today, the person most deeply tied to that event, Kiole, finally returned to the mansion. The tension, already razor-sharp, now reached its peak. As soon as he came back from the South, Kiole was immediately summoned without a moment’s rest. Everyone watched with bated breath to see what punishment the Duke would deal out.

Kiole had recently started acting much smarter, which had put many people on edge. But this incident had grown far too large. No matter how much the Duke doted on his youngest son, everyone believed he would not be able to overlook this.

However, the scene inside the room where Kiole faced the Duke was slightly different from what everyone outside had imagined.

"Father. I have no intention of denying my wrongdoing. It’s only right that you’re angry, since I failed to properly serve His Highness the Crown Prince. Even if you decide to punish me... I believe I have no choice but to accept it. But before that, could you please hear me out?"

Kiole showed no sign of intimidation in front of his cold-faced father. It wasn’t that he had lost all fear. Even as cold sweat beaded on him, he desperately tried to convey something he absolutely needed to say. The attendants standing behind him were deeply shocked.

'No way. We've ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) heard that the young master had changed, but... is that really the Kiole we knew?'

The Kiole they knew would never have volunteered to accept punishment. In the past, whenever the Duke scolded him, he would stick out his lips and boldly protest, claiming, 'I had a reason,' or, 'It was all for the honor of House Diarca.'

Yet now Kiole, even factoring in the punishment, was insisting he had something to say. Even the Duke, who had been cold until now, seemed curious and asked.

"Even after causing such a mess, you still have something to say?"

"You remember that I wrote in my letter that His Highness had started behaving strangely even before attempting to leave the palace, and that it was clearly connected to that con artist who recently died, right?"

"So, you’re saying you did nothing wrong?"

"No. Since that con artist is dead, His Highness should have returned to his normal self. But I am telling you that he still hasn’t."

"......"

The Duke’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Kiole clenched his fist tightly on his lap and pressed on.

"At first, I thought maybe the villain’s cursed abilities hadn’t fully disappeared. But the more I observed His Highness... the less I believed that."

"......"

Kiole bit his lip hard, then closed his eyes tightly as he continued.

"Father. His Highness... does not trust us. He is wary of House Diarca. He... he doesn't even want me by his side. He tried to fabricate weaknesses of mine, to use them against me, and every action he takes is—it's all... just too strange!"

Kiole couldn’t bring himself to say exactly what he meant by 'strange.' But the Duke seemed to have some idea already and did not ask further.

"Someone who’s knowledgeable in this area—no, not some old man!—a reputable person said that His Highness’s nature probably didn't change because of the con artist's influence."

"......"

"I didn’t want to believe it... but through what happened in the South, I realized that maybe... His Highness’s true character was very different from what we thought. So for the sake of Diarca’s fu-future, we can't just brush this off, assuming he’s merely sick or confused—"

"You’re saying we need more definite confirmation."

"...Yes."

The Duke of Diarca stayed silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke.

"Open your eyes, Kiole. I taught you that a member of House Diarca must always hold their head high during conversation, no matter the situation."

Hearing the softened tone, Kiole snapped his eyes open. Honestly, he had lost count of the times recently when he had failed to be dignified in front of others—especially before the common-born Yuder—but that didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered was that his father’s voice didn’t carry anger.

"I already heard how hard you worked to safely escort His Highness back on the day of the disaster in the South. I also heard there were injuries—not from monsters, but from something like a beating."

"...Wha? I-I didn’t even write that in my letter. How—?"

Kiole’s eyes shook violently.

"Kiole. Even a fool knows to have eyes and ears. Did you think I wouldn’t place someone to watch over you?"

No... if there really were such eyes, wouldn’t it have been better to help him when he was in trouble? Were those eyes and ears really just watching? Kiole felt a sudden wave of injustice but kept his mouth shut at the next words.

"You used your head well enough to even evade those eyes and ears, hiding His Highness and causing Duke Hern to forcibly drag you away, creating unexpected complications. If my watcher had done their job properly, today’s mess wouldn’t have happened. This entire situation... was unfortunate timing in every way."

"......"

"I remember how you once stood alone, fiercely guarding me against the world, after the incident at the lake involving the awakened ones. That was born of your loyalty."

"F-Father..."

"Frankly, I thought something was wrong with you back then. But if not for that, I would never have believed you sincerely tried to protect both His Highness and our family. Although the result wasn’t ideal, you might be right. This incident may have uncovered a rot within, and in that sense, it’s not a bad outcome."

In other words, because of all the mad things Kiole had done to protect House Diarca, the Duke was willing to overlook his mistakes this time.

And more than that—he even hinted, just as Kiole hoped, that they would no longer leave the Crown Prince unchecked. The attendants behind the Duke exchanged glances, sensing the shift, while the Duke smiled at his youngest son.

"I thought you were still just a child, but it seems you’ve grown enough to outsmart the spies I placed. Well done."

"...No, Father."

Kiole’s success in slipping past those planted spies was sheer luck. After all, who could have guessed that the servant placed at Kiole’s side was actually the disguised Crown Prince himself? And at that time, the South was in constant chaos due to the Cavalry’s operations. In such a stormy situation, trying to keep an eye on Kiole after he was suddenly dragged off by Duke Hern was practically impossible.

Still, having seen firsthand how hard Kiole had fought to save him, the Duke of Diarca felt a rare swell of joy at the pure loyalty of his son—so unlike his other children, so direct and simple.

How could he not find adorable the once-stupid son who now had grown enough to try protecting his father? Moreover, Kiole’s face was like a perfect reflection of the Duke's own youthful features.

"What you’ve said aligns with my own suspicions. No matter how young and immature His Highness may be, there are lines that must not be crossed."

Even before the assassination attempt that caused his strange behavior, the Crown Prince had been secretly replacing the Diarca-affiliated attendants with ones from outside. Even after being caught and punished by Diarca, he continued to attack or secretly eliminate those assigned to him.

And now, after trying to manipulate even Kiole in the South, the Duke could no longer remain passive.

'It seems he has forgotten the mirror I sent to remind him of who he truly is. I had thought he was smart enough to understand what mattered, but... so be it.'

As the Duke thought coldly to himself, Kiole, flushed with courage, decided to bring up his second reason for coming here.

'With this atmosphere... I should be able to bring it up.'

"Father. Thank you. Then... may I bring up one more matter?"

"What is it?"

"It’s not related to His Highness. Regarding what happened in the South, I was wondering... if House Diarca might consider sending official aid."

At that moment, the Duke’s previously gentle expression hardened instantly.