Chapter 2: The Changed Past

Unlike my room, which was tucked away in a corner, the head of the Kindred household’s office was located in the very heart of the Kindred estate.

I really didn’t want to go, but I forced my leaden, reluctant feet to move towards the Count’s office.

The feeling of being dragged to the office, knowing full well that I was going to get scolded… it must be how a condemned man feels on his way to the executioner.

And there was one more reason why I didn’t want to leave my room.

“Oh? It’s the first young master.”
“Ah, didn’t he break off his engagement with Lady Listonia? Is he going to get scolded by the Count?”
“Hey, hey, how could you speak so loudly like that?”
“So what? He’s just an ugly duckling that no one cares about.”

Those voices of the servants, always picking on me.

Being almost isolated within the Kindred estate, I was a perfect target for those who loved to slander.

When I briefly stopped walking and turned around, I heard more voices.

“Is he looking this way? Isn’t he going to cause a fuss like last time?”
“Then you should just tell the Count directly. That’s how you solved it last time.”
“That’s true.”

There was a time when I couldn’t hold back, but even though those servants were clearly the ones who started the attacks, it was me who got scolded by my mother.

No matter how much I said that I didn’t start it, my words were never believed because of my usual image, and everything always started with the assumption that I was in the wrong.

That doesn’t mean I became a delinquent because of these things… I’m not trying to defend my past self.

It was true that I hung out with unruly young masters and did all sorts of mischievous things.

I don’t even want to be forgiven. There are definitely people who hate my past actions and are disgusted by them.

It’s just… I just wished there was someone who would understand that these things happened.

“Huu…”

I sighed as I arrived in front of the head of the household’s office.

I knew I would be scolded if I went in.

It wasn’t hard to predict why the Count had called me.

Probably because a notice of broken engagement had arrived from the Listonia family.

For the Kindred family, marrying into the Listonia family, the best family in the empire, would have been a huge advantage in terms of the nobles’ standing and business, but that advantage had been shattered because of me, so it was natural that he would be angry.

Because the situation where they could have gained various benefits by relying on the Listonia family was shattered in an instant.

Even I thought it was a huge loss for the family, so it was natural that I would get scolded, but…

“I don’t want to go in…”

Of course, that didn’t mean I wanted to be scolded.

Who in the world likes being scolded? Even if you know you’ve done something wrong, you don’t want to admit it, and you don’t want to be criticized for it, that’s the general human feeling.

• Knock knock

“Come in.”

But I couldn’t not go in, so I opened the door to the office, which seemed to be not opening today, with difficulty.

The office was not particularly decorated with extravagant decorations, but it was furnished with furniture that had a dignified and luxurious feel.

It had been a very long time since I had been in this room.

It’s been almost three years by my standards.
The reason I came here last time was also because of the broken engagement notice from the Listonia family, just like now.

The Count was furious and said, “You are not my son!”

I don’t think the Count’s words were harsh. As I said before, marrying into the Listonia family was a huge advantage for the family.

Since then, I have hardly seen the Count, or my mother, the Countess, or my sister, Liana.

I was just slowly dying in my room in the most secluded corner.

Of course, they wouldn’t come looking for me, so naturally, I didn’t have a chance to meet them.

It was the Kindred Count, the one who had summoned me here, who snapped me out of the old days.

“So. Do you know why I called you?”
“……I roughly know. Didn’t you call me because of the broken engagement notice from the Listonia family?”

The Count made a strange expression when he heard my answer.

A feeling of seeing something missed, and… sadness?

Sad? Was it possible for the Iron-blooded Count to be sad?

‘……I must have seen it wrong.’

I decided to overlook it, thinking that I saw it wrong. There’s no way the Count, who cares about the Kindred family more than his children, would show a sad expression.

“I didn’t call you for that. No notice of broken engagement came from the Listonia family.”
“Yes?”

For a moment, I thought I had heard wrong.

No notice of broken engagement from the Listonia family?

That couldn’t be… there’s no way.

“Really… is that true?”
“Yes, nothing came.”

‘The past… has changed?’

The events of my previous life had changed.

In my previous life, the Count, upon seeing the notice of broken engagement, flew into a rage and declared that he didn’t want to see my face, and after hearing those words, I didn’t go outside much and just withered away in my room.

This time, no notice of broken engagement came at all?

‘There’s no way the Listonia Duke and Duchess would do that.’

It was unbelievable, not to mention astonishing, that the Duke and Duchess, who were known for doting on their only daughter, didn’t send a notice of broken engagement even after hearing my rumors.

Since the broken engagement in my previous life was also initiated by the Listonia Duke, it was perhaps natural for me to have such doubts.

‘……Then why did the Count call me?’

There was one more question.

Why did the Kindred Count call me?

In the past, he called me to rebuke me, to blame me, but why did he call me this time when my engagement with the Listonia family was still going on?

‘Did he just call me to rebuke me about the rumors?’

This was the most ideal answer I could think of.

“……How is your body these days?”

But unlike what I thought, the Count said something quite unexpected.

A sudden expression of concern for my physical condition. It was something that had never happened in the past.

“I don’t know why you’re asking this suddenly, but I’m fine.”

So, I didn’t tell the truth about my physical condition, suspecting this conversation, which didn’t exist in the past.

My physical condition was going to slowly deteriorate as in my previous life due to Adele’s chronic illness, but I didn’t have to say that.

It wouldn’t be believed anyway, and it wouldn’t make any difference if I told the truth.

“……I see. Are you alright?”
“Yes, Count.”
“What do you think about moving your room back here?”
“My room… you mean?”
“Yes. Thinking about it, moving your room because of that one rumor was too much.”

It was a very kind gesture, but I could only feel suspicion about this unprovoked kindness.

There was no reason for him to suddenly be kind to me.

Now, I am a delinquent who runs around with hooligans and prostitutes in public, and within the family, I am treated the same way because I don’t filter those rumors.

Bringing my room back to what it used to be like?

“I don’t mind… but would that be alright?”
“What do you mean, would it be alright?”
“Wouldn’t the public’s eyes not be so favourable?”
“……That doesn’t matter. The important thing is… No, anyway, I’ll take it that you accept.”
“……Yes.”

The Count, who seemed to be about to say something, didn’t continue.

He showed a sad expression, which didn’t suit the Count at all.

“And, your academy admission schedule has been set.”
“Academy… you mean?”
“Yes, you will be leaving for the academy soon, so prepare.”
“Understood.”

I left the office, not noticing the expression the Count made when I was leaving, preoccupied with another event that was different from the past – the academy admission schedule.

After Lian left, the Count’s office was silent and no sound could be heard.

Only the Kindred Count was left in the silence of the office, and he sighed.

“Haa…”

In the end, he couldn’t say it.

About that ‘dream.’

Yesterday, as usual, a peaceful day.

That day, too, he finished his work and went to bed as usual, but the dream that day was different from usual.

Unlike the dreams he usually had, the point of view of the dream was not him, but his son, Lian.

The dream showed various events unfolding from Lian’s perspective.

• ······Father, I’ve done it all.

• Is that all there is? Your fiancée, Lady Listonia, handles this much more perfectly, and you, the firstborn son of the Kindred family, can’t do this much!

• ······I’m sorry.

Lian did his best and worked hard, but he was compared to Adele, Lian’s fiancée.

In fact, these things weren’t just once or twice.

Due to the events unfolding from Lian’s perspective, the Count could clearly feel the despair in Lian’s heart, which was slowly dying.

“Please… stop.”

It was so painful, but the dream showed him the scenes, as if he was being punished, with no thought of releasing him.

And.
Today, the current date, was approaching.

It was almost torture to watch Lian, whose eyes were dying, while being scolded in the dream.

Even though it wasn’t his fault, even though he was trying to change.

In that situation, where no one believed that, his son could do nothing but just watch as he declared that he was disgusted by him and that he wasn’t his son.

“No… stop…”

He tried shouting in the dream to stop it, and he prayed desperately, but there was no way the dream would hear his words, and in the end, he was forced to drive Lian away.

After that… the content was simpler than expected.

His abandoned son died miserably in his room in the corner of the Kindred estate for three years, and he just watched the scene, as if watching a play.

The hellish dream ended with his son’s miserable death.

“Huk… huk.”

He finally woke up from the dream, gasping roughly, and only then could he feel relieved.

“A… a dream?”

But that relief didn’t last long.

Because his wife, the Countess of Kindred, woke up soon after, too.

Without asking, he knew. His wife had the same dream.

Because their reactions after waking up from the dream were exactly the same.

“My dear, maybe…”
“You, too…?”

The couple greeted the very early morning and talked about the dream, about Lian, for a long time.

And they realized.
They didn’t know much about their son.

They hadn’t even seen their son for a long time.

The reason for calling Stella, his son’s maid, to bring Lian as soon as the sun rose was because of this.

• ······Young master?

His son’s maid tilted her head, as if it was awkward that he was looking for Lian.

Was it possible that he hadn’t shown any interest in his son to the point where his son’s maid would act like that?

Time passed, and Lian arrived at the office.

The face of his son, whom he saw after a long time, was not much different from the corpse of Lian in the dream.

It wasn’t that the skin was pale like a corpse, but he had a sickly body, and his eyes were lifeless, unlike the past, when they had shined brightly.

At least the focus in his eyes returned for a moment when he spoke to him, but they quickly returned to lifeless eyes.

If he had treated Lian like that in the dream, his son’s heart would have completely died, just like in the dream.

That was too scary, so he treated him as kindly as possible.

And he realized.

The fact that he had hardly ever been kind to his son.

Blaming himself for acting like that towards Lian.

Condemning himself for not understanding his son’s sincerity to change, believing only in the usual perceptions.

Begging that his son’s eyes, which used to shine, would come back.

“I’m… sorry…”

The Count, who seemed to be the most iron-blooded, wept.

In a room with no one, looking for the remains of the past that had already disappeared.