Outaishihi ni Nante Naritakunai!! Chapter 379

Leaving Cain to secure the perimeter, we entered the mansion.
Will and Glenn led the way, and we followed them in silence.

"… Esteemed Father."

As Abel had said, Duke Pellegrini was lying tied up on the ground inside the basement cellar. He was limp, probably having fainted.
Glenn rushed over to his father and shook his body. Duke Pellegrini was wearing night clothes, so he might have been attacked in his sleep. In response to Glenn's voice, Duke Pellegrini groaned.

"… Guu…."
"Ah! I'm sorry. I'll remove the gag right now."

Realizing that his father couldn't speak, Glenn hurriedly removed the gag and carefully untied him.

"Esteemed Father, are you all right?"

Feebly leaning against the wall, Duke Pellegrini nodded his head. It might be strange to call it fortunate, but he didn't seem to have significant injuries.

"… It's nothing serious. More importantly, what about that man? A high official of Sahaja is coming today. I'd be troubled if it went wrong."

Duke Pellegrini looked around with a frown. Seeing Freed and me, he bowed his head in a fluster.

"I apologize. I showed you two an unseemly sight…"
"No, you can relax."

Freed stopped Duke Pellegrini from pushing himself to get up. I also nodded to show my agreement.
While tending to his father, Glenn explained the situation.

"The high official of Sahaja left while Esteemed Father was locked up here. He went back to his country."
"What was that?"

Duke Pellegrini raised his face in surprise and stared at his son. Glenn nodded his head to affirm and asked his father.

"Esteemed Father. Since when have you been here?"

Duke Pellegrini shortly answered, "Last night," to Glenn's question. It seems he was attacked by Abel just before heading to the bedroom to sleep.
Although concerned about his father's state, Glenn explained what had happened until now.
After hearing everything, the Duke had an angry face.

"Me selling out Her Highness out of hatred for Duke Vivoir?"

The expression on his face answered everything. Duke Pellegrini looked at Freed and me then asked.

"Do you doubt me?"
"Absolutely not."
"I also think so."

I answered after Freed. Although Duke Pellegrini nodded to Freed's answer, his eyes widened just a little at what I said.

"… I hate Duke Vivoir. Your Highness could believe in me despite knowing that?"
"Yeah. After all, this and that are different matters. Besides, I talked with you a while ago, right? You celebrated my marriage with Freed from the bottom of your heart, so I couldn't imagine that you would sell me out."

When I answered that, Duke Pellegrini's expression slackened.

"You understand me. It's a big difference from my sons."
"… Esteemed Father, what do you mean by that?"

Will, who had been silent until then, spoke up. Duke Pellegrini turned a cold gaze to his son and uttered, "It's as I said."

"I dislike Lucas von Vivoir, not Her Highness. It's a common misunderstanding that I hate everything related to that man just because I hate him. Will, you thought that too, right?"
"Eh… But, then…"

Will looked like he was caught off guard. Glenn gave him a helping hand.

"… Esteemed Father, this is speaking purely hypothetically. Um, listen. What if there were marriage talks between our house and the Vivoir ducal house… Would Esteemed Father accept? No, right? I think it contradicts Esteemed Father's words that everybody but him is unrelated."

Duke Pellegrini looked at Glenn with ridicule.

"Glenn, you don't understand either, huh… Well, fine. I'll explain it so you understand. It's a hypothetical, after all."

Duke Pellegrini paused and for some reason looked at me. When I tilted my head, Freed tightly hugged me as if to say he won't hand me over to anyone.

"?"
"Lidi, you don't need to worry."
"… Eh? Ah, yup."

Although I couldn't comprehend what he said with a strange vigor, I nodded.
Marriage talks between me and the Pellegrini ducal house… I guess the partner would be Will… Yup, I think it would be strange. After all, Will is another older brother of mine, nothing less, nothing more. I've never thought about it, so even if they say it's a 'hypothetical', it's perplexing.
Seeing Freed hug me, Duke Pellegrini laughed quietly and told Freed.

"This is purely a 'hypothetical', so please don't take offense in it, Your Highness. I'm well aware that Your Highnesses' relationship is good."

He then fixed his eyes on his sons and clearly said.

"I'd be okay with it if it was only his daughter. Only the daughter. But, accepting that man's daughter would mean becoming relatives with him, right? Marriage connects houses. That fact is invariant. I couldn't stand that no matter what. Lucas being my relative? Impossible. No matter what, no. I firmly refuse."

"… So much?"

As his father strongly insisted, Glenn asked so, looking confused. Duke Pellegrini raised his eyebrows and made a truly displeased face.

"Naturally! There's no way I could be that damn man's relative! I don't care about them being the preeminent ducal house, and no matter how good the conditions were, I would never agree!"

Even though it was a hypothetical, his refusal was awfully fervent.
That's how much Duke Pellegrini must hate Father. No, Father is similar.
I recalled what Father told us about his decades-long feud with Duke Pellegrini.
It's a very silly story from the point of view of others. But, for the people involved, it's a very important story that involves their pride.

Since he was young, Father has been the so-called 'prodigy'.
He was the excellent next Duke who obtained superior results at everything he did. It was said that Duke Pellegrini was on a par with such a Father.
Unlike Father, who was called a prodigy, Duke Pellegrini was a hard worker, the so-called 'bright type'.
He worked hard and obtained results. But, his results always fell short of Father's.
Father, whom Duke Pellegrini couldn't surpass despite working harder than anyone, was a thorn in his side.
Duke Pellegrini detested Father.
Still, he desperately worked hard without getting discouraged to one day overtake Father, but even that ended when Father took post of the Prime Minister.
Duke Pellegrini wanted to become the Prime Minister. But even that was taken away from his by the 'prodigy'.
Faced with the reality that he couldn't obtain it despite his efforts, his spirit finally broke.
Duke Pellegrini hit Father with his built-up resentment and anger with no outlet.

"For a man who puts no effort and only relies on his talent to become the Prime Minister…"

Those words set Father off.
Father was certainly a prodigy, but that didn't mean he didn't work hard. But, there were few people who admitted that.
Father was hurt that everything was chalked up to the word talent.
He worked hard to become the Prime Minister. When the man whom he recognized as the rival for that position chalked it up to talent, Father snapped.

"I'm not concerned with words of a man who can't obtain results despite his hard work. Talk about being a sore loser."

He splendidly turned around the words meant to wound him and wounded Duke Pellegrini.
It's obvious what Duke Pellegrini felt when the man who surpassed him pointed out of all things the thing he didn't want touched upon the most.
Since then, they have been like cat and dog. Duke Pellegrini seems to especially detest Father, but when I heard it together with Brother, I thought, "Yeah, it's hopeless."
Each of them poked the other's most sensitive place. Moreover, it happened in their early twenties. It's no wonder that the still hot-blooded Father and Duke Pellegrini couldn't forgive each other… It's no wonder, but I feel complicated that it still drags on after a few decades. However, it might just be that kind of thing.
From outside it may seem childish, but for the people involved it's an unforgivable problem. Those not involved have no right to butt in.

As my expression turned complicated from recalling the feud between them which I'd heard about from Father, Brother, who was probably thinking the same thing, silently shook his head.
He was probably thinking it was better to leave it alone.

―― Yup, isn't it?

It's a problem that even Mother doesn't touch on. The correct answer is to leave it alone.
At any rate, Duke Pellegrini hates Father because of that, but that doesn't mean his hate extends to the family.
Father is father. Daughter is daughter, his behavior makes it clear that he thinks that.
As proof, he hasn't interfered with his sons, Will and Glenn, being close friends with my brother.
But, Duke Pellegrini's thinking is hard to understand for an average person, so while it's clear as day for the person himself, the surroundings easily misunderstand him.
Bearing in mind the reality that Duke Pellegrini seems to hate everything related to the Vivoir ducal house, I can understand how he's misunderstood. And, Duke Pellegrini doesn't do anything to resolve the misunderstanding either.
Because he's the type who leaves alone people who misunderstand him, additional misconceptions about him spread.
His close aide who was used this time and even his sons couldn't understand Duke Pellegrini, so I think he's quite hard to understand.
Who really understood him was the King and Freed who he swears loyalty to. And ironically, Father who's like cat and dog with him.
As for me, it's as I said before. Having witnessed his actual attitude towards me, I felt he was a type who doesn't confuse public and private affairs and is strict on both himself and others. I thought that his loyalty towards the Royal Family was real. It was unthinkable that he would betray Wilhelm, even though his ability was recognized by Father, despite them being on bad terms. I was convinced of that. I now feel like my intuition was proved correct.

"What's… that…"

Hearing Duke Pellegrini's explanation, Will sat down on the spot. Glenn gingerly addressed him.

"Elder Brother…"

Will feebly shook his head.

"… It's so absurd that I just lost strength. Don't worry about…. Aah, but I see, yeah. Esteemed Father didn't prevent me from interacting with Lidi and Alex. So it was… like that."
"I didn't understand Esteemed Father either. Be that as it may, being told that doesn't change anything."
"You're right. Even if I'd understood him, the end would be the same. In the end, I―― No, it's over, so there's no point talking about it. I've already decided on what to do anyway."

I couldn't understand what Will was talking about at all, but he nodded like he was convinced. Then he placed his hands on his knees and stood up.

"Esteemed Father. I am happy that your loyalty is real. I'm glad that this situation simply taught me not to underestimate you. When your fake agreed to become a traitor, I killed my father inside of me. I think Glenn did the same. We don't need a father who would betray Wilhelm."

Despite the extreme words, Duke Pellegrini's expression was unshaken. He nodded like it was only natural.

"As if I would sully the history of the Pellegrini ducal house that has lasted for generations. But, Will, Glenn. I'm proud that you could immediately choose to cut me down. The country is the most important. It's our duty as nobles to cut down with our own hands relatives who would betray the country that they swore loyalty to. I didn't raise you to blindly follow your father."
"…"

While listening to Pellegrinis' conversation, I thought that Father would say the same thing.
Because, the nobility is like that. And the royalty who's given such loyalty must continue living up to the expectations. We can't just relax on the throne.
This time, Freed and the King immediately declared that they trusted Duke Pellegrini surely because they understood those feelings.
I looked up at Freed, who was still hugging me.
When he noticed my gaze, he uttered, "Hm?' and looked at me with gentle eyes.

"What is it?"
"…"

He's the person who from his birth has been set to be the next King.
I'm sure he carries more on his shoulders than I can imagine. I don't think I can understand everything he carries on his shoulders, but.

"… Freed, let me heal you."

I can at least be by his side and hold him in my arms when he's tired.
As his wife, that much is acceptable. No, rather, as his wife it's something only I can do.
That's why I said that. Freed looked like he didn't understand what he was told, but the next moment, he showed a delighted smile.

Chapter end