READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Leon, The Beginning of Hardship
“Why did it come to this…”
After today’s events, the world seemed to have clearly changed for me.
My father and mother’s death sentences were confirmed by Giorg, and my own future was also decided. Although my marriage to Fiona was approved, it was the polar opposite of happiness, as it would only be announced after my parents’ execution.
As the son of death row prisoners, I would undoubtedly not be accepted in noble society.
I could no longer live as a noble.
I was on the verge of being crushed by despair.
But it wasn’t because my future had become bleak. It was because I had discovered the true nature of my brother Giorg, whom I had always looked down upon and mocked.
I met Giorg, the son of my father Gazel’s former wife Elphil, five years ago. I remember that Giorg’s expression was dark, but there was anger in his eyes, as he had just lost his mother.
At that time, I thought he was just blaming my father for remarrying so soon after his mother’s death.
But today, I realized that wasn’t the case.
Giorg had harbored murderous intent towards us, who had killed his mother. Foolishly, I hadn’t noticed and had only thought of him as a pitiful guy abandoned by our father.
Even the servants who originally served the House of Zarfing prioritized us over Giorg and looked down on him. But today, Giorg revealed that this was all under his instructions.
It was unbelievable. At just eleven years old, he had manipulated us into letting our guard down and gathering evidence against us. It was insane.
Our family had fallen right into his trap. While a monster sharpened its fangs right beside us, we had been lazily sleeping.
The servants my mother brought from the Edior Viscount House were no different. They had mistakenly thought they held superiority over the original servants of the House of Zarfing, flaunting their authority and openly looking down on them.
“Leon, get up already.”
Roy threw his words at me without hiding his contempt.
“You… No, I understand.”
I almost lashed out in anger, but when I saw Roy’s eyes, I couldn’t say anything. His gaze, just like Giorg’s, pierced through me as if I were trash.
My neck, which Giorg had struck earlier, throbbed with pain. Although the sound had been terrifying, the pain wasn’t too bad, but I had thought my head had been chopped off.
“Did it take you five years to finally understand your position?”
Roy glanced at the still-dazed Count Selens and his family but said nothing. My eyes briefly met Fiona’s, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
As I was urged by Roy to leave the reception room, I noticed two types of piercing gazes. One was anxiety—from my mother’s maids who had mocked the Zarfing servants. The other was contempt—from the original servants of the House of Zarfing.
“Lord Leon, what will become of us now?!”
“Will we be dismissed from here?”
The maids surrounded me, bombarding me with questions out of anxiety.
“You lot, talking to Leon won’t solve anything.”
Federica, the head maid, spoke coldly. She came from a family that had served the House of Zarfing for generations, and her son Ciris also served the house, assisting in managing the territory with his sharp skills.
“Shut up!! This has nothing to do with you!!”
“Yeah!! Old hag, just stay out of it!!”
The maids turned their anger towards Federica, and I tried to stop them, but Federica moved faster. She grabbed two maids by their necks and lifted them off the ground. It was an astonishing display of strength—lifting two people with one hand each was something unimaginable.
“Gah…”
“Kuh…”
The two maids, lifted by Federica, turned pale. The other maids couldn’t stop Federica, their minds unable to process what was happening.
“Now then… Lord Giorg mentioned he would discuss your futures, but I thought I’d let it slide. However, being looked down upon forever isn’t exactly fun, is it?”
Federica released the maids, and they collapsed to the ground.
“Cough cough!!”
“Hack hack!!”
The two maids coughed and cried.
“Have you finally decided to listen?”
“Y-yes!!”
Federica stepped on the back of one maid’s hand and spoke in an icy tone.
“Answer me.”
“Y-yes!!”
The maids immediately responded to Federica’s question, their previous attitudes completely erased.
“The former Marquess Gazel and his wife Almada were impeached for assassinating the previous Marquess, Lady Elphil. From now on, Lord Giorg will make all decisions for the House of Zarfing. Your fates will also be decided by Lord Giorg.”
Federica glanced at the maids and then turned her gaze to me.
“Leon will have no part in the decision-making of the House of Zarfing. He has no authority. Everything will be decided by Lord Giorg.”
“…”
“What Lord Giorg decides to do with you will depend on your past actions.”
Hearing Federica’s words, the maids turned pale. Considering their past behavior, they could guess what judgment awaited them.
“Lord Giorg has found some use for you, so he won’t kill you. The others won’t dispose of you either, but that’s thanks to Lord Giorg. Be grateful. However, if you become useless, I’ll dispose of you. I’ll let you choose whether to float in the river or be buried in the mountains.”
I nodded repeatedly at Federica’s words. She glanced at me once before leaving.
The remaining maids turned pale and collapsed. I also turned pale, looking around and feeling the gazes of those who served the House of Zarfing. Sweat poured down my back.
In that moment, I realized I had been thrown into enemy territory—no, into a predator’s cage as a weak prey.
“Why… did it come to this?”
No one answered my words.
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