The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

A letter arrived from my sister Alice, who was at the Imperial Palace.

It was a lengthy letter filled with her complex emotions, but to summarize, it said this:

She had received the Saint’s baptism and officially became a Knight of Light.

It wasn’t just about joining; right after her baptism, she received her first mission.

She couldn’t share the details because it was classified, but she conveyed her determination to always do her best, as usual.

“I will be a sister you can be proud of.”

For some reason, this sentence made my heart feel heavy.

Is it all coming to this?

A flow no different from my previous life.

My sister said she couldn’t share the details because it was classified, but I already knew what the mission was.

The Emperor’s frontline tour escort.

What’s important is that the Emperor himself does not attend the tour.

To be precise, it should be called the escort of the Imperial family’s frontline tour.

I learned this fact, albeit unintentionally, from Princess Arin.

“It seems Father is suffering from his chronic illness again. It’s nothing serious, but he has decided to skip this tour. Instead, sister Violet is planning to go.”

“Are you talking about the Second Princess?”

“Yes. I was surprised, too. Usually, in such cases, Brother Luinel would go. But this time, Uncle has also fallen ill, so he asked sister to take his place on the tour. Brothers Fabian and Nerobian are planning to accompany her as well.”

A lineup centered around the eldest daughter, not the eldest son.

In other words, everyone but the eldest and the youngest is going.

This was no different from my previous life.

Just because a tributary diverges a bit, it doesn’t mean the main flow changes,

If this flow continues, my sister will end up accepting the same fate as in her previous life.

Suddenly, I had this thought.

I have lived one life, and as a so-called regressor, I am living a second life that others do not have.

So, what is the advantage of a regressor?

Knowing the future and being able to change it.

Over the past two years, I have changed the futures of many, including myself.

But one of the most crucial futures has yet to change.

My sister’s death.

The first moment in my life that I absolutely must change.

If I don’t change this future,

I will once again experience a regret that I will never forget in my lifetime.

“Papa! Why do you look so down? Is something wrong?”

While I was sulking, our little one came over and asked.

“People need to eat something sweet when they’re feeling down to cheer up! Papa, have one too!”

Nana handed me a big eyeball candy she was holding.

I unwittingly accepted it and smiled faintly, patting her head.

“Lately, both Papa and Kaeram have been weird! Both of you are just sighing without talking to each other! It doesn’t look good!”

What?

Am I being scolded by this little one right now?

Not only was I feeling uncomfortable, but Kaeram, looking displeased, asked,

[Look at this cheeky one? Hey, little one! What do you know to say that?]

Nana replied with an unfazed expression,

“Kaeram, when Papa isn’t around, you frown and talk to yourself, don’t you? Nana heard everything!”

“What? What did you say?”

Now curious, I asked.

“It was mostly curses. If I had to remember something specific, it was about ‘When will I get to deal with these damned ones…….'”

[There’s nothing this kid can’t say!]

Kaeram was startled and quickly covered Nana’s mouth.

Hmm?

What did I just hear?

I never imagined that such foul language would come from such a gentle and innocent mouth.

Is this a reminder that we need to be careful about what we say around children?

“I don’t know what’s going on, but don’t worry too much! You have me, both Papa and Kaeram! If there’s any danger, I’ll rush to save you in a heartbeat!”

Kaeram, seemingly amused, chuckled and said,

[Oh dear, little one. If you don’t want to end up terribly harmed from venturing outside unknowingly…]

Perhaps both Kaeram and I had momentarily forgotten, just how temperamental the Dragon race could be.

And we had no idea at the moment, how this temperamental nature, when combined with a young human’s innocence, could lead to unforeseen consequences.

* * *

With a sigh that could be either amazement or lament, Alice surveyed the vista of Vellias spread out before her eyes.

Her hometown, always familiar, appeared no different from usual.

But today, her mood was distinct.

“Look there! It’s Lady Alice!”

“That delicate and graceful girl has grown up so much already! Look at her majestic figure!”

“I want to be a knight like Lady Alice when I grow up!”

She seemed like a goddess from the heavens, donning armor to vanquish evil herself.

Praises from the residents of her domain spread through the streets as they spoke of her.

Alice did not mind the adoration, but she couldn’t be entirely pleased with the situation.

She was here not as a lord’s daughter but as a knight.

She must protect everyone in this domain with her own hands, not be the one protected.

With renewed resolve, she headed towards the defensive wall.

The atmosphere at the rear camp’s barracks was solemn and tense as always. A familiar knight appeared before her, slightly tensing.

“It’s been a while, Miss Alice.”

It was Eulken, the guardian knight of the Vert family.

A member of the same Order of the Knights of Light and a superior officer positioned as a senior knight.

“Please watch your words, Sir Eulken. I am not here as a lady of the Vert family.”

Alice, who wished to be treated as a knight, found this very uncomfortable.

Eulken smiled faintly and said,

“The duke is waiting for you. Please come with me.”

The call from her father and supreme commander was something Alice could not refuse.

Accompanied by a familiar yet unfamiliar escort, she entered the central tent where the duke was seated.

“Alice Vert, a mid-level knight of the Order of the Knights of Light. I stand before Duke Vert, the guardian of the continent.”

Alice bowed her head without a chance to look directly at the duke’s face.

“I’m very glad to see you like this, Alice.”

A satisfied smile adorned the duke’s face.

“Before we start our discussion, there’s something I’d like to request.”

Alice, seated and with a restrained expression, spoke.

“What is it?”

“I would like you to stop providing me with special treatment. I wish to stand here on the front lines as a knight.”

“Everyone here considers you a perfect knight.”

“I say this because, before seeing me as a knight, they see me as the lady of a noble family.”

The duke’s eyes subtly shifted.

“As you say, you are indeed a knight. But before being a knight, you are my precious daughter, born of my blood. What do you think that means?”

Alice found herself unable to readily answer.

“It means you are the one who will eventually take over and lead this place, and beyond that, inherit the duty of protecting the continent. Surely, not just I but all the knights here would not doubt that this is right. I have never ordered them to give you special treatment. They do so voluntarily.”

The protection of the continent.

A duty of the family she had heard over and over since childhood.

Alice felt the weight she had not understood at the time now heavily pressing down upon her.

“Do not feel too burdened. It is not my intention to place all the responsibility on you. You have Aschel, do you not?”

At that moment, a strong resonance stirred within Alice’s heart.

Soon, a bead of sweat trickled down her neck, and the words she had long suppressed began to tickle her throat.

After a brief moment of contemplation,

Alice thought that if not now, there might never be another chance.

“Your Grace… I mean, Father, may I ask you something?”

A title she had not called him in what felt like ages.

At this moment, Alice looked at Willerius not as a duke but as her undeniable father, wishing to ask him something.

“What is it?”

The Duke answered in a calm tone.

“If, just if, the family duty that Aschel and I wish to bear were to be taken up by someone else… What would you think?”

The Duke did not immediately respond.

Alice also did not expect an immediate answer.

As the air grew heavier and the surroundings became more solemn, the Duke finally spoke.

“…Are you speaking of Cyan?”

It was a question that seemed to catch her implication.

“You once said, didn’t you? That my brother might turn out to be much more remarkable than I had thought…”

“That’s right. I have no doubt that he, too, will grow into a fine knight just like you.”

While the Duke spoke positively of Cyan, it was not the answer Alice was looking for.

“To the extent that he could replace us?”

“…”

“If the youngest, neither the eldest son nor the eldest daughter, grows to far surpass Aschel and me, would you be able to pass that position on to Cyan?”

Between the breath she exhaled and the next she took in,

The sound of her heartbeat echoed more than a hundred times throughout her body.

Unable to meet the Duke’s eyes, Alice could only gaze endlessly at his lips.

What finally leaked from the Duke’s opened mouth was,

“Ha ha…”

none other than the sound of laughter.

“It seems you think very highly of your brother.”

“The potential of the youngest is indeed so vast that even I cannot fully gauge it. That he could grow to surpass you, as you said, I too believe is not at all impossible…”

The Duke’s acknowledgment of the youngest.

Alice was taken aback by the unexpected response.

“But Alice…”

“…?”

“It doesn’t mean he can replace Aschel.”

Alice’s pupils shook violently in an instant.

“Isn’t the premise itself meaningless? Someone to replace your brother? Aschel is the one who will lead our family, a trustworthy brother you can truly rely on, why would you ask such a question?”

Alice could not respond to the Duke’s question.

Inside, she asked herself over and over again.

‘Why? Why is that? What’s the reason?’

It wasn’t that she doubted Aschel’s abilities.

Her question stemmed from something she had always thought was obvious.

‘Why is Father so fixated on Brother Aschel?’

Having desired only capable children to continue the family lineage,

She had thought that whether it was the eldest or the youngest, as long as they fit the criteria, he would naturally hand everything over.

But the Duke’s current attitude was far from it.

A consistent obsession that it had to be Aschel and no one else.

Alice couldn’t understand it at all.

Rather, it was a moment when she began to question why she had only realized this now, even doubting herself.

“It’s about time. The imperial family’s carriage will soon arrive at the territory. Go ahead and welcome them…”

“…Yes. Understood.”

Alice rose from her seat immediately and bowed to the Duke.

As she was about to leave the tent,

“By the way, among the entourage serving the imperial family right now…”

The Duke spoke again.

“Aschel is among them.”

“…!”

Alice couldn’t bring herself to turn her head.

Her left hand, gripping the sword hilt, was shaking severely with emotion.

(To be continued)