The answers seemed more like self-questioning rather than seeking a response.

Knowing this, the steward discreetly kept his mouth shut, and Genovefa closed his eyes and slowly stroked his chin.

The one who vehemently refused to bathe had been living well and clean before entering the castle.

What could be the answer to that gap? What made his son willingly bathe?

In light of the years he had lived, the correct answer was always at his bedside.

His son Rude was saved by Merche and received care and protection from her.

During that time, Rude’s body was at least clean and tidy enough not to emit any odor.

Then the key to bridging the gap would also be Merche. That child.

Genovefa’s eyes lit up as he called the steward.

“Steward.”

“Speak, master.”

“You said Rude kept holding onto my servants and continuously asked about Merche.”

Anyone who receives the grace of life feels fervent gratitude towards the other person.

But what if that fervor is not just simple gratitude and is twisted in a different direction?

If a beast-like creature, confined and forced only to fight, encountered Merche as a blessing and was saved, what eyes would the beast open to see its savior?

“…Ha. That’s right.”

He finally found the perfect move to solve all problems. Genovefa, with a smile on his face, ordered,

“Bring Merche here now.”

The scale had tipped. It was time to share a new, more certain, and advantageous deal.

The awkward lunch between the mother and son was quiet. Until the appetizer, soup, and salad were served, neither of them spoke first.

Elizabeth, who was about to scoop up the light cream-colored soup with a spoon, hesitated and paused her hand.

“…Rude.”

The long, fox-like eyes resembling her husband’s followed her.

Her heart felt momentarily suffocating at the glance that seemed to be lashing out, asking why she called, but she swallowed it and gently asked,

“Why aren’t you eating anything?”

Rude had not paid any attention to all the dishes that had come out so far. He must be hungry.

His stomach, which had been starving for a week, must have reached a nearly painful state by now.

Nevertheless, her son kept his mouth firmly shut and only looked elsewhere.

Rude, who raised one eyebrow crookedly at his mother’s question, picked up the spoon with a slow movement that showed he really didn’t want to.

And as soon as he scooped up the soup and brought it to his mouth, Elizabeth suddenly hardened her expression.

She looked at Rude’s fingers holding the spoon in disbelief, then called his servant with a very stern face.

“Didn’t you teach my son the etiquette related to dining during this time?”

“Well, that’s…”

Etiquette or whatever, it would have been fortunate if he at least didn’t throw things. Although such inner thoughts welled up, the servant suppressed them.

As the servant couldn’t say anything, Elizabeth took it as an affirmation, and her voice became even sharper.

“How negligent. As a person employed by the family, you’re not doing your job. How can such rude ones be attached to my son?”

“I apologize, Lady Komeo.”

“This is a matter to be handled by the family law. Go and call the head servant.”

Just as the situation was starting to get more serious, there was a loud bang! Everyone was startled by the sound of the spoon being roughly stabbed and looked at Rude.

Rude, who had pushed back his chair without caring, went to the servant and growled in front of him.

“Why aren’t you saying it? You have something you should say. Don’t stammer and just spit out the truth.”

“…Rude? …My son. What on earth are you talking about right now?”

“Say that the young master you serve is so vulgar that you couldn’t teach him manners because you were afraid your head would fly off. That’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“…Rude! What is this! How can you utter such vulgar words!”

When Elizabeth shouted, revealing her anger, Rude turned to look at her.

He wore a chilling sneer, then returned to the table and gulped down the soup along with the bowl.

A scream-like cry burst out from the shocked Elizabeth.

“Oh my goodness… Rude!”

Bang! Once again, the bowl was thrown by Rude’s hand.

The fragile bowl shattered with an ear-scratching noise, and Elizabeth staggered, covering her ears and turning pale.

“Your son is originally vulgar. Did you not know? This is my true nature.”

“Huk… Eup.”

Elizabeth couldn’t even breathe properly, gasping and clutching her chest. Even so, Rude didn’t stop his sarcasm.

“So instead of taking it out on an innocent servant, if you’re going to punish someone, punish me. Because it’s your vulgar son’s fault for not being able to hold this damn thing properly due to lack of education and vulgarity. Do you understand, Mother?”

He smiled, holding the spoon that had fallen to the floor in front of Elizabeth.

Now, Elizabeth’s face was not only pale but looked like she might faint at any moment.

“…Oh my, Lady Komeo!”

Her ladies-in-waiting, who heard the commotion, rushed over belatedly, embraced the collapsed Elizabeth, and shouted at Rude.

“You rude one, how can you treat your mother like this! Lady Komeo was so happy to find you…”

“It’s the fault of the mother who has a rude son. Then why did you go out of your way to find me? Look at this situation now, it would have been much better if I didn’t exist.”

It was difficult for a nobly raised lady-in-waiting to overcome the mockery of Rude, who had been terribly rolling in the back alleys.

Moreover, if they waited any longer, Elizabeth was on the verge of fainting, so the lady-in-waiting eventually supported Elizabeth and withdrew.

Before crossing the threshold, the lady-in-waiting, with wide-open eyes, warned through gritted teeth,

“Just wait and see! The head of the family will thoroughly punish you, young master!”

Whatever. Rude erased all expressions from his face and ordered the servants,

“Clean it all up. Especially those damn soup remnants.”

As expected. All humans are exactly the same. All the humans in the world who treat him belong to the same kind.

Merche. With the sole exception of her.

The lady-in-waiting’s words that the head of the family would punish Rude were true. Before the night passed, Genovefa came to find Rude.

“My son. I am deeply troubled about how to deal with you. Unfilial conduct is an unforgivable sin.”

“Then either kick me out or kill me. I will accept and follow whatever you do, oh great head of the family.”

“How could I do that? You are my one and only bloodline and child.”

The father, who looked exactly like him, smiled. With a strangely unpleasant feeling, Rude retorted even more fiercely.

“So what? What are you going to do?”

“Go apologize to your mother and swear that you will never commit such rudeness again.”

Bullshit. Rude raised the corner of his mouth crookedly.

“Why should I?”

Throwing away even the contemptible honorifics, it became even closer to ‘unfilial conduct’.

Genovefa, who stopped talking and stared at his face for a moment as if licking it, casually opened the topic.

“The one who saved you from the arena was Merche.”

“Why bring her up? Why is that being mentioned here?”

Look at this. His son is still so clumsy and sloppy. Baring his teeth as soon as he’s poked.

Isn’t he practically boasting about his own weakness?

With a genuinely pitiful heart, Genovefa said,

“It’s not a problem that the lost direct bloodline of Lupinus was picked up and raised by a noble couple. Even if that couple becomes commoners, it’s not much of an issue up to that point.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Just say what you need to and get lost quickly, Father.”

“But not a slave. If word spreads that you are of slave origin, you cannot be recognized as a Lupinus. That’s how the logic of this world works, my son.”

Genovefa firmly grasped Rude’s shoulder.

Rude tried to shake it off, but Genovefa’s words were faster.

“But there is someone who knows about your background. A child in this castle who can threaten you from a position to do so.”

His whole body turned cold in an instant. No matter how stupid and empty-headed he was, he could tell that the person Genovefa was pointing to right now was Merche.

“My son. For your sake, Merche Ashtad must die.”

“Don’t talk such bullshit. Why kill her when she’s the one who saved me!”

“Merche’s very existence is a threat to you. That child surpasses you in every aspect except for power. A child who has received successor education in your place and holds information that can threaten you. How dangerous of an opponent would that be?”

“Stop moving your mouth and shut up. She’s as smart as you. But she wouldn’t have known that? She knew everything and still saved me, if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even be alive!”

“Yes. That child saved you knowing everything. That is her greatest contribution to Lupinus. So instead of killing Merche now, I have a proposal for you.”

Genovefa’s hand on his shoulder tightened even more.

Although his gaze was looking up as Genovefa was shorter in stature, strangely, the suffocating pressure was pouring down on Rude.

“I know you regard Merche specially. I will take a step back for your sake.”

“……”

“On the fourth day of the inner moon, I will hold a proclamation ceremony appointing you as the successor. So become a nobleman by then.”

He should push him away, telling him to stop the nonsensical bullshit, that he won’t do such a thing, that he won’t do it even if he dies. That’s how it should be.

But Rude couldn’t do that and gritted his teeth.

What if he kills Merche? If that man who claims to be his father really kills Merche Ashtad… then what?

Strength entered his clenched jaw.

He didn’t even want to imagine it. This situation where he is being threatened by a human called his father is damn annoying, but the fact that Merche might die because of him is even more damn annoying.

Anger rose to its limit in his head. His vision became blurry, and his hands and feet tingled.

Had he ever suppressed anger to this extent in his life? It is torture for him who has swung as he pleased and sprayed blood.

However, he endured without stabbing a knife into the face in front of him and managed to complete a sentence and spit it out.

“What do you mean by becoming a nobleman?”