I Only Need the Duke's Child — Chapter 17

THE LEGACY OF THE FIRST DUKE OF DELMARQUE WAS RENOWNED THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE.

HE WAS HAILED AS THE HERO WHO BROUGHT THE FINAL MAGE WAR TO AN END.

TO GAIN THE STRENGTH NEEDED TO PROTECT THE EMPIRE, HE FORGED A PACT WITH THE LEGENDARY DIVINE BEAST.

IN RETURN, HE WAS BLESSED WITH A BODY CAPABLE OF WIELDING BOTH AURA AND MAGIC.

ORDINARILY, A HUMAN CAN MASTER ONLY ONE OR THE OTHER.

YET THE FIRST DUKE OF DELMARQUE ACCOMPLISHED THE IMPOSSIBLE AND LED THE EMPIRE TO VICTORY.

HOWEVER, WITH SUCH GREAT POWER CAME A STEEP PRICE.

WIELDING AURA AND MAGIC TOGETHER WAS LIKE COMBINING FIRE AND OIL.

WHEN CONTROLLED WITH PRECISION, THE TWO COULD WORK IN PERFECT HARMONY AND AMPLIFY ONE ANOTHER. BUT IF EVEN ONE SLIPPED OUT OF BALANCE, THAT POWER WOULD ERUPT BEYOND CONTROL.

THE POWER BESTOWED UPON THE FIRST DUKE WAS PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS TO HIS DESCENDANTS.

HERDIN'S FATHER, THE PREVIOUS DUKE, WAS AMONG THOSE WHO INHERITED IT.

LIKE HIS FOREFATHERS BEFORE HIM, HE DEVOTED THAT POWER TO PROTECTING THE EMPIRE AND THE PEOPLE OF DELMARQUE.

THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE, HE WAS ADMIRED AS MUCH AS HE WAS FEARED.

BUT THEN, TRAGEDY STRUCK WITHOUT WARNING.

THE YEAR HERDIN TURNED 12...

...HIS FAMILY SET OUT ON A TRIP TO THE FOREST. THERE, HIS MOTHER WAS FOUND BRUTALLY MURDERED BY MONSTERS.

UPON DISCOVERING HER BODY, THE PREVIOUS DUKE FLEW INTO A BLIND RAGE AND SLAUGHTERED EVERY MONSTER IN THE FOREST WITHOUT MERCY.

AND TO PROTECT HIS SON FROM HIS OWN RAMPAGE... HE TOOK HIS OWN LIFE.

THUS FELL HOUSE DELMARQUE, ONCE REVERED THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE.

THE STORY OF THEIR TRAGEDY SPREAD FROM MOUTH TO MOUTH UNTIL IT BECAME LITTLE MORE THAN GOSSIP AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR THOSE WHO DELIGHTED IN THE MISFORTUNES OF OTHERS.

IN TIME, THOSE WHISPERS REACHED EVEN THE IMPERIAL PALACE... AND MY EARS.

WHILE THE ADULTS GRIEVED THE TRAGEDY THAT HAD BEFALLEN HOUSE DELMARQUE...

...BEHIND THOSE SYMPATHETIC WORDS, THEY QUIETLY WONDERED WHETHER HERDIN WOULD ONE DAY GO BERSERK AS WELL, HAVING INHERITED THE SAME POWER.

YOUR HIGHNESS, IT'S YOUR TURN.

RIGHT...!

I REALLY WANT TO WIN THIS TIME...

DUKE DELMARQUE HAS WON FOUR GAMES IN A ROW ALREADY.

OH!

WOW, I WON!

SINCE THE GAME IS OVER, I'LL BE ON MY WAY.

GOODNESS, I DIDN'T REALIZE IT HAD GOTTEN SO LATE.

THEN I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW, YOUR MAJESTY.

STILL BASKING IN HER VICTORY

HERDIN...

I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO FORCE YOURSELF TO COME TOMORROW.

I'LL BE ALL RIGHT, YOUR MAJESTY.

BLAIR, NOW THAT YOU'VE MET HERDIN, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

DO YOU THINK THE TWO OF YOU COULD BECOME FRIENDS?

OH... WELL...

HE'S VERY QUIET, SO HE'S A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO TALK TO... BUT I STILL THINK HE'S A KIND PERSON.

YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO TELL FIBS, BLAIR.

THE TRUTH IS... WHILE THE DUKE IS CERTAINLY COURTEOUS, HE DOESN'T EXACTLY COME ACROSS AS WARM OR APPROACHABLE.

IT'S PROBABLY FOR THE BEST HERDIN DIDN'T HEAR THAT.

B-BUT TODAY WAS OUR FIRST TIME MEETING.

BESIDES... SOMEONE YOUR MAJESTY TREASURES COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE A BAD PERSON.

I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT.

IT'S TRUE THAT HERDIN ISN'T AN ESPECIALLY AFFECTIONATE BOY.

HE CARRIES A GREAT DEAL OF PAIN, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, HE'S NEVER LEARNED HOW TO OPEN HIS HEART TO OTHERS.

BUT YOU NEEDN'T ENDURE DISCOMFORT FOR HIS SAKE, BLAIR.

YOU'RE JUST AS PRECIOUS AS HE IS, AND YOUR FEELINGS MATTER JUST AS MUCH.

MOTHER HAS...

NEVER SAID ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO ME BEFORE.

THE NEXT DAY, THE NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL OFFICIALLY BEGAN WITH THE DAWN OF THE NEW YEAR.

AS WAS TRADITION, THAT MORNING, THE IMPERIAL FAMILY AND THE NOBLE HOUSES VENTURED INTO THE SNOW-COVERED FOREST TO HUNT A SACRIFICIAL OFFERING FOR OUR HOLY LORD.

IN THE AFTERNOON, EVERYONE ATTENDED THE TEMPLE SERVICE.

THEN, THAT EVENING, A GRAND BANQUET WAS HELD AT THE IMPERIAL PALACE.

THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON CEREMONIES WERE RESERVED FOR THE ADULTS...

...SO IVAN AND I DIDN'T JOIN THE FESTIVITIES UNTIL THAT EVENING.

WHILE EVERYONE WAS OFFERING THE IMPERIAL FAMILY THEIR CUSTOMARY NEW YEAR'S GREETINGS, WHISPERS BEGAN TO RIPPLE THROUGH THE CROWD...

MY GOODNESS, LOOK...

YOUNG MASTER-- I MEAN, DUKE DELMARQUE IS ACTUALLY HERE.

I WASN'T EXPECTING TO SEE HIM AT TONIGHT'S BANQUET.

NEITHER WAS I. SEEING HIM AT THE HUNT AND THE TEMPLE SERVICE WAS SHOCKING ENOUGH.

I SUPPOSE THAT'S ONLY NATURAL. HE IS THE HEAD OF HOUSE DELMARQUE NOW.

AS HEAD OF THE FAMILY, IT'S HIS DUTY TO RESTORE HOUSE DELMARQUE'S HONOR AND SUPPORT HIS MAJESTY, IS IT NOT?

IT IS MY GREATEST HONOR TO WELCOME THE NEW YEAR UNDER THE REIGN OF YOUR MAJESTIES.

MAY YOUR MAJESTIES' WISDOM AND BOUNDLESS GRACE CONTINUE TO GUIDE THE EMPIRE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AHEAD.

THOUGH I IMAGINE THAT WILL BE NO EASY FEAT.

HERDIN WAS STILL JUST A BOY WHEN HE STOOD BEFORE THE EMPEROR AND THE EMPIRE'S NOBLE HOUSES AS THE HEAD OF HOUSE DELMARQUE.

AND YET, HE CARRIED HIMSELF WITH EVERY BIT AS MUCH DIGNITY AS THE HEADS OF THE OTHER NOBLE HOUSES.

IN FACT, HIS POISE AND PRESENCE SHONE ALL THE BRIGHTER BECAUSE HE WAS STILL SO YOUNG.

BUT...

...FOR SOME REASON, EVEN THOUGH HE CARRIED HIMSELF WITH SUCH CALM COMPOSURE WHILE FULFILLING HIS ROLE AS THE HEAD OF HIS HOUSE...

...ALL I COULD SEE WAS A BOY WHO LOOKED AS THOUGH HE COULD FALL APART AT ANY MOMENT.