Chapter 8: First Episode: Chapter 8 (1/2)

Chapter 8: First Episode: Chapter 8

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Oscar came home! But in reality, 31 Penelope Road was not really his home. This was only the place in the Capital that was bestowed upon Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel by His Majesty the Emperor. The Duke had never been to Dulin since his youngest son was put into jail.

The wife of Duke Andrew, Celia Andrew Nedgabel needed only one glance to recognize Oscar. The little fatty did not seem to change much, only that the Madame realized one important thing about him. His eyes! The gleam in his eyes looked exactly like his father. It was the gaze of the Duke that was cleansed and polished after countless battles. What about Oscar? Oh god! He was still a child! What in the world had he gone through in Damorga?

Celia held Oscar in an embrace and kissed his forehead. ”Welcome home! My dear Oscar!”

”Yes! Thank you! Mother Celia!” Oscar flashed a friendly smile at the Madame.

”Sa...Sasha! Did you hear that? Oh god! Oscar called me mother! You... Did you hear that? I almost thought he could not recognize me!” The Madame’s surprise was understandable. Oscar had always been a rebellious child! He had never showed any form of respect to the other wives of his father, not to mention calling them mother.

Oscar felt funny with the overreaction of the Duchess! He hugged the Madame. His tone was calming yet full of sincere emotions. ”Mother, are you surprised? Ola! How would I not remember you? You had cared for my mother when she was seriously ill; you decorated our rooms with fresh narcissus; you were the one by my side when my mother passed away. Not knowing better, I rejected your kindness then. I seem to have said some hurtful words as well. Oh! Please forgive me. I have always regretted my actions during those times! Will you forgive me?”

The Madame was sobbing unstoppably! She wanted to call Oscar’s name loudly, but all she could do was sob. She could not do anything. She was full of happiness yet there was a hint of deep pain inside her! Oscar had grown up! Truly grown up! Who would blame a five-year-old child? Who could be blamed for the incident that year? Those guilty were actually the grown-ups, like themselves!

The Madame once again took a long glance at the youngest son of the family whom she had not seen for ten years. She did not feel ashamed of her gaffe in front of others. No one could ridicule a mother! The Madame held Oscar’s face lightly. She said, ”Oh god! Those guys in Damorga. Have they been torturing you? You look much skinnier!”

Oscar wanted to cry now, yet no tears came to him. He glanced at the Liar and the Poison Doctor who were snickering by his side. He could not help but think of the figure he had as a child. Oscar asked sincerely. ”Was I that fat?”

”Please allow me to introduce you to these friends of mine! This gentleman here is Baron Erbe sent by father. This is Mr. Parker and he is my doctor! And this is Paul. He is my bodyguard. You have seen Antonia in the past! And these are my lovely maids. They used to be ladies of noble families. Even though they are from Damorga, but their background is clean!” As if he was showing off his jewels, Oscar pushed everyone forward towards his mother.

”Hello! Thank you for caring for my youngest child.” The Duchess bowed to them in an extremely respectful manner.

The people were a little flustered. The status of Duchess Andrew was no less than that of the Queen. They quickly bowed back to this Madame. This Madame was just as what she was rumoured to be. Beautiful, noble. It was truly impressive!

At the guidance of servants, everyone was brought into the dining hall. The dining hall was huge. It seemed as if it was a place that was owned by the Imperial family of the Morisette Dynasty when they ruled. The indoor decorations from that time efficiently adorned the space in the room. The story about the religion of the God of Light was engraved on the ceiling of the dining hall; the crystal lamps on the walls were exquisite; the whole set of furniture that was made of red pine wood emanated a soft wood fragrance. All of these made the whole dining hall seem extremely neat and elegant.

At the two sides of the dining table sat fifteen chairs. Thirty sets of cutlery that was made of pure silver gleamed brightly. All of the dining plates, forks and knives, all these cutleries had the family emblem of the Andrew Family engraved upon them. This simply showed that the master would only use them during festivals or when they served important guests.

Miss Sasha E. Nedgabel Andrew still had her arms around her brother. At the dining table, Oscar actually wanted to remind her to let go at an appropriate time, but even before he spoke, he was stopped by the glare of the young miss. Oscar had no choice but to pat her on the head. If she enjoyed it, then let her be!

The food was really fancy! There were Italian dishes which Oscar loved. All the big-shots always had some luxurious habits. Oscar especially favored seafood pizza and Italian spaghetti that were cooked with olive oil and fresh prawns. These fresh ingredients were all bought by the Duchess herself from the famous Italian restaurant on Carlo Murray Street.

Oscar was really excited. He had never had this feeling for a long time. By his side, his Liar butler, his doctor, his lover, his maids and his bodyguard were the people closest to him. Now, he had a mother and a sister. He had never been this relaxed in such a long time. He kept telling them some of his experiences in Damorga and shared some jokes to liven the mood. The Duchess was also delighted. A few times, she laughed so much at Oscar’s jokes. Even though this image did not befit her noble status, but Celia never restrained herself in front of the family.

The only one who kept silent all the time was Sasha. The young miss did not want to share her brother with anyone else. She held on to her brother’s arm and ate the food her brother liked. Upon seeing her brother carefully peel the crab shell for her, she was not satisfied with this. She needed a chance to be alone with her brother. At that time, she would prove to her brother that she still loved him, trusted him and relied on him! She wanted to let her brother know that her feelings did not change even after all these years.

Oscar knew that he was acting a little overboard. He was not usually this way. It was only when Madame Celia was invited to the living room by her butler that he resumed his calmness. What should come would surely come! If it was not anything urgent or important, a qualified butler would never disturb his master when dining.

Celia came back soon afterwards. Her smile was casual, but Oscar noticed that there was a slight hint of worry in her eyes. The Madame sat down at the main seat. She took a sip of grape wine. Oscar was not worried. He knew that his mother had no reason to lie to him.

”His Majesty the Emperor finally started taking action.” Celia stopped for a moment. She took a glance at Oscar. She was satisfied to see that there was no hint of anxiety or fear in this child’s expression.

”I just met with the messenger of His Majesty. His Majesty will meet you at Hamilton Palace at two in the afternoon. There should be no danger, but His Majesty had been talking about you with his aides these few days. We know some inside news. They plan to keep you in Feston Palace that is located in the north suburbs of Dulin. They want to keep you there forever! Even though this is still not confirmed news, but this rumor is sure flying around in the Palace. These guys might not plan to just let you go with this!”

”Are you sure it is Feston Palace?” Oscar could not believe that he had such good luck.

”Yes! It is definitely Feston Palace. A servant in the Palace even heard His Majesty mention this matter before. Why? Is this important?”

Oscar did not answer. He had his own considerations about this. And this was very important news. He believed that he had the ability to attain the best results. He was a member of Imperialty. His mother, the deceased Princess Mica Alfa Morisette, was his largest bargaining chip.

”Ola! What is father’s opinion on this matter?” Oscar cared more about his father’s attitude regarding this matter now.

About this, Celia was rather helpless. Her husband, just as the way every head of the Andrew family was, was a natural-born politician and military strategist. But when it came to the matter about his son, her husband, who was like a fierce tiger acted extremely cowardly. She knew Dortmund would surely have his own considerations, but this was simply too unfair towards Oscar.

Upon thinking about this, the Duchess did not know what she should say. There was no way she could say that the child’s father did not do anything at all, right?

Oscar looked at his silent mother and knew roughly what the matter was. Regarding politics and some hidden truths, Oscar naturally had some kind of realization. This action taken by Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel was undoubtedly the most correct way. Oscar truly understood the advantages of these actions.

His Majesty the Emperor was the ruler of the Titan Empire. His every word represented the absolute power that was holy and was not to be violated. If it was not the time to turn hateful towards him, the Duke would in no way challenge the strength of such a person. He used silence to show his disagreement. This way, the Emperor could not find a way to blame the Duke. Also, the Emperor would have surely thought of the consequences of his actions before he made any decisions. Surely the Emperor was extremely troubled right now. He did not know the thoughts of the Duke and had no idea of what the Duke could do. Thus, he had to discuss with his aides continuously about the way to continuously fight against the Duke but without angering him.

Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel held one fourth of the military power of the Titan Empire in his hands. But no one seemed to care about this number. What people truly noticed was always true strength. For four hundred years, among the never ending years that they fought against the Persian cavalry troops at the border, the armies of the Andrew family formed the strongest combative strength in the West Land. These armies were definitely not something that could be fended off by the guards that have been accustomed to the peaceful days in inland Titan.

The fear of the Titans towards the Persians had been rooted in them since long ago. Four hundred years ago, the strong Persian cavalry troops were all over the West Land, like locusts. The royalty that ruled Titan then, were thrown off the throne by the noble folk, when they were trapped between the problems on the outside and inside. The hero that totally had the situation in control became the first emperor of the Morisette Dynasty. And the force the emperor relied on were the cavalry troops of the Andrew family. At that time the warriors of the Andrew family began the battle with the enemy that was ten times stronger than themselves upon a small hill that was full of narcissus. The whole process was simple. When the enemy attacked, the warriors defended. The last warrior fell at last and the enemy had no energy to move another step forward. In that war, 13,867 warriors of the Andrew family were all sacrificed. A hundred thousand Persian troops finally stopped their invasion after they threw over forty thousand corpses away. Titan was awakened by the blood of the heroes! After that, every day there was a noble that swore loyalty to the emperor that snatched away the throne. At the will of the emperor, the Andrew family quickly formed a new troop. This new troop was formally given the name ”Narcissus Knights” at the Assembly that was organized at that nameless hill. The people of Titan welcomed the counterattack in which they had looked forward to for a long time.

The next ten years were the bloodiest ten years ever experienced in the history of Titan. In order to strengthen his status as a ruler, His Majesty the Emperor perpetually eliminated the opposing forces in this country. For the Andrew family, they perpetually fought against the invaders in order to protect their homes. When the Narcissus Knights finally took back control of the easternmost province of the Empire, their Imperial status was at a high it had never been before. The emperor at that time only had one last issue to solve. And that was the Andrew family that became significantly stronger during their war with the Persians. The emperor was extremely troubled by this matter. He wanted to take back the military equipment of the Andrew family permanently, but he was afraid that this might cause a revolt of the people and the counterattack of the Persians.

Finally, the emperor did what he thought was the most feasible thing to do. Politically, he gave the Andrew family the honor and status on par with that of his own; in the military, he gave the two provinces at the eastern side of the Empire to the Andrews as their hereditary territory. In this case, he let the Narcissus Knights protect that land forever so that the Andrews had no time to care about other things.

Therefore, every generation of the ruler of the Morisette Dynasty had always kept an eye on the Andrew Family as he relied on their strength. Dealing with the relationship between them and the Andrew Family was something essential to know for every emperor that was about to ascend to the throne.

O Neil Andrew Morisette reached the Hamilton Palace at 1:50pm, 14th of April on the 791th Year on the Light Calendar. He did not pay too much attention to the huge, impressive-looking palace. Nor did he take note of the nobles that pointed their fingers at him. Alone, he was guided into the guest lounge of His Majesty the Emperor. It was a palace that was made of gold and jewels, yet Oscar still did not pay too much attention to this. He was about to face the most difficult challenge in his life.

In front of the doors of this small palace, Oscar dismissed the guards that wanted to search him loudly. The ones who were on duty for the Emperor were two Colonels. The two officials of the Imperial Guards were a little furious. They had never been treated this way before.

The mood was rather stiff. The voice of His Majesty the Emperor came from within the room just in time. ”Let him in! He is the son of Duke Andrew. It couldn’t be that you thought the son of a general would be an assassin?”

Oscar walked in. He looked straight ahead, and found the key to his victory in the Emperor’s words. Almost in a rude way, he sized up Alfa III His Majesty that was sitting on the high seat.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Titan Empire was already fifty years old. Men at this age would already show signs of ageing, but the His Majesty the Emperor maintained his figure well. He had golden hair and a friendly, kind face. Only the slight curve of his lips hinted his Imperialty. His robe and crown were held by a servant at his side. His Majesty the Third only wore his robes and garments at official and formal events, he usually preferred the fashionable casual clothes that were tailored for him by the tailor.

Oscar found the seating arrangements in the palace rather amusing. It looked exactly like when he was judged ten years ago. More than twenty high officials arrogantly sat in the lounge. Except for His Majesty the Emperor, Oscar did not know even one other person. But when he saw the casual clothes that the Emperor wore, he seemed to understand – there seemed to be no seat for him here.

”The fourth son of Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel, O Neil Andrew Morisette, is honored to meet with Your Majesty. I hope for your wellbeing and that you will always be surrounded by the blessings of the God of Light.” Oscar walked up to one meter away from the Emperor and stopped to courteously greet the Most Supreme. This courteous greeting was not the one used when one faced the Emperor. The high officials around him were already pointing out his rudeness.

The Emperor was also sizing Oscar up from his seat. He thought that this child did not match the information he got from Damorga. He was just a chubby lad that had not even reached drinking age. Alfa III His Majesty nodded slightly after Oscar gave his greeting. That greeting was casual, but it was a greeting befitting of a junior towards his senior. His Majesty the Emperor seemed to understand something as well. But he was not as sure as Oscar.

Alfa III His Majesty waved his hand to stop the high officials. He turned towards Oscar. ”I heard that you encountered an assassin. It seems to be fine now. It seems that you, lad, will never stop letting us worry about you.” His Majesty the Emperor obviously cared about Oscar’s encounter with the assassin. About this, he had strictly warned that Secretary of State who had never stopped trying to pass judgment upon Oscar. But that Secretary of State swore that it was none of his doing. The Emperor did not approve of that.

”Thank you for your kind thoughts! The most honorable Majesty! I must thank you for granting me my freedom. No one could be more compassionate than you! Your Majesty!” Oscar chose his words carefully.

The Emperor was satisfied with his words. According to the plan, Oscar would definitely say this, then he could carry on with the following conversation.

”But!” The Emperor paused for a moment, Oscar raised his head and met his gaze. ”But! O Neil Andrew Morisette. My compassion has no relation to your sins. I believe that you understand this as well. The sins that you committed in the past will not be forgiven even by the God of Light. I can only grant you your limited freedom. Then I am sure that you will not object to whatever order that I will give following this, I presume?” The news that the Emperor will put him under house arrest was actually spread by the Emperor himself. Surely the Andrew Family knew about this as well. No one could defy the order of the Emperor. What followed next would be Oscar getting trapped in his own words. If he had no objections, then whatever the Emperor said would naturally be as it should be.