The West Wind's Destination - Chapter 42
Ruslan just refilled Aseph’s glass in response to his irritable reaction.
“Ah, so you want to be in a relationship…”
“Why do you say that as if there’s no hope? Haven’t you heard that wounds caused by losing someone are healed by someone new?”
“……”
“She saved me, a stranger, without asking for anything in return. She healed me and took care of me! Where else would you find someone with such overflowing humanity like her!”
“……”
“And if she’s still mourning someone she’s lost, then she has already experienced love or is still in love. How dare you call such a person a breed that doesn’t know love!”
Aseph felt like choking Ruslan whenever he suggested that Bea might still be in love with someone else, but more than that, he hated hearing anyone speaking of her negatively. So, he defended her desperately.
After uttering his last sentence, Aseph downed another glass of liquor and gritted his teeth.
“If you speak such nonsense again, I won’t forgive even you.”
“Ah… alright…”
Ruslan’s expression was soulless. Such lines had been repeated several times ever since they started drinking.
He would have understood if they were just drunken ramblings, but this damned Vilkanos was too robust to get drunk. Watching him repeat the same thing while sober was driving Ruslan insane.
“I need to go for a territorial dispatch, so I’ll take my leave.”
In such counseling, when the other party already has fixed answers and expects certain responses, there really wasn’t much to say.
“Good luck. I support you. I hope your confession is successful.”
Ruslan’s response lacked soul, but it was all he could offer.
Eventually, Ruslan was the first to leave the table, adding one more comment to the still-moping Aseph.
“Making me think work is better than love counseling… You really are something.”
Ruslan clapped his hands mockingly as he left.
❖
The butler’s opinion wasn’t much different from Ruslan’s.
While agreeing, he tried to extricate himself from the conversation, speaking as little as possible, more so than Ruslan. The butler wasn’t the type to interfere anyway.
However, the butler was someone who had experienced the events before the war with the empire firsthand.
During the alchemists’ and mages’ conflict, as a person of Vilkanos, the butler worked for the former Guardian at the time.
That is, he fought against the alchemists alongside Aseph’s father.
Regarding Myron Devesis and Zephyr, the butler would likely know more.
But when asked about it, the butler just gave a meaningful response.
“Well, the Zephyr I knew was a bit different.”
“How was she then?”
“Like the epitome of an alchemist.”
Aseph narrowed his eyes.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that both positively and negatively.”
Alchemists were people who had diminished the standing of magic and theology.
The world’s prejudices against alchemists were not favorable. They were seen as cold, cruel, and willing to cut open a human abdomen for their goals, devoid of emotions, not respecting either the living or the dead. They were such monstrous beings.
But regardless, there was a good side as well. They had overturned the existing perception that innate ability was necessary to perform magic.
Once changed, perceptions didn’t revert to their old ways. It became an era where not just lineage or family status, but individual talent could determine one’s position.
“Maybe she changed after giving birth and raising a child.”
“No, tell me. Was originally like an angel?”
“……”
The butler smiled and remained silent for a moment, ignoring Aseph’s question.
“However, you should verify whether that child is really Your Highness’s descendant.”
“Are you suggesting she lied?”
“She didn’t lie. She said the child wasn’t of Vilkanos bloodline.”
“That child is mine.”
Aseph stated definitively once more.
“That child must be mine.”
The butler then realized that he should be thankful that the child resembled Aseph.
Could someone from Vilkanos, known for their animalistic instincts, fail to recognize their own offspring? Aseph Vilkanos was prepared to accept the child brought by Zephyr, even if she claimed it wasn’t his.
Initially, all the servants in the mansion were amazed by the child’s resemblance to this generation’s Guardian, as if he had stepped out of a childhood portrait.
But as they learned about Zephyr being an alchemist, they began to harbor suspicions.
Had she brought a fake child to take advantage of them?
In fact, the assumption of the child being a fake seemed more logical. Even Zephyr herself never claimed that the child was Aseph’s son.
But Aseph was more worried about the possibility of the child not being a true Vilkanos. To him, whether the child was a genuine Vilkanos or not was irrelevant.
So, the butler decided not to discuss this issue further.
“But are you okay with Zephyr being disrespectful to Your Highness?”
“What’s the problem with that? She’ll soon be my wife. It’s better than treating each other formally as husband and wife.”
“…You do know I’m from the West.”
“Yes.”
“In the West, the hierarchy is much more distinct than in other places. Disrespect there means treating someone as inferior—it’s not just being casual.”