Turning Chapter 1020

Chapter 1020

"Go and find out what Kiolle is doing and bring him here. Where is he now?" the Duke of Diarca asked.

"Young Master is still confined to his quarters as his disciplinary period hasn't ended yet. If it were any other day, he would likely be practicing his swordsmanship at this hour..." the chief attendant replied.

"Has he gone outside at all since being disciplined? Has he been in contact with anyone?"

"I haven't received any such reports, but I will verify."

Swallowing his perplexed expression, the chief attendant stepped out and summoned the servants who had been attending to Kiolle. Shortly after, he returned and bowed his head to the Duke of Diarca before speaking.

"They say Young Master hasn't prepared to go out at all. A couple of letters arrived from the Imperial Knights regarding his leave of absence, but he didn't send a reply. However..."

"However?"

"On the first night of his discipline, it seems Young Master briefly went outside in his sleepwear. No one saw him leave, but the next morning, the servant in charge of laundry found his dirt-covered sleepwear and slippers stuffed under the bed."

"He went out in his sleepwear? Him?"

The Duke of Diarca asked in a dumbfounded voice.

"Since he was wearing slippers, he couldn't have gone far. Perhaps he felt suffocated on the first day of discipline and climbed out the window for a brief stroll in the garden. The servants thought the same and didn't deem it necessary to report."

"And there were no such incidents after that?"

"Yes. We confirmed it several times. They say he has been obediently staying in his quarters ever since."

The chief attendant bowed as if embarrassed. The Duke of Diarca slightly furrowed his brows upon seeing this.

Getting into trouble out of frustration on the first day of discipline. It was something Kiolle would have done up until now. However... considering the recent changes in his youngest son and the words he heard on the day he ordered the discipline, he couldn't simply brush it off.

Although it seemed unlikely, there was a faint, inexplicable sensation nagging at him. Following that feeling, the Duke of Diarca spoke.

"Tell him to come anyway. I need to confirm it myself."

A short while later, Kiolle entered. He was dressed lightly, clearly in the middle of training, with a practice sword at his waist. Beads of sweat still glistened on the forehead of the youngest son, who didn't ask why he had been summoned. Seeing him stand there obediently with his lips pressed together, the Duke of Diarca slowly posed a question.

"Kiolle. It seems you have an idea of why I called for you."

"It must be because you've finally realized that what I told you was true. Isn't that right?"

Kiolle was extremely confident. His gaze, fixed straight ahead as if he had been expecting this day to come, even seemed pleased. The Duke of Diarca showed no outward reaction, but inwardly, he felt considerable surprise as he observed his youngest son's face as if seeing it for the first time.

"I heard a new disaster occurred in the South and was dealt with by the Cavalry and Imperial Knights. Did you already know about this?"

"Didn't I tell you it would happen?"

"What I'm most curious about is how the Imperial Knights knew and went to support them. Could it be that you..."

"Yes. I suggested to the Commander of the Imperial Knights that they should provide support."

Before the Duke of Diarca could finish his sentence, Kiolle answered clearly, averting his eyes. The Duke of Diarca tightened his grip on his pipe and muttered in a low, cold voice.

"I'm sure I told you during a similar conversation before. This father of yours clearly..."

"You told me to leave it be, regardless of whether a real new disaster strikes the South as the Cavalry said. Yes! I remember. That's why I thought we should at least send the Imperial Knights!"

Even the chief attendant was at a loss for words for a moment, let alone the Duke, at such an unwavering attitude.

The Duke remained silent for a long time, breathing slowly. He couldn't read his youngest son's mind at all. He seemed to fear his father, answering with a stupidly transparent face, yet his answers were incredibly confident. It was incomprehensible. This was a first for him.

"On the first night of my discipline, I went to see the Commander of the Imperial Knights and made the suggestion. He understood well what I was trying to convey. Later, through his letters, I learned that the information and thoughts I had were indeed correct."

"Your thoughts were correct?"

Saying he helped the enemy while claiming it wasn't wrong. At this point, it was almost like laying his liver outside and begging to be killed. However, Kiolle posed a counter-question without any hesitation.

"Where can a nobleman's true power be obtained from? It was you, Father, who taught me that when I was young. Do you remember?"

"..."

"You said that when other families turned their backs, our Diarca family was the first to step forward for the empire, and whenever necessary, we offered anything in place of the weak and indolent imperial family. Didn't you say that it's our job to guide even those who seem stupid and useless, and that it becomes our strength?"

As he spoke, Kiolle tightly grasped the fabric of his clothes near his chest.

"So that's what I did. I thought now was the time to do so. I said it had to be now or never, and the Commander of the Imperial Knights agreed. You may not understand me right now, Father, but if you think about it, you'll soon realize! That I was right."

"...Kiolle. Do you even know what you're saying..."

Just as he was about to say that, a sudden thought crossed the Duke of Diarca's mind.

'It has to be now or never?'

What kind of time was it now?

The Duke of Diarca realized that everything he thought he knew well was strangely tangled up in a mess. He couldn't pinpoint where the information leak had occurred, and the things he was confident about had turned into unknowns. A very strange moment.

It wasn't difficult to ignore and move on, but there was a series of unpleasant flows that made it bothersome. Neither his trusted subordinates nor his foolproof plans seemed to grasp the situation clearly. Only Kiolle's words stood out, unwavering and clear.

It was also only Kiolle who brought the Duke of Diarca information that was straightforward without any tangles or omissions and proved that the ignored information was ultimately correct.

'Theo of the Imperial Knights and the Tain Duchy are not fools. Theo, not being particularly zealous in his duties, is not easily swayed by others. Yet, he believed and followed Kiolle's suggestion, which means...'

It indicated that following Kiolle's proposal was seen as a beneficial choice for the Imperial Knights, Theo, and even the Tain Ducal House.

With the scant information available, it was still unclear what level of calamity had struck the South and how it was resolved.

However, the fact that the new Duchess of Hern had safely resolved all matters and completed the succession ceremony, and the aspects of those who had profited from the situation, unknown to Duke Diaca.

The Emperor, slippery as an eel, escaping traps. Duke Peletta, beside him, holding an unknown power in the form of the Cavalry, smiling. The swift actions of the Tain Ducal House. And Kiolle, who had lent a hand yet assured Duke Diarca that this would surely not harm him.

After numerous thoughts, Duke Diarca finally arrived at an incredible conclusion.

'Kiolle. Could it be that he... knew in advance that the information leak and related matters within Diarca wouldn't be easily overlooked and was moving accordingly?'

Anyone who heard this would have laughed. However, the Duke of Diarca recalled the desperate face of his youngest son, who had personally stepped forward to protect him from the dark intentions of the self-proclaimed sage and those who were being used by him.

Kiolle clearly knew something the Duke was unaware of. Otherwise, he couldn't have moved so swiftly and decisively with a purpose.

'You...'

Seeing the Duke's wavering eyes, Kiolle bowed his head.

"That is all I have to say, Father. May I take my leave now?"

The Duke gazed at his son's back as he turned to leave for a long time. After the door closed, he looked at the chief attendant with entirely different eyes than before.

"...Lift Kiolle's discipline. And from now on, if that boy asks to see me, report it to me immediately, no matter when."

This astonishing news spread throughout the Diarca family in an instant.