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Chapter 262: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (55)

Even though I had been drinking since early dawn, my father did not reprimand me.

The streets were crowded with people with anxiety etched on their faces. They were all busy making shabby bundles of their belongings.

Even though they lived in the center, they were still residents of a rural territory.

Their household goods were,at best, of mediocre quality.

Yet, each item bore the marks of their sweat and blood. They couldn’t bear to leave them behind, so they wore distressed expressions.

They likely wanted to leave while still holding onto the traces of their lives.

But the remaining time was too short for that.

Usually, when my father went out for a stroll, a crowd would gather.

It was thanks to my father\'s generous nature, who never ignored the commoners.

He even took the lead in resolving their difficulties at times. Because of this, the residents respected and liked my father, and I, too, grew up receiving much love from many people since childhood.

But now, those once-kind neighbours seemed to barely be able to fend for themselves.

A few residents who happened to see us were startled and came over to greet him, but my father stopped them with a wry smile.

He had no intention of taking their already scarce time away.

My father must have had that intention in mind when he stopped them.

Thanks to this, I was able to continue the rare father-son walk in a quiet atmosphere.

Though I occasionally heard whispers about me smelling faintly of alcohol.

I was someone who practised swordsmanship since dawn.

It was rare for me to drink in the morning, and even if I did, I never showed it outside.

Thus it wasn’t surprising that seeing me like this was unexpected for people..

But it was hardly as shocking as the situation they currently faced..

Thinking about this made my expression grow gloomy, and it was then that my father finally spoke.

"...Has it been very hard for you?"

"What do you mean?"

The words that came out of my mouth were gruff.

It was an attitude that left me with nothing to say, even if I was criticised for being rude.

It wasn’t like I was unable to understand the meaning behind my father’s words, but, perhaps because of what had happened last night, my mind was a mess..

Ria said she had no memories from before she came to the manor.

Asking since when was pointless.

Because she said it had been that way from the start.

I was the only one in the family who didn\'t know about this crucial matter.

So I harboured no suspicion when I saw Mitram looking like Ria.

I just thought that something felt off.

This made me feel deeply resentful and upset, so my expression showed no sign of easing even in the rare moment alone with my father.

Whether he understood my feelings or not, my father only looked more sorrowful.

"What can we do? It’s an imperial order... we must think of it as fate."

Ichoked up at the word ‘fate’ that once again slipped out.

Mitram said it, and now my father.

Lately, I had been hearing that word so often that I grew sick of it. My voice heated up a bit more.

“…Father, don\'t you feel even a bit wronged?”

My question made my father\'s eyes turn to me.

Those once-fiery golden eyes were now worn out by the ravages of time.

Seeing those eyes, with only a faint spark remaining, I sank deeper into my agitation.

"If we\'re nobles, shouldn\'t we protect our territory! But now, unable to protect our land and our people, we\'re being forced to leave like we\'re being chased..."

"It\'s impossible."

It was just one word.

Yet that single word carried an inexplicable weight, causing my mouth to involuntarily shut.

My father\'s gaze was unwavering.

"That\'s why it\'s called fate. Clinging to the impossible and hoping for a miracle only leads humans to make mistakes and become miserable... You can\'t go against fate."

"So you\'re saying we should abandon the territory?"

"What else can we do?"

He asked softly, as if soothing a child throwing a tantrum.

All I could do was bite my lip.

Perhaps it was the influence of the alcohol, but my response was somewhat emotional.

"If we gather all the forces, somehow…."

"The noble families are not volunteer organisations, Ian... Why would the renowned Rinella Family deploy their precious Mage Corps to support a stranger\'s territory? The same goes for the Yurdina Family."

Each of the following arguments was valid.

Indeed, the discussion with Senior Delphine regarding the private army of the Yurdina family was already concluded, it was but impossible to lend a hand further in such a hopeless situation.

The underling of the Evil God was that formidable of an enemy.

Even with a thousand elite soldiers, we couldn\'t easily confront it.

As frustrating as it was, Mitram\'s words were right.

It was beyond our power to thwart a plan that the Dark Order spent over ten years preparing.

At the very least, the elite forces of the Main Imperial Army would have to step in.

"And as you know, our Percus family is quite humble. Besides you, there isn\'t a knight worth its title... If we can\'t stop them, we have to minimise the damage."

"…Hundreds of people will get hurt and die."

"If not hundreds, then thousands, maybe even tens of thousands could die."

My father let out a deep sigh.

He didn\'t seem at ease with his own words.

It was only natural.

As a noble, he had to make the most painful decision.

"While you will find your own way to survive, remember this: a noble must always make choices and be prepared to bear the consequences. A wrong choice always comes with a price... I never want to make such a foolish mistake again."

My father’s face looked forlorn.

Whether it was from a sense of helplessness or the memories of a sad past, I couldn\'t tell.

But the words "wrong choice" suddenly stuck in my mind.

Looking back, my father warned me before I left to subjugate Mitram.

To not be swayed by the Dark Order\'s tongues.

At the time, I thought it was just a typical piece of fatherly advice.

But hearing the stories of Mitram and Ria one after another, I couldn\'t help but feel strangely suspicious.

An impromptu question escaped my lips.

"What about my younger sister?"

It was an abrupt question.

My father gave me a puzzled look and naturally asked back.

"...What do you mean?"

"I mean Ria. She said she has no memories from before coming to the manor."

Even after hearing my explanation, he remained silent.

He stared blankly at me for a long time before reluctantly turning his head away.

An obvious excuse slipped from his lips.

"It must be because she was seriously ill as a child, don\'t worry too much about it…"

"What about the Dark Priest?"

This seemed to be the first time my father was hearing about this.

I ordered my companions to keep it secret, so it was understandable.

It was a story I kept hidden because revealing it wouldn\'t benefit Ria at all.

But in a moment like this, alone with my father, it was something I needed to share.

Moreover, there were still more questions I needed to ask.

"That Dark Priest looked just like Ria."

Even at this shocking statement, my father didn’t turn to look at me.

He only let out a faint sigh, lowering his head.

With a deep, muffled voice, he asked,

"…Are you sure you weren\'t mistaken?"

"How could I be? It wasn\'t just a resemblance... It was like Ria herself."

Of course, she didn’t have the mole on her collarbone, but I wasn’t willing to mention that.

Admitting that I knew about my sister’s collarbone mole would only be seen as creepy by others.

But who knows? If it\'s Ria, she might like it a bit.

We had such a special bond as a family.

The fact that there were secrets about my sister that even I didn\'t know about was unbearably hard to accept.

In a weary voice, I asked my father again,

"Father, what on earth is goin… How could the Dark Order create a clone that looks exactly like Ria?"

My father, who had been standing silently, finally closed his eyes tightly.

After hesitating for a long time, he spoke in a faint tone.

"...This isn’t a conversation to have on the street."

It meant it wasn\'t a matter to be discussed publicly.

If it were, there’d have been no need for secrecy in the first place.

I obediently followed my father.

We turned away from the street and walked back to the manor.

Only when we reached the manor’s secluded backyard did my father\'s step stop.

His expression was both sombre and sorrowful.

Even the servants who came to greet us flinched and stepped aside.

The conversation between my father and me had long since ended.

I simply hoped that my father would collect his thoughts and tell me the truth.

It was a secret that could no longer be hidden.

Fortunately, my father seemed to have reached a similar conclusion.

With a long sigh, he revealed the family secret.

"...Ria is not your younger sister."

I somewhat expected it.

Yet, hearing those words, it felt like my heart stopped for a moment.

I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it again.

No appropriate words came to mind.

I didn’t know what to say or even what emotion to show.

My father, with a pained expression, began to explain.

"To be precise, she is genetically identical to your younger sister... I didn’t want to hide it from you. But since you and Ria seemed so close in childhood..."

Thud, it was then that we heard the sound of something falling.

My father and I turned around, realising our mistake.

Choosing the backyard as the place for our conversation to avoid breaking the solemn mood had been a mistake.

As there was someone who always came to find me with a wet towel when I returned from my walks.

That person was standing right behind me.

With long black hair falling past her waist and golden eyes as if made from molten gold.

It was my sister, Ria.

Her face had turned pale, indicating that this was a secret unknown to her as well.

Neither Father nor I could say a word, caught off guard.

As the silence between us three continued in the backyard.

Ria finally stammered out,

"R-R-R...”

My father lowered his head with a sorrowful expression, and I put my hand on my forehead.

I felt like cursing inwardly.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Ria must be feeling right now.

"....Really?!"

Yes, I truly couldn\'t imagine.

Hearing the sudden excitement in Ria’s voice, both my father and I were taken aback.

We both turned to Ria with disbelief in our eyes.

But no matter how closely we looked, she didn’t seem sad.

Instead, her eyes sparkled with an inexplicable excitement as she asked the question..

After a moment of silence, I could only ask in astonishment,

"...Why are you so happy?"

Ria seemed to be quite delighted that we weren\'t actually siblings.

It made me feel oddly slighted.