◈ Episode 442 Passion (1)
“I don’t know why he suddenly asked to see me. It looks like she is trying to hold me accountable for the kidnapping of her daughter.”
Rudger knows about Walter Rosshen.
An iron-blooded businessman with no blood or tears.
A living legend in the industry that elevated the Roshen, a mediocre merchant family, to a prominent conglomerate.
In particular, it was famous for holding a large number of net exhaust businesses related to various artifacts related to magic.
However, Rudger was imprinting information about Walter Rosshen in a different way.
He is the father of Sedina Rosshen, and the person she hates the most.
“Or are you saying that you want to say thank you for the disappearance of the family’s troubled child?”
Naturally, Rudger’s words and actions had no choice but to stand sharp.
As a parent with a child, Rudger hated people who didn’t do that.
Vierano smiled bitterly, saying he understood the reaction.
“But wouldn’t it be nice to meet and talk in person?”
“Mr. Vierano seems to have heard something else.”
“… … As an outsider, it wouldn’t be a very good picture for me to talk about other people’s family affairs. Still, if you at least meet him in person, I don’t think there will be anything to worry about.”
“… … .”
Rudger pondered for a moment.
If it wasn’t anyone else, and if Vierano was going to recommend it that way, it must have meant that there was something.
“… … Seeing your face, I will meet you at least once.”
“yes. Then I’ll get in touch with you right there. It will probably arrive soon.”
Vierano, who went out for a while to make contact, returned sooner than expected.
It’s really just a neat communication.
And not long after, a wagon arrived in front of the hideout building.
“Let’s get on.”
Ludger, Alex, and Bellaluna boarded the carriage under the guidance of Vierano.
Bellaluna was still puzzled as to how she came to accompany her.
The wagon was wider than expected.
There was enough room for four people to ride, and the inside of the wagon was full of all sorts of protective devices.
‘It’s almost like a royal family riding a carriage.’
No matter what kind of attack, as long as you stay inside this wagon, it will be as strong as a safe.
To that extent, I felt that the Law Shen family had a lot of money, and that they treated this guest with great respect.
The carriage headed for a large mansion on the outskirts of Ledervelk.
It was not Roshen’s home, but a separate branch in Ledervelk.
If I had to ask, it would be nice to call it a villa.
However, for a villa, its majesty and size did not make sense.
“… … How much money do you have?”
Alex murmured as he looked at the wide yard.
In the meantime, the carriage stopped, and the party followed the butler’s guidance to the back of the large mansion.
“This is Vierano Dentis.”
Standing in front of the ornate door, Vierano politely knocked on the door with his hand.
“Come in.”
Hearing words from inside, Vierano looked back at the party, nodded, and opened the door.
“nice to meet you. My name is Walter Roschen, the head of the Roshen family.”
Walter Rosshen was a man who appeared to be in his early forties.
Her hair was neatly brushed back, and her face was free of wrinkles.
However, her eyes were small and sharp, and she had a very gloomy and cold impression, perhaps because of the dark shadows on her slightly sunken cheeks.
It was to the extent that I could tell at once from the first impression why people said there was no blood or tears.
‘Is that person Sedina Lawshen’s father?’
The difference was so great that it was difficult to say that blood was connected with Sedina, who was small and round with an ambiguous image.
The only thing they have in common is their hair color.
Sedina’s appearance must have mainly resembled her mother’s.
“This is Rudgar Chelsea.”
“I know because I heard it.”
“You say you want to meet me, but I’m busy right now, so I’d appreciate it if you could get to the point.”
Considering that it is the first time meeting, the tone is quite rude.
At those words, Vierano looked back at Ludger in embarrassment.
But Ludger’s gaze was piercingly gazing at Walter Rosshen the entire time.
Walter might be furious at that action, but his expression didn’t change, and he nodded his head.
“I heard that my daughter was rude in many ways. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude as a father.”
A calm and still voice.
Rudgar’s eyebrows twitched slightly at that reaction, which did not feel the slightest emotion.
“I didn’t expect you to be the kind of person who cares about your daughter that much.”
What Rudger said had many implications.
Vierano watched the scene anxiously, like a man with a ticking time bomb next to him.
If it really crossed the line, I thought I’d somehow squeeze in and intervene.
But Walter Rosshen showed an unexpected reaction.
Instead of sharpening his teeth and refuting, he accepted the words with a faint, self-deprecating smile.
“you’re right. I’m not in a position to say that.”
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“… … .”
“Originally, this shouldn’t have happened. But now that I’ve come this far, I can’t do anything and leave my hands behind. That’s why I invited you guys.”
Rudger looked at Walter with the same gaze as to what kind of scheme this was.
Rather than explaining the appearance, Walter conveyed his meaning in a different way.
“It’s hard to sit still, so would you like to walk for a while?”
Walter took the party and headed to the backyard of the mansion.
At the back of the spacious mansion, there was a large greenhouse.
“here is… … .”
Bellaluna looked around the inside of the greenhouse curiously.
It wasn’t made to show off to others.
Being an elf, I could feel it more clearly.
The living plants inside showed that they had been carefully nurtured.
“It is a flower bed that I manage.”
So said Walter Rosshen, taking out a mister and watering the flower beds.
His actions were natural, as if he hadn’t done it once or twice.
“Was the head of a large company comfortable enough to lead a hobby like this?”
“Could that be? I do it while splitting the time I don’t have.”
Shaaa.
The water-soaked petals gave off a fresh scent.
Walter, who was watching him, asked.
“Do you think this hobby doesn’t suit you?”
“At least, it is clearly different from the public image.”
“That is natural. Because I wasn’t the one who took care of this flower bed in the first place.”
Walter looked at the white chair at the back of the flower bed with a gaze full of longing.
“It was my wife who took care of this place. And I followed that, and I’m continuing to take care of it.”
“… … If it’s your wife.”
“He was the last survivor of the Plante family.”
Walter knew all of that.
Who her wife was, and what value Shedina, the descendant of her blood, holds to the elves.
That’s why I didn’t understand.
“Is that kind of person abandoning his daughter like that?”
pop.
The stream of water from the sprayer that was being sprayed over the flower garden stopped.
His back was turned so I couldn’t see his expression. There probably won’t be any change in facial expression.
But even if it was only from the back, I could see so many emotions swirling in Walter’s head.
“… … I won’t deny it. Whatever the reason, what I did must have hurt that child. You don’t have the qualifications to act like a father. Still, I had no choice but to do it.”
“What is the reason for being proud?”
“My wife has passed away now. What do you think is the reason?”
Walter’s gaze turned to Ludger.
The moment Rudger looked into his eyes, he realized one thing.
That man is not without feelings.
Just like himself, it just didn’t show up outside.
Inside those ruthless-looking eyes, emotions that were hotter than anyone else in the room were wriggling.
“It was an assassination. It was the work of those who were targeting the Plante family.”
“Is it the Shadewarden’s work?”
Walter shook his head.
“If it had been them, my wife would not have died. They must have heard of trying to kidnap her wife somehow. I know why they were targeting Sedina. It was the other elves who were after her wife.”
“Other elves… … .”
“Moderate.”
It was Vierano who received the words instead.
“If you’re a moderate, aren’t they the ones who oppose the radical Leafre family? Are you saying that those people tried to destroy the Plante family?”
“yes. you’re right.”
“… … I don’t understand.”
The radical Leafre family wanted to restore the power of the world tree in its heyday and create a paradise for the elves.
Their claim was that they could endure the sacrifices and wars that followed for that purpose.
Conversely, the moderates were those who argued that too much had been lost in the war and that peace should be maintained.
In terms of meaning, the moderates could be said to be righteous at first glance.
“Everyone thinks so. If you are a moderate, you will rather protect the survivors of the Plante family and help them rebuild the family.”
Vierano could not hide his complexities.
His expression was a mixture of pity and contempt for his own people.
“But think about it. It will take a great deal of time, effort and resources to rebuild House Plante. If you want to revive a family that was once expelled for committing a great original sin, there will inevitably be a fierce backlash within the elven society. That will inevitably lead to a dispute.”
“… … Are you saying that the moderates do not want the conflict itself?”
“If you remove just one seed that causes conflict, things won’t grow.”
After all, moderates were moderates only in name, and those who did other evil deeds in that name.
“It was they who first discovered my wife’s true identity.”
said Walter, staring at the flower garden with a heavy gaze.
“They took a friendly approach to my wife. He said he would help restore the old family’s dignity. With the blade hidden behind that masked heart.”
“… … At least what you said about helping rebuild the Plante family was true.”
“yes. It’s probably to fight against the Leafre family. The legitimacy of the Plante family is more than that of the Leafre family, so they must have tried to use it as a political tool to crush the opposing faction. As a puppet that suits their taste. The problem is, her wife didn’t want that.”
“You mean you declined the offer?”
“What my wife wanted was not something like rebuilding the family.”
A bitter smile crept across Walter Rosshen’s lips.
“I just dreamed of taking care of this flower bed and living happily with my family. She just wanted that simplicity.”
However, upon learning the truth, the moderate elves immediately changed their attitude.
If they didn’t hold their hands, they were going to kill them and erase them from the world.
At least it would be better to sever the Plante family’s bloodline than to fall into the hands of the Leafre family.
“Shortly there was an ambush. The assassins broke through the family guards.”
Walter’s complexion darkened as he remembered the events of the day.
“The crisis has narrowly passed. It was helpful to reinforce the expenses without knowing it. But even so, the ambush could not be completely prevented. She was badly hurt.”
“If you’re the last survivor of the Plante family, aren’t you very strong?”
Bellaluna cautiously expressed her opinion.
Elves from aristocratic families are not simply born with bloodlines.
No, because he was born with that lineage, he was able to display strong power innately.
“She was in bad shape from a long runaway life. She was in a difficult condition to recover even after a long recuperation. There she was ambushed and her condition deteriorated.”
Walter still remembers.
The last of her weak smile as she held her hand.
Her hand, which had lost its warmth and had fallen like a falling leaf.
-Please take care of Sedina.
She closed her eyes thinking of others until the end.
I couldn’t forget it for the rest of my life.
“They won’t give up. It’s because blood is connected to Sedina. We will move the target to the next one. so… … .”
“… … So you’re saying that her daughter was not treated as a member of her family? Like her abandoned child, without giving her attention?”
“There are many concubines that cannot be revealed to wealthy merchants or nobles. I disguised Sedina as one of those mistresses’ daughters.”
Walter laughed self-deprecatingly.
“No one doubted it. When I met a woman elsewhere and gave birth to a child, I accepted it naturally. It’s a place where things like that often happen. I thought it was better. If you treat him as an abandoned child, the assassins won’t be too suspicious.”
“So, you left him like that?”
Ludgar saw Sedina glowing with anger and hatred whenever she mentioned her family name.
Sedina didn’t say it, but Ludger felt it more than anyone else.
Behind the anger and hatred, there was a sadness that could not be compared to anything else.
“Because that’s how you can protect that child.”
Rudger walked over to Walter and grabbed him by the collar.
“Don’t get away with such rubbish excuses. No matter how good your actions are, you are like a father who abandoned his children.”
“Lu, Mr. Rudger! Quit it!”
Vierano was greatly taken aback by the serious atmosphere.
It was Walter Rosshen, who was strangled by Ludger, who dried such Vierano.
Walter asked, staring straight at Ludger.
“Then, what should I have done? What can I do when they are trying to take my daughter’s life?”
“You should have kept it until the end!”
Vierano, who tried to stop Ludger’s shouting, and Alex and Bellaluna, who watched the scene, were froze in surprise.
It wasn’t anyone else, it was Ludger Celish, who had made a sound with emotion.
He lowered his voice even more coldly when he was angry.
