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“The Dark Knights greet the 50th Grand Duke of Knox!”

“May endless glory shine upon the Champion’s successor!”

As the people praised Mayer and bowed before him, public opinion was completely turned around.

“Him, the 50th Grand Duke of Knox? Ha, haha!” The grand duchess laughed in disbelief at the news of Mayer returning alive and well.

“Your Grace, please give permission.”

“Hahahahahahaha!!” The grand duchess lost her mind. Judged to be incapable of rational thought, she was soon confined to a room.

And so Mayer became Grand Duke Knox. Succeeding the family title at a young age, his first order was to deal with the vassals who were under his late father. There was little protest from the others as reason was on his side; they had forced Mayer into the dungeon. Thus, the boy got rid of every single person who knew of the secret behind his hair except for Vince. The grand duchess’ cries of Mayer being a monster were dismissed as nonsense born from the grief of losing her husband. Incarcerated under the guise of recuperation, she became ill. Within a few years, she passed away.

Mayer ceaselessly closed dungeons ever since his succession as if it was the only way to attain recognition. As the number of dungeon gates closed by Mayer increased, the secret of his birth and suspicion of his father’s murder faded. Gradually, those were replaced by voices of praise.

15 years passed, and Mayer had become a madman who would burn everything to close dungeons. He had escaped from the castle spire he was confined to in his childhood, but he was still held captive by the dungeons.

* * *

Vince’s recounting ended, and silence fell in the dim room. I hadn’t wanted to find out about Mayer Knox’s childhood in this way. No, I wished I was kept in the dark for my entire life, all the more so because of how miserable his past was. I recalled how, on the day Mayer and I drank wine together, he had overreacted about his hair. Was it not that he disliked me touching, but that he still believed his hair to inflict a curse? What ridiculous nonsense. Hair color was only influenced by mana and didn’t possess any power by itself. Getting cursed for touching his hair was unfeasible. There was no way Mayer didn’t know this. Then again… knowing didn’t make it any easier to believe.

I wet my dry lips. Mayer’s unimaginable past was far too heavy for me to bear alone. At the same time, it was much too tragic for me to ignore. I could finally understand somewhat why Mayer was so obsessed with closing dungeons. I would’ve been the same in his shoes. Who could imagine such a life? The only way to gain recognition was a journey to get rid of what had plunged one’s life into the pit of despair. How could I not be captivated?

Vince was silent for a long while before he pointed at the portrait. “Do you know how this portrait came to be?”

Upon closer inspection, it was strange. The former grand duke and grand duchess wouldn’t have had a portrait painted together with Mayer, whom they were so averse to.

Vince gave a bitter smile as he caressed the curtain and continued, “No matter how much the previous lord and lady rejected His Excellency, the grand duke carries the blood of Knox. His existence couldn’t be erased, which was why he needed to have a portrait as a nobleman… However, they did not want to stay in the same space as His Excellency.”

What bull was that…? My feelings had apparently shown on my face as the butler laughed as if he too thought it absurd. “That is why the previous lord and lady had their portrait painted. Then, they later had His Excellency’s image added on top.”

I frowned, unable to comprehend what meaning there was to this empty formality. Who the heck had a family portrait painted like this? Even in the 21st century, people would dress up to have their family picture taken in a photo studio. They didn’t photoshop it together. Shame on them!

But this wasn’t enough to speak for all the low discrimination of the late grand duke and grand duchess. An inconceivable truth had remained to be told.

“Even then, they did not wish to show His Excellency in front of the painter,” Vince went on. “They gave a childhood portrait of the previous grand duke for the painter to refer to and ordered only the hair color changed.”

“…I’m amazed that the captain is still leaving this portrait intact. I would’ve burned it long ago.”