<Chapter 77>

“Ah…”

“See? I told you! My parents must be worried sick about me, even though they know this is the Monster Duke’s mansion—! I-I-I’m so sorry!”

Her audacity was truly impressive.

Even with the very person she was talking about standing right in front of her, she dared to utter the words “Monster Duke” aloud.

‘How can someone be this oblivious, especially while pregnant…? This has to be innate, not just the result of growing up sheltered like a hothouse flower.’

I was genuinely curious now.

“Alright. Open the gates for Viscount Khodchen. Let him come in and see his daughter for himself.”

I wondered—would Viscount Khodchen and his wife be exasperated by a daughter like this, or, as Fiona confidently claimed, would they embrace their pregnant daughter with open arms?

*  *  *

“Fiona! My daughter!”

“Father!”

A burly middle-aged man, built like a seasoned knight, hugged Fiona tightly, tears streaming down his face. His thick beard was drenched with the sheer volume of his sobbing.

Watching the scene with a deeply moved expression, Alvin sniffled and whispered to us.

“Viscount Khodchen used to serve as the captain of the Imperial Third Knight Order. However, due to certain events, he resigned from his position… and his worries for Fiona turned his hair and beard completely white.”

Ah, that explained it. He didn’t have many wrinkles, so I’d assumed he was naturally white-haired.

‘It’s amazing how much stress can really turn someone’s hair white…’

But if he cares for his daughter so much…

“Isn’t this bad news for you?”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious? You’re the one who got his precious daughter pregnant…”

“P-pregnant?”

Viscount Khodchen’s sobbing abruptly stopped.

He whipped his head around so sharply it made a whooshing sound. His tear-streaked face turned toward us with eyes blazing in fury.

“What did you just say? Pregnant? Who?!”

His fiery gaze, full of killing intent and rage, seemed capable of ending someone’s life on the spot. His bulging muscles, thick as logs, only added to the threatening aura.

And yet, Fiona, still cradled in her father’s arms, seemed oblivious to the tension as she cheerfully announced:

“Yes, Daddy. I’m actually pregnant! I’m three months along!”

‘Three months?’

No wonder she didn’t look noticeably pregnant yet. So, it hadn’t been that long.

‘That means after escaping to the North, she must’ve been living with Alvin before being captured by the Emperor.’

Alvin must have been captured alongside her as well.

“W-what? You mean those outrageous rumors spreading around aren’t lies?”

His voice, a mix of rage and disbelief, grew louder as his glare shifted to Temenos.

Even though he was now staring down the infamous “Monster Duke,” there wasn’t a trace of fear in his eyes—just raw fury.

If Fiona weren’t in his arms right now, he probably would’ve charged forward, ready to fight.

Before that could happen, I quickly stepped between him and Temenos.

“Don’t glare at an innocent man like that. If you want to break someone’s spine, here’s your target. This is the man who’s going to be the father of your grandchild.”

“G-grandchild?!”

“Monster Duke’s wife, please! That’s not the kind of thing to say…!”

“My wife truly has the spirit befitting the name of Winstein.”

“Hold on! What do you mean by that?”

“At least breaking a spine isn’t as bloody as cutting off fingers…”

“Are you going to keep blaming me for that?”

I may have stepped on Temenos’ foot, but the scream that followed came from the other side.

A scream so filled with desperation it sounded like a man clinging to life itself.

“F-father-in-law! Please calm down!”

“Who are you calling father-in-law?! Who?!”

“Daddy, let go of his collar, please? Alvin might die at this rate!”

“He’s going to die! How dare he touch my precious daughter, whom I raised like gold and silver!”

“Daddy! If you keep this up, your grandchild will grow up without a grandfather!”

“Who needs a father when there’s a grandfather?!”

Though Alvin was tall, he was on the lean side. Yet, Viscount Khodchen shook him like he was nothing more than a piece of paper.

I could believe now that stress had turned his hair white.

‘He wasn’t a knight commander for nothing, was he?’

Wait. Now that I think about it…

‘The Imperial Third Knight Order… weren’t they the ones who invaded the North in the novel?’

And it wasn’t even due to imperial orders.

The knights had abandoned their posts to seek vengeance for their commander, only to meet their demise—every last one of them—at the hands of Temenos.

‘It all began when the Emperor killed Fiona and dumped her body in the North.’

Fiona’s corpse was discovered in northern lands, and Alvin, seeking revenge, had been the first to come north.

In the novel, he wandered in search of a way to defeat the Monster Duke but was ultimately killed by wolves in the forest.

Incredibly, he managed to die in Viscount Khodchen’s arms, delivering the devastating news that Fiona had been pregnant.

Grieving the loss of his daughter, his unborn grandchild, and the young man who could’ve been his son-in-law, Viscount Khodchen stormed the Monster Duke’s mansion alone.

He killed several knights but couldn’t lay a single scratch on Temenos. His body was discarded in the forest.

The knights who followed him later met the same fate, slaughtered in their quest for vengeance.

‘But that tragedy… won’t happen anymore.’

I feel relieved.

“I’ll snap your spine, you wretch!”

“Ack! Please spare me, Father-in-law!”

……Relieved, right?

*  *  *

“We apologize for showing such a disgraceful scene.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“I’m sorry.”

Viscount Khodchen, Alvin, and even Fiona knelt before us, bowing their heads in apology.

To my surprise, Fiona had been scolded just as harshly as Alvin despite being pregnant.

“We owe you a debt we can never repay in this lifetime.”

“A debt we can never repay.”

“Never repay…”

With every bow Viscount Khodchen made, Fiona and Alvin followed suit, watching him nervously.

Seeing their sincere repentance pleased me. And Viscount Khodchen’s composure in the face of Temenos impressed me even more.

So I made a suggestion.

“I’ve heard enough apologies. You may stand now.”

“No, I will remain kneeling until this issue is resolved. These two need to reflect on their actions.”

At his sudden declaration, Alvin and Fiona both looked distressed but didn’t dare argue.

With a pitiful expression, Alvin whispered in desperation: “But Father-in-law, Fiona is pregnant…”

“Who’s your father-in-law?!”

Viscount Khodchen bellowed but glanced at Fiona, clearly conflicted. Unable to backtrack on his earlier words, I stepped in for him.

“As the young lord says, your daughter is pregnant. How about having her sit in a chair while the young lord holds up his hands instead?”

“That’s a splendid idea!”

Clapping his massive hands together, Viscount Khodchen fetched a chair and carefully seated Fiona. Then, he turned to Alvin with a glare that could melt steel.

“Raise your hands! Higher! You could kneel here all day, and it still wouldn’t make up for the suffering my daughter endured!”

“Daddy, that’s too much…”

“Fiona, silence. You’re being punished too.”

“Sniff…“

With Viscount Khodchen between them, Alvin knelt with his hands raised while Fiona sat, exchanging forlorn glances like star-crossed lovers separated by an uncrossable river.

‘As an outsider, this is just…’

Is it wrong to think this whole situation is ridiculous?

‘Let’s think positively. In the novel, all three—or rather, four—of them died…’

But now, their fates have changed, and they are all alive and well.

“Alvin…”

“Fiona…”

……This is a good thing, right?

<To be continued>

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