The Count Family's Young Master
Chapter 22 - Must (1)

"Mr Kei."

The man looked stiff. As for Frey, standing on the right side behind Valias could not help but be surprised by the person's knowledge.

"We beg for time to speak."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"..We're not gonna do anything. We'll just talk." Frey hesitated to make a sound.

"My friends and I have decided to kill you." The man, Kei brought his eyes towards Frey before again lowering his eyes to Valias.

"Who are you? I didn't expect your whereabouts."

"Kei Patra."

The name Valias surprised everyone who was there. And made the young man named Kei tighten his grip.

"Patra, your mother's name. Your mother doesn't have a last name. So your mother used her own name as your last name. You, have the blood of a king who was killed with a poisoned arrow. One of your friends shot that arrow."

"...Who're you?"

"I'm Valias. I know a few things about you and your past" Valias said. "Now, are you willing to talk to us?"

Kei had not moved nor changed his expression in the slightest. "You can't hurt this guy because you'll need him later." Valias continued.

"Why do you think that?"

Frey listened to the interaction between Valias and the person who pointed the sword at them, quite surprised by Valias' statement.

"With your ability you can tell that there is no one else in this area but us and your friends. I don't know what about your Excellency Frey. But I'm sure you don't feel any power from me. You can kill me with just one swing of that thing in your hand. Isn't that enough?"

Silence filled the room. Until Valias finally saw Kei lower his sword and put the sharp object into the sheath.

"Speak."

"Let's! We had a deal!"

"Be quiet, stone brain! Didn't you hear that redhead? He knows something!" A large man exclaimed and a boy scolded him. Kei ignored the two friends and attached his gaze to Valias.

"Do you want to sit down, or stand up like that? Your friends can come in here, too."

Frey was speechless at how Valias spoke so calmly that he let the men in as if the room was his own. Kei did not answer.

"Yes, then. There's something we need to get straight. Frey Nardeen did the noble work of the king, but did not know and did not have any involvement with the noble actions of the king of Chalis at all" Valias said.

"Don't mention the damned man's name." Kei spoke low. Frey felt his heart cool down by the horror but Valias just nodded in agreement before continuing his sentence. "So do the rest of the royal family. You can hold my words. The next noble action of Frey will prove my point" Valias said.

"You haven't told me how you know my name yet."

Kei's figure narrowed his eyes. Valias let a momentary silence fill the phenomenon of Kei's piercing gaze at her. "I can't tell you."

"All right."

Kei put his hand on the handle of his sword again and started pulling it.

Valias opened his mouth. "I won't be able to do anything if you choose to kill me, but my family will be sad. I'm sure you know what it's like to lose your family. Didn't you?"

Kei's movement stopped.

"You can kill me whenever you want. I'm not gonna run. But there are some things I want you to know."

Valias looked up at the man who was 2 years younger than him. "Frey Nardeen and his family are innocent people. Your anger is with King Hayden and that man is dead. Your wish is that Hayden's kingdom will change as well as the well-being of your friends' families and Frey Nardeen will make it happen. Are you still gonna kill him?"

"..What if it is?" ask Kei.

"I can't let you do that. Frey Nardeen's existence is needed for the future I want."

Kei kept his sword out. Valias stepped out his legs and let his body stand in front of Frey.

Kei raised his eyebrows. "You want to die with him?"

Valias let those eyes look at him sharply as if that gaze was going to pierce his head.

"You can't kill him" he said firmly. But suddenly felt a pain in his head right after he said that.

"Ah.." ringing. Reflexively moving his right hand towards his head. As if with that the dizziness could subside.

...Dizziness especially this? he's astonished.

This time the pain was as if his brain was beaten into a stick and pierced by a needle. He had never felt such a headache before. Not even since he started being Valias.

His head was so sore that he started to let his body sit on the floor. "Valias Bardev! Why you?!" Frey exclaimed frantically seeing Valias sitting down like that all of a sudden. Could not help his surprise. The situation made him more sensitive.

Valias himself did not know the reason his head ached suddenly like that.

"You think acting like that would be useful?"

The voice of the young man who said he was going to kill him with Frey was heard again.

Valias frowned.

What acting?

He tried to raise his head to look at Kei's face. She and Frey were both under her piercing gaze.

"It's.."

"Blood!" One of the people in Kei's group exclaimed.

"Valias Bardev! What exactly are you?!"

Frey saw blood flowing from Valias' nose and exclaimed in panic.

..Does this body have a chronic illness?

Valias began to think about that possibility.

Blood dripped onto his hands and clothes. "Let me check!" The boy from Kei's group just ran over. He knelt beside Valias and touched his wrist. Valias with one hand tried to cover his nostrils.

"God your skin is so pale." the boy grumbled. "Your hands are cold too."

The headache that Valias felt did not improve at all. And the boy's exclamation only made him feel even more uncomfortable.

"Use this." Frey grabbed a handkerchief on the table and gave it to Valias. Valias used the cloth to cover his nose but he did not feel his blood flow stop. Valias began to worry that he would faint again.

This body is very weak.

The boy untied his robe and placed it on the shoulders of the seated Valias.

"Look.. You can't kill this guy."

Valias felt blood enter his mouth but he ignored it. Feeling himself had to make sure the main character in the story did not kill the future king Hayden.

And what happened next, was Valias who lost the power to keep his eyes open. With the last voice he heard was Frey calling his name.

...***...

Valias opened his eyes and was greeted with the appearance of the ceiling of the bed. Valias feels dejavu and wonders if he will continue to experience that dejavu if he continues to be in Valias—'s bodyor he will bleed to death first.

This time he did not feel stiff. His headache had also completely disappeared. He felt like he was back to being okay.

He looked around but realized his furniture and room layout were different from the rooms he had used.

The sound of an open door rang out and when Valias turned his head, the female figure that Valias had suspected as one of Kei's friends was already there.

"Ah. Bosses. That guy's up."

"Valias! Thank goodness you woke up. You fainted for hours!" frey complained.

It's okay compared to when Valias was asleep for a week. But how Valias shed a lot of blood and lost consciousness— especially in the middle of such a stressful situation—Frey felt Valias sleep time much longer than one week that time.

"You're still alive? Thank goodness." Valias' smile. Put on a sincere smile.

He was happy because it seemed like his headache and stupor made Kei slightly change his mind. That way the plan for the future may be carried out.

But Frey, hearing Valias say after going through a tense and horrible— momentit felt herself so happy and felt the heart in her chest warm up. Thinking that Valias was already worried about him so much even after losing a lot of blood also lost consciousness. Frey was so grateful for her and Valias' safety that she wanted to shed tears.

But he is a king. He cannot show his weakness to anyone. Especially not with the existence of a man with a sword who once had the intention—or even still will have the intention to return someday— to end his life standing still behind him without making any sound.

"Yes. I'm still alive." Frey was about to roll his eyes at Kei's figure but then immediately canceled it. "I've spoken to him. I also told him how I knew he was my half-brother to you. He said he would let me live. For now."

Valias gave a small laugh hearing Frey's funny-sounding tweet. To him.

Of course Frey's still scared of him. Valias has also broken his promise and allowed Frey to have to deal with the young man—and maybe his other friends— alone. "I'm sorry, your honor. I shouldn't have left you like that. I broke a promise I kept myself" he said.

"What are you talking about? Just think about yourself! What the hell are you really doing? Don't tell me you have a disease? Does Count Bardev know about this??"

Frey doesn't believe Valias is still worried about him.

Valias also wonders who Valias Bardev is. Maybe the real Valias really had a disease that no one knew about?

Valias decided to ignore it. He's feeling fine now. So there shouldn't be any problems.

Valias got up and stood up from the bed still with his clothes and pants that had blood stains even though his hands and face had already been cleaned by someone. "I have to thank you for following my request. I will definitely repay your kindness." Valias said.

Opening your heart and obeying the enemy's request is certainly not an easy thing for Kei. Valias who has read the story about Kei's life certainly knows it clearly.

While Kei, glancing at the bloodstains that littered the clothes of the frail and skinny person in front of him finally made a sound. "..You're. What made you bleed and lose consciousness?"

Valias again receives a question he himself does not know the answer to. "Eitherway. But I don't think it matters."

Valias saw Kei's forehead shriveling but didn't hear anything from the young man so he decided he was the one who would make a sound. "I'm up. So we're going to talk about what we need to talk about. You can choose to listen or not. I won't force you to listen to me."

Valias walked up to the sofa and sat there. Frey once again admired how Valias who acted as if a room was his own.

Actually, it was Frey's room. Valias lost consciousness and the herd that his half-brother brought pressed him to tell them which room with the bed was closest to Frey's workspace.

And then selected is Frey's room which is right next to the room—even there is a secret door that connects the two rooms but Frey did not say anything. Watching how a big man carried Valias on his shoulder and carried the owner of the red hair there.

Frey approached Valias but did not sit down. Feeling silly with himself why he feels awkward when he is in his own room.

It was all because of the existence of the half-brother that made him want to always be near Valias to ask for protection.

He knows he's embarrassing—moreover he's a king. But he couldn't hold that feeling. Like expecting protection from a Wistar sister, but somehow Frey felt security by being near Valias. He ignored his common sense and chose to follow his heart and instinct.

Valias wondered why Frey did not sit and just stood beside the sofa chair he was sitting on but chose not to say anything. "If you're expecting the welfare of your friends, you're gonna have to help us build Frey's glorious foundation of leadership." Valias brought his eyes to look at Kei who was looking back at him but with a more calm and relaxed look than before.

Valias could still feel an observing gaze but did not feel bothered by it. "Your friends are from all over Hayden. They suffered injustice from the upper classes and met you before finally deciding to follow you" Valias said, letting his words pause. "If you want this kingdom to change, then we must overcome those nobles."

"...Your father was also a noble. You're gonna let your father die?"

Valias sighed hearing Kei's response.

Sure oes.

Such a response was a natural thing for a character like Kei. Even during Valias reading the story, he was made to feel anxious at the mindset of the main character in the story. "Who said you had to kill those people? We can use another way."

"...You got a way?" This time Frey asked.

Valias was still sitting quietly.

They can find a way.

Frey Nardeen is alive. And Kei and his flock will be on the side of the crown prince of the future king Hayden.

Everything will be easier.

Kei, along with his flock could easily invade the palace of a kingdom and carry out a coup. Facing a group of despicable nobles would not be a big deal. "We can start from the southeast."

Hayden was divided into 8 regions like the cardinal directions. With the capital where the palace they were in today as its center. A fairly simple map pattern. "Each region makes their own faction. Isn't that right, your highness?"

Frey didn't expect to be called so she cleared her throat a little. "You're right. It had long been an open secret that the leaders of each region formed their own faction."

And as if an evil supporting character like them had been born that way, the little nobles below them decided to support the leader of the region.

Then, each faction of each region would fight coldly in order to make their superior territory also more dominant. And with that split, when the neighboring kingdom attacked, Hayden had no power to defend their territory.

"...What's on your mind?"

Frey couldn't help but voice out what was bothering him to find Valias who said nothing after answering the child's question.

"Hayden will be attacked by another kingdom, your majesty."

"!!!"

Even Kei's group didn't expect that.

"...A war?"

Frey hesitated.

He had already heard Valias say Hayden would break out, but still did not expect that the outbreak of Hayden would be caused by war.

He thought, since back then he and Valias were discussing about the noble factions of the region in Hayden, then the breakup of Hayden that Valias meant was due to the cold war—or things similar to that.

But, war?

Valias nodded.

Hayden had been in a state of peace since the first kingdom was built.

Other kingdoms may be eager to expand their territories. But Hayden, as a kingdom with a territory already large enough, had already had peace for ten centuries.

Imagining Hayden going to war is already absurd.

But, uh,

Different if the other kingdom decided to attack first. "You. What are you talking about?"

Kei, I don't know anything about this. Valias knows that.

Valias raises his shoulders. "I can't tell you why I can say these things. But I don't think it's wrong for you to believe, do you?"

Valias restyled her long hair which made her uncomfortable. "Now that we seem to have faith in each other, how about we start the plan?"

He looked at Frey. "Your highness. Your family can already come back here."

After Valias said that Kei looked wary. His hand he placed on the sword hilt as if it could calm him down. Valias wondered what was going on.

"Some one has come in here." murmured Kei low.

"Is that Kei? By god your abilities are indeed truly terrifying." The big man before voiced again.

Frey also then heard the clattering of feet leading to the palace. He went to the window and looked out.

"Valias. That's your dad."

Valias reflex raises next to his eyebrows.

The hadden?

Valias doesn't understand why Valias' father came there. He looked at the window and saw Hadden running with the knights with the insignia of the Bardev residence towards the palace door.