The Count Family's Young Master
Chapter 24 - To the Border (1)

"You're back in filthy clothes as I thought, young master."

Valias drinks sweet warm tea from Alister. Hearing Alister say like that Valias almost choked.

Ha's?

Valias returned Alister's smile with her pain.

...What did he mean by he expected?

But Alister said nothing more and Valias decided to forget the old servant's strangeness.

Alister was still helping her clean up and get dressed and gave her breakfast. The wound was healing and only the scabs remained. His arm was not bandaged and treated again.

Valias finished his breakfast in the room and began to think about what he would do that day. Started thinking about staying silent in the reading room peeking at the contents of the books again.

But maybe this time he'll read some books. Expanding his knowledge of the world of stories.

The door of the room was opened by Alister and Valias saw the figure of Dina and Danial, standing together in front of the room door.

"Sister!"  Dina sprang to reach Valias' waist which was still resting in the room.

"Sister! Brother hurt again? When did you return from the palace? Is brother okay?"

Valias held onto Dina's shoulder after being shocked by the impact of the child's body on her. "Yes. I'm doing fine. Just bleeding from the nose like that. There are no wounds. I've had enough rest. And I came back last night."

"I heard the palace was attacked while brother was still there."

Valias looked at Danial who was looking at him with a flat face but with eyes that were emitting worry. Valias feels Danial is cute and gives a warm smile.

"really. But I'm fine. Where'd you hear that?"

"I heard it from the people at the training ground." Danial lowered his gaze. If Valias pays attention again, Danial wears a more casual suit and looks a little sweaty.

"You came straight here after hearing that?"

Danial lowered his head. "They said brother was hurt."

Oh..

Valias feels Valias' brother and sister are so considerate and kind. Valias wonders what makes the real Valias Bardev so cold to his family.

"What else have you heard?"

Danial held his right arm. "They said the perpetrator who attacked my brother attacked the palace. And brother helped his majesty talk to them."

Valias agreed to what Danial heard.

"They hurt sister again?!" Dina exclaims. Valias immediately patted his head.

"No. I was bleeding for another reason and they didn't touch me at all. Don't worry."

"..But brother still bled." Danial spoke again.

"Yes, but now I'm fine so you don't have to worry anymore." Valias decided to give up on convincing people that he was absolutely okay.

"I'm going to the reading room. You come back. And Dina, don't forget to have breakfast and study with Mallory's teacher, okay?"

"....But my brother also bled in the reading room. Don't push yourself."

Danial watched Valias leave and got a pat on his head.

"You're a good boy. You're gonna be a great guy. I will not force myself. Don't leave your training, okay?" Valias gave a small smile and ruffled Danial's hair slightly before leaving Danial and Dina in front of her room.

"I'll keep an eye on your brother, young master. Please don't worry." Alister gave his friendly smile as he bowed towards Danial and started following Valias.

...***...

Valias was reading a book on the table and a guest he had not expected came to see him in the reading room.

"Hi Valias."

Wistar, with his cute smile appeared in front of the open reading room door. The flat-faced Dylan stood beside him.

Valias really did not expect their arrival and frowned.

"I took Dylan with me."

More precisely, to bring force.

Alleged Valias.

"When are you back, your Highness Wissy?"

Valias gave a small smile from his chair. Wistar looked at the smile before winking and starting to laugh out loud.

"You are the best. I'm glad you finally called me that. You can also talk more casually to me, you know? I want to be friends with you."

Valias just nodded solemnly and re-attached his eyes to the writing inside the book in front of him.

"Come, Dylan. You hear him? He called me Wissy. Why do you always ignore me?" Wistar grabbed Dylan's shoulder and herded him forcefully to sit at the same table as Valias.

"What did you read?"

"El."

"..You're interested in imaginary creatures like that?"

Valias felt the question was ridiculous because magic which was a delusion alone was a real thing here.

"Have you heard of them?"

"I told you to relax with me. And yes. There are some books that call them. But even people have never seen them. I'm sure they don't exist. And oh. Me and everyone came back this morning after my sister told me. So the negotiations worked? You're great, Valias. I'm really amazed at you."

Wistar put on a cheerful smile. His eyes sparkled and it seemed that he was earnest with his words.

Dylan raised his eyebrows. "What negotiation?"

"Oh, Dylan. You didn't know? Valias told my brother that he knew the identity of the assailant at the time. Those people came to the palace to meet the elder brother and Valias accompanied brother Frey to negotiate with them."

Dylan frowned. "...How do you know that?"

The question was directed at Valias.

"Dylan. You don't know shit. Why do you think my father died but Valias is alive?"

Dylan rounded his eyes.

"..You..? You're part of them? You've found a way to deal with the poison?"

Dylan immediately hit the table, gluing his gaze to the red-haired man opposite his seat.

Dylan had thought about many things since his return from the palace and heard rumors about the Bardev family and Valias Bardev. Also the events of that night.

Dylan didn't want to believe it. The guess, the guess of many, right?

And Wistar knows. But Valias wasn't punished?

Valias is quite surprised by Dylan's sudden movements and begins to feel the interaction between the two guests involves him and puts him in a position that makes him uncomfortable.

"Dylan. Valias gets a message from the god and gets a way to treat the poison in his body!"

Dylan frowned and Valias frowned silently.

"....God?"

"Yes. He got this message..." Wistar began to repeat the story of Valias that the red-haired man told in front of himself and Frey.

Dylan listened to the story and again rounded his eyes.

"..You??" Once again he looked at the sharp Valias who still did not dare to lift his face from the book.

"I also don't know why he knows all that. But maybe the gods gave him another message."

Valias' forehead is getting wrinkled.

The bullshit he said saved him from suspicion but also led him to a new misunderstanding.

"..You.. your actions that night..Is that how to deal with poison?"

Dylan asked with pushy eyes.

Of course it's not the right way. But only the way that Valias uses to minimize the effects of the poison.

"No. He himself still does not know how. But at least with all that blood the poison comes back out and keeps him alive."

Wistar looks so proud of all his knowledge. This was the first time Dylan had listened to him and Wistar felt so excited with his chatter.

While Dylan was still looking at Valias in front of him with wide eyes, frown, and a face of disbelief.

Silence continued. Valias still refused to raise his face.

He could not focus, but forced himself to read the words in front of him.

"I think the young master is indeed quite surprising to the people around him. Is there another secret you have, young master."

Alister smiled fakely behind the lowered Valias.

"Yes, right? I didn't think there was anyone like Valias in Hayden. You think that way too, right?" Wistar elbowed Dylan's arm which still had not turned his round eyes away from Valias.

..How long will he see me like that?

Valias was already feeling uneasy and increasingly uncomfortable after hearing Alister's words.

Valias decided to close the book and leave.

"Eh? Where are you going?"

Valias pressed his lips together. "There's something I want to do." Valias left without saying anything.

"What's? I'm coming!" Wistar got up from his chair. "Dylan!"

Wistar grabbed Dylan's hand and pulled the boy with him.

Alister, too, followed his young master away, leaving behind a mild mess that his young master had caused him to know others would take care of him.

The old man too, was quite interested in what Valias was going to do, and wanted to see it with his own eyes.

The place Valias was heading to was his room. And Wistar, along with Dylan entered shamelessly and was immediately startled by the sight he saw.

"..I, This.." Wistar still hugged Dylan's hand and did not know what to behave like.

Likewise, Dylan, who was upset, was replaced with unbelief.

The two of them looked at the red-haired figure with a thin body who was walking leisurely among the papers and some books.

"..Valias.. It's.." Wistar still could not shake his shock and still held Dylan's hand. But he did not hear Valias respond to him. Valias also did not give his gaze and instead took out a book and opened it.

Dylan noticed the brown stain on some of the paper, removed his hand from Wistar who was still not moving at all and looked unconscious with the departure of the hand he was holding, and took the paper that caught his eye.

Dylan did not understand the writing. He never saw such writing. He saw some other papers in considerable quantities that also had brown stains at some point. And there are even papers that have brown stains in large sizes.

Did he write this?

He brought his eyes towards Valias who was quietly standing at the side of the room with the book in his hand.

Wistar, finally waking up from his daydream, grabbed the book he had accidentally stepped on.

"..Valias.. You wrote this?" Wistar looked and read the book and was surprised by its contents.

"....You're not the one who wrote it. But,"

Handwriting and sketches. Not a book, but a journal.

Journal written by a person who seemed to admit to visiting a place that was so foreign to Wistar.

Do these places really exist?

Wistar wondered.

Everything was. Mention and picture. They are too foreign and do not feel real to them.

Dylan, elsewhere, opened a different and like-minded book.

Alister stood by the door that was still open, watching the two teenagers looking at his master with a face of disbelief. Alister wanted to know, but had no intention of reading it himself. Watching what Valias did and the mannerisms of the prince and the duke's son was enough to satisfy him.

They saw Valias close the book in his hand and put it back in its original place before picking up another book, opening it for a while, then walking towards Wistar and Dylan. More precisely towards the door.

"Wissy. Is your Majesty Frey busy?"

"Y-Yeah? Uh. Frey is always busy. But if there's any business he'll let you see him."

"Ep. I'll see him."

"..Now?"

"Now." Wistar put the book in his hand back to the floor and followed Valias. So did Dylan who was left doing the same thing with his flat face. But his eyes were emitting a great sense of curiosity.

"Do I need to accompany you, young master?"

"No. I'll go alone again."

Alister pouted but said nothing. "..I'll wait for your return."

"I don't care if you say you're going alone. The place you're coming to is my home and I'm taking Dylan with me."

Valias smiled slightly but Wistar and Dylan did not see that.

The door was knocked and Mallory opened the door.

"Young master? Ah." Mallory is shocked by Wistar and Dylan.

"Your highness. Young master Adelard. I'm sorry I didn't know your arrival."

"Valias?" Hadden lifted his face. Still on his fancy job.

"Your highness. Dylan."

"Good day, dad. I'm going to the palace."

"..Any more?" Hadden frowned. The physician he called could not come. But she heard the maid's report that her son looked fine and was in the reading room accompanied by Alister. And now the boy is in his room.

"Your Majesty Frey called you again? But I thought, you have nothing to do with them anymore?"

Valias.

There's something I have to do if I want Bardev to live peacefully like this for good.

"This time I'll just play. Maybe I'll stay at the palace."

Wistar and Dylan wondered if Valias was earnest in his words but chose to keep quiet.

"..Did ya? You just want to visit the palace?" Hadden frowned, not caring too much about Wistar's whereabouts and focused only on his son.

Hadden was quite surprised by how casually Valias said that. After all, the palace was not a place that even nobles like him could go to. Even though Hadden had suspected enough that his son had a close relationship with the royal family even though they had not known for long.

Hadden closed his lips. Resisting the unrest in his heart and trying to convince himself that his son is telling the truth.

"..Dad let. You promise you won't get hurt?"

Valias gave a warm smile and nodded confidently. "This time I promise I won't worry you. Focus on your work. I'm saying goodbye."

Mallory ushered in the departure of the three teenagers before looking towards Hadden who still had not returned to work.

Mallory sighed silently.

Poor Mr. Hadden.

Mallory could imagine the unrest Hadden was feeling right now.