“Th-Then I’ll go back now! You rest easy. Ian!”
“See you later, Eri.”
“Y-Yes… I-I… l-lo…”
“Do you mean you love me?”
“Ah, no, that’s… I don’t know!”
Blushing deeply, Eri lowered her head and dashed out.
As Ian stared at the door that had slammed shut, a faint laugh escaped his lips.
‘I never thought she’d be that embarrassed.’
He had always thought that Erzebeth was the type of person who couldn’t say embarrassing things like “I love you” or “I like you.”
The Eri he had known always had a stiff attitude.
She had that cold, princess-like aura, often a cliché found in novels and games.
It might even be strange to expect romantic words to come from someone with such traits.
That was, of course, the reason.
‘Still, the fact that she tried to say “I love you” is a huge improvement.’
The reason Ian hadn’t felt regret despite not hearing such formal words like “I love you” from the woman he had promised a future with was simple.
‘Eri’s real charm lies in how she tries to act stiff, but shows these moments of vulnerability. Well, when she’s drunk, she becomes a completely different person, but I can avoid that.’
If you don’t expect it, you won’t feel disappointed.
Ian wasn’t foolish, so instead of thinking about things that couldn’t happen right away, he decided to focus on the other charms that Erzebeth had at the moment.
“Now that Eri is sorted, the remaining four…”
Lia, followed by his childhood friend Celia, Bianca, and Reina.
Thinking about how to tell them this, his head started to ache.
Ian’s thoughts were simple. He had a responsibility to everyone he had formed bonds with, whether they were heroines from the original work or people he had connected with after reincarnating.
To put it simply, he had no intention of abandoning someone like Reina, just because Eri came first.
Of course, Eri was the most important person to Ian, but that didn’t mean others were less of a priority.
They were all important and precious, and he couldn’t even imagine them going to someone else.
‘Of course, if this were Korea, polygamy wouldn’t be allowed. I’d have to choose just one person. But here, it’s different.’
Although the medieval setting was dull and boring, it wasn’t all bad.
Polygamy was allowed in this world, and as long as you had the ability to handle it, no one would think it strange to have multiple wives.
Now that he couldn’t return to Korea, he had decided to stay here, and taking responsibility for all of them seemed like the right thing to do.
‘The problem is, they’re all going to be monsters in terms of strength soon.’
Too much power concentrated in one place would inevitably lead to jealous stares and pressure, but Ian had already prepared himself for that.
He wasn’t the type of person who would sit idly by while his heroines were given to other men.
‘That’s why I decided to take responsibility for everyone. Starting with Eri.’
The empire had marriage laws, and naturally, there were rules about polygamy.
The rule that blocked Ian’s plan was the difference in status among his wives.
‘The first wife’s status must be higher than that of the others. If I’m bringing in concubines, that’s one thing, but if I’m taking multiple legitimate wives, I must follow this rule.’
To put it simply, in order for Ian to take all of them in, Eri had to be the first wife.
Of course, if Eri rejected his proposal or had issues with taking other women as wives, things would become complicated.
“I already expected this. Ian, you can do whatever you want.”
‘She accepted my proposal, and she doesn’t seem to mind other women being added.’
The cold and ruthless ice queen gave a light nod, as if it didn’t matter.
And that moment…
‘Now, the only thing left is handing out the rings to the others.’
The path to the happy future Ian had been planning for was now clear.
Now, all that was left was to rush forward.
‘For that, I’ll have to swallow the whole family.’
Ian nodded to himself, then jumped out of bed.
***
With great energy, Ian headed to none other than Killain’s office.
Since the succession to the title had been confirmed, he needed to quickly take over as head of the family.
Of course, since it was already confirmed that Killain would pass on the Volkanov family title to Ian, there would be no problem if he gathered the vassals and declared, “From today, I am the head of the family.”
Still, the succession ceremony, which would only happen once, couldn’t be treated casually, could it?
While Ian had no intention of making a grand event with fireworks and summoning all the nobles of the Empire, he didn’t want it to be something as simple as just offering a glass of water either.
‘It would be best to gather a few vassals and have my father pass the title to me in a traditional manner. Hmm. That’s the right way.’
Since he had to receive a ducal title from the Imperial family, he needed to finish the succession ceremony before calling for it.
With that goal in mind, Ian went to the third floor of the mansion, where Killain’s office was.
“What? He went to nurse Mother?”
“That’s right, Young Master.”
At Shulkin’s cautious words, Ian couldn’t help but sigh.
It wasn’t because his father had temporarily left the house.
It wasn’t a distant expedition either, and the treatment room was in the mansion itself, so he could have just gone to see her.
But the reason Ian reacted that way was because he had heard that she went to take care of Leticia.
“I was told she collapsed into a coma before crossing into Astelgia. But she’s still not recovered? What kind of severe illness is she suffering from?”
“My apologies. After finishing the battle and returning, we asked the high priests from Edenria, who had come to treat you and Miss, to look after her as well.”
“Please, continue.”
“The treatment for you and Miss was almost completed by the Saintess, so the priests accepted our request and began treating the mistress. However, according to them… they said it was an incurable illness.”
“An… incurable illness?”
Not difficult, but impossible? What exactly did that mean?
The high priests—those who were sent from Edenria, the continent’s heroes who had defeated Lucifer.
If they were in their right mind, Edenria would have sent only the best priests for the task.
They weren’t comparable to the junior priests who came to serve the Empire to fulfill their duties.
“To think that even they couldn’t cure it…”
If you thought about it differently, it meant the situation was dire enough to be considered life-threatening.
If that were the case, there was no time to waste.
“Where is Mother now? In the treatment room?”
“No, it seems better to create a comfortable atmosphere, so she’s currently in her bedroom. Would you like to go right now?”
“I’ll go right away.”
After grasping the situation, Ian quickly headed for Leticia and Killain’s bedroom.
When he entered, he saw it.
“You’ve come, Ian…”
“…Ian?”
Leticia, struggling for breath while receiving intensive treatment from the priests, and Killain sitting beside her bed, holding her hand.
The priests and Killain were startled by Ian’s sudden visit. As they looked at him, Ian spoke.
“May I have a moment to speak with Mother?”
As if to prove that further treatment was futile, the priests quietly left the room the moment Ian finished speaking, and after Killain left the room as well, Ian turned his attention to Leticia.
“I’m sorry… Ian…”
“Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“That is…”
When Ian held her trembling hand, Leticia finally, with some relief, began to speak the truth about the situation.
“Ian… I don’t have much time left to live.”
***
Leticia Asley.
She was the daughter of the Asley family, a minor noble house, and she had first met Killain during their time at the Academy.
Although she was noble, her family wasn’t particularly prestigious, nor were they very wealthy.
In order to succeed, just like other nobles, she needed to graduate from the Academy, but not just with any diploma—she needed excellent grades.
At that time, it was Killain who extended his hand to her.
In order to defeat Kyan’s party, who was known as the hero of commoners, Killain began gathering the best students, and that was how their relationship started.
At first, it was all about achieving excellent grades, but as they spent time together, they grew closer, and by the time they graduated, Leticia’s goal shifted from simply obtaining her diploma to being with Killain.
“After graduating from the Academy, I was heading to the place where the carriages were waiting, when Killain rushed over and gave me a ring.”
Was it perhaps a blessing from Eris? A man from a renowned count family, who surely would not have noticed a mere daughter of a baron, ran to find her before she left. He said this to her.
“Let’s get married. With that one sentence, I sent the carriage my father had sent me away, and came to Volkanov. After the marriage, he took the head of the family’s position.”
It was a continuous happiness, and she believed that only good things lay ahead.
But tragedy struck at an unexpected moment.
“On the day of the wedding, my father came to find me and told me this: ‘The daughters of the Asley family fall ill with an incurable disease when they bear children, and their lifespans are drastically shortened.’”
Having children with the person you love was incredibly important.
A child not only strengthens the bond between a couple, but for Killain, the only heir to his family, having a child was essential to carry on the family name.
To have a child meant possibly dying. Any ordinary person would hesitate, but Leticia was different.
“I decided not to tell Killain. If he knew, he would have insisted I not have children. So, I kept it a secret and gave birth to you both.”
She didn’t care about her lifespan being shortened. She loved Killain so much, and her goal was to see the face of the child born between them.
She wanted to give him all the love she had, and she wanted to show her children a life free from any lack.
Parents want to give their children everything they desire.
Leticia had lived a life limited by money, not being able to do everything she wanted, so she wanted to make sure her children would live without such constraints.
“I swore I would love you both so that you would never have to struggle in life… but…”
However, she ultimately gifted her first child the worst life imaginable.
Ian Volkanov. Despite being the eldest son of a count, he wore tattered clothes, could not eat what he wanted, and only consumed the foods he shouldn’t.
In this vast mansion, there was no one on his side.
Everyone ignored him and abandoned him.
A life that was far from ideal, and yet the most frightening part was that it was Leticia who led Ian into such a life.
And that truth was tormenting her.
“I’m so sorry, my son… I’ve thought countless times about why I did that to you, but I can’t remember. At one point, I even thought the gods were toying with me.”
“…”
As Ian silently listened, her hand rested on top of his.
Her hand, now cold beyond measure, seemed to speak of the life slowly draining from her.
“I’m so sorry. I… What in the world did I do…”
At the same time, Ian could only silently watch her tears, which showed no sign of stopping.
