Edward shook away the dread gnawing at his mind, and focused on the breakfast instead.
He let out a small sigh as he bit into a small piece of meat, making sure to look as reserved as possible as he could still feel the weight of Emilia's gaze behind him.
The piece of meat was extremely tender, melting on his tongue with a soft richness that made him pause.
Wow...
it was so good in-fact, that he momentarily forgot about the three men watching him like hawks.
Of course, the lapse was only for a moment.
This is going to be troublesome...
He glanced up Calen, who looked like he had no appetite for the food in-front of him. Armand looked to comfortable with his food, Elias too looked to be home in the suffocating pressure of this dining table.
And as always, the duke, his father looked oblivious to all this.
He reached for his cup, taking a cautious sip. The tea was light and fragrant, tinged with a little sugar, just the way he liked it. And most importantly, it wasn't hot enough to burn his lips.
He set it down carefully and kept his hands folded after, trying to look composed—even though every instinct screamed at him to crawl under the table and disappear.
Silence lingered over the long table. Not a peaceful silence, but the kind that made you antsy. He didn't meet anyone's eye, because he was sure that once he did, he would be choked under a barrage of questions.
He just wanted the silence, finish his meal, and then get out of here as fast as he can.
But obviously, not everyone wanted that.
"So," Armand began conversationally, his tone soft. "Young master Edward, it is truly fortunate that you were found unharmed. We were deeply concerned for your safety."
The duke nodded at this, and Edward almost jumped when he realised he was supposed to reply to him.
He looked up, mostly because manners demanded it. "Right... I'm glad too."
An uncomfortable silence followed.
"I'm sure it must've been a frightening ordeal." Armand continued. "To disappear so suddenly, without even leaving a message behind."
Edward's grip on his fork tightened.
What am I even supposed to reply to that...
He could feel Calen watching him now. Elias too was observing him, his expression showing mild interest.
The duke shifted slightly, his expression softening. "You don't have to tell us about it if you're not ready."
Edward nodded, relieved that the interrogation would proceed at a further date.
Unfortunately, Armand wasn't done.
"Still," He went on, taking a small sip from his cup. "You were found at the border, were you not? I heard the young lady of Verdigris was found at a closer area too. It's quite the... unexpected situation."
Edward's heart lurched, he opened his mouth to say something, anything—
Ding!
The ominous blue panel flickered into existence in front of him.
[ Mini Quest: Respond with elegance. ]
[ Objective: Give a refined reply to maintain image ]
[ Reward: +1 Charm ]
[ Penalty: Automatic speech assistance enabled ]
He tried to open his mouth before the system could take over.
Unfortunately,
"Hic..."
His eyes widened.
Oh no.
Oh no no.
Oh hell no!
He tried to fight it, to keep his mouth closed, but his lips moved anyways.
"It's a secret..."
The room died.
It felt he had just uttered nuclear launch codes.
Not even a single breath could be heard.
Calen stared at him strangely. Emilia's brow twitched, her hands barely keeping itself in check. Elias looked amused.
And the duke, of course, he let out a cheerful laugh.
"He has quite the sense of humour doesn't he?"
Before Edward could protest though, the duke spoke, addressing the table.
"I'm sure all of you already understand why that it's just you three that have been summoned here today."
The air immediately shifted, and Edward felt something in the duke's attitude change. The soft man that was entertaining him was gone, right now, the person sitting in front of him felt like an actual ruler.
He inhaled.
"My son here disappeared 4 days ago, it was quite the ordeal, mobilizing the entirety of my forces to ensure his safety."
Everyone nodded.
"His majesty wasn't exactly thrilled, but he allowed it in the end. Leaving that aside, we have a more immediate problem right now."
Unlike earlier, his voice was low, really low, none of the earlier airiness anywhere present in it. Still, the voice echoed through the room.
"Edward has lost his memories, I firmly believe that this isn't just a coincidence. The reason I've summoned you, my most trusted attendees, here is to discuss our plan moving forward."
Silence hung, then, Elias spoke for the first time.
"By that, you don't mean... them, do you?"
The duke gazed at him, his expression a little weary.
Elias exhaled.
"Leave those matters to me, I'll go check it out personally. It seems that they have grown bolder through the years."
Armand gave him a strange look.
"This quick? Surely, we must be overreacting. They should still be recovering from the last incident."
At this, Calen, who had been silently observing them, also spoke up.
"I haven't heard anything from my men yet, and until the commander returns, there isn't much we can do."
The duke shook his head.
"We cannot be sure of anything yet, incidents like this are rare. Especially when someone returns with all of their memories wiped."
Edward just looked at them, puzzled, not really understanding where this conversation was going.
Then after a moment of deliberate silence, letting the words hang in the air. Armand let out a quiet sigh.
"I personally inspected the young master's condition yesterday. While there was nothing suspicious, his behaviour has still diverged a little from what it had been before."
He looked at Elias.
"I'm pretty sure the grand mage have also confirmed this, there are no traces of magic either. So either the condition is genuine, or there must be higher forces in the works here."
Everyone glanced at Edward, and he barely managed to hold back from shuddering at the sharp gazes.
Noticing this, the duke reached out and held his hands, slowly stroking it as the conversation continued.
Of course, Edward didn't hear the rest of it. He was too focused on the hands that was holding him, it felt so reassuring... so tender.
A strange warmth bubbled up inside him, and he slowly looked up at the duke, the person who was supposed to be his father.
Is this... Even fair?