LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 40
Episode 40: Burn Scars
The evening drinks that started by chance between the two of them turned out to be surprisingly lively.
Although Luke felt a little embarrassed at first, he couldn’t refuse the cup that the Margrave himself offered.
As the drinks flowed, so did their conversation.
And as the conversation became more lively, the drinks flowed even more.
“…This is one of my treasured possessions,” Victor announced proudly, opening a box that contained old letters.
Inside the slightly faded flaxen paper, there was clumsy handwriting that unmistakably looked like the work of a child.
“This is the first letter Alexia wrote to me when she was five years old.”
“I-I want to see! I want to see!! Please show me!!”
A handwritten letter from young Alexia could truly be considered a treasure.
With sparkling eyes, Luke carefully took the letter as if it were a precious antique.
“Her handwriting radiates intelligence. The pure feelings of admiration for the Margrave are wonderfully expressed. It’s truly magnificent!”
“Do you understand, Luke?”
The two of them clasped their fists together enthusiastically.
“There’s also a portrait. Would you like to see it?”
“I want to see it!!!”
Luke stood up eagerly, leaning forward.
Victor’s private room, connected to the reception room, was filled with his treasured possessions.
“Here it is.”
The oldest portrait of Alexia dated back to when she was little.
A black-haired infant, wrapped in a white swaddle, gazed lovingly at her mother, Louise, who was smiling back.
“An angel and a holy mother…!”
When Luke dropped to his knees in awe, trembling with emotion, Victor nodded vigorously, as if agreeing wholeheartedly.
To preserve the images of his beloved wife and daughter, Victor frequently commissioned portraits.
Louise tenderly watched over one-year-old Alexia, who had just begun to walk.
In the sunlight, Louise held up a flower crown to two-year-old Alexia, who was picking flowers.
Each painting, whether from when she was three or four, was pure and beautiful like a depiction of the Virgin Mary and Child, leaving Luke in a state of reverent prayer.
“It’s as if an angel has come down to earth…! I’ve never seen such a magnificent painting in my life…!!”
“Ah, you’re a sensible young man. You have quite the potential!”
Victor seemed to delight in Luke’s unending praise.
In high spirits, he playfully patted Luke on the back and poured himself another glass of wine.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had such a joyful night!”
He poured the same drink for Luke, raised his glass for a toast, and the two of them reveled in the moment.
As the alcohol flowed and Victor became more talkative, he boasted about how adorable Alexia had been since birth, and Luke, engrossed, shone with amusement, glancing at the sky and sometimes dramatically swooning.
Had Luke shown even the slightest hint of insincere flattery or tried to curry favor with Victor, even he might have felt disillusioned.
But Victor couldn’t help but find the reactions of the earnest young man before him utterly genuine, heartwarming enough to enjoy his drink without feeling the usual fatigue.
With a carefree smile on Luke’s face, Victor found himself reminiscing about the innocent, untainted personality of Louise.
Perhaps it was because she had been so pure and beautiful.
Victor’s beloved wife had been deeply cherished by God and had left this world all too soon.
“…It’s getting quite late. There’s so much more to discuss, but I should probably wrap things up soon, or I’ll feel bad for Luke…”
“No! I can still keep going! Please tell me more!”
“I see! If you insist, there’s no helping it!”
*
It was well into the night when Alexia appeared, cradling her wildcat, Baloo.
“Dad, you’ve had too much to drink.”
“We just got carried away in conversation…”
Several empty bottles lay scattered in front of Victor, who was pleasantly tipsy.
Luke, already out cold, had collapsed on the sofa, snoring softly.
Alexia cast a glance at her old letters spread out on the table.
“What are you showing Luke?”
With a sigh, Alexia said, “I told you to throw away those old letters because they’re embarrassing.”
“No! I refuse to throw it away! Luke insisted it should be preserved forever as a family treasure!”
“Please don’t get carried away in strange topics.”
Victor snatched the letter and hugged it tightly.
“I will never throw this away! When I die, you better put it in my coffin!”
Alexia watched in bemusement as Victor’s memories were scattered around the room.
There were many of Alexia’s childhood clothes and items, but there were easily ten times more items related to her late mother, Louise.
“…How big a coffin do you expect to need…?”
Ignoring his daughter’s grumbling, Victor gazed thoughtfully at Luke’s sleeping face.
“Anyway, the Baron Valten is known as a wealthy noble house, yet he’s quite a skinny lad…”
“Believe me, he’s improved a lot. When he first got here, he was much thinner—almost pitiable.”
“What?”
Father and daughter lapsed into a brief silence.
“…Luke mentioned he was the illegitimate son of his father.”
“An illegitimate child, huh? It seems that’s not particularly rare among the idle nobility in the royal capital… but the mistress of the Valten family is—”
“That would be Madame Hermine. I believe her family stems from the Schenbach family.”
“If it’s Hermine of the Schenbach family, she’s about my age. I remember her being quite notorious for her less-than-desirable traits—arrogant, spiteful, and scandalous…”
Hearing Victor’s words, Alexia furrowed her brow.
An illegitimate firstborn son like Luke and a legitimate second son.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that an arrogant, spiteful wife would treat her stepson, Luke, poorly.
“…”
Perhaps feeling Alexia tense up, Baloo, who had comfortably nestled in her arms until then, wriggled and jumped down.
Baloo trotted over to the sofa and snuggled against the sleeping Luke’s chest.
“Hey, Baloo.”
As Baloo playfully smacked Luke with his paws, the boy’s shirt lifted slightly.
In trying to adjust his exposed chest, Alexia gasped.
“…What is this?”
On Luke’s chest, just below his collarbone, there was a distinct burn scar.
The gruesome mark seemed ill-suited for his youthful face. The burn had scarred over, leaving behind jagged, mottled red patches.
“That’s terrible…”
It wasn’t a fresh wound—it seemed to be over ten years old, yet the pain etched into his skin hadn’t faded.
If it were an accident, it seemed improbable for such an injury to occur at this exact spot.
If a child accidentally touched a fireplace or fell into a bonfire, instinct would typically lead them to brace themselves, making it highly unlikely for them to only injure their chest.
Over ten years ago, when Luke was still a child, someone had deliberately harmed him.
Moreover, it was evident that the injury was left untreated and neglected.
“…”
A frown creased Alexia’s brow.
She recalled the autumn festival they had recently attended, when Luke said everyone in the castle was kind.
—Because no one harassed him or spread false rumors or used unreasonable violence against him—
In other words, it meant that cruel malice had been circulating around him all along.
Luke’s ever-cheerful smile had prevented her from delving deeper into these matters.
Seeing those brutal scars made it clear that what he faced was far beyond mere gossip or harassment.
Who could have subjected him—noble-born and the eldest son of a noble family—to such brutal treatment?
“…Could it have been the baroness?”
As thoughts of those in Luke’s family—especially those who seemed to have looked down on him and treated him cruelly—flooded her mind, Alexia bit her lip.