C138
"Brother! What happened?
"Did you convince Liena?!"
Leheim and Duke Cassius were waiting for Leandro when he entered Cassius's house.
"No. There is something more important."
Leandro moved to the duke's study and explained in detail what had happened at the founding banquet of Conejito.
The expressions of the two people who heard the story naturally became serious.
"He suddenly got engaged..."
"I wonder what His Highness Mikhail is thinking."
Duke Cassius asked his eldest son.
"What about Liena? What did Liena say?"
"Liena also seemed surprised, but she didn't say anything. Probably means she has no intention of rejecting the engagement."
Leandro replied, loosening his tie.
"His Highness said that the engagement ceremony will take place in 15 days. It seemed like he was in a hurry."
The three, father and sons, fell into despair.
In the current situation, it would not be an exaggeration to say that if the two forced an engagement, Mikhail would never regain the emperor's trust.
"Of course, as long as Liena is happy, he doesn't have to become emperor..."
Leheim received the words from Duke Cassius.
"Given the personalities of His Highness and Liena, there is no way they will give up. Both are ambitious."
Why are these two trying to proceed with their engagement in this way?
The three people put their heads together and discussed what would happen because of this incident and how the Cassius family should respond.
For Liena's sake, Cassius would have to actively support Mikhail from now on, but honestly, it was not a path they really wanted to take.
In the end, the night deepened without reaching a clear conclusion.
To change the mood, Duke Cassius asked his eldest son, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"So, you said you had something to ask me. Why did you come to the capital?"
Indeed, Leandro headed straight to the banquet hall as he ascended from the territory.
If he tried to meet in a normal way, Liena might avoid it, so he had no choice but to go to the banquet hall without even having a chance to relax in the city house.
"Oh, it's because of this."
Leandro took an object wrapped in a handkerchief from the inner pocket of his coat and placed it on the table.
It was a bead with a subtle black color.
"What is this?"
"That's what I wanted to ask. During the renovation of the prayer room of Cassius Castle, the north wall was knocked down, revealing a secret space."
Leandro's index finger tapped the smooth surface of the bead.
"It was consecrated as a treasure in a jar with delicate carvings."
"What?"
"I brought it because I thought it might be a treasure from a family I didn't know, but it seems to be the first time my father has seen it too."
"That's true, but the family has a long history, so it's not strange to have forgotten treasures. Wait, now that I think about it..."
"What's wrong?"
"I forgot because it was a long time ago, but my grandfather told me this when I was young."
The voice of Duke Cassius became cautious.
"There may be hidden proof somewhere in Cassius Castle that we are descendants of demons."
Leheim arched his eyebrows as if puzzled.
"Are we descendants of demons? Wasn't that a rumor spread by those who distrusted our family?"
"... If you look at the records left by the first patriarch of the family, it can't be simply called a rumor."
According to the records, the first patriarch of the family was a half-demon and left objects he received from his father, who was a demon, to future generations.
With the will to protect Cassius.
However, as the number of attacks from political opponents on the lineage issue increased, the Cassius family decided to deny the truth and hide such objects from the world.
Leandro, after hearing his father's story, said.
"So, are you saying that the object is a token, and this bead as well?"
"If what my grandfather said is true."
Duke Cassius nodded.
"But he didn't seem to have seen it with his own eyes, and when I was looking for Cheryl's time capsule, I also searched like crazy in Cassius Castle, but I couldn't find it, so, of course, I thought it had been destroyed."
"Well, I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for the renovation works."
At that moment, Leheim opened his eyes wide.
"But why were the renovation works suddenly done? In particular, the prayer room was built so solid that there was no incontinence anywhere."
"I just thought it would be good to try things here and there while I had some time..."
"Oh, I understand. You did something you shouldn't have because you were going through a hard time due to the divorce."
He smiled mischievously upon hearing his brother's ambiguous answer.
"Good, there were such rumors, so it makes sense that you would want to lead a busy life. For some reason, even after hearing the news that Liena was in prison, you didn't show up.
"No, it's not like that! And you and our father said I didn't need to come, so I didn't.