Dmitry—it was the home that he hadn’t returned to in a long time. Rodwell, who had left to prove himself in the capital, recalled the past.
‘How many years has it been?’
He couldn’t remember it. What was certain was that the environment outside Dmitry wasn’t a good place to live in. Obviously, he was sure that when he returned, there would still be the stench of slums and shabby houses. However, now there was a nicely built village.
He couldn’t find the people with dark and despondent expressions anymore. There were well-fed and well-brought-up children running around with smiles.
And then he turned to the castle walls of Dmitry, which were so overwhelming to look at. It looked a lot higher than before. Not just that, but it had become a structure ready for battle with defensive magic circles and devices on it.
‘A lot had happened.’
While he was away, Dmitry was caught up in the whirlwind of war. There was the fight with Barco, the trouble with the Lords of the North, who tried to conquer the Northeast, and then the commander of the rebels, Marquis Benedict, showed his intention of attacking Dmitry.
Because of those events, Dmitry changed over and over again. If at one time it felt outlandish, then Dmitry is now a place that could be called a kingdom.
The war ended, and Rodwell Dmitry was ordered to take leave. Dmitry was now a dukedom, but that didn’t separate them from Cairo. The parts bordering other nations, like the West and the South, were decided to be common defense points, and he was told that he could continue his life in the West if he wanted to.
In addition, since he was promised a promotion for his contribution to the war, when he returns now, he will be at the level of a captain.
He was at a crossroads of choice. Would he stay in Dmitry? Or would he head to the West again?
Returning to Dmitry to make up his mind, he set aside his emotions and entered the gates, and he was impressed. It was so different from what he remembered.
“… what happened here?”
The nicely built roads and buildings—it was an incredible development for a city on the border, and the most eye-catching part was Dmitry’s soldiers.
He already felt it when he entered, but the soldiers who were just patrolling were so well-trained. They made minimal movements and had sharp eyes. Their refusal to allow anything wrong to happen reminded him of Roman’s men on the battlefield.
He was sure of it—they had all changed. They were not just mediocre soldiers on the outskirts, but they were now comparable to those of the kingdom.
Rodwell walked down the streets. Everything was so unfamiliar to him. It hadn’t been that long since he left Dmitry, and this change wasn’t something he could accept right away.
He needed some time to understand all of this. He went into an unknown diner, took a seat, and listened to what people were saying while sipping beer.
“Hehehe. Did that happen?”
“It did. Because a rookie made a mistake, all of us almost got buried under the tunnel. If Mr. Roman Dmitry hadn’t ensured the safety of that place, I wouldn’t be here either.”
“Right. I haven’t heard of anyone dying ever since the relics were installed in the mines.”
“It’s all thanks to Mr. Roman Dmitry that my life was saved.”
“Cheers!”
Tak!
They bumped their beer mugs. Those who seemed to be miners in the iron mine were talking about Roman Dmitry, and the situation at the other tables wasn’t much different. Roman Dmitry was always at the center of what they talked about.
Hearing about Roman Dmitry’s performance on the battlefield, they seemed to feel immense pride in being a member of Dmitry.
One city was so lively. Dmitry managed to secure jobs for the villagers in the mine, and the money earned from it was being used for people’s consumption.
Naturally, the people were enjoying it. And since they knew that Roman Dmitry was the reason they could live this way, they never stopped talking about him.
There was a gap in his memory. Before Rodwell left this place, his older brother was made fun of.
Clack.
He drank the beer, and then….
Tak.
He put down the drink and got up. The taste was so bitter.
The same night, Rodwell Dmitry couldn’t sleep. The second son of a Baron’s family—why did he work so diligently? There was no amazing reason for it.
He tried his best to simply become a person suitable for Dmitry, but the world changed while he was away. Roman Dmitry, whom everyone joked about, no longer existed. When he saw and heard those things on the streets, he realized just how much Dmitry’s people respected Roman Dmitry now.
He was devastated, and his mind felt complicated. The current Dmitry estate knew more about Roman Dmitry than he did.
“… seriously like a beggar.”
His efforts in the past qualified him to become the successor. Roman Dmitry was sleeping when he trained with the sword. He would drink while Rodwell studied, and Roman would meet women when Rodwell raised his voice toward the guards. So, everyone assumed that Rodwell Dmitry would become the family’s successor.
Even when he left Dmitry, people said that fact wouldn’t change, and now they couldn’t hide the uncomfortable look on their faces as they met him after such a long time. They felt bad since their hearts were now tilted toward Roman Dmitry.
It was the cruel reality. He was saddened by the collapse of the things he had worked hard for. However, Rodwell didn’t resent them. Hadn’t he already seen the results? Dmitry developed, the people were living a happy life, and their Baron family was now a Duchy.
Each of his actions was spotless. So Roman Dmitry seemed to be better suited to be the successor.
‘And I lost my eye.’
Having just one eye felt like a cold truth. Losing an eye as a swordsman was so much different than he thought. The sword felt so foreign to him in every direction he moved it, and even his sense of distance wasn’t entirely accurate.
He looked at the sky. It was such a dark night, like his own future.
‘There is no place for me in Dmitry. And even if I go back to the West, I will not become someone whom they want me to be.’
It was a dead end. Honestly, regardless of the reason, Rodwell Dmitry couldn’t forget what Roman Dmitry looked like on the battlefield.
Other people would have only heard of it by hearsay. However, unlike them, who only talked about Roman dealing with Gustavo, Rodwell witnessed it in person with his own two eyes.
The power he held was so shocking. Seeing him splatter blood every time he blinks, he gave up his position to be the successor right then.
The Dmitry Duchy. They were not a Baron’s family anymore. In order to rule the Northeastern region, Roman Dmitry was more suited to be the successor. He organized his thoughts throughout the night.
One day, two days.
As he was spending time alone, he was summoned by his father, so he went to his office. And then he spoke of the conclusion he had reached after much thought.
“I am not saying that I will yield simply because he is the eldest son. After arriving in Dmitry and observing the lives of the people, I have learned that the majority of the people already accepted him as the successor, and I do not blame my time in the capital. Even if I had stayed in Dmitry, I wouldn’t have shown what Brother Roman did, and it might have just hastened the decision of the people compared to now. Father. For the future of Dmitry, I don’t want to talk about that. And….”
Dmitry’s genius and Dmitry’s future had lost his path. He looked up at Baron Romero with a face different from the past.
“Please let me go. For the time being, I think I need time for myself, not Dmitry.”
He got up and said his goodbyes as he left.
Two people were left, and Baron Romero said,
“… well, I had put too much of a burden on Rodwell. Because you, the eldest son, were called a fool. Because of people who say that commoners have limitations by birth, I believed Rodwell might be the person best suited to be in charge of the family after observing him become dedicated to training and outperforming others.”
His chest felt stuffy. His second son had always been dignified. Perhaps because he trusted him too much, the last glance his son showed him stuck in his heart.
“At a young age, Rodwell lived a life where his father expected too much from him. He trusted me and followed every word I said. At first, the child, who was so young, did everything with a strong look in his eyes and without saying any complaint. Rodwell was the pride of Dmitry. And today, I told Rodwell, who has lived all his life for Dmitry, that he couldn’t be the successor. What a cruel thing it is. But I still don’t think that choice is wrong. For the future of Dmitry’s people, it is only right for you, Roman, to become the successor.”
But as a father, his mind felt burdened. As the head of the family, the decision he made was right, but from the moment Rodwell left, his face was stained with sadness.
‘I am not a good father.’
Roman Dmitry was a sore thumb, so he paid more attention to him. He took for granted every great thing that Rodwell did. However, when Roman Dmitry did something well, he was so happy because he was the child who shared his life as a commoner. Back then, he believed that it was right for a father to take care of a sad child.
Whereas, for Rodwell Dmitry, he thought that he should pass down the family to him as compensation.
After getting older and living his life, he ended up becoming a clumsy person, even as a parent. People admired Baron Romero as a political figure. However, he wasn’t a good father.
“Roman.”
“Yes.”
“I am not a smart person. Even after doing something I would regret, I still don’t know what to do as a father. Normally, I would ask your mother about it. But now, there is something I wish to ask of you.”
“Say it.”
The father and son looked at each other. For Dmitry’s new future, rather than living a life that the people would look up to, he wanted Dmitry to be Dmitry.
“Take care of your sibling. He is a child who has lost a lot. I am not sure if asking this of you is good for Rodwell, but I don’t think it is bad for a family to do what it means to be a family. I am a father to both you and Rodwell. Just as you work hard even if your father is lacking, I hope you do so for our family too. This is my last request from you, who will inherit Dmitry.”
At the word ‘family,’ Roman Dmitry paused for a moment. He wasn’t used to his present life since it was so different from the previous one he had.
“I understand, Father.”
A plain answer.
At those words, Baron Romero finally showed a comfortable smile.
He soon left the office. Roman Dmitry walked down the hallway, looking down at his hands.
‘In my previous life, I used these hands to kill my own blood relatives.’
It was still vivid—the faces of those who tried to kill him and ended up being killed, and the curses he heard until their breathing stopped.
The siblings with whom he thought he had a good bond were the same. At the moment when he ended their lives, they blamed him when he put pressure on their throats and not their father, who instigated it. That was the life of Baek Joong-hyuk and his brothers.
However, his present life was different. When he met Lauren Dmitry and spoke to Rodwell Dmitry, Roman felt calm.
“Foolish bastard.”
It was pathetic. Rodwell looked like he had lost the world just because he lost an eye, and now he just gave up the position of the successor without another thought. It was something he couldn’t have imagined in his previous life.
Unlike his brothers, who were desperate to hold power, Rodwell didn’t want a dispute in their family.
The world was tough. He was his younger brother and someone born with the same blood as him, so he wasn’t going to let Rodwell Dmitry collapse like this.
What kind of person did he have as an older brother, and what did it mean to live as a Dmitry? He was thinking of showing it to him this time.
He took a step and arrived at Dmitry’s training room, where Rodwell was swinging his sword under the sun.
