Former Fake Becomes Grand Duke of the North

I studied Mom for several long seconds after she mentioned the battle at Jagged Tooth Pass. That had been a pivotal moment in my life. Not only did I become an Aura Master during that battle, but I also met Sir Kane. It seemed fitting that that was when Mom found me again.

“Is that when you first realized that I was your son?” I asked.

I remembered that Mom led a relief force to rescue the survivors of the battle at Jagged Tooth Pass, though I fell unconscious long before she arrived. A demonic beast had tried to attack Sir Kane, and I suffered a serious injury saving his life. By the time I regained consciousness, Mom was long gone. I remember feeling immense disappointment at missing the opportunity to meet one of my personal heroes. Even realizing that I had become an Aura Master did little to mitigate my disappointment.

“Yes.” Mom said. “When I heard that a mercenary risked his life to save one of my knights, I decided to pay him a visit and ask him to join the Order of the Coldsteel Blade. However, when I saw you, it felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart. You looked like a younger version of Count Wirner. If my baby boy had lived, he would have looked just like you. In fact, the longer I studied your face, the more certain I became that you were my son. It seemed impossible, but I couldn’t get rid of the thought. So, I took some of your blood and hurried back to Kaltbrand Castle to perform a lineage test. When the test confirmed that you were in fact my son, it was as if I had received a second lease on life. When I told Anselm about you, he wanted to take you in right away.”

And thus we come to the crux of the problem.

“Why didn’t you?” I asked, letting my frustration bleed through. “Why wait an entire year? And why go through this whole charade of hiring me to be the fake heir of House Kaltbrand?”

“I asked Anselm to wait.” Mom said. “I couldn’t face you. I didn’t have the heart for it. In the end, Anselm came up with the idea to hire you as the fake heir to House Kaltbrand. He said that it might be easier to tell you the truth after living with you for a while. We also needed a way to deal with the enemy that was interfering with House Kaltbrand’s succession, so it was killing two birds with one stone.” She sighed. “Little did I realize that pretending to be your mother would make it more difficult to tell you that I was your real mother. I tried so many times, but whenever I did, the words stayed stuck in my throat. If Anselm hadn’t pushed you into finding out the truth for yourself, I don’t know if I would have ever told you.”

My patience snapped and I stopped holding back my emotions.

“But why?” I asked, raising my voice until I was almost yelling. “Do you know what it was like, growing up as an orphan? Do you know what it was like not knowing who my parents were? Do you know what it was like wondering if they were dead, or if they had abandoned me? Even after House Guld adopted me, I never stopped asking myself these questions. You could have told me the truth at any point over the past year, yet you didn’t. I just… I want to know why.”

“Because it was all my fault!” Mom shouted.

She turned around and I saw tears streaming down her cheeks. Despair filled her eyes.

“For decades, I lived with the guilt of knowing that my child died and it was all my fault.” Mom said, pointing to herself. “I lost you because of my own cowardice and weakness. It ate away at me for years.” She let out a laugh filled with so much bitterness and pain that it bordered on hysteria. “When I found out that you were alive, I was overjoyed. Yet, my guilt didn’t go away. Everything you endured, everything you suffered, was all my fault. Growing up in an orphanage, living as a substitute for Emmerich Guld, all of it. If I had just told Anselm about you in the first place instead of hiding your existence, then none of that would have happened. We could have lived together as a family.” She shook her head. “I was afraid that if I told you the truth, you would come to hate me and I would lose you again. I didn’t want to take that risk. It was easier to just keep the truth to myself.”

I stared at Mom in shock. Ever since I had met her, she seemed as cold and sharp as a coldsteel blade. However, right now, she seemed as fragile as glass. One wrong move, one misplaced word, and she would shatter to pieces.

“I don’t hate you.” I said. “I’m angry and frustrated that you kept the truth from me for so long, but I don’t hate you.” I gave her a reassuring smile, or what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “In fact, back when I still thought that I was the fake heir to House Kaltbrand, a part of me envied the real heir. I wanted to be your real son, not a fake.”

Mom stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Funny, right?” I asked, chuckling. “In the end, it turned out that I was envious of myself.” My expression grew somber. “When I found out that I was your real son, I felt confused and conflicted, but also happy. I hold you in the highest regard. Being your son is a joy and an honor. No matter how angry and frustrated I am because of your deception, that remains true.”

“Truly?” Mom asked, her voice filled with hope and fear. “Do you mean that?”

I nodded.

“Yes.” I said. “Now and forever. I am proud to be your son.”

Her face twisted, as if she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry.

“Then may I hold you?” she asked. “You were a newborn when I sent you south, and I only got to hold you a few times.”

She gave me a wary look, as if afraid that I would reject her request. However, there was no chance of that happening. This was something that a part of me always wanted, the remnants of the orphan that I once was, the child who dreamed of home and family.

“Yes.” I said, my voice hoarse.

The two of us approached each other, apprehensive and fearful yet full of longing. I didn’t know who made the first move. Maybe she embraced me first, maybe I embraced her, or maybe we both moved at the same time. It didn’t matter. The end result was the same. The two of us held each other, afraid to let go. We stayed like that for an indeterminable length of time. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt at home for the first time in years.

Interlude: Lina

Lina and her sister trudged into the sitting room of their hotel suite, almost stumbling as they did so. The two of them all but collapsed as they sat down. The journey to Frostheart had been a difficult one, even with all the preparations Lina made beforehand. While they spent most of the journey traveling through warp gates, there were a few instances where they had to ride carriages to their next destination.

This proved to be more dangerous than Lina expected, since demonic beasts attacked their carriage on several occasions. Thankfully, Lina had thought ahead and made sure to bring an escort of knights from the Order of the Golden Rose, the knightly order that served House Guld.

Even with the escort, the demonic beast attacks had been a harrowing experience. Lina didn’t understand why anyone in their right mind would live in the Barrens, if they had to put up with this sort of thing on a regular basis. And that wasn’t even taking the cold weather into consideration.

That said, without House Kaltbrand and the other northern nobles keeping the demonic beasts at bay, the creatures would have descended upon the rest of the Reichwald Empire a long time ago. While Lina considered the northerners crazy, she was grateful for their efforts. The thought of demonic beasts invading the Riverlands filled her with fear.

As she rested and recovered her energy, Lina looked around the sitting room. While it left a lot to be desired, it was better than nothing. Booking a room in Frostheart had been a nightmare in and of itself. With the ongoing banquet, there were no rooms available. Thanks to Yorick, who had accompanied them, they found a place to stay, though they ended up paying an obscene amount of money to a minor noble in order to secure it.

Still, Lina thought it was worth it. After three long years, she would see Wulfram again. By this point, she was certain that Wulfe Kaltbrand and her Wulfram were one and the same. Her heart ached for him, and it took all of her self control not to rush up towards Kaltbrand Castle and demand to see him. However, she held back. Given the current situation, Lina knew that rushing into things without a plan was a bad idea.

As they traveled to Frostheart, Yorick kept Lina informed of any news worth keeping track of. Unfortunately, it looked like Wulfram was in a bad situation. A few days before Lina and Mika arrived in Frostheart, rumors started to spread all over the Barrens that Wulfe Kaltbrand was in fact not Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s son. According to the rumors, Wulfe was a mercenary that His Grace hired in order to fend off House Gerhard, House Arbeit, and House Steuben.

When she heard this, Lina thanked her past self for her foresight. If she hadn’t decided to come up to the Barrens to see Wulfram, she wouldn’t have been in a position to help him. She wasn’t sure how she would be able to help him just yet, but sometimes even showing support was more than enough. If people learned that Wulfram was under House Guld’s protection, they would think twice before attacking him. As for House Kaltbrand, she couldn’t care less about what happened to them. She only cared about Wulfe.

However, before she could act, Lina needed a better grasp of the situation. While rumors were useful, they could also be misleading. She needed more reliable knowledge. Without it, she didn’t know which would benefit Wulfram and which would hinder him. For example, what if Wulfram had spread those rumors about being a mercenary on purpose? What if declaring House Guld’s support for him in public ruined a scheme of his? Thankfully, with help from Yorick and his subordinates, Lina would gain a better idea of what was going on.

“My body hurts.” Mika said in a whiny tone. “I never knew that traveling could be so exhausting.”

Lina raised an eyebrow at that.

“You were the one who insisted on coming along.” Lina said. “I tried to warn you, but you refused to listen.”

Mika glared at her, before pouting. Lina sighed when she saw her younger sister’s piteous expression.

“I’ll see if I can find a member of the hotel staff who can give you a massage.” Lina said in a wry tone. “Just let me rest for a few minutes.”

Normally ladies of their standing would have maids to take care of that for them. However, in order to arrive in time for the final day of the banquet, Lina decided not to bring any maids along. She figured she would hire a temporary maid to serve them during their stay in Frostheart.

“Thank you, Big Sis.” Mika said, giving Lina a bright smile. “So, what happens now?”

“We wait to hear back from Yorick.” Lina said. “I’ll decide what to do after that.”

After they arrived at the hotel, Lina sent Yorick and his subordinates off to gather information.

“I thought we would ready ourselves for the ball.” Mika said, frowning. “Didn’t you say that there would be one tonight? Even if we started now, we would be hard pressed to get ready in time.”

Mika was right. It was late morning now, but it took hours to prepare for a ball. However, they didn’t need to worry about that just yet.

“There was supposed to be a ball tonight, yes.” Lina said. “However, Grand Duke Kaltbrand postponed the banquet for two nights. It seemed that several of the northern nobles fell ill at the same time. Rather than go on without them, the Grand Duke decided to wait for them to recover.”

Mika’s frown deepened.

“Is it just me, or doesn’t that seem suspicious?” She asked.

Lina shrugged.

“It could be.” She said.

Lina wasn’t sure. From what she heard, all of the nobles who fell ill had frequented the same… establishment and that was how they all became sick. So either it really was a coincidence, or there was something else going on. However, Lina kept that to herself. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to her little sister about those kinds of activities.

“Regardless,” Lina said out loud, “This gives two extra days to prepare.” She grinned. “We might even be able to do a bit of shopping.”

Mika gave her a skeptical look.

“What would we even be able to buy in this cold, forsaken land?” she asked.

Lina tutted in disappointment.

“Have you forgotten your geography and economics lessons already?” she asked. “Mana crystals are cheaper here in the Barrens, because of all the mana crystal mines located within the region. As such, the Barrens has a large population of magicians and artisans who work with mana crystals. Magic tools and magic accessories are more common here, second only to the lands around the Tower of Magic. I’m sure that we’ll be able to find something worthwhile if we look hard enough.”

As Lina spoke, Mina’s eyes sparkled with interest. While she wasn’t a magician herself, Mika had a fascination for magic tools and magic accessories. She liked to collect them. Lina blamed Emmerich, their brother, who liked to give everyone all kinds of magic items whenever he visited home.

Mika opened her mouth to say something, but a knock at the door interrupted them. Lina almost asked the maid to see who it was, but then she remembered that they didn’t have a maid accompanying them. Grumbling about this, she stood up and opened the door to the sitting room herself. She found Yorick standing on the other side, with someone standing behind him. He wore a grim expression on his face.

“My lady,” Yorick said, “I’m sorry to intrude on you while you’re resting, but you have a guest who insists on seeing you.”

“What guest?” She said, frowning.

Rather than answer, Yorick stepped off to the side. This gave Lina a good look at the person behind him. When she saw who it was, she was tempted to slam the door in the man’s face. However, she knew it wouldn’t do her much good. A mere wooden door wouldn’t stop someone like him.

The man was lean and toned, with tanned skin, short black hair, and dark brown eyes. His soft features gave him a harmless, even affable, appearance. Lina knew that this was a lie. The man before her was cold and ruthless, willing to do anything his master commanded. Said master happened to be her uncle, Prince Dirk Reichwald.

“Walter,” Lina said, her voice cold and hard, “What are you doing here?”

Walter gave her a soft smile. It sent shivers down her spine, though Lina made sure not to show her fear.

“I go by Volkhard these days.” He said.

“Ah, I see. So you’ve changed your name again.” Lina said. “That must mean you are up to something nefarious on my uncle’s behalf.”

Walter, or Volkhard rather, just continued to smile instead of responding.

“I come bearing a message, my lady.” He said instead. “May I come in?”

If Volkhard was here to deliver a message, that meant either her uncle or her cousin, Prince Leopold, had something important to say to her. Given the circumstances, Lina suspected it had something to do with Wulfram and House Kaltbrand.

“Very well,” she said, “Come in. However, forgive us for our poor hospitality. I am unable to offer you any refreshments. We didn’t bring a maid along with us and we haven’t had an opportunity to hire a temporary one yet.”

Lina led Volkhard inside the sitting room and gestured for him to sit down. Yorick entered the room as well and stood nearby, ready to intervene if necessary. It was pointless, however. Yorick was a regular human, while Volkhard was either an Aura Expert or even an Aura Master. Lina wasn’t sure which. Regardless, if Volkhard wanted to, he could kill all of them with ease.

However, since he came to them openly, Lina doubted that would happen. Volkhard wouldn’t kill her or Mika unless their uncle ordered it. Even then, he would prefer a quiet assassination over a frontal assault.

“I know several people in Frostheart.” Volkhard said, sitting down. “If you want, I can send one or two your way.”

Mika eyed Volkhard like he was a viper.

“And give you the chance to plant spies by our side?” She asked. “No thank you.”

Lina resisted the urge to smile. Despite her young age, Mika knew to be wary around Volkhard. He was their uncle’s left hand man, the one he used to perform underhanded deeds.

“While my younger sister is rather blunt with her speech,” Lina said, “She speaks for the both of us in this regard. Thank you for the offer, but we’ll have to decline.”

Volkhard remained unruffled, as if he expected their rejection.

“Well then,” Lina said, sitting down opposite Volkhard, “You’re here to deliver a message. Go on. Deliver it.”

“The message comes in two parts,” Volkhard said. “I’m here to give you a warning and ask you for a favor.”

Lina narrowed her eyes at him and waited for him to continue.

“Don’t interfere with our business.” Volkhard said, giving her a hard look.