Chapter 95: Home
The remaining days passed by rapidly.
Roderic continued training during breaks and creating war plans inside the carriage.
By the time the familiar Whitemane walls appeared in the distance, he was more than ready to be home.
The sight alone brought a small smile to his face.
’’Finally,’’ he muttered. ’’Home.’’
As the carriages drew closer, several guards stationed above the gate quickly noticed them.
At first, there was nothing unusual about their reactions.
But as they began counting... the smiles on their faces slowly disappeared.
By the time the group reached the gates, more guards had gathered below.
Several guards quickly stepped onto the road, clearing away the few carts and people still blocking their path.
Others hurried towards the returning soldiers, checking for any wounded soldiers.
’’Ugh.’’
Roderic leaned back in his seat.
The journey certainly hadn’t gone like he, or anyone else, had predicted.
’News of this will spread far and wide,’ he thought. ’It’ll be perfect to fuel the flames of war.’
But whether he was happy about it... that was a completely different story.
Roderic let out another sigh, shaking his head lightly.
The further the carriage went, the more attention they attracted.
People stopped along the streets as they passed, whispering loudly upon seeing the low number of people.
Hell, he could even see clear worry on some of their faces!
’Fuck,’ he cursed internally.
Despite knowing there wasn’t much he could do about it, Roderic knew damn well what was going to happen.
Each soldier, knight and servant he’d lost had family and friends.
And soon... they’d get to hear the devastating news.
’This fucking sucks.’
Roderic’s gaze lingered outside.
The carriage continued making its way through the city as people gathered around the sides of the streets.
Before long, the familiar Whitemane estate appeared in the distance.
Past the open gates, several knights and servants already stood waiting in the courtyard.
’’Seems like they’ve already been informed of my arrival,’’ he muttered, letting out a deep sigh.
As they went through the gates, Roderic noticed his father standing at the very front, his arms crossed.
Judging from his expression, a serious talk was definitely overdue.
’’Alright,’’ he said, letting out another deep breath. ’’You can pull this act off.’’
Out of all the days he’d spent planning, the next ’talk’ was one he’d gone over meticulously.
It didn’t need to be perfect.
All Roderic needed was to push Margaret far enough and make his father understand what was coming.
As he calmed down, a wide grin began growing on his face.
’’Let’s fucking do this!’’
Only a few seconds later, the carriage began slowing down.
Roderic’s grin disappeared almost instantly.
By the time it came to a complete stop, his expression had returned to normal.
Without hesitation, he pushed the door wide open and jumped outside.
’’Young lord?’’ Edmund, who was about to open the door himself, took a step back in surprise.
But Roderic’s gaze was already locked on Arthur Whitemane.
’’Father,’’ he greeted respectfully.
Arthur remained silent for a moment.
His gaze quickly traveled across Roderic’s body, seemingly checking him for injuries.
Upon seeing none, a brief flicker of relief crossed his face.
’’It’s good to see you back, my son,’’ he said, his voice firm. ’’It seems you’ve grown much stronger as well.’’
Roderic straightened with a slight smile.
’’The journey had its ups and downs,’’ he replied casually.
For a moment, Arthur’s gaze flickered past him.
Seeing the noticeably smaller group and even some lightly wounded soldiers, the relief vanished from his face.
’’We need to talk,’’ he said seriously. ’’Let’s go inside.’’
Roderic nodded right away.
As his father began walking back, Roderic glanced back at Edmund.
The two locked eyes for a second.
Roderic gave him a faint smile before nodding towards the carriage.
Edmund immediately nodded back.
’’You four,’’ he called towards several nearby servants. ’’Come with me.’’
Hearing that, Roderic’s smile widened.
He turned to follow his father into the estate without hesitation.
The moment he stepped inside, the familiar halls brought a strange sense of relief.
’I haven’t even been in this world for that long,’ he thought. ’Yet this place is already more of a home than my old dump of an apartment was.’
Life truly worked in strange ways.
Just then, faint footsteps sounded further down the hallway.
Only a second later, a familiar woman turned the corner, surrounded by servants.
Roderic’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’Would you look at that,’ he thought. ’I don’t even have to call her here myself.’
The most important piece on the board had just decided to show up by herself.
Margaret’s eyes landed on him at the same time.
For just a moment, she froze in place, her expression twisting with anguish, resentment and surprise.
Then, almost instantly, a warm smile appeared on her face.
’’Roderic!’’ she called out, hurrying towards them. ’’Thank goodness you’ve returned safely, my dear child. We’ve been worried sick.’’
Roderic raised an eyebrow.
’What the fuck is this now?’
There wasn’t the slightest hint of hostility in her voice.
It almost seemed like she genuinely cared for him.
Almost, that is.
’’When we didn’t get word back from you, we truly feared something terrible had happened,’’ Margaret continued, coming to a stop beside Arthur.
Before she could say another word, Roderic placed his hand on his chest.
’’Oh, I’m almost getting hot from all the kind words,’’ he said, feigning being touched.
He paused for a moment.
’’It truly is nice... but you’ve got to be careful, Margaret. Someone might actually think you like me.’’
Her expression stiffened on the spot.
Only a fraction of a second later, a stiff smile reappeared on her face.
’’But of course I care about you, dear,’’ she replied warmly. ’’Whatever disagreements we’ve had, you’re still a child of House Whitemane.’’
Roderic stared at her deadpan.
’’How touching,’’ he replied coldly.
Arthur’s gaze shifted between the two.
His expression had grown noticeably more uncomfortable while he seemed deep in thought.
Just then, Margaret turned towards him.
’’I assume we’re going to discuss the journey, dear?’’ she asked sweetly.
Arthur snapped out of his thoughts.
His eyes narrowed for a split second before he nodded.
’’We are,’’ he replied.
Margaret didn’t notice anything unusual, flipping open her fan to hide her fake smile.
’’Then perhaps I should join you,’’ she said. ’’If something important happened, I would like to know as well.’’
Arthur didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze flickered back and forth between Roderic and Margaret.
Roderic noticed the hesitation right away.
’Seems Father has heard some things here and there,’ he thought, careful not to smirk. ’The seeds I planted must really be sprouting now.’
But for his plan, Margaret needed to be present.
Roderic quickly cleared his throat before smiling warmly.
’’I don’t mind,’’ he said. ’’After everything she’s done for me, I’d hate for her to miss what comes next.’’
Margaret’s gaze snapped towards him.
Clearly, that hadn’t been an answer she’d expected.
’’Very well,’’ Arthur said, letting out a soft sigh. ’’Let’s move.’’
As Arthur turned back around, Roderic locked eyes with Margaret.
A shiver subconsciously ran down Margaret’s spine as she stared at his wide, unsettling smirk.