Chapter 406: Section 270: Replay (Part 2)
The old Duke of the Roed family stood in the foyer of the Noble Council, overlooking the bustling crowd on the streets outside. Today, the father of the Mowish Queen of the Noble family did not exude an imposing aura of anger that commanded respect; he looked like a very ordinary old man, somewhat stooped and squint-eyed.
"Your Grace, what are you looking at here?" A woman’s voice sounded from behind him.
"Ah, if it isn’t the young lady from the House of Marem, how have you been recently?" The old man turned his head and glanced at the sturdy woman who had approached him.
"Not bad, Your Grace. Today’s meeting, those Easterners are going to propose noble autonomy again, aren’t they?" Mrs. Marem said this, then looked down at the old man: "Your Grace."
"Are you here to advocate for your old friends from Mowish?" The old Duke smiled, "Marem’s child, do you know what I am watching?"
"Not really, Your Grace." Mrs. Marem shook her head.
"I am watching the people who are busy struggling to survive in this kingdom," said the old Duke as he looked at the street. "You wouldn’t understand. When I was very young, Roed was only a Baron. My father was lucky to marry the daughter of a Duke. And even luckier was that the year Chaos invaded, my mother’s three brothers all died. So I became the primary heir to my grandfather’s lands. I was only six years old at the time."
"Your Grace, are you telling me your story today?" Mrs. Marem asked, looking down.
"Yes, I am telling you a story about a child struggling to survive in this world." The old Duke looked at the street, his hands resting on the railing. "That summer when I was six, I first felt the malice of this world when I was startled awake by a coolness pressing against my chest, finding a Damlo red ring snake upon me. It hissed at me, and that was the first time I had faced it so closely."
At this point, Mrs. Marem saw a red ring snake crawl out from the collar of his clothing. It wrapped around the old Duke’s neck, like the most faithful of lovers embracing their beloved.