Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 242 (Part 1):
‘Are you really my brother?’
From the moment they first met, Michael was drawn to Hyde.
It wasn’t because he felt Hyde was strong, but rather, there was an inexplicable urge to keep him close.
It was a similar obsession to what he felt towards Charlotte.
Michael knew his desires well. No one was more faithful to his desires than himself.
Had it not been for the desire to achieve something despite being tormented by illness and close to death, he wouldn’t have survived such relentless suffering.
Michael realized that he still wanted to keep Hyde, or rather, Helmut, under his control.
It was a desire that was hard to ignore.
Whether it was due to a blood connection or not didn’t matter. It made him think differently.
‘Yes, after all, a bastard or a collateral branch can’t threaten my position.’
Even if the Grand Duke of Renosa favored Helmut, he was not the type to betray his wife and disrupt the bloodline.
Regardless of skills or talents, only the legitimate children could become the heirs of Renosa.
That was a principle that had been upheld for generations, and the Grand Duke of Renosa was not one to make choices that went against that principle.
‘Whatever his plans are, I’ll make it go my way. Taming a wild horse is never easy.’
Michael had faithfully played his role as the heir.
Even though he couldn’t wield a sword, even the discerning Grand Duke couldn’t deny that he was the most suitable to become the Grand Duke of Renosa.
Despite feeling a sense of unease in this portrait-lined room, Michael brushed off the feeling.
“Are you done talking?”
Helmut replied indifferently. Michael was a peculiar presence to Helmut as well.
He felt the urge to knock him down for being so arrogant but didn’t want to kill him.
Helmut was the type who found it hard to tolerate weaklings rising up, being accustomed to the law of the jungle.
And the Michael before him was pathetically weak.
Whether he had escorts or not, he could kill him with a flick of his finger. No one could stop him.
But strangely, he didn’t want to. Even though Michael was a nuisance, he found himself responding to him bit by bit.
Maybe it was because he was used to dealing with people like Asuka and Sian.
‘My patience has indeed grown.’
Just as Darien had said, academy life had made Helmut more human.
It seemed Darien’s arrangements were right.
Even though Darien himself was a grumpy and violent old man, he had a keen eye.
Michael smiled brightly.
“I hope we can see each other often from now on.”
And he added,
“It will happen.”
Leaving behind that arrogant declaration, Michael left.
Helmut looked indifferently at the empty spot where the portrait had been and then moved.
*
Margret frowned.
‘Michael showing up.’
The moment she heard Michael’s voice, Margret was startled.
Michael was an overly perceptive child. He might have noticed something he shouldn’t have.
Margret was worried about that. It was a truth she hadn’t even revealed to the tight-lipped Charlotte.
Margret was a noble and the Grand Duchess of Renosa.
Even though she loved her children, she couldn’t trust them fully and reveal everything.
Finishing the conversation with a calm smile, Margret returned to her room and fell into thought.
Her heart was beating rapidly.
‘He has the mark.’
A memory flashed through her mind.
Charlotte had told Margret that Helmut knew the name ‘Margret Irene.’
Suddenly, she remembered the pendant with her maiden name engraved on it.
Margret had placed it around her first child’s neck as a final gift when sending him away.
Hoping for blessings on his journey.
But that child had been sent to the Forest of Roots, and the pendant made for him had gone to a place from which it would never return.
That was the predetermined conclusion.
‘No, that’s impossible. Such a thing has never happened in history. It’s impossible.’
Margret murmured to herself. But doubt and suspicion filled her as she denied it.
What if there was a mistake? What if the temple misidentified him? What if their sacred magic was flawed and sent him elsewhere?
What if he had survived by sheer luck?
Helmut possessed exceptional talent.
A child born with the seed of darkness, although displaying great talent in childhood, would develop a cruel nature.
And ultimately, they go out of control and become monsters.
But Helmut seemed sane. Rather, he appeared very composed and calm.
He hadn’t harmed his sister in the slightest.
He didn’t show any murderous intent towards other competitors but decided his matches calmly.
Helmut didn’t trample others to showcase his strength.
Pacing around the room, Margret lifted her head. Her blue eyes gleamed with determination.
‘I need to meet him again.’
The more she met him, the clearer it became, and the more she wavered.
Despite thinking it was impossible, and wondering if the suspicious boy was playing tricks, no thought overrode her instinctive pull.
As Margret, not the Grand Duchess of Renosa, she decided not to hesitate any longer.