Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 416 (Part 2):

The Grand Duke spoke bluntly.

“And you’re Helmut’s lover, are you not?”

He cut straight to the point.

“The Grand Duchess of Renosa bears many responsibilities. Most involve assisting the Grand Duke as the lady of Renosa, duties far removed from the life of a mage. Are you prepared to shoulder them?”

A smile formed on Alea’s lips.

But her response was far from what the Grand Duke hoped for.

“Just because it’s been that way until now doesn’t mean it must continue.”

Had there ever been an Archmage who became a Grand Duchess or held a comparable position in history?

“I will remain a mage, and nothing will take precedence over that.”

“That is not the image of a lady that Renosa desires.”

“But Helmut desires me as I am. He doesn’t wish for me to change.”

And if Helmut became the master of Renosa, Alea, as she was, would naturally become its lady. That was a fact even the Grand Duke could not prevent.

Helmut wasn’t exactly one to heed the Grand Duke’s words, after all.

“If the role of Renosa’s lady is merely to assist the Grand Duke, it feels too small a seat for me. But I’ll endure it.”

Alea spoke as if it were already decided, her words resolute.

In truth, the role of Grand Duchess wasn’t particularly appealing to her.

In Renosa, and indeed everywhere, a woman’s life was divided into two paths.

To work as a knight, mage, or official, or to marry and support a husband.

Even if one chose the former, marriage often led to the latter.

Women who could study as much as those at the academy typically came from high status or married men of high status.

And in high society, a woman’s life was usually tied to her husband.

One could not be a Grand Duchess and a court mage, or a duchess and a knight.

Naturally, personal achievements were sidelined, and focus shifted to the family and the children one was expected to bear.

Heike, who had lived freely and wandered, was far from ordinary.

That extraordinary nature had made her an Archmage.

Alea had chosen the former path for her life.

Born as Heike’s granddaughter and becoming a mage, an ordinary life was never hers.

Becoming the Grand Duchess of Renosa was a complete career shift. A life she hadn’t considered.

But she was confident she could excel at anything, given her intelligence.

Except for learning social dances, she had never struggled to master anything in her life—a thought befitting her.

So, she decided to try balancing both. An Archmage and the Grand Duchess of Renosa.

Alea had saved Helmut from the Forest of Roots.

She didn’t expect repayment, but Helmut had a duty to support the life she wanted.

After all, it was because of Helmut that Alea was making this career shift.

Even setting that aside, the open-minded Helmut wouldn’t blame her for neglecting her duties as Grand Duchess to focus on her magical research.

If Helmut and Alea were in agreement, there was no issue.

“I know you’re brilliant. Perhaps you’ll manage better than expected.”

Alea nodded as if it were obvious.

She had graduated from Greta Academy with the highest honors in its history.

To carelessly assume any task was beyond her was an egregious insult.

“But I also know you’re the granddaughter of Heike, the Temple’s public enemy.”

The Grand Duke’s gaze was sharp. Was she planning to hide behind Helmut and burden Renosa with that?

Alea responded simply.

“I am Alea. The sins Heike bears are hers to carry.”

“Are you denying your connection to Heike?”

“They have no evidence.”

Only that Alea bore a striking resemblance to Heike.

As grandmother and granddaughter, separated by a generation, that alone was insufficient as proof.

If she insisted it was a coincidence, that was that.

Those who knew the truth were opposed to the Temple, and the dean of Greta Academy was not someone the Temple could easily touch.

The Grand Duke looked at Alea anew as she responded confidently, her voice clear and articulate.

‘They say she’s a genius, and she’s certainly a unique one.’

Dangerous, yet resolute in her answers. She was too ambiguous to be deemed a pass or fail.

Alea existed on a plane where even the Grand Duke couldn’t easily judge her.

If Helmut had proven his worth as Renosa’s heir, Alea was much the same.

“Very well. If it becomes an issue later, we’ll address it then.”

With those brief words, the Grand Duke dismissed her.

“You may go.”

Alea left the room without protest.

She had prepared in case the Grand Duke tried to eliminate her, but it was fortunate, if anything, that he only sought a conversation.

‘Attacking Helmut’s father wouldn’t sit well with me either.’

Likely, the Grand Duke also considered that Alea, as a formidable mage, would be an asset to Renosa.

“By the way… didn’t he say he’d discuss it?”

Alea’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

Hadn’t Helmut told Charlotte he’d “discuss the engagement with Alea”?

Perhaps he’d forgotten, preoccupied with the Black Wing Knights, as he hadn’t mentioned it at all.

‘Did he really forget…?’

For now, she decided to wait for the matter to resolve itself.

She wasn’t worried in the least. Just as Helmut didn’t worry about her.

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