Chapter 40

Costance waited all day for his father to come to the mansion.

However, the Marquis Orsi did not return to the mansion. Despite hearing the news of Costance’s graduation, he left the mansion for a week on a long business trip.

“Y-Young Master! What are you doing…!”

In the meantime, Costance had ransacked his father’s study. He found out the location of the orphanage where Alonso was.

“You don’t have to worry about tidying up the study.”

It was the first time. Costance, who had always endured and tolerated, openly displayed hatred towards his father.

The change in his demeanor frightened the mansion’s employees. No one could stop Costance when he climbed onto the biplane in the warehouse without a word.

Costance headed straight to the orphanage where Alonso was.

He crossed a large mountain and a river. Arriving at the orphanage in the basin, Costance saw a roof that seemed like it would collapse at any moment. It was a place where even a single proper light didn’t enter. Flies buzzed around the orphanage.

“……”

Costance’s blood boiled. As he feared… his father had truly abandoned Alonso.

‘Father is not human. No, he’s a devil… definitely a devil.’

Even if Alonso wasn’t born from the legitimate wife, the blood of Orsi flowed through him.

Yet, his father mercilessly abandoned Alonso. In a shabby, dark place far from the mansion.

Costance clenched his fists. He regretted his childhood actions of blindly following his father. He regretted silently watching as Alonso was sent to the cold last room…

Should I have not gone to the Officer Academy?

No. If he hadn’t, he would have ended up submitting to his father’s words until the end. He would have watched, crying, as his father abandoned Alonso. Just then, a child came out of the old orphanage.

Costance’s eyes widened.

The boy who came out with a shovel was undoubtedly his brother. The once light black hair had darkened, and the once yellow eyes shone like gold.

Alonso was alone in the field, digging the soil. Soon, two children from the orphanage approached Alonso.

“Look at this!”

“Wow, a pretty stone!”

The three gathered together, giggling as they played with the soil.

Costance took in Alonso’s expression. Alonso, smiling brightly, seemed happy just playing with the soil.

“……”

Costance, who stood idly for a long time, finally moved.

The sunset had almost faded. Without even saying a word of greeting to his brother, he returned to the mansion. The biplane he had taken landed on the ground.

“Y-Young Master…”

The maid, Angela, called out to Costance cautiously as he took off his helmet.

Costance noticed the lit study and the butler. He sensed that his father had returned. As expected, the Marquis Orsi, noticing Costance’s arrival, glared at his son from beyond the window. Costance, too, noticed that gaze and did not avoid it.

“I have sent you to the Officer Academy.”

He had just returned from seeing Alonso.

Had he not done so, he might have raised his voice at his father. The reason he suddenly became calm was that he judged that the old and shabby orphanage would be better for Alonso than this suffocating Orsi mansion.

“I just graduated.”

“And yet you act like a worm.”

“I will take Alonso and live with him.”

The Marquis Orsi frowned.

“Crazy bastard.”

“I will soon be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Once I become an officer, I will leave the mansion with Alonso.”

“You have to inherit the Orsi Marquisate in ten years. Will you still have Alonso with you then?”

“Yes.”

“……Useless brat.”

Marquis Orsi glared at Costance.

The son, who was once a boy, had grown much taller than himself and was physically imposing. The son had grown too much to correct his rotten spirit with beatings. The Marquis raised his hand but then turned away.

At times like this, not seeing his face was enough.

“Anyway, you’ll return to the Orsi Marquisate.”

“If I return, Alonso will return with me.”

“That child is destined to leave the Orsi Marquisate. He’s different from you.”

“……”

“Ungrateful brat. A brat who doesn’t know the grace of being raised…”

Costance ignored those words. He had no talent for speaking at length with the devil.

* * *

Not long after, Costance Orsi became a Second Lieutenant.

Costance’s first posting was as an operations officer on a fleet led by a major. Since it was a maritime duty, Costance could not bring his brother to stay with him.

“They say he was abandoned there without a name. So the nun gave your brother a new name. It’s Eugene. He has no last name.”

At a detective agency.

Costance reviewed the documents the detective brought.

The orphanage where Alonso stayed had its support cut off a year ago. Nevertheless, the orphanage was barely maintained by two nuns with strong altruism. Feeding and housing the children were handled with the money the nuns had.

Costance considered sending anonymous support to the place.

But the village where the orphanage was located was on the outskirts, surrounded by barren fields. With mountains all around, crossing to another village was not easy.

Even with substantial support funds, it would be difficult to procure food, and if the children fell ill, they couldn’t immediately go to a hospital.

“……Do you have paper and a pen?”

The detective nodded.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

With the items in hand, Costance immediately began writing a letter.

Please merge the orphanage with the one in Canary Village.

There are two nuns and four children there.

The location of the orphanage is…(omitted)…

Please send them all to Canary Orphanage without leaving anyone behind. Do not mention that the Orsi family is involved.

• Constance –

Costance tucked the letter inside his clothes.

‘Alonso… No, it’s Eugene now.’

The moment Alonso gets entangled with the Orsi family, he becomes unhappy.

If he arbitrarily brought his brother home, Costance couldn’t predict what his father would do.

Above all, Alonso was doing well at the orphanage now. Costance didn’t want to impose a more unfamiliar environment on his brother.

“Here, this is your fee.”

Costance took out the prepared check.

“Please watch over my brother for two years. If anything happens to him or if he disappears from the orphanage, please send me a letter.”

“Of course. Is there anything else you would like to request?”

“…Ah, and.”

He took out another check.

“Please anonymously donate to the Canary Orphanage. I will continue to send funds for the donations.”

“Aren’t you trusting me too much? I could embezzle the donation money.”

The detective said slyly as he accepted the check Costance gave him.

“……”

Costance remained silent.

The atmosphere in the office changed drastically from a moment ago. The heavy air pressed down strongly on the detective’s shoulders. He found the calm and deep gaze across from him.

They say silence is scarier than a scolding. This was exactly that situation. Even a detective who had faced countless crimes felt Costance’s prolonged silence as chilling as walking on thin ice.

“…It was a joke, Lieutenant.”

“Please, take good care of it.”

* * *

Colleagues said Costance was like a machine. They always joked that there must be an oil hole in his back.

After boarding the fleet, Costance remained calm and indifferent in everything.

Even when everyone panicked in an emergency, Costance alone remained composed. Costance feared news from the Orsi family more than incoming bombs, and he was more tense when the detective sent him a letter than when an enemy ship was right in front of him.

Costance only worked there.

“Hey, Cons… I mean, Costance! Since it’s been a while since we’re on land, want to go to the entertainment district together?”

“I’ll pass.”

The ship, which had been patrolling the western sea, returned to Canary Village after several months. It was natural for the officers who set foot on land after a long time to be excited.

“See, didn’t I tell you? That guy doesn’t know how to have fun.”

“Tsk tsk.”

A lieutenant, who was senior to Costance, draped an arm over his shoulder.

“The entertainment district isn’t what you think. It’s a place to play pocket billiards or poker. Judging by your pocket billiards skills…”

“Senior.”

“Aren’t you also good at drinking?”

“I’ll pass.”

“There’s also this, you know. If a man doesn’t keep releasing it, he can’t use it when he needs to, right? This is advice for you…”

The lieutenant stopped speaking. Costance’s sharp gaze warned that continuing to chatter would lead to trouble.

People misunderstood, but he was not a machine.

Costance was not indifferent. In fact, he was always on edge, just suppressing it.

“Boring guy.”

The lieutenant frowned and withdrew his arm from Costance’s shoulder.

The officers on the fleet gradually left one by one. Costance, who had set foot on land, changed clothes and headed straight to the cathedral.

There, Eugene, Alonso was.

Alonso, who grew day by day, was expressive and full of energy. Costance only watched his brother’s growth from a distance.