The guards lined up by the fences carefully as the Baron reached the entrance quickly with the family. A young man in a black robe opened the door and jumped off the carriage.
The man wiped the dust off the robe and looked at the people walking to him.
"Angele!" The Baron shouted after seeing the young man's face. There was an excited look on his face. He walked to Angele and hugged him tightly.
"Why didn't you tell us you were coming back?!" The Baron patted his son's back.
"Mails will take years to be sent to you." Angele patted the Baron's back as well, but for some reason, he did not feel the warmth he had imagined at this reunion with the Baron.
The Baron turned around and whispered to a maid on the side. The maid nodded and ran back into the manor.
"Come, you can have some rest in your home. I asked her to prepare a room for you." The Baron held Angele's hand and led him into the manor.
The workers in the garden area were staring at Angele and the guards curiously.
"That decoration on the silver carriage… He must be a Count," someone mumbled.
"Come on, they'll hear us!"
Justin asked Rayben to take Angele back to his home with the guards. Rayben had ordered the guards to leave after the mission was completed, but he still stayed with Angele and followed him into the manor.
Angele entered the main building with Baron. Two beautiful young ladies were already waiting for them in the middle of the hall alongside several maids and workers. They slightly bent their knees to show respect after the door was opened.
"Miran and Sarin, they're both my wives. Many things have happened." The Baron pointed at the ladies and smiled.
The two ladies bowed to Angele politely as they were being introduced, but they did not say anything.
Angele glanced around the hall and saw two children behind the two ladies. Their hands were being held by two maids.
The girl was about three years old and was wearing a white one-piece. The boy in a brown tight suit was staring at Angele nervously.
Baron saw Angele looking at the children.
"It's your brother and sister. The boy's name is Ansol and the girl's name is Ori."
Baron walked over and picked them up with his arms before turning around. He looked at Angele.
"They're cute, eh? Just like you. You were adorable when you were young." He was smiling gently.
Ansol and Ori chuckled. The boy started playing with Baron's hair and the girl grabbed his beard. The two ladies who were watching their kids play with the Baron smiled.
Angele smiled as well, but a feeling of alienation, of estrangement, as though he didn't belong here had already begun to sprout.
His father had changed. The Baron had been the only person Angele could trust in the family, yet he created a new family while Angele was away. He now had two wives and two kids. There were many faces in the hall that Angele was unfamiliar with.
Angele looked around. Miran, Sarin, all the maids, and workers were trying to avoid eye contact with him. They lowered their heads and just stared at the floor.
Angele could understand that the Baron wanted to rebuild their family and regain his honor. With Professor Adolf's help, it should be easy for him to join the circle of nobility in the city.
However, Angele hadn't seen any people he used to know, so he was a bit confused.
"Father, where's Maggie and Celia?" he suddenly asked.
"Celia is attending a party in the city. Maggie… Well… She suddenly got sick last and died. Her body was buried at the Red Mountain Graveyard." Baron stopped smiling and responded in a grim tone.
"What? She passed away?" Angele was surprised. Ge closed his eyes for a second.
"Father, is my room prepared? I want to have some rest."
"Yea." The Baron nodded. He did not elaborate what illness took Maggie's life away.
"Celia will be back soon. I'll tell her you're back."
"Thanks." Angele nodded.
Most of the decoration in the bedroom was yellow. Angele stood beside the window and looked at the green field outside.
*Knock Knock*
"Come in, please." Angele turned around and leaned on the windowsill.
*Creak*
The door was pushed open.
A beautiful lady with an updo entered the room. She was wearing a gray dress, and there was a wooden violin in her hand.
"Angele, it's me, Celia," the lady spoke in a light tone. Before she could close the door, Ansol and Ori rushed in and grabbed her legs.
"Celia, you promised me that you'll play the violin for us," Ori said in a cute voice.
"Yea, you promised us before you left in the morning!" Ansol jeered.
"Come on, stop it." Celia was a bit anxious. She enjoyed playing with her young brother and sister, but she thought it was inappropriate to do so in front of Angele. She did not want to disappoint Angele. Professor Adolf was the only reason why the family was developing well in the city, and making Angele unhappy would directly affect their future.
"Stop. Go to the instrument room first, I'll be there later." She crouched and comforted them.
Angele watched Celia comforting Ansol and Ori. He realized Celia was not the naive girl he used to know. Celia had become the elder sister of the two children.
"It's fine. I never heard you playing the violin. How about we all head to the instrument room and enjoy some nice music?"
Celia hesitated for a second. She looked at Ansol and Ori before she finally nodded her head.
They left the bedroom and walked to a room by the end of the hallway on the second floor.
Celia opened the door. The room was about the size of a meeting hall, but it was half-empty. There were several violins hanging on the wall. Some of them were made from yellow wood and the rest was made from redwood.
The two children were not sure how they should treat Angele, but they knew he was their brother and they should respect him. Angele was a stranger to them not so long ago, thus he could understand why they tried to stay away from him.
Celia sat down on a chair with her red wooden violin and put the instrument under her chin. The way she played it was different from what Angele knew. She did not use any bow, only pressing her fingers on the strings.
Ansol sat down on a chair and Ori stood beside Celia. They were both staring at the violin in her hand.
The violin squeaked, but Angele thought it sounded like a zither. He stood beside the door and watched Celia play the violin.
The crisp melody flowed over Angele's ears. It was nothing surprising, but Angele knew Celia had been practicing it for a while just by listening to it.
Angele looked at Celia and recalled the shy girl who expressed her love in a passive way. She had already grown up and became a gentle lady. He missed the old days, but he knew things would not just stay as is forever.
Angele left the room quietly while Celia and the kids were still enjoying the melody.
He walked into the hallway and saw the lady named Miran coming from the other direction. She was the mother of Ori.
"Ms. Miran." Angele slightly nodded.
"Master Angele, enjoy the stay…" Miran had realized that she said something inappropriate and stopped right away.
"I'm sorry. I just…" She covered her mouth with one hand and apologized.
Angele could see the fear in her eyes. She was assuming that Angele would not stay in the manor for too long, but she realized that Angele was the Baron's son.
Angele looked at her and smiled.
"It's fine. I know I don't belong here anymore," Angele spoke calmly.
Miran's mouth was trembling. She lowered her head and carefully observed Angele's expression. She was not sure if Angele had already forgiven her or not.
"Mom!" A light voice came from Miran's back.
It was Ori, who jumped into Miran's arms.
Celia walked out of the room with Ansol as well. Miran quickly covered her daughter's mouth. She did not want to offend Angele further. Miran realized she was blocking Angele's way, so she grabbed Ori's hand and stood on the side quietly.
Angele knew why they treat him so carefully, but he did not think they were offending him at all.
"Ms. Miran, can you tell me where the Red Mountain Graveyard is? Or can you ask someone to take me there?"
"Of course." Miran nodded many times.
Angele smiled at the children again before walking back to his bedroom.
Angele stayed in the manor for two days before leaving.
Many things had happened in these four years. The Rio Family had recruited a lot of new members. There was a growing estrangement between Angele and his father. He thought that it would worsen if he stayed in the manor for too long. The Baron was focused on regaining his leadership and Angele was not even related to the new family.
Every people in the manor was speaking to him as if they were speaking to someone with great power. They chose their words carefully and made sure Angele was not offended in the daily life. He was treated like a stranger who would bring wealth to the family.
Angele knew his presence would only bring trouble to the family and the old days were already gone. He wanted the family to live a happy and relaxed life, so he decided to leave right away. The Baron apologized to Angele before he left. The Baron knew that Angele could not stay here and lead the family in the future, so he had to find someone else to inherit the family.
The Baron talked to Adolf many times during the years. Although Adolf did not tell him any details, the Baron still realized what Angele was trying to accomplish.
He decided to rebuild the family by himself after that, so he got married again and decided to make Ansol his heir.
"This is the information of your mother and your elder brother. That's all I know." The Baron handed a scroll over to Angele before he left.
Angele gave his father a tiny tube filled with yellow liquid. It was a potion he had concocted that could help treat physical injuries. The amount of liquid was enough to cure the Baron's old injuries. Although the Baron was getting old, it was still possible for him to become a Grand Knight after his power fully recovered.
Angele, Rayben, and some guards arrived at the Red Mountain Graveyard alongside the navigator sent by Miran.
It was afternoon.
The orange sunlight from the sinking sun reflected upon the land.
Angele and the others stood in front of a white tombstone beside the trees.
"Rayben, ask the guards to drive everyone else away. I need to do some investigation." Angele had no expression on his face.
Justin had ordered Rayben to fulfill all Angele's request, so he immediately asked the guards to drive the citizens away.
Angele stepped forward and rubbed the surface of the tombstone.
The only thing written on it was: 'Maggie. 1542. 13. 1.'.
"Alright, dig up the body," he ordered.