Episode 864

“Ian, young master?”

The tutor’s call snapped the boy back to attention.

Ian gripped his pen tightly with his small hand and continued writing the letters as if nothing had happened. The tutor gave a puzzled smile and glanced at Ian’s pale face, prompting the boy to purse his lips.

“Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s alright. Would you like to take a break?”

He was only five years old. Just sitting still and studying was impressive enough, but the fact that he was trying so hard to focus was truly remarkable.

The tutor placed a chocolate cake on the table in front of Ian.

“This is your favorite chocolate cake, young master.”

Ian raised an eyebrow, and the tutor nodded knowingly. He piled a generous amount of whipped cream on top.

“Be careful not to eat too much, or your teeth will suffer.”

“Don’t worry. I brush my teeth diligently.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The tutor rested his chin on his hand, watching the boy. Ian’s cute, muffled chewing was unmistakably that of a five-year-old, yet the occasional clear, sharp gaze he gave was surprisingly mature—almost unsettling. Was this what noble bearing looked like?

“About your father…”

“Yes, I heard doctors came from the capital?”

“What did they say about his illness?”

The tutor hesitated, unsure how to answer. The lady of the house had strictly ordered that Ian not be told anything about the lord’s health.

But Ian narrowed his eyes, urging him to speak.

“Didn’t you teach me what it means to be a child? To respect, honor, and love my parents?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then tell me quickly. Mother is so afraid she won’t say a word about Father.”

Ian, holding his fork, declared sternly,

“If you don’t help me, I won’t be able to study properly because I’ll be too worried about Father. I’ll forget how to write letters and won’t be able to focus on numbers.”

“That’s unreasonable.”

“Hmph. Whether it’s unreasonable or not, we’ll see.”

Ian defiantly took a bite of cake, smirking.

But the tutor was at a loss. How could he possibly tell a five-year-old that his father was on the brink of death?

“You can’t say that. Once you finish your cake, we’ll start the next lesson.”

Ian shot him a blatantly displeased look, but the tutor didn’t budge.

When the two-hour lesson finally ended, Ian dashed out of the study without even saying goodbye.

‘Why is everyone keeping this a secret?’

Wasn’t he allowed to worry about his father and comfort his mother? If there was a good reason, fine, but just because he was young, hiding everything like this was unfair.

“Young master! Young master!”

“Don’t follow me!”

“Oh, where are you going alone?”

Ian tried to outrun the servants, but it was no use. He fled to the backyard and finally gave up, panting heavily. The servant wiped sweat from his brow, clearly exhausted as well.

“You’re running better every day, young master.”

“I said don’t follow me—”

Rustle.

Suddenly, Ian sensed movement in the bushes. The servant looked in the same direction. Was it a wild animal? Ian shook his head, and the servant cautiously approached with hesitant steps.

“Is it a… a rabbit?”

“Wishful thinking, I suppose. Hmph.”

“Why so grumpy, young master? I’ll check it out. Shoo!”

The servant poked the bushes with a stick, and something flinched.

“Ah!”

A woman with blonde hair and green eyes appeared—Philia. She looked flustered, leaves stuck all over her hair, and turned around awkwardly.

“Oh! H-hello.”

“Gasp! Aren’t you a guest from the capital? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, yes. I just needed to check something.”

She brushed off her clothes and stepped out of the bushes, bits of grass clinging to her hands. Ian watched with interest.

“Check something?”

“My specialty is herbal medicine.”

“And?”

“Well…”

Hmm. Should she say it?

Philia smiled awkwardly and fell silent. Ian frowned. He was already upset from being ignored by the tutor, and now Philia was acting like this.

Noticing the boy’s disappointment immediately, Philia crouched down to explain.

“Oh, don’t be so upset, young master.”

“Upset? Who’s upset?”

“The lord’s illness is very complex. It’s not just one or two diseases. I was checking if any poisonous plants that could cause illness grow on the estate.”

Philia explained carefully, matching Ian’s level of understanding. But she overlooked one thing: Ian was far smarter than most children his age.

“So that means—”

The boy’s eyes widened.

There might be poisonous plants that cause disease. But many people live here, including me and Mother. Why is it only Father who got so sick from them? Doesn’t that seem strange?

“Did Father eat something different from the rest?”

“No, no. We’re just exploring all possibilities. It’s not a conclusion.”

“Explain in detail.”

“Um, young master…”

“If you don’t explain, I’ll run to your teacher and discuss this immediately.”

“Wha—? How could you say that?”

Philia stepped back in shock, but Ian grabbed her arm.

“So, please. I’m asking you.”

For some reason, Philia couldn’t refuse his request. She glanced at the servant, who seemed unwilling to intervene, and sighed reluctantly.

“Alright, sit down for a moment. I’ll explain briefly.”

“Thank you.”

Ian and the servant squatted facing Philia. She laid out the plants she had collected one by one.

“These are, in order, Hasangcho, Daekkotpulcho, and Dorongcho. They’re common plants found in the mountains and fields. Their effects vary greatly depending on how they’re prepared.”

Philia rested her chin lightly on her hand and added,

“This probably happened about a hundred years ago. There’s a country called Hawan northeast of Bariel. Have you heard of it?”

“I’ve heard the name.”

“Many goods from the East and other countries come through Hawan. Among them… there are some very dangerous medicines.”

Drugs or aphrodisiacs.

Philia couldn’t bring herself to say those words directly to Ian, so she hinted at them. Ian, however, muttered quietly to himself, “Drugs?”

“They were even used in the assassination of the former emperor. Back then, these were terrifying poisons. But over time, research advanced, and now they’re commonly mixed with Hasangcho, Daekkotpulcho, and Dorongcho in folk remedies.”

“So you’re saying Father was exposed to this poisonous mixture?”

“As I said, it’s just one possibility. The symptoms alone give us reason to suspect it.”

“What about Mother?”

“…Not yet.”

In truth, Philia had no intention of telling the lady of the house anytime soon. If necessary, she would report to her own teacher, Kelly. They didn’t know who the culprit was. If the lady was involved… that would be a serious problem.

Philia grew uneasy, imagining the question that was sure to come from Ian. How could she explain all this?

“Don’t say anything.”

“Huh?”

Ian thought for a moment, then added quietly,

“I trust Mother. But I can’t say the same for everyone else in the estate. If you report this, you might become a target. So investigate quietly.”

Philia hesitated, not immediately grasping the meaning behind Ian’s words. Then she realized that this five-year-old had shown her kindness. And that his insight was far deeper than she’d imagined.

Her admiration was brief. Philia glanced around nervously. That was a dangerous statement—if anyone overheard, it could cause trouble.

Her eyes landed on the servant nearby—Ian’s servant. Ian waved his hand reassuringly.

“It’s okay. Haena is trustworthy.”

“…Young master, you trust me?”

Haena’s eyes sparkled as she clung to Ian, who gently pushed her away and looked around again. Fortunately, no one was nearby in the backyard.

Ian thought to himself,

“Father fell ill last summer. The traitor didn’t kill him outright to avoid suspicion. Since the target is still alive, I have no choice but to watch closely.”

There was still a traitor inside the estate. Ian clenched his tiny fists and wiped away the tears welling up. Haena anxiously comforted him, and Philia, unsure what to do, hugged him gently.

“It’s probably just my imagination, young master.”

“Yes, young master. If it were poisoning, the doctors would have noticed by now. The lord’s health was always fragile. Don’t be too afraid.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Huh?”

Ian wiped his tears with the back of his hand and frowned. Afraid? Why would he be afraid?

“I’m angry.”

That someone in this estate dared to harm his father. And that he had been so young and clueless all this time.

“I need to find out who did this. And once I have a clearer picture of the situation, I’ll have to tell Mother.”

“Philia.”

“Yes, Master Ian.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

The child expressed gratitude calmly. No one else had been willing to speak openly with him, but thanks to Philia, he was able to piece together some of what was going on. She gave a shy smile.

“I’m not sure if I did the right thing…”

“Don’t doubt it. You helped me a lot.”

“Really?”

Philia rested her face on her knees. Was it because rumors of the lord’s poisoning were spreading? Or perhaps because the lady had seemed unusually cold? Philia felt her heart soften toward this little boy. He was somehow both admirable and pitiable.

“Well then, see you again.”

Ian said this and turned away, but then quickly stepped back toward Philia. Handing her a handkerchief, he added,

“There’s a lot of dirt on it.”

“Thank you, Master Ian.”

As Ian strode off, Hana followed behind, bowing her head politely.

Philia watched their retreating figures for a long moment before gathering her resolve and standing up. There was only one thing she needed to do now: find out the lord’s diagnosis. Her goal had become clear.

Meanwhile—

Thud!

“Master Ian! Let’s go together!”

Ian felt his mind growing more tangled. If it was poisoning, the kitchen would be the first place to check. But who had been here last summer? He couldn’t recall. Any suspicious people? Nothing came to mind.

Determined to find the culprit by any means, he was interrupted.

“Oh? Looks like we have visitors.”

“Visitors?”

“That’s a carriage I haven’t seen before…”

Ian reached out to Hana, who naturally lifted the child so he could look out the window. Well-dressed nobles were exchanging greetings with the butler.

“Butler. It’s been a while.”

“Welcome. I hope you’ve been well.”

“We’re as usual. We came to visit after hearing Lord Hadel’s health has worsened.”

“Thank you. Please, come to the parlor. The lady is waiting for you.”

As the man followed the butler’s lead, he suddenly looked up toward the window. Their eyes met briefly, and Ian instinctively froze before quickly ducking out of sight. The man smiled coldly at the sight.

“Mr. Crony?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

So his little uncle was only five years old? How adorable. Crony and his party entered the mansion.