Logically, having left the family, he shouldn't have returned to the Silt territory. But Filin wasn't there to resolve his own doubts... but for his father.
After that banquet, Sir Silt not only spoke of the person in the painting, but also seemed very emotional, saying that the family existed because of her kindness, but his grandfather and ancestors had failed her kindness. Filin couldn't understand these words at the time, but his father's expression was unforgettable—a regret for the actions of his grandfather and ancestors.
If it was a regret, could there still be a chance for redemption? Perhaps the woman he saw was a descendant of the family's creator.
After all, he left the family because he didn't want to be separated from Eileen. As the eldest son, the family couldn't accept him officially marrying a commoner. It was just a difference in choices between the two sides, not that the Silt family had done him wrong.
After marrying Eileen, although Sir Silt didn't visit him once, his mother still sent some daily necessities and a letter, telling him that his father had forgiven him.
It was because of these reasons that Filin made the decision to bring news to his family.
Due to the influence of the Devil's Month, the ships traveling between the two places had been greatly reduced. He waited three days for a merchant ship from the fortress. Adding the time for unloading and counting, he arrived at Longsong Fortress a week later.
Stepping off the dock, Filin immediately felt the desolation of the city. The snow on the ground was ankle-deep. Apart from a few alleys with footprints of varying depths, the snow on the streets was flat and even, indicating that no one had passed by for a long time. Compared to the bustling Border Town, it was hard to believe that this was the largest city in the Western Region.
The Silt family's territory was next to the northern part of the fortress, a village of nearly two thousand acres. Even the fortress was in such a state, so the village was even worse. Walking along the carriage tracks towards the manor, he could see some corpses of people who had starved to death—the early snowfall that started in the autumn would catch most of the poor off guard, with neither enough food nor firewood stored. Probably half of them wouldn't survive until next spring. Originally, this was a normal phenomenon during the Devil's Month, but Filin couldn't get used to it.
After passing a few sparse wooden houses, Filin returned to his doorstep for the first time in many years.
The iron gate of the courtyard was closed, and the front yard was covered with snow, but a few stone paths had been cleared, indicating that someone in the family was still managing the manor.
He knocked hard on the iron gate. After a while, two guards came out of the mansion, and one of them quickly recognized Filin's identity, looking surprised, "You, you are... the eldest young master."
"I want to see Sir Silt," Filin said calmly.
Although the people in the mansion knew that Dawnlight had broken ties with the family, this was, after all, a matter between nobles, and the guards didn't dare to act on their own. The two quickly opened the iron gate, one leading him to the hall to wait, and the other reporting to the butler.
Filin didn't expect that the first person to arrive was his younger brother, Miso Silt.
"You don't belong here anymore, why did you come back?" He frowned and looked at his brother, "Did you walk here? Where's your retinue?"
"I'm no longer a knight," Filin smiled, "Naturally, I won't have a retinue."
"Ah, I almost forgot, you were defeated by the prince of Border Town and became his prisoner. Did he let you back?" Miso snorted, "Are you short of money for the winter? I can give you some, and then you can leave on your own."
Filin sighed at the other's attitude. It wasn't hard to understand his reaction—Miso Silt was now the first heir to the family, so naturally he didn't want him to come back, lest it cause trouble.
"I'm not here to take money, and I have no intention of competing with you for the heir position," Dawnlight said in a deep voice, "His Royal Highness the Prince has hired me as a tutor. I'm very satisfied with my current life."
"Tutor?" Miso was stunned, "I don't remember you having such high knowledge that you can teach other nobles?"
"It's not teaching nobles, but teaching commoners to write."
"Teaching commoners..." he sneered, "Your lies are getting more and more interesting. It wouldn't be that
commoner wife who has addled your brains, right?"
"Enough!" A low shout came from behind. Miso trembled instantly. Filin looked in the direction of the voice and found that it was his father, Sir Silt. "Ms. Eileen is no less than a noble, she just lacks an identity. If you continue to say that, it will be disrespectful."
"Father!" Miso said loudly.
The Duke ignored his second son, "The guards said you have news to tell me?"
"Yes," Filin saluted.
"Then come to my room."
...
Filin followed his father towards the room on the second floor of the mansion. When passing through the hall, he took the opportunity to glance at the wall with the portrait. The blue-haired woman's face appeared in front of him again—almost exactly the same as the person he had seen in the Commoners' Market. And unlike other portraits, this painting's colors were particularly bright, and the details were much more refined. Even the beauty mark at the corner of her eye was clearly visible.
Entering the room, the Duke took the initiative to speak, "During the autumn theater performance, I saw your wife. She looked very good, and her acting didn't pale in comparison to Mei Xiaojie. It seems you're living very well."
Filin suddenly felt his eyes heat up. He didn't expect his father to bring this up first. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "Yes, we have our own residence in Border Town, and we plan to have a child after the Devil's Month ends this year."
"That's good," Silt slowly took a sip of tea, "It shouldn't be easy to come from Border Town now. What news do you want to tell me?"
Dawnlight calmed his emotions, "I met a woman in the town who looks exactly like the person in the portrait in the hall."
The Duke's hand trembled, almost knocking over the teacup. He raised his head and widened his eyes, "What did you say?"
"Rare blue hair, beautiful appearance, I'm sure I didn't see it wrong," Filin said, "Could she be a descendant of the person in the painting?"
"Impossible! That person is—" he paused, then shook his head, "She couldn't possibly have descendants."
"Is... that so?" Filin lowered his head, "Then maybe I was mistaken."
"You came all the way to Longsong Fortress just for this?"
"Yes, because I remember you once... expressed regret."
Sir Silt pondered for a while, "Really the same?"
"Apart from the slight difference in hair length..." Filin recalled, "Everything else is completely the same. You know, from birth until now, I've only seen that hair color in the portrait, so I pay extra attention to it."
"She couldn't be that person's descendant," the Duke hesitated, "But she could be the person in the painting herself."
Filin could hardly believe his ears at his father's statement. This idea was even more incredible than his own assumptions, "Herself? You mean... she's lived for over four hundred years?"
"I didn't want to tell you this," he said, getting up, "She is a witch. Since she's a witch, anything is possible. Come with me."
"Where to?"
"The basement. I have something I want to show you," the Duke said, word by word, "A heritage from our ancestors, and also the 'relics' she left behind."
.(。)