Chapter 4 - The General is the Heir of the Evenhart Duchy

POV Hugo Riverclimb

I’m on my knees, surrounded by a curious crowd. They’re all confused, probably because of my noble status, but I don’t care.

In front of me are the two most important people I could have ever found in my life. I can't believe I finally located them thanks to that tracking necklace. I found them just in time!

I look at the boy beside her.

He’s the spitting image! No, he’s a fusion of the main characteristics of both of them. I’m looking at a face that mixes hers and Lord Ethan's, my old friend.

The boy looks at me, confused, then looks at her. Now he's positioning himself in front of his mother as if to protect her.

“It’s okay, young master,” I try to reassure him.

Judging by his confused face... she hasn’t told him anything? He knows nothing about his family’s lineage?

I stand up and notice he becomes more wary of me. I make sure to show my hands are empty as I slowly approach.

Katherine stands frozen, unsure of what to do, looking between the boy and me.

I need to tell her! They are in serious danger, all of us are.

“Hugo…” she tries to speak, but I interrupt her.

“I’m here as a father, not a servant. Please, let me talk to you alone for just a moment, then I’ll let you go. Please, just listen... I’m begging you. If you run, I’ll have to come after you… but I swear it’s not to harm you. I just need a few minutes. The situation isn’t like before, Lady Katherine. We’re in serious trouble,” I say, pleading.

Please! We tried our best to respect your wishes, but things have gotten much worse.

Katherine embraces her son from behind.

“You won’t take us away?” she asks.

I wish I could say no, but the fate of all of us depends on you and your son.

“I can’t promise that; the situation with that 'heir' has reached its limit.”

Lady Katherine sighs, knowing there's no other option. A noble knight is requesting something, and her face is already known. Running would only make things worse. If another soldier finds them... I can’t guarantee their safety. I must get them out of here; they are the future of House Evenhart.

“You have a few minutes, that’s all,” she says.

“What are you all looking at? Disperse!” I yell at the crowd.

Lady Katherine looks around, contemplating fleeing, but I see her hesitate. She probably realizes it’s better to hear me out.

What will she do when she learns her life is in danger if they find out about the boy?

“Where can we talk?” I ask her. The boy still looks at me, confused.

“At my house,” Katherine says, turning her back on me.

“Are you sure?”

I hear her sigh.

“Does it matter? I can’t do anything if you send your soldiers to search this area. I’ll have to abandon the house anyway. The question is, will you let me escape?”

***

POV Nathan Evenhart

It’s been a while since we returned home, and my mother is nervously pacing back and forth. The noble soldier left but said he would return in an hour. All he told her was, “Please don’t run, things have escalated, and you are in danger. I need to get some important things… Lady Margaery requested your assistance.”

From what I gathered from their conversation, an “heir” is coming after us. I tried to argue with her, but as soon as I saw her face, I knew the situation had a powerful effect on her. She turned pale and anxious, even hugging me for a while when she heard the name coming after us.

Wolves... what does that mean?

“Nate!” she calls, seating me on the sofa.

I can hear her heart racing.

“What’s happening, Mom? Why are you like this? Who was that person?” I try to ask, but she turns her face away. I asked too many questions at once, but I need to know. Is my mother in danger? I still don’t understand what’s going on.

The worst part is, I don’t even have a real weapon...

She sighs while clasping her hands, her legs trembling.

“Nate, do you remember when I asked you never to tell anyone your last name?”

“Yes,” I nod, and an expression of regret appears on her face. My mother adjusts a strand of her long brown hair that’s falling in front of one of her eyes.

“My son… I haven’t told you the whole truth. The real reason I abandoned your family. I know you’re very young, but now, more than ever, it’s time for you to know.”

“Know what, Mom?”

“You are an important heir, one of the heirs to a Ducal House. Your father was in line to be the Duke of House Evenhart, but he fell in battle shortly before you were born. When I found out he died, I made a deal and fled because I didn’t want you to meet the same fate as him. But now, the problems are coming to us…”

My father died in battle?

I didn’t know how to feel about that. Part of my feelings were influenced by my child’s body, and another part… I wouldn’t know how to say. The truth is, I never knew my father, and there was only one person I cared about, and that person was my mother.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Let’s run, Mom! We have to take this chance,” I try to tell her.

My mother hugs me tighter.

"We can’t, there won’t be any safe place. If the information that you’re alive leaks... they’ll send people after you. They won’t rest until they find us, and it won’t be your family; it will be someone much worse who will harm... me and especially you," Katherine says, stroking my head. Her hands were trembling.

“Who, Mom? Who would hurt us?”

I’m going to kill that bastard.

“The Wolves, they’re fighting to succeed the Evenharts. The current Duke… doesn’t have much power. If they find out you’re alive, both your family and the Wolves will come to bring you back. The current Duke needs you…”

“What do you mean? Why does the current Duke need me?”

My mother takes a deep breath.

“The current Duke is a woman, your aunt. She’s not an Evenhart by blood. Your uncle was the former Duke, but he and your father were killed in the war, and there were no more men in the main family. The leader of the Wolves saw an opportunity to act and is trying to become the leader of the Evenhart family, but now you’re an even greater threat to the Wolves.”

What do you mean, a threat? What the fuck is going on?

“Why am I a threat to the Wolves?”

“The Wolves saw the weakness in the new administration of the current Duke and are questioning the fact that your aunt is not a legitimate Evenhart and is a woman in power. House Evenhart is in crisis because they don’t have a male heir… the problem now is that they might be coming after you.”

Fuck! But what the hell! I don’t want this.

My mother was hesitant to speak; I could tell she was choosing her words carefully.

“Nate, what do you think someone like him will do when he finds out there's a male heir to the Evenhart family alive? He’ll kill you, Nathan… he’ll come here to kill you and then me… he’ll kill my baby,” my mother began to cry.

I didn't know what to do. Run? But I don't know this world.

“I thought everything would be fine if I stayed out of it… but it seems they're slowly stripping your aunt of her authority. She’ll have to make a difficult choice soon.”

“What choice?” I asked, worried.

“The leader of the Wolves wants to become a Duke, and for that, your aunt would need to… marry your cousin… who’s your age… to the head of the Wolves family.”

Marry? Are you fucking kidding me? A five-year-old?

“It would be a 'symbolic engagement' until she was old enough… to… officially complete the marriage.”

Holy shit, that’s twisted.

“But why would my aunt do something like that?” I was angry, pissed off, and confused all at once. A mix of emotions due to the chaos I had been thrown into.

“It’s the only way. You don’t understand, Nathan, it’s not just a simple noble family. It’s a Ducal House, an entire region. Everything revolves around the appearance of the main family. The Evenharts are practically kings in their territory, so appearances are everything. That’s why your aunt needs you; she doesn’t want her daughter to end up in that situation, and now you can become a target.”

“But can’t she just give up the position of Duchess?”

“It’s not that simple. If the Evenhart family loses its position, what do you think the Wolves will do to them? They’ll all start to have ‘accidents’ and die. Your aunt doesn’t have many options, and neither do the Wolves; they need to be engaged to an Evenhart, and for your aunt, the only option left is to marry her daughter… it’s the only way to protect her child.”

When I heard that, I realized it was impossible to run now that both my Evenhart family and the Wolves wouldn’t let me get far. Both need me… one to keep me alive and the other to make sure I’m dead.

What would I do? I didn’t know…

I’ll kill Hugo. If he dies, I can be sure no one knows I exist.

“What if Hugo… has an ‘accident’?”

My mother looked at me seriously.

“Don’t say that! Like it or not, he’s a good person for our family. Of all the people who could have found us, he’s the one I’d prefer. Hugo is on your aunt’s side and was a childhood friend of your father… he and his family will also ‘have accidents’ when the Wolves take over the Evenhart House… he’s our only hope too.”

So it’s no good, I’m screwed… my peaceful life with my mother is over.

I paused to breathe; it was a lot to take in. Even though I was a young adult in a child’s body, it affected me emotionally in a way I couldn’t understand.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was knocking on the door, and my heart sank.

“It’s Hugo. We need to leave urgently, Lady Katherine.”

My mother opened the door for him.

“Are you sure, Hugo? This isn’t a lie, just for your own twisted ego, is it?” my mother asked him.

“I’m here as a father in this situation, I wouldn’t lie… the scenario has changed completely in the last few years, we don’t have any more time.”

I stood up and approached them; I needed to ask this question.

“Why is it so urgent now? Wasn't it before? If we managed to disappear for five years, why can’t we do it again?” I asked them both.

They looked at each other and lowered their heads; there was more I didn’t know.

“My son, we made a deal with your aunt… I didn’t marry your father because of his nobility, but because I loved him. When he died, they allowed us to ‘escape.’ Your aunt took on the role of Duchess and started preparing your cousin, but we never imagined things would get this bad.”

“Why is it more dangerous now than before?”

“We did everything to keep you free. We could have sent an entire army after you… but now it’s different. Now, Nikolau Wolves has HALF THE FUCKING nobles of the Evenhart Duchy on his side,” Hugo swore, and my mother gave him a stern look.

“Sorry...” He coughed and continued. “Now he’s convinced those nobles to move their men to find you both, since you’re a missing heir. The problem is, to end the dispute if you’re found, he’s planted bandits and even mages to kill you, whether you’re a boy or girl, to eliminate competition. We had no choice when we found out and came after you. He’s pressuring your aunt to betroth him to your cousin.”

My mother turned pale at the mention of bandits and mages.

“I don’t trust anyone anymore, not even those on our side. That’s why we need to take you to the Evenhart mansion where you’ll be safe. Only in the territory can we guarantee no harm will come to you.”

“We have to go…” my mother murmured as she looked at me.

I knew what she was feeling because it was the same as I felt. I was falling into a dark abyss of emotions.

“Pack everything you have; I’ll escort you,” Hugo said.

My mother kissed my head and ran inside to gather some things. I had no idea what I could do to help, so I just sat on the sofa, analyzing everything. Part of me tried to understand what a five-year-old would do in this situation, but I knew that in this world, emotional maturity could be as skewed as it was given to me in my world. Here, children like my cousin have to face tough choices, like growing up without ever being able to choose whom they’ll love, knowing that one day, when she comes of age, she’ll have to marry some old man who wants her surname.

Why am I worrying about these people? I need to focus on my situation. I’m fucked and don’t know what will happen to me.

“Are you alright, young master?” Hugo asked, clearly tense about the situation. The fact that he had knelt to my mother and begged for a few minutes of attention showed that he was also under immense pressure.

What the hell is this ‘young master’ nonsense? Gods! I ran away from being called General, Emperor, and Sovereign… now I’ll be this?

“Just call me Nathan…” I said to the man.

“Unfortunately, like it or not, that’s how you’ll be addressed…”

We waited for my mother to gather our things into a few trunks. Outside, there was a carriage, and it was starting to get dark. The sky was forming a storm.

“Can we take these plants?” my mother appeared with some of her carnivorous plants. Most of the common plants she gave to the neighbors.

“You’re still making those killer plants? That brings back memories…”

Killer plants? Don’t these just eat rats?

“Uhg… I suppose there’s no problem,” he said.

We said goodbye to our little house where I grew up.

“Don’t worry, one day we’ll come back when things get better… I hope,” my mother said.

We got into the carriage, and hearing what my mother said, I realized something from her words.

“What will happen to us? After I’m revealed, what then?” I asked Hugo, who was climbing up to drive the carriage.

“Lady Margaery will buy us time and calm everyone down when they see that the Evenhart House has another male heir. After that, you and your mother can live peacefully until your cousin grows up and takes over as Duchess. We just need time to solve our problems,” Hugo said as he climbed onto the coachman's seat.

“And if that doesn’t calm the Wolves?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t say what I feared.

“Then we’ll have a war,” Hugo said, starting the carriage.

When I heard the word ‘war,’ my heart clenched. I felt short of breath, my whole body went cold. Pain spread through me, and I started sweating, my heart beating so fast it felt like it would explode. All the memories of my past life came rushing back at once.

“I need power… I need to learn magic,” I murmured to myself.

I looked at my mother holding me, and the tightness in my chest grew worse. The fear of losing her, the only person I have in this world, was consuming me.

‘An hell where the suffering will be your fear of losing it…’ Charon’s words haunted me, and I could see the Goddess Athena, whom I killed with my own hands, standing at the door of my house, laughing as the carriage pulled away.

FUCK YOU!