Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 164 Family Secret
The crystal chandelier cast a swaying shadow behind the Viscountess. Her fingertips, clutching the handkerchief, were slightly pale as she stared intently at her husband's bandaged arm. "A mechanical siren suddenly appeared in the capital?"

Before she finished speaking, the hem of her skirt, embroidered with silver thread, was approaching with her hurried steps. "Thomas, you'd better tell the truth - which of your romantic affairs has caused this trouble?"

Viscount Wilk leaned back in his carved armchair and sighed helplessly. He was about to explain when his wife interrupted him, "Don't use political conspiracy as an excuse! Didn't you also use 'diplomatic needs' as an excuse when you danced with the Countess of the West?"

The lady suddenly threw her handkerchief on the table, shaking the gilded candlesticks. "Now look what happened! You almost lost your life. If Alan wasn't a legendary knight, you might have died in the capital!"

Robin stood in the corner, silently wiping the Sword of Conviction, the blade reflecting the silhouettes of his parents.

Ever since Robin became a legendary knight, the Viscountess, his stepmother, has changed her attitude towards Robin and she wishes that Robin was her biological son.

The look of my father defending himself with a flushed face contrasted with the Viscountess's questioning posture with her hands on her hips, which in a trance seemed to dilute the haze brought by the battle.

Until the Viscountess caught a glimpse of the burn marks on the corner of Robin's clothes, her eyes suddenly reddened, and all her questions turned into sobs: "Can't you two father and son let me have some peace of mind?"

The corners of Robin's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and his gaze drifted silently towards his father, his eyes filled with an eagerness to "help quickly."

Viscount Wilk was at a loss as to what to do when he saw his wife's tearful eyes. He hurriedly stood up, but groaned as his wound was pulled.

"Ouch, don't move!" Seeing this, the Viscountess hurried forward to support him, her tone still filled with anger, "You're injured and still trying to show off!"

"It's all my fault for making you worry." Viscount Wilk grabbed his wife's hand and gently rubbed it with his bandaged thumb. "This time it's really not a romantic debt. Someone is trying to frame the Wilk family. Robin..."

He turned his head to look at his son, his eyes full of pride, "This time, it was all thanks to him. He saved me with the power of order that he hadn't yet fully mastered."

The Viscountess was startled, then turned to look at Robin. Her stern expression softened instantly. "I'm sorry." She reached out to touch the burn mark on her son's clothes, but was afraid of touching the wound. Her hand trembled slightly as it hovered in the air. "No matter what happens in the future, you must protect yourself first. Do you understand?"

Viscount Wilk's cough was particularly harsh in the quiet reception room. He stroked his chest and looked at his wife, his eyes full of solemnity.

Viscountess Allen immediately understood and stood up gracefully. The hem of her silk skirt swept across the Persian carpet, and her fingertips shone as they brushed against the wall. A layer of light blue soundproofing barrier enveloped the entire room like a water curtain.

Robin straightened his back and quietly placed his palm on the hilt of the sword.

The mining of mithril veins is a taboo that walks on the edge of the law. In recent years, the family has been barely maintaining itself by doing things secretly. Now that the father has returned seriously injured, I am afraid that the secret can no longer be concealed.

The flames in the fireplace crackled, deepening the wrinkles on his father's face. The new scar, in the flickering light and shadow, looked like a bloody warning.

"Alan, we can't keep this a secret any longer." Viscount Wilk's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. "This attack in the capital is most likely related to the mineral veins." He turned his gaze to Robin. "My child, the strength you displayed in battle may be the key to turning the situation around for us, but first, you must understand the true burden of your family."

"When I first arrived in the Western Territory, I was accompanied by only two knights. We were completely broke. Even maintaining our territory was extremely difficult, let alone developing it..."

Viscount Wilke's fingers unconsciously traced the carved patterns on the armchair, the flickering flames of the fireplace lengthening his shadow. "That year, the snow in the western border was exceptionally heavy," he said, his voice shrouded in ice. "The fiefdom's granaries were empty, refugees blocked the castle gates, and even knights had to pawn their armor for food."

Recalling those difficult years, a look of pain appeared on Viscount Wilk's face.

"That's when Duke Hawke's carriage appeared." The Viscount's Adam's apple rolled. "He opened the curtains, and his brocaded cape swept across the snow. Behind him followed a convoy loaded with food. I knew then and there that this wasn't charity, it was a trade."

The flames suddenly burst into a spark, startling the Viscountess slightly. "What the Duke wants is mithril, that rare metal that can be used to forge artifacts. And my territory is located at the northwest border, and it just happens to contain a vein of ore that the entire kingdom covets."

Robin clenched his fists. Mithril mining is a serious crime under the law. Those who mine it privately will have their property confiscated at the very least, and their entire family will be executed at the worst.

No wonder the family has been so low-key in recent years. It turns out that from the very beginning, they have embarked on a dangerous and thorny road.

Viscount Wilk leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with fatigue and anger. "For all these years, I've been extremely cautious and vigilant in this shady business." He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "I never thought that old man would actually want to get rid of me!"

Robin's mouth twitched, and a flash of anger flashed in his eyes. "He's going too far!" he gritted his teeth. "Over the years, our family has risked so much for him, and now he's pushing us into the abyss!"

The Viscountess sighed softly, her eyes filled with resignation. "Back then, for the sake of our territory's survival, we had no choice but to agree to his terms." She shook her head. "For all these years, we've lived in the shadows, carefully maintaining this fragile balance. I never imagined it would end up like this."

Robin pondered for a moment, then said with a determined look, "Father, Mother, we can't just sit there and wait for death. Now that I have some strength, I must find a way to make Duke Hawke pay and clear our family's name!"

Viscount Wilk looked at his son, a flicker of relief in his eyes. "Well done! You're worthy of being a descendant of the Wilk family!" He patted Robin on the shoulder. "We can't just let others bully us like this. It's time to fight back!"

The Viscountess nodded in agreement.

Then the three of them said in unison: "Then what good ideas do you have?"

Robin's mouth twitched slightly.

"So you two are talking about changing the status quo, but you're not prepared at all?"

The Viscountess was about to nod, but was suddenly choked by Robin's complaint, and the silver gloves on her fingertips unconsciously pinched the hem of her skirt.

Viscount Wilk's cough rolled back in his throat again, and his eyes drifted to the oak tree outside the window, which he had planted himself to hide his embarrassment.

"Ahem, isn't there a solution ready?" Viscount Wilk cleared his throat and tapped the Sword of Judgment at Robin's waist with his fingertips. "You're now a quasi-legendary knight capable of touching the power of order, and favored by the Guardian Knight Baron. No matter how powerful that old bastard Hawke is, he wouldn't dare to touch you openly."

(End of this chapter)