You don't even want to call me godfather

Koshe couldn't bear to watch it any longer. The way Elizaveta washed dishes was simply unheard of, and it made his blood pressure rise.

It was obvious that Elizaveta had no experience in housework, so he stopped her from making trouble.

"Tomorrow, I will contact the servants, and you won't have to worry about the housework," Koshe said to Elizaveta while washing the dishes. "If I'm not at home, you don't have to worry about going hungry. With servants, life should be much more convenient."

"Um……"

Elizaveta obediently stepped aside, but she did not leave. Instead, she continued to stay behind Koshei and watched him busy quietly.

The two of them continued in this strange atmosphere for several minutes, until Koshe finished washing the dishes, and then he couldn't help but speak.

"If you have anything to say, just say it directly." Since this morning, Koshe knew that Elizaveta was hiding something in her heart, so he took this opportunity to let her speak freely. "I have said before that you can live freely in Syracuse. There is no need to be so restrained. As long as it is not an excessive request, I can help you achieve it within my ability."

Things had come to this point, and Elizaveta knew there was no need for her to keep her mouth shut any longer.

So she told the truth.

Chapter 25: Keep your word

"My mother died very early. She wanted to be a ballet dancer, but as the wife of a noble duke of Ursus, this dream was doomed to fail due to her status."

"When I was a child, my mother was very kind to me, and so was my father, at least that was the case at that time, until my mother passed away."

"Influenced by my mother, I have been interested in dance since I was a child. I was lucky enough to learn dance for a few years. Since then, I have been deeply attracted to it. I can't even imagine what life would be like without dance, because for me at that time, it was an irreplaceable joy."

"I thought I could inherit my mother's dream, but I never noticed the changes in my father. After my mother's death, he devoted all his heart and soul to politics, and his discipline on me became stricter. Apart from politics-related things such as politics, law and etiquette, I could not get involved in other entertainment and hobbies, let alone dance."

"So, at that time, I hated him and my father. Thinking about it now, it's ridiculous that a little girl who was not even ten years old would hate her own father."

"But then I also wondered why my father became so harsh that I gradually couldn't feel his love for me."

"When I grew up, I probably understood that I used to only care about myself and the fact that I lost my mother, but I didn't realize that he also lost his wife. People change, whether it's him or me."

"Perhaps it was because of my mother's death that my father became what he is today. I always comfort myself in this way."

In front of the cleaned dining table, Elizaveta told Koshe about her growth experience.

It would be abnormal to reveal so much of your feelings to someone you had just met for one day at a time, but it was not surprising for someone like Elizaveta who had been suppressed for many years.

"You said that it was your mother's death that caused your father to become what he is now," but Koshe did listen carefully and even pointed out some things that he thought were unreasonable. "But from my observation, he gave me more than that impression."

"Maybe..." Elizaveta seemed to find it difficult to say this. After taking a few deep breaths, she said frankly, "But no matter what the truth is, I can only believe it this way, right?"

"After all, he is your family. No matter how bad his behavior is, his blood flows in your body, and that will not change." Koshe also understood Elizaveta's thoughts. She was not stupid, she just knew how to deceive herself. "I can understand. When I still had my family, I had the same feeling. When faced with family members' behaviors that I couldn't understand, the only solution was to compromise."

"It's great that you understand." Elizaveta shook her head helplessly, then stared into Koshe's eyes and said, "If that's the case, then I won't hide anything from you anymore, Koshe, regarding my request, no, I should say it's a plea."

"Please say."

Koshe stretched out his hands, motioning her to speak freely.

"When I was in Ursus, I couldn't say I was dissatisfied with my life. At least the things I learned were profound and well-grounded. But my biggest regret so far is that I neglected to learn dance. My love for it comes from my feelings for my mother and the expectations she had for me," Elizaveta said. She pursed her lips a few times, as if thinking about what words to use. "After coming to Syracuse, I was reluctant at first, but you told me before that I could live freely here, so I am begging you here, begging you to give me a chance to continue learning dance."

"Of course, I always keep my word, and this is not a big deal," Koshe nodded, then asked, "But you have to make sure that learning dance is your own dream, not to fulfill your mother's wish."

"I admit that this is inseparable from my mother, but to be fair, what else can I pursue besides this?"

Elizaveta said this, and it seemed that even she herself felt a little sad about her own life.

"...I understand." Koshe thought for a long time, and finally stood up under Elizaveta's slightly expectant gaze and gestured to her, "Follow me."

Elizaveta followed Koshe to the study. Koshe sat down at the desk, unlocked the drawer with a key, and pulled it out.

"Tomorrow, take this to any art academy in Syracuse." Koshe took out a Cascade family crest from a drawer and placed it on the table. "As long as you show this crest, no academy will refuse your request."

"Isn't this just using connections?"

Elizaveta was clearly incredulous at the way Koshe was handling the situation; she had expected him to take a more upright approach.

"Hmph... Don't forget, Elizaveta. No matter what my current status is, I am still a mafia member at heart," Koshe laughed at Elizaveta's naivety. "There is no need to make things too complicated if they can be solved simply. I believe that the nobles of Ursus should also think in this way when dealing with things."

"This……"

Elizaveta really couldn't think of any rebuttal. She wasn't against this approach, but...

"what happened?"

Koshe looked at Elizaveta jokingly and asked knowingly.

"...No, it's okay. Since you said so, I have no reason to refuse."

But she didn't expect that the dream she had been pursuing in Ursus could be realized so easily.

Holding the family emblem, the feeling of having her dream in her own hands made her feel a little unreal.

"I'll leave this family crest with you for now," Koshe said to Elizaveta as she was immersed in her own world. "This crest has a different pattern than the crests of the family's followers. It's quite special, and is equivalent to the highest pass in Syracuse. No matter where you are, you can pass through as long as you show this crest. Of course, I don't want you to use it to break into some political and legal departments, as it will inevitably cause trouble to others."

"Please rest assured. I know my own limits when it comes to this kind of thing." Elizaveta nodded. After realizing the importance of the family emblem, she couldn't help but hold it tighter. "I will keep it safe and use it properly."

And she also knew that this was not something that could be lent out at will. Since Koshei had given it to her, one could imagine the trust he placed in her.

After all, if she really wanted to, as long as she had this family emblem, she could even leave the country and leave Syracuse.

This might be a small test of how she would use this power.

Elizaveta thought so.

Chapter 26 A False Alarm

……

In his dream, Koshei saw a strange country.

There was a hustle and bustle of traffic and bright lights.

Burning fireworks rose from the ground, covering one face after another.

He stood on the road, and countless figures walked past him.

Then, a line of text appeared in his mind.

"Are they heroes or weapons?"

Pointless question.

Who is the hero? Who is the weapon?

He had no way of verifying it.

Then, Koshei's eyes became dazed for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he saw another scene.

He stood by the window, looking at his reflection.

The glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the chaotic neon lights nearby and the huge city gate in the distance.

"Among all human behaviors, what is the most despicable and shameless?" As he was looking at the scenery outside the window, a man appeared from nowhere, walked past him, and said to him in a bad tone, "Power holders and those who flatter the powerful hide in safe places, sing the praises of the greatness of war, and in the name of patriotism and the spirit of sacrifice, force people who have nothing to do with them to go to the battlefield. This behavior is the most shameless."

Koshe turned his head. He couldn't see the man's appearance clearly, but he could feel the other person's hidden anger.

He wanted to speak, but he felt as if his mouth and nose were blocked by something and he couldn't make a sound.

"Power always makes us more like ourselves. Great power brings absolute certainty, allowing us to no longer hide our true colors. We are just human beings. What power does is only to amplify our existing characteristics." The man walked up to him and gently placed his fingers on the glass. "But sometimes, I can't help but wonder if there is really no limit to your ambition, Koshe."

He stared at Koshei, half of his face hidden in shadow, only his beast-like eyes revealed.

Those are the eyes of a wolf, steady and sharp.

After looking at him for a while, Koshei suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if something was forcibly pulling his consciousness away.

Soon, he left this place which was not sure whether it was a dream or something else.

……

Koshei woke up, and the dazzling sunlight made it difficult for him to open his eyes.

A young hound lay beside his bed, licking his hand.

"Destiny..."

Ever since Destiny's incarnation as a hound cub appeared in Rutland, she would often appear when Koshe was alone and quietly accompany him.

It was amazing, as if she had self-awareness, and even Koshe couldn't actively control her behavior.

Koshei climbed up, blocked some of the sunlight with his arms, and couldn't help frowning.

He remembered that he had clearly drawn the curtains last night.

Thinking of this, Koshe looked towards the window despite the discomfort brought by the sunlight.

Not only were the curtains wide open, but even the pot of chrysanthemums on the window had been knocked over, and the pot was even shaking slightly.

This scene undoubtedly showed that someone had broken into his study, but Koshe couldn't understand who would be so bold as to break into his study.

But he was not in a hurry, as the other person's nervous heartbeat had already betrayed her.

Koshe stood up and waved his hand. Destiny stood up from the ground, shook his body, and disappeared. He walked to the window and slowly straightened the pot of chrysanthemums.

Then he leaned forward slightly, stuck his head out of the window, and looked down.

"Godfather..."

I saw Gui'er squatting behind the wall outside the window. She raised her head and met Koshe's eyes, whispering weakly.

"……you--"

"Ah ah--!!"

Just as Koshe was about to speak, a scream from Elizaveta was heard from upstairs.

"... Gui'er, you——"

“Aa ...

Elizaveta's shouting kept interrupting Koshei's words. He took a deep breath and chose to stop for the time being.

"You go back first. I'll come and ask you questions later when I have time."

Finally, he had no choice but to say this to Guier.

Gui'er nodded, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he waited until Koshe's footsteps faded away before he stood up, looked around for a moment, and left.

"What's wrong, Elizaveta!"

Koshei quickly went upstairs, opened the door and shouted hurriedly.

"She...she..."

Elizaveta was seen curled up in the corner of the bed against the wall, shivering and pointing in a direction.

On the other side of the room, Hong was holding a dagger, ready to attack Elizaveta.

There were still bandages wrapped around Hong's ears and arms. Although she was holding a weapon, Koshe could see that she was very weak and was breathing slightly.

"Hong?" Seeing that it was Hong who caused Elizaveta to scream, Koshei loosened his hand from the gun. He walked forward and pressed down the dagger in Hong's hand. "Why are you here?"

"Aunt Helen smells like Loft, Loft smells like Koshe, and Koshe smells like a strange smell." Although Hong was disarmed, she still stared at the already furious Elizaveta, "Hong, you can smell it, Hong, you don't recognize this smell."

"?"

Koshe was stunned for a moment. Hong could smell the scent from three people away. He couldn't help but suspect that Hong's sense of smell was more sensitive than his now.

"Alas..." But he couldn't help but sigh at Hong's loyalty. He sighed, reached out and rubbed Hong's head, and returned the dagger to her. "Don't worry, Hong, Elizaveta is not a dangerous person. You can trust her."

"Since it is Koshe's order... Red..."

Koshe's words and touch relaxed Hong's spirit. She put the dagger into her clothes, and then her body lost its strength and fell into Koshe's arms.

"You can rest assured, Elizaveta," Koshe hugged the exhausted Hong and said to Elizaveta, "Hong will no longer do anything out of line with you. I can assure you of that."

"Gudong..." Elizaveta recovered from her fear and couldn't help swallowing. She looked at Hong in Koshe's arms with some fear and asked in a trembling voice, "She...she is?"

"Hong, that's her name." Everyone in Syracuse knew that the Wolf Hunters belonged to the Cascade family, so Koshe didn't need to hide it from Elizaveta. He briefly explained to her, "There is an assassination organization called Wolf Hunters in Syracuse, a private army that temporarily belongs to me, and Hong is one of them."

"This, this is it..."

Elizaveta finally calmed down. Hong's identity was not surprising to her. After all, when she was in Ursus, with her father's status, she could sometimes order the internal guards to carry out tasks.

Perhaps every country has some trump cards of its own, and Elizaveta should have realized this long ago.

"After what happened so early in the morning, I'm almost awake now," Koshei supported Hong's body, picked her up as he stood up, and said to Elizaveta, "I'll be out in a while, and the matter of the dance academy will be left to you to decide."

"Well, I will."