The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 278

"So you’re saying my mother is mentally ill?" Kael asked quietly, his fingers gently caressing Elfie, who had curled into his lap. The little silver dragon rubbed against his chest, breathing softly in her sleep.

Across from him, Ramos sat with a somber expression. It was rare—almost unheard of—for the usually bombastic man to look this serious. Kael immediately sensed the weight of the conversation.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

Ramos scoffed. "Of course, it’s your damned father that happened to her."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Can you elaborate?"

Ramos sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temples. "You know how your father looks—handsome, noble, and cold as ice. Even now, he looks more like your older brother than your father. Women couldn’t help but chase after him. It was ridiculous."

Kael chuckled softly. "Can’t argue with that. Compared to you, he looks like a blooming flower, and you look like someone who crawled out of a grave."

Ramos glared but ignored the jab, continuing. "I don’t understand why women have this strange obsession. Instead of falling for nice gentlemen like me, they go after the brooding, emotionally constipated types and dream of changing them. Your father wasn’t a bad man—he just lacked warmth. And your mother..."

He paused, eyes distant with memory.

"She was like a blooming sunflower under a summer sky—bright, cheerful, and full of life. A dreamer. She truly believed she could melt Ruth’s cold exterior and turn him into the type of man who’d fall hopelessly in love with her. And, well, with her status and noble background, their marriage was arranged easily enough."

Kael leaned in slightly as Ramos’s tone dropped lower, heavier.

"But reality isn’t a storybook. She married him, yes—but nothing changed. Ruth stayed the same: cold, stoic, distant. He never mistreated her. He gave her everything—wealth, status, protection. But he couldn’t give her what she truly wanted."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Love," Kael said softly.

Ramos nodded. "Exactly. And when that dream shattered, she began to spiral. She started thinking she had to give him something more, something that would make him open up.She thought that he needed an heir."

"A child would bridge the gap."

"Which she gave," Kael muttered. "My sister."

"Yeah. A daughter. But it wasn’t enough—not in her mind. Seeing no change in Ruth towards her,she convinced herself that only a son could earn his affection. So she tried again. That’s when you were born."

Kael’s expression tightened.

"She thought having a son would change things. That Ruth would finally love her. But... he didn’t. And she didn’t blame him—she blamed herself. Or worse, she blamed you."

A long silence fell. Kael’s hand paused over Elfie’s soft scales.

"She looked at me like I was a curse," he murmured. "Said I ruined her future. I remember... she used to hit me sometimes. Scream at me. I started hiding just to avoid her."

Ramos nodded with a pained look. "She wasn’t well, Kael. She’d built her entire identity around the idea that she could change Ruth. When that crumbled, so did she. And unfortunately, the person who suffered the most from that wasn’t Ruth—it was you."

Kael took a slow breath, trying to still the tremble rising in his chest. His fingers idly brushed Elfie’s ears, grounding himself in her peaceful presence.

"And now you want me to go see her?"

"She’s in the Duchy of Salvatore. She’s ill. Body and mind both. Whether she deserves your forgiveness or not, that’s not my call. But you should see her. Sometimes closure isn’t about making peace with them—it’s about making peace with yourself."

Kael nodded, jaw clenched tight. "I’ll think about it."

Ramos leaned back, satisfied. But Kael, wasn’t done.

"By the way," he added slyly, "I assume with you whoring around all your life and finally becoming impotent, someone had to step up to continue the bloodline."

Ramos froze. His eyes bulged.

"What the hell did you say, brat?! Have you forgotten these fists of mine?! Do you want to die?! I’ll kill you right now, I swear—"

"Okay, okay!" Kael raised his hands in mock surrender. "It was just getting too dramatic. I had to lighten the mood!"

Ramos huffed and sat down with a growl. "You’ve ruined the entire flow of the story."

Kael grinned. "Sorry, sorry. Please continue."

Ramos crossed his arms and muttered, "You little bastard... It’s no wonder your father avoids you sometimes."

Kael laughed under his breath, then looked down at Elfie. She snuggled deeper into his chest, completely oblivious to the tangled history around her.

But Kael’s eyes were distant now, thoughts swirling with memories, truths, and wounds that time had never quite healed.

He was beginning to understand that some scars weren’t visible. Some were stitched into the soul.

"Adele’s birth... which, to say the least, was quite dramatic." Ramos sighed as he leaned back, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Kael, still cradling Elfie who dozed in his lap, listened in silence. The tiny dragon gave a soft purr, unaware of the heavy weight in the room.

"She believed that what Ruth needed was an heir—a son," Ramos continued. "So when Adele was born, she blamed herself for not being enough."

Kael frowned slightly. "Then I was born, right? But that didn’t change anything?"

Ramos shook his head, massaging his shoulder with a wince. "Nope. If anything, it made things worse. She thought a son would fix everything—but when it didn’t, her world shattered. She just... lost it. Completely."

Kael sighed. "And what about that old man of mine?"

Ramos snorted. "That bastard? I won’t say he didn’t try. But gods damn it, the man’s got the emotional range of a rock. Everywhere he goes, it’s that same frozen face, that same dead stare. If he just pretended—just acted like he gave a shit—it might’ve made a difference. But no. He doesn’t even know how to act."

Kael leaned back, rubbing his chin. "What happened after that?"

"What more could’ve happened?" Ramos shook his head, frustration creeping into his voice.