TSMMT Ch 36

Unfinished Forgiveness

Dianna must be the only person in the world to narrowly escape death from a door her own grandfather flung wide open. Furthermore, his failure to recognize her at the moment of their reunion, coupled with his ridiculous words, completely defied her expectations.

Of course, he wouldn't remember me.

Stepping into the office, Dianna maintained absolute silence. The gatekeeper downstairs recognized her in an instant, yet her own flesh and blood remained utterly clueless. To make matters worse, he even asked for her mother's whereabouts……

She had imagined this encounter countless times. He might scream about her resemblance to her father and chase her out. He might break down in tears, overwhelmed by longing for his granddaughter. He might even feign kindness to win the favor of the prestigious Brienne family of Panborough Kingdom.

She prided herself on calculating every possible outcome. However, she never anticipated his complete failure to recognize her.

To think he would be such an unpredictable man.

Her grandfather cleared his throat.

[Anders] "Ahem, ahem. Well, you see. The building next door is a children's toy store, so kids come up here from time to time. I definitely didn't fail to recognize you."

Children's toys didn't even appeal to someone of Dianna's age. His desperate excuses only dug him into a deeper hole.

[Dianna] "I clearly conflict with the image of the granddaughter you hoped for, Mister Anders. Goodbye."

[Anders] "N-N-Nooooo!"

Anders screamed at the top of his lungs and grabbed her arm. The gatekeeper standing nearby spoke up.

[Gatekeeper] "Guild Master…… What was the point of sweeping, polishing, and decorating the building exactly as you ordered? You just ruined everything spectacularly on your own."

[Anders] "....…"

[Gatekeeper] "My Lady, I understand your anger. Still, please give him one more chance. Since you made the journey here, please spare him a little of your time."

Dianna turned back around at the gatekeeper's mediation. Awkward glances flew across the room. She grasped the hem of her skirt and bent her knees into a polite curtsy.

[Dianna] "It is an honor to meet you, Baron Prato. I am Dianna Brienne, the eldest daughter of the Brienne household."

Anders Prato straightened his posture and offered a bitter smile.

[Anders] "I threw away the Prato title a long time ago."

[Dianna] "....…"

[Anders] "A merchant must walk a merchant's path."

[Dianna] "....…"

[Anders] "Child, I didn't come to meet you as one noble greeting another."

[Dianna] "....…"

[Anders] "And you didn't come to meet me for that reason either."

Dianna dropped her skirt in hollow shock at his words. The old man's eyes shone with unshed tears. His glossy eyes revealed raw, unfiltered emotion.

[Anders] "Thank you for coming."

[Dianna] "....…"

[Anders] "You grew into a fine young lady. Beautiful and intelligent. You look so precious and noble that I dare not even claim you as my granddaughter."

He reached out and grabbed both of Dianna's hands with trembling fingers. A comforting warmth radiated from his skin. She stared down at his grip. Two wrinkled hands held hers gently, lacking the courage to squeeze them tight.

How immature and foolish were the people she considered adults? She pondered this question while listening to the story of her grandfather and mother.

[Dianna] "Don't hide anything just because I am a child. Tell me everything without a single lie."

Whether swayed by her intense gaze or his own guilt, Anders confessed everything.

Her mother, raised in wealth and freedom as a merchant's daughter, desperately desired to become an aristocrat. Anders assumed someone had manipulated his daughter, but out of blind love, he purchased a noble title for her. However, buying a title didn't automatically make someone a true noble.

To integrate into high society, the new noble required a marriage alliance with an established aristocratic family. Following the whispers of a scheming maid by her side, his daughter, Rudina, married the Duke of Brienne.

It appeared to be a flawless match. Despite facing financial ruin, the Brienne family remained a historic ducal house carrying the king's bloodline. Anders arranged the marriage on the condition of clearing the Duke's debts, yet the Duke committed an unforgivable sin.

Dianna already knew the answer. It was Emil's existence.

Anders and Rudina fought fiercely over the matter. Rudina claimed she knew everything and accepted the child, but Anders refused to believe his brilliant, wise daughter would make such a foolish choice. Consumed by worry, he lingered around his daughter's life. He soon discovered the harsh truth: high society mocked Rudina relentlessly for being a merchant's daughter.

What could he possibly do to help her?

Rudina gave birth to a lovely granddaughter. What if the nobles mocked this child for carrying merchant blood as well? He dismantled his guild and established a new merchant organization.

His presence as either a 'noble' or a 'merchant' served as a massive obstacle for his daughter's social standing. Therefore, he decided to erase his own existence.

He built his new merchant guild with a primary focus on foreign nations instead of the Panborough Kingdom. It didn't grow into a massive empire, but his guild remained financially indestructible. Yet, his heart ached for his daughter. He longed to see his precious granddaughters, whom he cherished more than his own life.

Thus, he established a branch in Panborough. But he arrived late. Tragically late.

Before they could ever reconcile, his daughter contracted a disease and passed away. Amidst his grief, Anders uncovered the twisted relationship between the Duke and Mirva. He learned that Emil belonged to that scheming maid. Mirva orchestrated the entire tragedy from the shadows. As a seasoned merchant with sharp instincts, Anders pieced the entire puzzle together.

Boiling anger consumed him. He desperately wanted to see his granddaughter, but he possessed no method to meet the young girl. He wanted to explain everything to her. But would a lady raised as a sheltered aristocrat ever welcome a merchant grandfather? Could she ever forgive the grandfather who failed to protect her mother on her deathbed? Moreover, would the Duke even permit their meeting?

In truth, upon discovering the Duke's dark secret, Anders unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse against his son-in-law. The Duke would never grant him an audience with Dianna. Furthermore, Anders lacked the confidence to restrain himself from punching the Duke the moment they crossed paths.

Then, he received word that his granddaughter visited this very building on her own. The employees reported that she screamed in despair amongst the crowd.

[Dianna] "Isn't your Guild Master the one who refused to treat me like a granddaughter first?"

Yes, she spoke the absolute truth. That single sentence drove Anders to travel to Panborough the moment he heard the news. Hoping for a fleeting, miraculous coincidence, he returned to the kingdom to finally meet his granddaughter.

[Anders] "Dianna. Will you understand this one fact?"

[Dianna] "....…"

[Anders] "You spoke correctly. I didn't treat you like my granddaughter."

He grabbed her shoulders with quivering hands. Pulling the small girl into an embrace, he whispered.

[Anders] "However, I never stopped loving you, not even for a single moment."

Dianna accepted his affection with a stiff, unyielding expression as he patted her back.

I must not let this melt my heart.

She constantly calculated the possibility of betrayal. Her instincts warned her of the harsh reality: many people weaponized the illusion of love to exploit others. Therefore, she vowed never to fall for the deceptive love displayed by blood relatives.

Don't be fooled. Don't be fooled. Don't be fooled. Don't be fooled. Don't be fooled.

Dianna clearly remembered the paralyzing terror of the burning mansion. No one came to save her from that estate. Her maternal grandfather, who claimed to love her, abandoned her to the flames just like everyone else.

She understood the general picture. Anders loved her mother. But how could he possibly love Dianna—the biological byproduct of the very man who stole his daughter's life?

She found Anders' affection illogical and unbelievable. She had lived in the freezing winter of isolation far too long to dive into a sweet, warm world of love. Her grandfather fundamentally differed from Philip, who stood as an unpredictable variable in her life.

Dianna placed her hands on the back of the old man embracing her.

[Anders] "Are you forgiving me, your foolish grandfather?"

[Dianna] "Forgive…… Ah, yes, forgive……."

Dianna nodded. A strained whisper escaped her lips.

Anders wailed for a long time until his face flushed a bright crimson.

He promised to give her everything. He swore to grant her every desire. He pledged to compensate for all his past failures. He even offered to disappear forever if she commanded it.

Her grandfather repeated those desperate vows over and over. Dianna bowed her head. Tears streamed from her eyes.

I will not trust him.

Yet, despite her firm resolve, she wanted to believe him. She wanted to rely on his warm embrace for just a little longer. She would forever keep her blade of suspicion sharpened, but she decided not to reject his love entirely.

Sniffling, she finally spoke.

[Dianna] "Then, I have a favor to ask."

[Anders] "What is it! Name it!"

[Gatekeeper] "My Lady, you are surprisingly quick to ask for favors……."

The gatekeeper muttered from the sidelines after watching their emotional reunion.

Fearing his employee's interruption might cause Dianna to retract her request, Anders roared in anger.

[Anders] "Hey, you bastard! She came to our guild in the first place because she needed something! So naturally, asking her grandfather for a favor is the right thing to do!"

Anders grabbed the back of a nearby chair, ready to hurl it at the man's head.

[Anders] "Yes, what do you need? The paintings on the wall? I will give you all of them! How about diamonds from the Lodbrog Kingdom! No, wait, I also possess gold from the Cagliari Kingdom."

Dianna shook her head frantically.

[Dianna] "G-Grandfather. I need a person."

[Anders] "Huh, a person?"

[Dianna] "Yes. A man named Barot……."

[Anders] "Isn't he standing right here?"

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

He widened her eyes in shock. Her grandfather flashed a proud smile.

[Dianna] "Don't tell me, Grandfather, you are the Mercenary King……?"

But he possesses such a frail physique?

Dianna scanned her grandfather from head to toe before Anders shouted in exasperation.

[Anders] "Oh my, my sweet granddaughter. You think so highly of your grandfather's strength! I am talking about our guard standing right behind you."

She turned around. The gatekeeper flashed a wide grin.

[Dianna] "The…… guard?"

Is this man the future Mercenary King?

This merchant guild became more mysterious by the second.

[Barot] "Are rumors spreading that I am the Mercenary King?"

Barot chuckled with amusement. Dianna faced the gatekeeper—no, the mercenary—and stated her demand.

[Dianna] "I want you to teach swordsmanship. To my slave."

[Barot] "Of course."

Did he even process my words?

He answered far too quickly.

The problem resolved itself with shocking ease. The simplicity of it all left her bewildered. Regardless, she successfully secured a master for Guiscard.

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