Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 659: The Confession, (1)

TL: Rui88

Seeing his mother embracing the brother who had appeared out of nowhere, a surge of anger rose in Nathan’s heart.

“Stop kidding!”

He shouted angrily, “I don’t have some ridiculous brother!”

He stepped forward and pulled Mariana away.

“Mother, you’re deceiving them, aren’t you? You made up this lie to escape their pursuit.”

“My child…”

Mariana embraced him pitifully.

“I’m sorry I kept your origins from you for so many years, but this is all true.”

“No!”

Nathan was about to argue when another knock came at the door.

Mariana blinked. “I guess Cecil and Bryce have arrived, right?”

The door to the room opened, and indeed, the two of them entered.

“My heavens! How can two people in the world look so alike.”

The two of them were stunned as soon as they entered the room.

“Ahem!” Butler Philip reminded them sternly, “It’s not that they look alike. She is our lady. You should bow to her!”

Mariana smiled and greeted them, “It’s been a long time, Bryce, Cecil.”

“What… what on earth is going on?” Bryce couldn’t help but ask.

Philip then recounted the whole story.

The two were even more surprised, but since it was certain, they both bowed to Mariana.

“My lady, it’s truly unbelievable. We personally watched you being buried back then. Of course, we are very happy that you are still alive.”

Philip explained, “The coffin was filled with wood.”

Bryce was very angry. “You old man, were you the only one who knew the truth? You’ve kept it from us for so many years!”

Philip was very innocent. “The old master forbade me from telling. Even our current count didn’t know. Oh, by the way, my lady later became Miss Sertia’s teacher. Fate is just that wondrous.”

“Yes, I just found out as well. I called you here to confirm it.”

Paul testified for him.

“Now, gentlemen, and Ladi. I would like to speak with Paul alone. I hope you can grant me this small request.”

To others, this seemed very reasonable. After all, mother and son had been separated for so many years; there must be endless things to talk about.

But Paul felt that his mother wanted more than just to exchange heartfelt words.

“Of course,” Philip said. “It is your right. Everyone, let’s go.”

He looked at Nathan. “Young Master Nathan, please come with me. Let your mother and brother be alone for a while. I think you’ll be interested in touring the castle passed down by your ancestors. Oh, poor little Nathan, forced to leave here as soon as you were born.”

Nathan was pulled away by Philip in a daze. The confirmation from Bryce and Cecil had completely crushed him.

The others also got up to leave.

Paul suddenly said, “I think… shouldn’t Ladi stay as well? She… is your student, after all.”

Mariana glanced at Ladi. “No, I will speak with her alone later.”

“Then I’ll go out first.” Ladi’s face showed a hint of disappointment. In front of her teacher, she actually seemed somewhat timid.

Everyone went out, and the door closed, leaving only Paul and Mariana.

As soon as the sound of footsteps outside disappeared, Mariana glared at Paul with a stern look, which gave him a big shock.

It was as if some dusty memory had been awakened.

“Explain yourself. Why are you keeping a witch by your side?”

“Huh?” Paul was dumbfounded by her question.

Mariana frowned. “Don’t you know? Witches are all dangerous individuals.”

Her brow furrowed, her face filled with worry. “Heavenly Father, you haven’t been… been bewitched by Ladi, have you?”

Paul said, “Considering your identity, it’s very strange to hear those words from your mouth.”

“I am still your mother. Isn’t it normal for me to be worried?”

Paul was somewhat amused. “Didn’t another Count Grayman also keep a witch by his side and have two sons with her?”

Mariana’s face flushed red. “What happened between your father and me is different. You can’t treat a special case as a general rule.”

“My respected mother,” Paul said in a confident tone, “you can rest assured. Your student is a loyal, reliable, and capable lady. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her character. She has helped me solve many problems. The relationship between Ladi Sertia and me is simply that of a lord and a vassal.”

“Is that so?” Mariana said in a very skeptical tone. “The more perfectly you describe her, the more I feel something is wrong. Is there really nothing going on between you and her?”

“Alright, I admit it.” Paul spread his hands. “There is indeed a bit of a platonic… that is, a mutual spiritual attraction between us. After all, Ladi is a very charming woman, and it seems your son isn’t so bad either. But that’s all. Besides, I am already engaged.”

Mariana asked eagerly, “Engaged? To whom?”

Paul smiled. “You might not believe it if I told you. It’s Princess Catherine Rodney of the royal family.”

“Princess Catherine?” Mariana was indeed very shocked. “How could she be engaged to a lord from Northwest Bay?”

She was suddenly struck as if by lightning. “Wait, you… are you going to marry into the royal family? As far as I know, Princess Catherine plays an important role in the kingdom’s politics. The royal family has every reason to keep her in the Rodney family.”

The more Mariana thought about it, the more she felt this was the case, and the more she thought Paul was going to change his surname.

Then she became angry. “How can this be? Paul, you are your father’s eldest son, burdened with the heavy responsibility of continuing the Grayman family’s bloodline.”

“Hey, hey, hey, I need to correct you on one point,” Paul emphasized. “It was His Majesty the King who was crying and shouting to marry his sister to me.” He boasted a little.

“Is… is this true?”

Mariana was incredulous.

“You will know when the time comes, if… you are still here.”

“Oh, Paul. I…” Mariana was touched in a soft spot in her heart. She hesitated to speak.

Finally, she said, “I still have very important things to do.”

“Very important things?” Paul asked tentatively, “Is it… about the Arcane Society?”

“How did you know?” Mariana was first surprised, then immediately realized. She said resentfully, “It was that fellow Denson, wasn’t it? That traitor. I should have rooted him out long ago.”

“Uh… you knew?”

“Hmph, getting into a fight on the street and accidentally using magic, what a clumsy excuse! Alright, my son.”

Mariana sat down at the desk, her tone softening slightly. “Yes, I am now a member of the Arcane Society.”

“So, everything Denson said is true?”

“What did he tell you?”

“Everything!” Paul replied. “Everything he knew.” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“The legends of ancient times, the mysterious celestial phenomena, the cryptic prophecies, your alliance with the Scholars’ Tower, and what has been happening behind the scenes in the Gabella Empire…”