Ryker raised his brows at the question. In the end, he decided to be honest, "Well, she is beautiful and while I don't spend too much time with her, I can say that she is kind,"
The Duke nodded, "So you do find her attractive?" looking at the Duke weirdly, Ryker nodded as he did find the gray-haired woman attractive.
"Do you wish to take her hand in marriage?" the next question surprised him even more, his mouth opened wide at the sudden question.
Finally, he asked something first, "Isn't she important to you?" while the Duke or Hylla did not explicitly say this, he could tell by the way they acted around one another that they were closer, closer than one would expect between a master and his servant.
"Yes, after all, she is my niece," the state he was currently in must be funny to watch as the Duke burst out laughing at his face.
When the Duke is able to get hold of his laughter, he asks, "Do you mind listening to a tale of this old man?" Ryker nodded, after all, he was curious about their connection and why someone who should be treated as a princess becomes a servant of her uncle.
"Then, let me tell you the tale of two brothers and the tragedy that happened to the younger one,"
-x-
My father, the previous Duke, only had one wife, my mother. However, he does have an affair with one of the servants. The servant, later would give birth to my younger brother.
Before the servant gave birth to him, however, she left the mansion, likely to hide her pregnancy. My father was distraught over the loss of his lover, and when my mother died, he told me of the affair he had.
Year's later, I will go to a settlement, located far from the capital. There, I found the young man, whom I recognized to have a similar look to both my father and me.
So, I get close to him, suspecting him to be my half-brother. When he told me of the tale his mother told him of her pregnancy, I became convinced, though I needed only one piece of evidence.
I offered him a job at the capital, one he accepted readily, eager for adventure, the young man he is. There, I was able to get a drop of his blood before using an item that can determine if one is related or not.
Not to my surprise, the test was positive, so I went and told my father of this. He then invited the young man, asking several questions about his mother and confirming that the woman was indeed his lover.
He then told of his linkage and asked what he wished to do. In the end, he decided to stay at the capital and become a part of the guard, though he did wish for his relationship with us both to be hidden so his achievement would be all his and not because he was related to my father.
The old man agreed though he did give him plenty of resources, saying it was something a father should provide to his son. With the help of the resource along with his tenacity, he was able to become a Genesis Lake expert and a leader of a guard regiment.
As he traveled the territory, leading his group in hunting down bandits, he found the woman who would later be the love of his life. He saved her from being raped by the bandit.
This will lead to him later taking her as his wife. The wedding is beautiful though bear in mind this is after my father died, so he was not able to attend the ceremony but if he can, he would love it. Then, they will have my niece, Hylla.
My brother would later quit being a guard, wanting to focus on being a father though he did become an adventurer, as it had less restraint. They stay in the capital, though my brother and sister-in-law sometimes travel to other cities, just for fun.
It was during one of the trips, that would later be his last that the two of them lost their lives. While they were heading to one of the cities, a large group of bandits ambushed the caravan they were in.
While my brother is a powerful Genesis Lake expert, the bandits have 5 people with the same cultivation realm. He and his wife would later be killed. My niece would have been one of the casualties as well if not for me reaching the ambush spot as fast as I could, my brother sending a message first before he fought them off.
With no one else to take her, I took her in, though I did not want her relation to be known as it would lead to some questions and reveal her being the daughter of a bastard.
I sent her to one of my trusted men so he could pretend he adopted a daughter. When she is old enough, I take her in as a servant, for her protection.
-x-
"And that is the story," Ryker nodded, though he could tell how the Duke cared for his brother and niece, from how some tears had leaked out during the story.
"Unfortunately, she is just like his father," the Duke suddenly said, looking like he had aged by several decades.
Ryker could only let out a "huh", making the Duke shake his head.
"She wanted to see the world," the older man elaborated, "All of this time, she had been sheltered, the last time I let her out of the mansion was when she was a child, long before I took her as a servant.
She is my last family member and I did not want to lose her. That's why I keep her caged for so long. And I cannot and would not, keep her caged anymore, hence why I wanted to ask you to take her with you," Ryker blinked at the explanation before a thought came to his mind.
"Why did you not ask anyone else?" he asked.
The older man let out a chuckle, "It's because she had become fond of you. I think it is attractive to someone who is both strong and has an attractive look. That's why she did not say anything.
It is because she thought the reason for her liking you is shallow, not to mention you already have so many lovers. That is one of the reasons why I take your family. I want to see if spending time with them will make her want to be with you or not.
In the end, it seems the time she spends with them cements her feelings, instead of simple attraction, it becomes more of a longing.
So, that's why I ask you to take her as one of your wives, or at least accept her to become your lover,"