"She said my father was a responsible man and that he would definitely come looking for me. Even if hardships awaited, she said he would accept me. But she also told me that it would be a heavy burden for him, and I must reject him."
Sylas paused for a moment and then gave a sad smile.
"If I truly wanted to follow my mother's wishes, I shouldn't have come in the first place. But I couldn't bear to disappoint my father who wanted to see me, and I couldn't resist my own desire to see him."
"Then what do you plan to do now? From what I hear, it seems you've achieved your goal." "Now that I've seen my father, I have no regrets. I plan to return and live a life that suits me."
Helena had to lift her fan to hide the grin spreading across her face. The mother and son pair, who had been such thorns in her side, at least knew their place. Though the boy was born annoyingly, she was willing to let him go peacefully if he left on his own.
"If that's your decision—"
"What nonsense is this?!"
Just as Helena was about to nod, she was startled and looked at the count. Unable to contain his agitation, Count Bill slammed his desk with a loud bang.
"A burden, you say! What kind of father would consider his child a burden? I finally have the chance to fulfill my duty as a father, and you speak of cutting ties!"
'Oh no…!'
Helena's face stiffened at the count's outburst. Come to think of it, it was the count himself who had brought this illegitimate child to fulfill his duty as a father. No matter how much he said it was fine, the count wasn't one to accept things so easily.
And what about this statement just now? The faithful woman who had remained chaste until her death had told her son not to burden his father, putting his welfare above all else. Even her well-behaved son had intended to respect his mother's wishes and not trouble his father.
Given the emotional state the count was in, this only served to pour oil on the fire.
"That's enough! Tomorrow, I will officially add your name to the family lineage, so stop saying unnecessary things!"
"Dear !!"
Helena let out an unintentional scream. There is a vast difference between merely being listed in the noble registry and being added to the family lineage. The former only elevates one's status to that of a noble, without granting any official standing within the family or any rights within the household.
However, the latter was different. It not only recognized all the rights held as a blood relative but also granted succession rights if all legitimate heirs were deceased.
"How can that even be...?"
"No, Father, you mustn't!"
Before Helena could protest, Sylas quickly interrupted her with a loud shout. He immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor.
"How could I go against my mother's dying wish and cause trouble for you, Father? Please, take back what you said!"
"How frustrating! Don't you realize that your behavior is the very thing piercing my heart? Or are you just making excuses to escape the family?"
"How could you say such a thing? I would never do that."
"Then why are you being so stubborn?"
Count Bill looked at Sylas with a sorrowful expression, as if chastising him for not understanding his father's feelings.
Before responding, Sylas quickly pinched his thigh and twisted it 90 degrees.
'Awaken, my tear ducts, with the pain!'
With his eyes glistening, Sylas met the Count's gaze. The tear-filled eyes made the Count flinch. Sylas then did his best to tremble his voice naturally.
"How could I not want to be with you, Father? Even the most humble creatures yearn for their parents."
Finally, a single tear rolled down his wet eyes.
"However, I am already an unfilial son who could do nothing for my mother when she passed away. If I were to trouble you by disregarding her last words, how could I face her after death?"
With moist, glistening eyes, a vibration of sorrow, and a poem filled with regret and longing, Sylas's performance seemed to portray a simple filial son. Yet, it was a combination of three techniques expertly woven together!
At this point, Sylas added the final touch to his act.
"And as a commoner, how much gossip would there be about my being by your side? I know that all of it would become your burden. I cannot prioritize my own desires knowing that."
"Gossip? Do you think Bill Corleone would fear the slander of commoners?"
Count Bill bellowed with a mighty roar. He shouted so loudly that even those outside the office were taken aback.
"Fine! If you insist on stubbornness until the end, then I have no choice but to do this!"
Clang!
The Count stepped back and drew the sword hanging nearby. Belverke. A treasured sword passed down through the Corleone family, symbolizing the head of the household. Holding the legendary sword that was said to have slain the black dragon, the Count declared,
"I, Bill Corleone, swear here before our ancestors! Sylas is my son and a member of the Corleone family, and anyone who doubts this shall not be forgiven!"
In the solemnity of the oath, no one dared to speak. After sheathing Belverke, the Count approached Sylas and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"I have sworn an oath that I can never break. You must not refuse to be my son either."
With a calm yet fatherly voice, Sylas trembled.
"Is it truly alright for me? Will it be fine for me to be your son, Father?"
"Who would dare say otherwise? I, your father, have given my permission!"
"Father!"
While the two shared an emotional embrace, Helena could only open her mouth in shock. She could no longer counter their sentiments. Count Bill was a man who upheld his obligations and oaths, and even his wife Helena could not be exempt from such promises.