Chapter 013: Returning Home

A hint of confusion flashed in Old Mark’s eyes, but he said nothing more. Instead, he walked over to the carriage and quickly lifted the beaded curtain on one side.
Du Fan shook his head slightly before stepping forward. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly turned back and said calmly, “There’s a little secret in that carriage behind. Grandpa Mark, it’s best if you personally escort that carriage into my courtyard. Remember, don’t let anyone open the carriage door—otherwise, I have no idea what might happen.”
Old Mark looked at Du Fan with a strange expression and nodded quickly, saying, “I understand, my lord!”
Du Fan paused again and added, “Also, send those corpses behind to the cathedral in the capital. I’ll deal with them tomorrow… As for the rest, arrange them however you see fit.”
Old Mark nodded once more in response.
Du Fan sighed softly but said nothing more, then slowly got into the carriage.
The carriage appeared small on the outside, but its interior was quite spacious—there was no sense of crowding even when sitting alone. Du Fan glanced outside at the familiar sights of the capital a few times before slowly lowering the beaded curtain on the window.
Yet even so, the noise of people coming and going and the bustling activity all around couldn’t be blocked out.
The luxurious carriage moved through the streets and alleys of the capital. Since it entered through the east gate, the surroundings were filled with noisy streets. Fortunately, the Green family had an excellent reputation in the capital, so most people would instinctively step aside when they saw their carriage.
After stopping and moving along this way, passing through the areas reserved for the wealthy families of the capital, the carriage finally turned onto a relatively quiet side street. In less than a moment, it came to a stop in front of the Green family’s ducal mansion.
As the carriage stopped, a gentle knocking sound came from outside: “Third young master… we’ve arrived…”
Du Fan took a deep breath. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of emotion… He had lived in this Green ducal mansion since he was young and had never really noticed anything special about it. Especially after living in the Holy Church for years, his feelings toward this place had grown even weaker.
But now, after being away for months, standing at this grand entrance, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of belonging…

Du Fan gradually realized that, after going through so much, he had begun to integrate into this world gradually, no longer seeing himself as an outsider but as part of it. With these thoughts, Du Fan took a deep breath, uttered an “Hmm,” then slowly pushed open the car door and stepped out.

After several months apart, the duke’s mansion still looked the same. Above the main entrance hung the family emblem of the Green family—a faint image of an eagle, symbolizing the inheritance and prosperity of the Green family’s martial lineage. Standing in front of this door, Du Fan couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation… In the past, he had found this emblem extremely annoying, but now it seemed to carry a sense of familiarity… Humans truly are strange creatures!

At this thought, Du Fan couldn’t help but sigh deeply, unsure of what he was feeling.

In the past, he had been labeled a failure, forced to do trivial tasks that the older generations of his family considered worthless. Now, the things he did were likely known to his father as well… He had seen his father only a few times throughout his life, but now, Old Mark had hinted that his father was waiting for him at home… Was this a good thing or not?

While Du Fan was lost in thought, guards and servants from the duke’s mansion had already come out to greet him. Under Old Mark’s instructions, the servants drove Du Fan’s carriage in through a side door, along with several carts of gifts given by nobles from the northern regions.

Du Fan slowly entered the duke’s mansion. Someone was waiting not far away. With just one glance, he recognized them—it was Daniel, the mansion’s butler. Daniel held a high position in the Green family. Sometimes, Du Fan even felt that, though this butler never did anything unnecessary, he seemed to hold a position of authority over everyone else…

After all, he was a veteran of three generations in the family. The fact that he had remained the butler of the Green family for so long clearly meant he was highly trusted among them.

Moreover, Du Fan was not the same as before. Although he had respected butler Daniel in the past without any other intentions, seeing him today, Du Fan couldn’t help but be secretly amazed—how astonishing was his mental strength now? Yet at first glance, he couldn’t discern butler Daniel’s true strength… It seemed butler Daniel was also an extremely powerful individual.

But this made sense too. After all, the Green family was a martial dynasty; such a position as family butler was not something ordinary people could hold.

Faced with this senior figure in the family, Du Fan didn’t dare to be careless. He stepped forward quickly and said, “Grandpa Daniel, it’s been so long.”

Daniel smiled slightly and bent down. Du Fan was about to reach out to help him up when he felt as though something was blocking his movement. By the time that strange sensation disappeared, Daniel had already stood up. He said, “Third young master, you’re back… You’ve been away from home for months. Both the Duke and the Duchess have been very worried… But it’s good that you’re back… By the way, the Duke is waiting for you in the study. He wants you to see him as soon as you return.”

Although Du Fan had already guessed that his father had returned home, he still showed a hint of surprise and said in astonishment, “When did Father return? Doesn’t he always stay in the northern regions? How come this time…”

Daniel smiled slightly and said, “Third young master, you don’t need to overthink it. This time, the Duke didn’t return on his own. It was because of an imperial order, so he’s been back for some time already… As for the northern army, with the first and second young masters in charge, nothing serious will happen. So you don’t need to worry!”

Du Fan looked as if he had just understood and said, “I see… But what exactly happened? Why did the imperial family ask Father to return to the capital?”

Daniel replied calmly, “What could it be? It’s still because of His Majesty the Emperor…”

At that point, Daniel suddenly stopped speaking. After a moment, he smiled and said, “Third young master, look at this. As one gets older, one can’t control their mouth… How can such things be spoken carelessly?”

Du Fan was puzzled. Logically, butler Daniel was definitely not the kind of person who would speak carelessly. He had said these words to Du Fan seemingly casually, perhaps with an underlying hint, but what exactly was he trying to imply? Could there be some problems within the royal family or the clan? Yet his father was known for his loyalty. Although the royal family feared the strength of the Northern Army, their favor toward the Green family remained unchanged… The four major armies of the empire were, in a sense, all extremely loyal to the royal family—so how could there be any problems?

After thinking for a while, Du Fan still couldn’t figure it out, but he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It seemed his return to the capital was indeed a perfect timing… The waters were not only deep but also murky…

With that thought, Du Fan smiled faintly and changed the subject. “Grandpa Daniel, it’s been months since we last saw each other. Why do you seem even younger now?”

Daniel laughed heartily. “Young Master, you’re joking again. How could I get younger? I’ve just aged beyond further aging… Enough, Young Master. Let’s not waste more time chatting. The Duke is still waiting.”

Du Fan nodded slightly and gestured. “Please go ahead.”

After saying that, Du Fan glanced back at Old Mark. From a distance, Old Mark gave him a reassuring look before personally leading the carriage where Chenchen and Ringtone were hiding aside.

Du Fan frowned slightly but said nothing more. He simply followed Daniel slowly toward the inner courtyard.

During his absence of a few months, there hadn’t been any major changes in the Green Duke’s residence. Only the number of servants seemed to have increased, and they were repairing various damaged areas of the mansion. Du Fan guessed that the annual spring festival on Roland Continent was approaching, and these servants must be preparing for it.

When those servants saw Du Fan following Daniel, they immediately recognized him as the third young master who had been away for months. They quickly bowed in greeting.

Du Fan had always enjoyed a good reputation among the mansion’s servants. Although he had many concerns at the moment, he still showed them gentle smiles, greeting a few acquaintances and asking them how they were.

Though the servants knew well the third young master’s temperament, they still felt flattered. As they looked at him, their expressions grew even more respectful.