The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 122: Chapter 121: The Truth Is That I'm a Hypocrite

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Chapter 121: The Truth Is That I'm a Hypocrite ——— Ganelon Some people are born to have everything. Wealth, power, influence… from the womb they emerge, already doted on by the world. I am not one of those people. Haha, definitely not. My earliest memory is of my mother, who told me with fearful eyes and withered lips to keep my head down, to be invisible, obsolete. The poor woman was a maid who served the patriarch of House Dordognes. One evening, the man decided he wanted more than simple service from her, whether willing or not. Thus was I eventually birthed: a disgrace, an illegitimate parasite. To this esteemed house whose lineage was no lesser than gold, I was an embarrassment they wanted nothing more than to be rid of. Oh yes, they despised me, but what they despised most of all was having their honor tarnished — of going against their precious Chivalry. The family elders silenced anyone who knew of their shame and beat the pregnant women until they bled in miscarriage. I wasn’t the only one sired from a ‘mistake’. If all the unborn were given graves, it wouldn’t surprise me if they encompassed the entire back lot. My mother, on the other hand, was smarter than they expected. She hid her pregnancy and went to great lengths to disguise her ever-widening stomach. When I grew too large for her to bear anymore, she hid herself within an isolated ward of the manse, within a dark and cluttered cabinet, so that her screams wouldn’t be heard. On that day, I emerged crying whilst drenched in a pool of her blood. She was always a fighter, always so stubborn. Even after enduring the pain of childbirth, my mother wrapped me tight and then ran straight toward the castle, where she declared my name and my blood, diluted though it might be. I was then inscribed into the House Dordognes’s family records, making me an official descendant: a public one. The elders couldn’t simply remove me anymore. According to Chivalry, illegitimate children had a basic right to education and competition. I could formally enter the battle for succession, protected by the very name that which brought my mother so much hurt; but nonetheless she was glad. She was happy, because it meant that I now had the chance to live. Of course, the elders didn’t take kindly to her treachery; and though they couldn’t outright kill her, they found… other means to sate their anger. I can hardly remember a moment where she wasn’t bruised or bloodied in some way. They tormented her all they could within the confines and loopholes of Chivalry, and when she came to my room with molded bread, I saw her tears, her cheeks permanently stained dark. But despite all she suffered, never once did I see regret in her smile. She shared her food at the cost of her own health, found joy in the simplest things like my first word or my little hands. Eventually the time came when she couldn’t endure any longer, and she fell asleep for the final time, isolated and abandoned in a separate annex none bothered to visit. So, I buried her myself. I remember it very clearly, for it was my eighth birthday, and I had just stolen a few pastries from the kitchen for us to share. I ran excitedly back hoping that the food might alleviate her sickness somewhat, but instead I wound up eating it alone, my nails caked in dirt and grime from digging her a humble pit she could rest in. It was from that moment forth that I likely became the—haha—twisted man I am now. Back then I couldn’t understand her. Was my life really worth the misery she faced? All the revolting, cruel things they did to her, all the hatred and spite she must have possessed… yet, rather than seek revenge, she instead chose to keep me safe. I didn’t understand, nor did I think I ever would. But there was one thing I knew. Yes, it became my mission, my life’s only purpose. I pledged there at the base of her grave that I would destroy this house if it was the last thing I ever did. But the world was cruel and unfair. A small, insignificant w