The Terminally Ill Prince is the Mad Dog of the Underworld (Novel) - Chapter 32

Chapter 32. The Brothers of the Grünewald Family

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“What did you just say?”

Somerset frowned upon hearing my greeting.

“How vulgar. Where did you even learn such a way to greet someone?”

I casually scratched my ear and replied, “It was just a greeting.”

The fact that he immediately came at me so aggressively meant he had been waiting for this moment. As expected. Of course, I had no intention of getting along with him from the start.

“No matter how little etiquette training you’ve had, that was severely lacking in dignity. Didn’t your butler teach you anything?”

Prince Somerset scolded me with an angry face, muttering loudly enough for me to hear.

“Honestly, how far are you planning to disgrace this family?”

“Oh.”

How touching—such deep love for the family.

Somerset made a show of sitting as far away from me as possible.

“What are you waiting for? Bring me some water.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the maid hurriedly brought him a glass of water, Somerset’s eyes lingered on her in a rather lecherous way.

‘Wow. He’s not even trying to hide it.’

I recalled what Rudan had said—that among the brothers, Somerset was the one who frequented brothels the most. At that moment, I mentally noted that not only was the third prince lustful, but he also had a creepy vibe about him.

‘Seems like my judgment was spot on.’

Even as he drank his water, his eyes were darting around. This guy looked like the type who would father a bunch of illegitimate children when he got older.

‘What a pathetic man.’

In the underworld, there were plenty of men like him—obsessed with women and indulgence.

‘According to Olivier’s assessment…’

Somerset was rough and simple-minded with a quick temper. You could call him a typical brute. His physique alone suggested that he was strong and skilled in combat.

‘But he’s not exactly intelligent.’

Despite being pampered by his mother, the third wife, and her relatives, who were pushing him as the next heir, Olivier predicted that if Somerset ever became the duke, those relatives would suck him dry.

‘That makes sense. He acts like a thug, but someone else is pulling the strings behind him.’

He was like a spoiled child who grew up throwing tantrums under his mother’s skirts and never matured properly. Maybe that’s why his head seemed so big—was his hat custom-made?

“What are you staring at?”

“I don’t know what it is with this family and making such a fuss over eye contact.”

“What did you say? You little…”

A surge of intense energy exploded from Somerset like a wave.

‘Not bad.’

My hair fluttered, and the tablecloth rippled. He must have consumed quite a lot of potent elixirs.

‘His combat power is impressive.’

But his actions were reckless, and I didn’t sense any depth in his thinking. As a result, despite his strength, I wasn’t scared of him at all.

“Calm down, brother. Did you come here to fight? You’re not some street thug…”

“Shut up.”

As soon as I lightly provoked him, he reacted violently. Somerset crushed the silver goblet in his hand and threw it to the ground.

“Oh dear, that was expensive.”

“Pathetic fool. How poor must you be to make such a fuss over a mere silver goblet?”

For someone who had never earned money himself, he sure acted high and mighty.

“I envy your wealth, brother.”

Realizing how childish our conversation had become after just a few words, Somerset sighed deeply.

“Enough. Talking to you is pointless.”

I decided to stop testing him as well. If this escalated into an actual fight right now, I didn’t have a way to win yet—but that wasn’t why I stopped.

‘I’ve seen enough. Your level is disappointing.’

At 20 years old, if he was still this simple-minded, it would be hard to expect much from him in terms of navigating noble society or politics. No matter how powerful his mother’s family might be, if I were the head of this house, I wouldn’t dream of passing it on to someone like him.

In other words, as a competitor for succession, he wasn’t much of a threat. The cunning and caution I sensed from Verdzich Grünewald were completely absent in Somerset.

‘There’s no need to waste any more time on him.’

Looking at this man who wouldn’t be scary even if he turned into an enemy made me smirk.

‘Reputation doesn’t lie after all.’

“What are you smirking about?”

“I’m just happy to see my brother after so long.”

Somerset scoffed as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’re already here?”

“Big brother!”

A large man with black hair and brown eyes approached with heavy steps.

‘Ah, so that man is the First Prince of Grünewald.’

Karl Grünewald.

His hair color was distinctly different from Baklava’s typical blonde or Somerset’s slightly brownish blonde. It was likely inherited from his maternal side.

“Big brother, you’ve arrived.”

I made a point of showing Karl a respectful attitude. After all, he was one of my main targets today.

“Allenbert. It’s been a long time.”

“It has indeed.”

Somerset grumbled under his breath, clearly irritated by my contrastingly polite demeanor toward Karl.

“What’s with this brat?”

Without moving my lips, I threw my voice in a ventriloquist-like manner.

“What did you say, you little—?”

Somerset immediately reacted.

“It was just a mutter. Why are you so worked up?” I replied innocently.

“Enough. Do you really have to start fighting the moment you see each other?” The First Prince scolded both of us.

‘Good job, big brother.’

Although he was scolding both of us, it was clear that Somerset was the one left embarrassed. Judging by how he didn’t retort further, it seemed even he found Karl intimidating.

This confirmed that Karl only had trouble managing the Second Prince, Berdych, among his younger siblings.

“I apologize, big brother.”

I bowed humbly—though only to Karl.

“I should have come to see you as soon as I woke up, but I was too shy. Please forgive me for meeting you so late.”

“Wow, what nonsense,” Somerset muttered under his breath again. Ignoring him was starting to become quite amusing.

“It’s alright. As your older brother, I should have checked on you sooner. I’m sorry.”

As expected, Karl gave me a kind smile.

‘Just as I thought—Karl is friendly toward me.’

Based on what I’d read in the diary, Olivier’s evaluations, and the rumors Peter had gathered, Karl’s situation could be summed up like this:

The First Prince felt inferior and fearful of his younger brother Verdzich, who surpassed him in every way.

‘He tries to keep his younger siblings in check and works hard in his own way, but due to his lack of accomplishments, he’s slowly losing ground in the race for succession.’

For someone like him—

A younger sibling who shows confidence against the threatening Second Prince yet remains respectful toward him would naturally seem endearing.

‘I’ve secured one ally.’

Everything was going according to plan. In my mind, I had already divided these two brothers into potential allies and enemies.

“Her Highness Princess Ulvhild Grünewald is entering!”

I turned my head to see the only daughter of our father—the First Princess and my only sister. Rumor had it she was quite eccentric.

‘Oh.’

I couldn’t help but be surprised. To think there would be another sibling who could rival even Allenbert’s beauty.

“Allen!”

With long limbs toned by muscle and an intense gaze that radiated an impressive inner strength, she walked toward me like a seasoned swordsman.

“Sister.”

“Allen! It’s been so long. You’ve been in seclusion for quite some time—how did you manage to train your body like this?”

Her warmth caught me off guard. Trying to hide my surprise, I responded,

“I haven’t stopped training these past few days.”

“How admirable! What have you been focusing on?”

“Mostly on building stamina and strengthening my lower body…”

“Hm! A good choice.”

Right after bombarding me with questions about training, Ulvhild leaned in closer and whispered,

“But Allen… is it true that you reached the fifth stage of the Ocean Circulation Heart Technique in less than a week?”

“Yes.”

“Incredible.”

Despite her cold appearance—more fitting for a knight than a noblewoman—her eyes sparkled with pure curiosity at that moment. It made her seem younger than she actually was.

“You learned it on your own? Just from reading the book once?”

“That’s right.”

“Amazing! To do that without a master and in such a short time! If it weren’t for the head butler’s confirmation, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

After her flurry of questions ended, Ulvhild briefly greeted our brothers.

“It’s been a while, big brother.”

“How have you been?”

“So-so. Somerset—I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been neglecting your training lately.”

“Oh… sister… that’s…”

“To rely solely on your natural strength while neglecting your swordsmanship… I can already imagine what you’ll look like in a few years. But it’s none of my concern—handle it as you will.”

“…”

She didn’t seem particularly close with either Karl or Somerset and even showed subtle disdain toward Somerset. She was colder than I had expected based on what I’d heard about her.

But why was she being so kind to me?

“Allen. If you don’t mind… could you show me some sword energy?”

“Uh… here? Right now?”

“A knife will do.”

“Well… alright then.”

“Hurry up!”

Her clear brown eyes gleamed with excitement—a hint of madness shining through them. Overwhelmed by her intensity, I nodded reluctantly. I’d heard rumors that she was obsessed with martial arts—but this was more extreme than I had imagined.

“There we go!”

Ulvhild smiled contentedly as I picked up a knife from the table and demonstrated the sword energy from the Oceanic Circulation Heart Technique.

“Ohhh…!”

Ulvhild gently touched the sword energy with her bare hand, flicking it with her fingers. Then, she tore a piece of the tablecloth and held it against the sword energy. The cloth was smoothly sliced through.

“Truly impressive. How did you manage to produce such a refined sword energy?”

She seemed like a pure seeker of martial arts, someone who pursued it for its own sake. Now I understood why the First Princess had no interest in the succession battle.

“Allen, you’re remarkable. I’ll visit you soon, so make sure to set aside some time. And…”

I knew someone with eyes similar to Ulvhild’s—a tutor who became obsessed with me, thinking I was some kind of prodigy.

‘Finally, someone who truly recognizes my talent.’

Meanwhile, Baklava quietly entered and took a seat far from me.

“Oh, little brother, you’re here?”

“Ugh.”

Baklava grimaced and ignored me.

“Look at this—he’s ignoring his older brother.”

“…”

He was clearly scared but also seemed determined not to engage with me.

“My dear little brother, my precious Baklava. How’s your hand? Has it healed after you broke it while flailing at the wall?”

“Shut up. Please.”

“Even when I worry about you, you get upset.”

“It’s healed, so leave me alone.”

“Oh.”

Just as I was about to tease Baklava further—

“So everyone’s gathered.”

A low voice, quiet yet commanding attention, filled the room.

“Brother, Ulvhild, Somerset, Baklava.”

Just by calling out our names, the atmosphere shifted.

All eyes turned toward him as an overwhelmingly handsome man with golden hair and blue eyes entered the room. This was Berdych Grünewald, the Second Prince.

‘Wow… he’s disgustingly good-looking.’

While there was still a boyish charm to Allenbert’s face, Berdych had already matured into a fully grown man.

But what stood out most was—

‘Unbelievable. Is he really that strong?’

He possessed an overwhelming power that surpassed not only Somerset but also Karl and even Ulvhild. His strength was on a completely different level—so much so that I couldn’t even begin to gauge it with my current abilities.

My body instinctively recoiled in fear. It was a natural reaction; after all, when a rabbit encounters a predator, it’s only natural for it to tremble in fear.

But I’m no rabbit.

“Allenbert, it’s been a while.”

“It has.”

I responded calmly.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve met in person, but for some reason, you feel oddly familiar—like we just saw each other yesterday.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Berdych smiled beautifully as he casually brushed off my veiled jab—hinting that I knew what he had done—and then turned his gaze toward the rest of our siblings.

“Everyone stand up. The ladies are arriving.”

It was as if I didn’t even exist in his world. He spoke as though he were the one with the most authority in this room.

“…”

Karl’s eyes were cold as he looked at Verdzich.

‘Family feuds are always entertaining.’

Though I was part of this family drama myself, I watched it unfold with the detachment of an observer.

“Presenting Lady Isabella Grünewald, First Wife; Lady Emengarde Grünewald, Second Wife; and Lady Bianca Grünewald, Third Wife!”

The music from the orchestra changed.

Escorted by their maids and dressed in extravagant gowns, the three duchesses entered the banquet hall.

‘They’re entering together.’

They must have coordinated this beforehand—it was another battle of pride. Protocols like these were always such a hassle.

“It’s nice to see everyone gathered like this.”

“We greet you, First Mother.”

The siblings paid their respects to Isabella Grünewald—the first wife with black hair—who held the highest position in this gathering since our father wasn’t present.

“…”

I made eye contact with Emengarde Grünewald—the second wife. Her eyes were strikingly similar to Berdych’s—beautiful yet reminiscent of a snake’s gaze.

“Allenbert.”

Her eyes narrowed into a smile.

“It’s been a long time.”

I stood up and smiled back politely.

“It’s good to see you again too, Second Mother.”

“You’ve grown into such a fine young man since we last met.”

She closed her fan and covered her mouth with it as she spoke.

“If your mother Lusatia could see you now, she would be so proud.”

Behind that fan-covered smile was likely a smirk—a mocking curve of her lips meant to belittle me subtly.

“Thank you for your concern,” I replied evenly.

“Thanks to the gift you sent me recently, I’ve made significant progress. It truly was a precious item.”

“Oh? It wasn’t much—don’t give it too much thought.”

…We exchanged sharp words hidden behind polite smiles.

And thus, the banquet began.