[In that, he feels a flash of renewed regret, more than what he carries having estranged himself from all but the Phantomhive's mortician and informant all this time while he had a son in and among them. He hadn't been terribly close to Claudia's husband, more the tool to be used than the confidant Vincent made him to be. It was no wonder Claudia was hesitant to wed, but it was beyond her control.]

You did as you were meant to do as the Phantomhive heir, and I hear your people love you far better than the former Earl. That's more than can be said of your father. Sure, he kept business running, but he wasn't kind about it. I wouldn't say you're a horrible son for distancing yourself.

[He shook his head, wanting to argue the rest, but kept his silence on it. He hadn't been there for Vincent or his step sister, not in the ways a father should be there for his child. He himself had been raised better than that, but time had certainly changed him.]