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Chapter Four: The Swordsman’s Visit
The day after Zumiano went to apologize to Theresalo and Lord Seyfalt, Wellmy headed to the Abaccum estate with Lord Turgis.
Believe it or not, she had been invited.
As for why she had gone with Lord Turgis of all people, it was because he had been assigned as her personal bodyguard in lieu of him being put under house arrest. Wellmy had apparently stood out a little too much, and Aides worried about the empire or another influential faction sending assassins after her.
Lord Shizolda obviously couldn’t go to the palace to assist his father with his duties after the stunt he’d pulled, so he remained at his family’s estate and managed the duchy. As for Zumiano, Aides had asked Wellmy if he could “borrow” the boy for a bit, so she’d told Zumiano to obey her fiancé for the day.
And so, it was just Wellmy, Lord Turgis, and Nua—a young woman who currently worked as Wellmy’s waiting maid at the Ormirages’ secondary residence. She was apparently the daughter of a count, but refused to tell Wellmy her full name or age. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties, though some days she looked older and other days as young as a teenager. How peculiar. She had fairly attractive features and was always smiling, but never left much of an impression.
Е n ů m̂ а̊
“We’re almost there, my lady,” she remarked.
“Indeed,” Wellmy replied.
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Lord Turgis’s shoulders twitched.
He was usually taciturn and tended to keep his head down, but he seemed to be slightly nervous at the moment, if the look on his face was anything to go by. Even as he gazed vacantly at the scenery rushing past the carriage window, he looked restless.
House Abaccum was one of the kingdom’s most influential families, and their estate was absolutely massive, with gardens so vast that visitors had to drive for some time even after passing the gate.
Wellmy decided to chat with him as they waited for the carriage to reach their destination. “Are you nervous, Lord Turgis?”
Е̇n̄ u.m а̀. і d
“No,” he replied after a brief moment of hesitation.
Wellmy stared at him again. He was a young man with red hair and tough, masculine features. The sword hanging from his hip suited his appearance well. While he wasn’t exceptionally handsome, the unusual brownish-red hue of his eyes gave him a certain charm. According to Aides, Lord Turgis didn’t have an outstanding talent for magic or swordsmanship, but excelled at sword magic and martial magic, which were combinations of the two. His magical energy pool was quite vast, and he wasn’t an idiot either. From what Wellmy had gathered after observing and chatting with him, he was a sensible, albeit taciturn, young man, and always did what she requested.
I did hear that he’s worried about not meeting his father’s expectations, though.
Setting aside the terrible first impression she’d had of him due to what he had done to Theresalo, Wellmy thought he was a much more useful man than the fool everyone believed him to be after Leo’s engagement announcement party. She also didn’t understand why his father wouldn’t approve of him, even though he’d made him his heir.
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“Commander Deltraute is a monster of a man who’d already won his first sword magic tournament at Turgis’s age,” Aides had told her when she’d asked. “He also feels that Turgis’s clever fighting style is just a bunch of cheap tricks, which is why he treats him so harshly.”
“Is that so?”
Е n um̊ а́.íḋ
“Truly gifted individuals can’t understand the struggles of those who aren’t, just as those without natural talent can’t comprehend geniuses.”
“Is that the case for you too?” Wellmy had asked after a pause.
Aides had seemed taken aback by her question, but his surprise was quickly replaced by a gentle smile as he shook his head. “While it is true that I was born with more power than most people, I never had the knack of instinctively knowing how to use it, like Zumiano. I suffered the heartbreak of losing people who were very dear to me. All the power I have, I earned with my own two hands so I wouldn’t have to go through such pain ever again.”
He’s talking about his stepmother and stepsister, the ones who died because of a cursed magic item.
Aides likely still held regrets about that incident.
“I didn’t take my studies particularly seriously as a child. When I gained the cognitive abilities to understand what was happening around me, I finally understood the pressure of being my father’s heir and my place in the family, and it all felt like a nuisance.” He paused. “I thought that it was because of my lack of seriousness that my adoptive mother and sister became so cold toward me. Back then, I foolishly believed that, perhaps, if I wasn’t good enough to be my father’s heir, I could return the future and position I’d stolen from my sister to her.”
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He went on to explain, in a cold, detached tone, that had he taken his responsibilities seriously from the start, he would likely have noticed that something was wrong with his mother and sister when they’d gotten cursed, as they wouldn’t have had a reason to be angry at him.
“And, well, you know what happened next. Don’t cry, Wellmy.”
“It’s not your fault, Aides. Your mother and sister died because of the people who put the cursed items in their rooms, not because of you. You were a child, too, at the time.”
Aides believed that he had lost his mother and sister because of a mistake he’d made. That belief had left a deep scar in his heart. Perhaps that was why he constantly wore a glove on his left hand—so he wouldn’t have to see the burn his sister had left on him and be reminded of the pain of losing her.
“I have you now,” he’d replied, opening his arms to wrap her in an embrace. “And this time, I intend to live my life in a way that won’t risk losing you. In the end, you didn’t lose anyone you held dear, did you? I’m glad I was able to help you with that.”
Her memory of his face as he’d said that overlapped with that of Lord Turgis, who clearly felt uncomfortable under the weight of her gaze.
Wе̄ bn.о̂v ě l Е ṅ_u m̄a
“You should be more honest about your feelings,” Wellmy advised him. While things can still be fixed, she thought.
“May I ask what you mean by that?”
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“If you keep hesitating out of fear of getting hurt, by the time you realize it, she’ll be out of your reach. You’ll have far fewer regrets if you tell the people around you what’s truly on your mind while you still have time to start over.” She let this sink in for a moment before adding, “Well, those are just my thoughts.”
In Wellmy’s opinion, Lady Darristea and Lord Turgis had been the greatest victims of Zumiano’s schemes. Lord Turgis had been manipulated by his friend, had his honor sullied to protect that same friend, and his feelings for Lady Darristea exposed before a large audience. He tended to tough everything out, so he would never let it show, but there was no way he wasn’t hurt by what Zumiano had done. Yet, when Wellmy had mentioned this, Zumiano had simply laughed it off, saying that Lord Turgis was “stubborn” and that he’d be fine. That had earned him a sharp strike with her fan.
But that wasn’t all that Zumiano had said.
“Turgis’s just...inflexible, you know? That’s probably in his nature, but he tends not to see what’s around him. If I hadn’t done this, he might have resorted to something irreversible,” he had explained, flashing Wellmy a wink.
Е̊n̆ um̃а̇. і d̄
Lord Turgis’s wish had been for Lady Darristea to marry Leo. Zumiano’s words implied that he might have tried to remove those who stood in the way of his goal himself—all to save the one he loved, even if it meant sacrificing himself and others.
Wellmy understood that feeling all too well. After all, she had done the same. That was why she couldn’t blame Lord Turgis for what he might have done, even knowing she might have been his victim, as she had been pretending to be Leo’s future fiancée.
In the end, both Wellmy’s plan to save Iora and Turgis’s wish to help Lady Darristea had not turned out as expected. It was entirely possible that either of them would make similar choices in the future.
“Then again, I think Turgis probably regrets both the fact that Shiz came to me for advice and the fact that it was his fault he came to me in the first place. But he’ll probably listen to you. After all, you’re both a victim and the one who stopped this whole thing,” Zumiano had added.
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Lord Turgis had apparently never told Zumiano of his feelings for Lady Darristea or asked for his help. He was a persistent, stubborn, plodding man. This reputation of his definitely wasn’t glamorous or flattering.
Being the son of an outstanding man like Commander Nete must have been a source of intense pressure. Perhaps he perceived his father’s words as a denial of who he truly was.
E ň u ṁа . і̀ḋ
“You’re not trying hard enough.”
Yet, seeing the way Commander Nete treated his son now, it was clear he loved him in his own way. Just like Wellmy’s mother’s attempt to give her what rightfully belonged to Iora had been her own twisted way of showing her love to her daughter.
“Lord Turgis. What did Marquis Deltraute say when he punished you?” she asked.
Lord Turgis cast his gaze down. “‘Don’t step on the wrong path ever again. There won’t be a next time.’” His expression hadn’t changed, but Wellmy could feel the resignation in his eyes and strained voice. He must’ve thought his father really was disappointed in him.
But...
“Your father has always forgiven you whenever you failed, hasn’t he? Both now and in the past.”
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Lord Turgis’s eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t been expecting that response.
“Isn’t it true? That’s what ‘There won’t be a next time’ means, no?” In other words, his father had forgiven everything he had done so far.
Words could mean a myriad of different things depending on how one interpreted them.
“Those who know you all call you ‘persistent.’ They say that once you have your eyes set on something, you tend to lose sight of what’s around you and will keep working toward your goal without ever changing course. That, while you never voice your own feelings and opinions, you empathize with others’ pain.”
Lord Shizolda had told Wellmy that when Zumiano had almost died after falling from a cliff as a child, Lord Turgis had remained by his side the entire time until he woke up, along with Zumiano’s fiancée, Lady Nineena.
When Lord Shizolda had been on the verge of breaking down under the tremendous academic workload his father had imposed on him, Lord Turgis had taken up the exact same studies, even though he had no need for them.
En u m̌ а
“I don’t get most of these things, but you understand them. You’re incredible,” Lord Turgis had told his friend countless times to cheer him up.
“And with the strength you earned through your hard work, you saved me,” Wellmy continued.
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Shadow Crossing wasn’t a technique one could master easily, especially for those who had chosen to dedicate themselves to the way of the sword and had neglected to train their magic. They might successfully learn the technique, but wouldn’t be able to use it for long stretches of time, or so Wellmy had heard. Yet, Lord Turgis had managed to cast the spell on both himself and Lord Shizolda, and had maintained it until Zumiano had been about to touch Wellmy.
“Aides told me Marquis Deltraute praised you back then.”
“He finally understands his fighting style. Maybe we should give him the title Knight of Shadow,” the commander had said. Wellmy relayed those words to Lord Turgis with a smile on her lips.
The young man was dumbfounded at the revelation. “My father said that...?”
Е̇ ń umā
“One can’t become someone else,” Wellmy went on. “Even with all the effort in the world, I could never be like Aides or my sister... And unlike Iora, Lady Darristea couldn’t win Leo’s heart.”
Just like Lord Turgis could never become his father.
“But there are still people who will accept us the way we are.”
Aides had found Wellmy.
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Leo had found Iora.
And Commander Nete had properly acknowledged Lord Turgis’s efforts.
W̌ê b n̈оvеl̀ Е̃nuḿ á
The young man held his breath. Meeting his eyes, Wellmy said, “What you lack isn’t hard work. It’s the courage to acknowledge yourself.”
The carriage stopped.
“I don’t know how Lady Darristea will react, but how about properly telling her that you have noticed her efforts and have been secretly admiring her from the shadows?”
All of a sudden, the young man’s face contorted, as if he were about to cry, though not a single tear spilled.
Clenching his fists, he immediately schooled his face back into his usual expression. “Thank you for your advice,” he said, lowering his head to Wellmy.
※※※
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He had always been watching her. But he thought that his feelings would never be reciprocated.
If Turgis Deltraute had to describe himself in one word, it would be “mediocre.” He had been lucky enough to be born the son of a marquis, but that was all there was to him.
The first time that thought crossed his mind was when he’d heard a sigh of what sounded like disappointment escape his father, Commander Nete.
“You really have no talent for the sword. You lack drive.”
Turgis didn’t really understand the meaning behind his father’s words. But the judgmental gazes of the people around him gradually helped him realize.
“You’re not like your father at all.”
Èn ù m a .і̃d̈
“Your swordsmanship is sloppy.”
“Your twin brother can do this with no trouble.”
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Turgis kept hearing these comments. Sometimes, people said them to his face. Other times, they were relayed to him, or he happened to overhear them.
However, one thing was for sure: Those words were true.
Still, I have no choice but to keep going.
Fortunately, he liked sword fighting. Even if no one approved of him, he could empty his mind and swing his sword, focusing only on making the point touch his opponent. He could easily do that. When he was doing something he enjoyed, he could forget about others’ opinions. While grateful for his natural temperament, Turgis gradually stopped talking unless it was necessary.
Е̊ nu ḿa
No one minded.
He’d never been good at expressing his emotions anyway, so the people around him must have felt like it wasn’t that big of a change. In a way, it made him feel at ease.
The only thing he never neglected was his sword practice. In silence, he swung his blade, hoping to sharpen his skills, even a little. His efforts might never put him on par with his father, but that was fine. For reasons unexplained, he’d been told he must inherit the Deltraute name instead of his twin. He had come to terms with the fact that he might have to give up one day—perhaps his father would make his sister marry a better swordsman, or he would choose to make Turgis’s brother his heir—but until then, it was Turgis’s responsibility to bear.
Fortunately, he could share his worries with Shizolda, who was in a similar situation. He also had Zumiano. The free-spirited young man’s brilliance sometimes stirred his sense of inferiority, but most of the time he found his spirits lifted by his friend’s cheerful nature.
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Then, one day, he met her.
Turgis still vividly remembered their encounter—on the day after the rain had cleared.
Е̂ nu m а̊
He had been looking for an inconspicuous spot to practice his swordsmanship when he saw her, sitting on a bench without any servants around, staring ahead with tears streaming down her cheeks. For some reason, Turgis’s eyes were drawn to her, and for a short time, all he could do was watch, captivated.
Her bright blonde hair glimmered in the sun, and her clear green eyes shone like jewels. She sat with her spine perfectly straight and the impeccable poise befitting of a lady. Turgis followed her gaze; his eyes traveled over the hedge and landed on a pair of students visible through the library window. A second-year student with black hair (the crown prince masquerading as the son of a baron) was chatting with a girl with gray hair and glasses. The young lady on the bench watched with tears in her eyes as they smiled and laughed.
Being the son of the army’s commander, Turgis had met the crown prince several times since he was a child and had naturally seen through his disguise.
Ah.
He suddenly recalled the name of the young lady on the bench: Lady Darristea, daughter of Duke Abaccum and rumored to be the crown prince’s prospective fiancée since childhood. Turgis didn’t care much for high society gatherings, so the two of them hadn’t interacted much, but he was certain it was her.
The crown prince still didn’t have a fiancée, partly due to the fact that he had been sickly as a child, and partly because the kingdom did not traditionally commit the crown prince to an engagement until he graduated from the noble academy, a custom that must’ve seemed strange to other nations.
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Of course, there were still contenders for the position of crown princess, but those who felt like they didn’t have much chance before enrolling at the academy usually got engaged to others, leaving only a handful of candidates of suitable rank in the running.
She must really have feelings for the crown prince, Turgis thought, observing Lady Darristea, one of the strongest contenders, crying before him. She was likely dejected to see the boy she loved so close to another lady.
Turgis couldn’t just go comfort her the way he would Shizolda, but the image of her gazing at what she could never have stayed etched in his heart.
From that point, whenever he crossed paths with her at the academy, his eyes would unconsciously follow her.
She always behaved like a perfect lady, befitting her position as a contender for the crown prince’s hand. She was firm with other students, yet treated them all equally, regardless of rank, always wearing a pleasant smile.
Just how hard must she have worked to become like this?
Ẇеb̈ń о̆ v̀ ѐ l̀ Еṅ ù m̄ӓ
Having always struggled with manners and etiquette, Turgis was in awe of her.
But then, rumors started reaching his ears, spread mainly by a group of gossipy young women led by Lady Wellmy, Lady Iora’s sister of the same age.
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“Lady Darristea is a prospective fiancée for the crown prince, yet she hasn’t been invited to the royal palace lately,” they would say.
I don’t like it, Turgis thought, but he couldn’t exactly intervene.
He very much wanted to tell those gossips that Lady Darristea was flawless, but the rumors didn’t seem to cause her any real harm, so he held his tongue.
He did tell Shizolda, though, and his friend seemed concerned about him. After all, Turgis rarely spoke of his own feelings.
W̄ е̊bnоvёl̃ Е nu m̈ а̌
When Shizolda asked if he liked Lady Darristea, Turgis gave a noncommittal answer. That was because he himself didn’t even know if he liked her. Since childhood, he had lived with only one thought in mind, and that was to become the next Marquis Deltraute.
Yet he found himself not only watching Lady Darristea when they crossed paths but also scanning the test results board for her name. Even with Shizolda’s help, Turgis’s grades were barely above average, whereas Lady Darristea’s were always near the top. The crown prince’s grades were even higher than hers, while the gray-haired Lady Iora’s were about the same as Turgis’s.
Why isn’t Prince Leoniel satisfied with Lady Darristea?
Lady Iora was mediocre and unattractive. That was what Turgis thought at first. But then, he began observing her and noticed just how refined her mannerisms were. Her decorum was so impeccable, in fact, that it went beyond that of a regular lady; she never let the slightest flaw show, much like a soldier. Her demeanor was both graceful and sharp at the same time. It somehow reminded Turgis of his father’s rugged yet unyielding presence. The contrast with her unkempt appearance was jarring, but when Turgis saw the way the crown prince looked at her, he realized something: There must have been something to this girl that was invisible to his common, ordinary eye. And perhaps that something was what had captured the crown prince’s heart.
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But then, two years after Turgis’s graduation, the crown prince appeared at a party with Lady Wellmy (now Wellmy Liroud) on his arm—so close, it seemed like they were lovers.
Why?
Ŵё b nо̇ v_е̇l̇ Ê ň u m̀ а̂
Because of that, rumors claiming that Lady Darristea had been dumped by the crown prince spread through high society again. Turgis found it intolerable.
And that was when he realized he was in love with Lady Darristea. Yet the thought that she might now be in his reach never even crossed his mind—likely because he found himself nowhere near good enough for a beautiful flower like her.
Lady Darristea remained resolute, as if the rumors didn’t faze her, but Turgis couldn’t stand the sad glint that appeared in her eyes whenever the crown prince appeared.
That was why, when Zumiano had asked him out of the blue if he wanted to make Lady Darristea crown princess, Turgis had replied that, if it was her wish, he wanted to honor it.
Zumiano handed him a bracelet and told him to put it on, claiming it made all the wearer’s wishes come true. Thinking that his friend had just given him a good luck charm to make him feel better, Turgis wore the bracelet.
His memories of what happened from that point onward were nearly nonexistent. He did, however, have the awareness that what he did at Zumiano’s behest were things he ought not to have done.
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When he was secretly arrested, and the lord of magic removed the bracelet from his wrist, Turgis collapsed in despair.
He didn’t know what Zumiano’s objective had been.
Why did you do this of all things?! he wanted to ask.
Someone with a brain like Zumiano’s should have had plenty of ways to achieve his goal without doing what he did.
Why did you need to get Lady Darristea involved in your schemes?
She was currently hiding in her family estate, waiting for the right moment to make an appearance. Turgis only had one concern at that moment: What would happen to her?
E ñûmа
Lord Ormirage turned his usual cold gaze to Turgis and said, “We’ll handle the situation. Do you want to help us?”
“If necessary, I will take on the blame for everything, Lord Ormirage. So please, show mercy to Lady Darristea. If possible, to Zumiano too...”
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“I understand why you would wish to protect Lady Darristea. But why Zumiano?”
“If he dies... Nineena will be heartbroken.”
Nineena was Turgis’s childhood friend and Zumiano’s fiancée. If Zumiano had done what he had for Turgis, he at least hoped to avoid dragging her into this mess.
“I cannot make any promises,” the lord of magic told him after some thought. “We still don’t know everything, after all.”
Е́ń ům а́ .і d
“Of course. As I said, I’m only asking you to do it if it seems possible.”
It was only after he promised to help that he learned of the true reason Lady Wellmy and the crown prince were acting so close in public—to keep Prince Leoniel’s real fiancée, Lady Iora, away from danger until their engagement was made public.
The danger likely was what he had done while being manipulated.
Talk about karma.
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With everything now over and dealt with, Turgis was about to meet with Lady Darristea, as a servant of Lady Wellmy, the woman he’d thought was a villainess but who had simply been trying to help her sister. On top of that, she had given him frank, honest advice. She had said that, while he had done a lot of wrong, the person he wished would approve of him had recognized his efforts. That what he lacked wasn’t hard work, but courage.
While grateful for her words, he still couldn’t help but be too ashamed to look Lady Darristea in the face after what he had done.
Е ǹùm̊ а. íd̃
Unfortunately, their meeting came before he could finish sorting out his feelings.
“Thank you kindly for allowing us to visit you today, Lady Darristea,” Lady Wellmy said with a curtsy when they crossed the threshold of the Abaccums’ drawing room.
Turgis lowered his head in a greeting of his own. When he raised his gaze, his eyes landed on Lady Darristea. She had lost weight since he’d last seen her and was masking her pallid complexion with some makeup. Still, her spine was straight, and there was a smile on her lips.
※※※
“Before anything else, allow me to apologize, Lady Darristea,” Lady Wellmy said with a smile before performing another curtsy, the hem of her dress fluttering.
Darristea blinked in surprise.
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Lady Wellmy wasn’t wearing her usual vivid red color palette today. Instead, she was clad in a light blue dress adorned with white lace, lending her a young and fresh impression. It toned down her usual strong-willed air and highlighted her cute side, all the more amplified by her petite figure. The expression on her face wasn’t the determined, condescending one she wore at parties, but the same soft smile she had worn when Lord Liroud had undone the spell Darristea had cast.
These catlike eyes, brimming with curiosity, and that affable smile must’ve been her true appearance.
“Lady Wellmy Liroud’s acting skills are extraordinary. She can deceive anyone,” Darristea’s brother and Countess Iora had told her, but she hadn’t believed that the vicious, unscrupulous villainess had just been the mask Lady Wellmy wore in public. Now, she felt ashamed.
She thought that she had developed a rather keen eye for people, being the daughter of a duke, but it seemed she still had a long way to go. After all, she had been doubting Lady Wellmy’s character not just at the party, but since their time at the noble academy.
She couldn’t remain silent, though, so she tilted her head to the side slightly. “An apology? Whatever for?”
Lady Wellmy looked up at her with upturned eyes, seeming truly apologetic. “For the time I spilled wine on your dress. I had asked the crown prince to take you to get cleaned up in a resting room and tell you everything there, but...unfortunately, things didn’t quite go as planned. We hadn’t told anything about our objective to Prince Tygrim yet either, so...”
Ẅ е̃ b́ n̂_öv̄ e l Ё.n u m̂ а
Oh.
Now that Darristea knew why Lady Wellmy had spilled wine on her and why Prince Tygrim’s attitude had shifted suddenly after their meeting, she felt even more disappointed by her own shortsightedness.
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Had she not lost her cool at Lady Wellmy’s words and actions and instead thought about the situation with a clear mind, had she questioned Prince Tygrim’s change of heart more instead of dismissing it as him being manipulated...she likely would have realized that everything they had done had been to keep her away from the maelstrom. She wouldn’t have disgraced herself publicly like that.
“I should be the one apologizing, not you,” she said. She had let herself get manipulated from start to finish.
Once everything had been done and dealt with, her brother had told her about Lady Wellmy’s circumstances and the condemnation scene at the lord of magic’s party, although he had kept certain details a secret.
Darristea lowered her head to Lady Wellmy. “I sincerely apologize for my foolishness and for meddling where I shouldn’t have.”
Е̄ ń ú m̂а̊
She finally understood why Prince Leoniel didn’t want her. It’s only natural, she thought, laughing at herself.
“Please raise your head!” Lady Wellmy said, sounding a little panicked. “If we had been a little smarter about it, your honor wouldn’t have been stained in the process.”
Lady Darristea’s only crime was to have used an illegally modified hypnosis item on Lady Wellmy. However, taking into account that she herself had been under a mind-control drug at the time and that the king had known the whole story, she had gotten away with only a few weeks of house arrest.
But I’m as good as dead in the eyes of high society.
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Given her age, she had little time or chance to secure a favorable engagement with someone of a high enough rank. That, coupled with the rumors that had been following her since her days at the noble academy, meant that the only men who would show an interest in her would be those wanting ties with the ducal house of Abaccum. Once, she would have been fine with that. But the men after the Abaccum name would likely cause the house’s standing to drop, meaning Darristea wouldn’t be able to meet her father’s expectations.
How long had it been since she’d last seen him?
Еn_ŭ ḿ а̀ . і̇ḋ
“No need to humble yourself so,” Darristea said. “I would eventually have missed my chance to get married and become a useless good-for-nothing. It just happened a few years earlier than planned.”
“Huh?” Lady Wellmy muttered with a puzzled look.
Beside her, Lord Turgis’s expression grew grave.
“Let us continue this discussion over a cup of tea, shall we? It might be my last, after all. I am glad it’s you two I get to share it with.”
Darristea led Lady Wellmy and Lord Turgis to the garden and asked her waiting maid to bring them some refreshments. Once the tea was served, she ordered all the servants to leave and said, “Should I speak first?”
Lady Wellmy glanced at Lord Turgis. The young man took in a deep breath, as if to steel himself for something, and lowered his head.
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“Please allow me to apologize to you first, Lady Darristea,” he said, not raising his face. “My inappropriate behavior caused you tremendous trouble. It was my own selfish wish that brought you this harm.”
Lady Darristea felt her face heat up at this. She, of course, remembered the words Lord Shizolda had spoken at the party.
“Turgis has always secretly harbored tender feelings for Lady Darristea Abaccum.”
“Um... What may that wish be...?” she asked.
“I understand it is beyond my station, but...I have developed feelings for you, Lady Darristea. It may seem like I attempted to pin a crime onto you to make you mine; however, I assure you that wasn’t my intention.”
“I am aware,” Darristea said weakly. “Please raise your head.”
Ѐn̂ům а̇ ..і̄ d̆_
“Yes, milady.” Lord Turgis did as he was told. “My feelings for you are real, but all I ever wished for was for you to marry the man you love. I truly apologize that things turned out this way because of me.”
He was staring Darristea straight in the eye. Unable to bear it, she averted her gaze. While she had never seen him as a potential romantic partner, it was her first time hearing someone express their feelings for her so directly. She had never had many suitors, after all; from a young age, everyone had seen her as the girl most likely to marry the crown prince.
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“Lord Turgis, you seem to have misunderstood something,” she said. Then, taking a small breath, she corrected his misunderstanding. “I do not love Prince Leoniel—although he is a very dear friend of mine.”
She had given up on becoming crown princess the moment she had seen him with Lady Iora—because it was Lady Iora.
“I haven’t told anyone, but I gave up on marrying Prince Leoniel a long time ago.”
“But... You were crying when you saw him in the library with Lady Iora,” Lord Turgis said, sounding like the words were so painful, he had to force them out.
W̊е b n̆о̂ v̌ еl̃ Ĕ nŭ m̈ а̇
Darristea’s eyes widened. “Y-You saw me?”
She vividly remembered that day. After all, it was when she had decided to give up on marrying the crown prince.
“I did... I’m sorry.”
“It’s a little embarrassing, but...I cried because marrying the crown prince was my duty—the only reason I was allowed to live in the first place.”
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“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt, but what do you mean by that?” Wellmy asked. “You said something similar earlier.”
A self-deprecating smile formed on Darristea’s lips. “My father wanted me to become crown princess. All my life, he has repeated that I am worth nothing if I fail.”
Е́n̊ ů m̊ а
Her two visitors gasped at this.
“You will marry the crown prince and, through the blood of the true king that flows through your veins as an Abaccum, return the throne to its rightful owner.”
Darristea’s father expected nothing less from her. As he had told her countless times, it was the only reason she was allowed to live.
That was why, when Darristea had realized that Lady Iora would ultimately marry Prince Leoniel, she had resigned herself to her fate. Her father’s next demand would likely be that she become the crown prince’s concubine or marry the second prince. However, she had a feeling that Prince Leoniel would never take a concubine—even if Lady Iora couldn’t birth an heir within three years. Having been friends with the crown prince since childhood, Darristea knew the kind of man he was.
As for Prince Tygrim, he was younger than Darristea, having just come of age at sixteen. There was no way he would pick a woman three years his senior as his fiancée, much less one who had committed a crime.
In other words, Darristea likely would never marry into the royal family. Now that her honor was tarnished, her father might choose to send her to the convent as soon as her house arrest ended.
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That was why she had wanted to see Lady Wellmy and apologize before she couldn’t anymore.
“I’m truly sorry. It was my own selfishness that made me so angry toward you, Lady Wellmy. All I could think was that I had abandoned my duty because the one he loved was the incredible Lady Iora, so why had he picked you?”
Darristea had thought that Lady Wellmy must have used some sort of spell. Otherwise, there would have been no way for her to come between Prince Leoniel and Lady Iora when they loved each other so deeply.
“The incredible Lady Iora? I mean, I understand your feelings, but... Um, how did you know her—how should I put it...her true nature?” Lady Wellmy asked.
Seeing Wellmy so perplexed (yet satisfied at the same time), a slight urge to tease her welled up within Darristea. “Well, that’s because I was a member of her salon.”
A pause. Then, “What?! You too?!” Lady Wellmy exclaimed.
Е̂ n ūm̈ â. іd
“Indeed. Once everything was settled at the royal palace’s party, Lady Iora and Prince Leoniel came to visit me in my resting room. They apologized and told me about your way of picking people you wanted to remain by your sister’s side.”
Darristea had only talked to Lady Wellmy once at the noble academy. A teacher had asked her to pass on a message to Lady Wellmy, so she had done as she was told, all while glaring at her for being all over Arvine. Lady Wellmy had responded with a sneer.
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That was the only exchange these two ever had.
Apparently, Prince Leoniel was the one who had asked the teacher to send Darristea to pass a message to Lady Wellmy. According to him, the girl had made “the face she made when she saw someone trustworthy and wanted to keep them away from her,” and that was why he had invited Darristea to the salon.
“I’m the one who taught Lady Iora how to do her makeup, and I helped her come up with the spell she used to hide her beautiful hair.”
That was when she had learned just how intelligent and beautiful Lady Iora truly was. How she was so kind that she was willing to bear with a difficult situation, so that she wouldn’t cause trouble for “the girl who was trying to save her.”
È ǹ ů m̈ а . і d̀
Darristea realized that she could never win against her. That was why she’d given up.
“Are you surprised?” she asked.
“Y-Yes... Does that mean you knew Lady Theresalo Traff as well?”
“She helped Lady Iora with her thesis on methods to alleviate the burden caused by magical energy. Her family’s business apparently deals with medicinal herbs, so she’s deeply knowledgeable about the ingredients for magic potions.” Darristea’d had her own graduation thesis to write, so she hadn’t been involved in that project.
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“I do not regret my decision,” she continued. “My father had this stupid delusion of restoring the ‘rightful bloodline,’ so in the end, it’s a good thing the crown prince didn’t choose me.”
Once her house arrest was over, Darristea intended to say those very words to her brother. Prince Leoniel and Lady Iora had kindly told her to contact them if she ever needed anything.
Е̊n̊ ǔm̂ а̊ . і̂ d
“This matter will soon reach its conclusion, so could you please keep it a secret until then?” After all, Darristea would soon not be a daughter of House Abaccum anymore. “Unfortunately, this means that I cannot reciprocate your feelings, Lord Turgis. I apologize.”
He likely was the only person who truly liked her—a man she barely knew and had never paid much attention to. Still...
I’m happy.
She genuinely appreciated his affection. She’d heard that he had been manipulated as well, so she didn’t feel like he had deceived her. After all, she, too, had harbored wicked emotions that had clouded her judgment.
“Lady Darristea,” Lady Wellmy said.
“Yes?”
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With a thoughtful glint in her vibrant vermilion eyes, the young woman said, “You likely won’t lose your position as a member of House Abaccum.”
Darristea paused. “Whatever do you mean?”
“I believe you should ask your brother. He’s right behind you, by the way,” Lady Wellmy said mischievously, breaking into a smile.
Darristea spun around at once. As Lady Wellmy had said, her brother, Malefident Abaccum, stood there. The calm, gentle eyes he usually turned on her were tinged with displeasure.
“Brother! How long have you been here?”
Malefident sniffed and glared at Lord Turgis. “I just arrived. I heard that the little scoundrel who’s after my dear little sister had come to woo her, following Lady Wellmy like a shadow.”
Еnüm а
Ignoring Darristea’s turmoil, the latter stood before bowing deeply. “My apologies. While we weren’t alone, I have indeed spent some time in your sister’s company. I am terribly sorry.”
“You’re not going to deny that you want to woo her?” Malefident asked.
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Lord Turgis hesitated. “I am aware that my feelings for Lady Darristea are selfish; however, they are very much real.”
“You haven’t answered my question. I have no intention of entrusting my sister to a coward, Turgis Deltraute. If you’re going to inherit the Deltraute marquessate after Commander Nete, how about you stop putting yourself down and be confident for once?”
Lord Turgis raised his head sharply, a puzzled look on his face. Malefident was still glaring at him in displeasure. An intimidating aura radiated from him, and Darristea was speechless. She had almost never seen her brother like this.
“I’ll ask one more time: You’re not going to deny that you want to seduce my sister?”
Е̇ nū m̆ а́
This time, Lord Turgis’s expression tightened. His usually neutral face was brimming with what seemed like resolve, or perhaps vigor. Strangely, it lent him a completely different air. While rather good-looking, he usually seemed inconspicuous and down. But that gloom had vanished, replaced by a powerful presence, like that of a soldier on the battlefield, determined to stand his ground.
From the moment that tough, masculine expression appeared on his face, Darristea couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“I won’t deny it, no. If you agree to give me Lady Darristea’s future, I will do whatever it takes to convince my father and make a formal proposal.”
After a moment of heavy, suffocating silence, Malefident’s face relaxed.
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“If you always looked like that, there wouldn’t be as many people claiming that you’re not worthy of being your father’s successor. Prove your abilities to shut up those who mock your mistakes. Still, I don’t care who approves of your union—if Darristea doesn’t want to marry you, I won’t give her to you. My sister is House Abaccum’s treasure, one we are not ashamed of.”
“B-Brother...” Darristea was utterly shaken. Hearing Lord Turgis’s and her brother’s words—knowing that she was wanted and accepted made her want to burst into tears.
Ėn̂ ù mа̌
“I understand. I will keep working hard to gain Lady Darristea’s favor. I do not intend to slack off on that front.”
Darristea’s eyes met Lord Turgis’s, and her heart skipped a beat.
“Make sure those aren’t empty promises,” Malefident said before shifting his attention to Lady Wellmy. “I apologize for interrupting your tea party, Lady Wellmy Liroud.”
“It’s quite all right. We were just about to leave. Please don’t worry about it, Lord Abaccum. Besides, your appearance has given me hope for a satisfactory outcome. I’m delighted.”
“L-Lady Wellmy...”
“Lady Darristea is a beautiful, adorable young woman. I am sure she will have no shortage of suitors. Lord Turgis might get completely overshadowed,” Wellmy added with a shrug that made Darristea think she was the adorable one.
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Then, Darristea hid her face with her hands.
“My apologies, I’m just...embarrassed, and...”
Her face felt so hot, she was sure her neck and ears must’ve been bright red. Happy, embarrassed, and on the verge of tears—something she didn’t want anyone to notice—she didn’t raise her head until her guests had left.
※※※
After seeing Lady Wellmy Liroud and her companions off, Malefident returned to the table in the garden to enjoy some tea with his sister.
“Um, brother?” Darristea asked, visibly hesitant, from her seat opposite his.
Ŵ е b̀nо̊.vē ľ Е̊ n̂ ũm̆ӓ
“What is it?”
“What did Lady Wellmy mean when she said I wouldn’t lose my position as a member of House Abaccum?”
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“Ah, that,” Malefident said with a smile before calmly adding, “Father is retiring.”
At Darristea’s gasp, he proceeded to explain the situation. “Father’s reaction was what I was the most wary of regarding Prince Leoniel and Lady Ernest’s engagement.”
From a young age, Duke Abaccum had continuously ordered Malefident to “seize the throne,” just as he had with Darristea. Malefident had always been painfully aware of what their father had wanted his sister to do.
I still clearly remember the first moment I felt furious about what he was asking of her.
Е̂ n ũ m а̂
“Father removed any obstacle that stood between you and the position of crown princess. That’s why Prince Leoniel has fewer potential fiancées than his predecessors.”
No other noble had taken such drastic measures to ensure their daughter would marry the crown prince before. Their father had arranged other matches for lesser noble girls—knowing their families couldn’t refuse due to their difference in peerage—and used the smallest missteps as leverage to threaten other aristocrats into withdrawing their daughters from consideration. Eventually, only a few prospective brides had remained, with Darristea constantly remaining at the top of the list. In Malefident’s opinion, his sister’s position would have been secure even without these petty tricks. He knew all the efforts she had made to get there.
But things had changed when Prince Leoniel and Lady Ernest fell for each other. All of a sudden, Darristea had begun acting strangely, almost as if she had given up. Malefident only understood why during the Banquet of Condemnation organized by Aides, which he had attended as a guest.
But their father had also heard the rumors about the crown prince’s relationship with Lady Ernest, and, refusing to abandon his plans, resorted to illegal measures.
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“Father went too far. When he learned of Lady Ernest and Lady Liroud’s situation—in which Aides was involved—he planned to assassinate Lady Ernest. As the lord of security, I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it.”
“No way...” Darristea breathed, her face as white as a sheet.
Е n̊ ûm̀ а ..і d̂
Was she shocked by their father’s actions? Or at the fact that Malefident had sold him out?
“I couldn’t tell you the truth until Prince Leoniel and Lady Ernest were officially engaged. King’s order,” Malefident continued. “Father ordered me to plan the assassination and carry it out discreetly. By the time Prince Leoniel publicly announced his fiancée, father was already behind bars. He won’t return to high society ever again.”
The moment their father had ordered him to kill Lady Iora, Malefident had headed straight to the royal palace to inform the king. He had also told everything to Aides when the latter came to discuss the matter of the magic drugs with him.
“I would never have proceeded with the assassination, but I still hadn’t figured out if father was conspiring with the empire or not. So I bought time and suggested that Aides find a decoy for Lady Iora and place the lady in hiding in case father made a move on his own.”
Malefident knew that his sister didn’t actually love Prince Leoniel. That was why he had deemed this situation a good opportunity to apprehend their father. Whenever Duke Abaccum asked him how the assassination was going, he made excuses to play for time, claiming that he couldn’t find her or that the International Magic Research Institute’s security made it difficult for him to send men after her.
And when his father turned his attention to Lady Liroud, who was acting as a stand-in for her sister, Zumiano made his move.
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“None of us expected you and Lady Liroud to get dragged into this matter, but we figured that, once it was done, we could use it to our advantage. No matter how impatient father got, it would have been nearly impossible for him to eliminate all the young men involved.”
By chance—or perhaps it had been another one of Zumiano’s schemes—people who could protect Lady Liroud from potential assassination attempts, like the monster-slaying hero Sofoyl and other young nobles whom Malefident’s father simply couldn’t lay a hand on, had gathered by her side.
Duke Abaccum couldn’t force them to leave her, as Lady Wellmy had the backing of both Aides and the king. He also couldn’t have tried poisoning any of them when the perceptive Lady Liroud, Shizolda, and Zumiano were around. Besides, if he’d made a mistake and Prince Tygrim or Prince Leoniel had ingested the poison, the state would have launched a hunt to find the culprit.
Even if they hadn’t joined forces, the moment Aides’s, Zumiano’s, and the king’s goals all converged to protect Wellmy Liroud, their father’s loss was sealed.
“Having laid out this impregnable fortress around Lady Liroud and Lady Iora, we secretly gathered proof with Prince Leoniel’s help and confronted father at the palace. The king’s condition for sparing the position of House Abaccum and not making father’s crimes public was for him to retire.”
In truth, Duke Abaccum would be imprisoned. They would pretend that he had fallen ill and moved to a remote part of the duchy to look after his health, but in reality, he would be locked up in a tower of the royal palace where magic didn’t work—a prison made for high-ranking individuals who plotted treason.
Е num̂ а
“Father agreed to the king’s conditions.”
In other words, House Abaccum would remain. From the look in his father’s eyes, Malefident—who had been standing by the king’s side during the confrontation—had understood that he was staking all his hopes on the next generation.
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Meaningless delusions.
Times were already changing.
Duke Abaccum’s plan had been motivated by nothing but pure self-satisfaction, and Malefident and Darristea had been forced to go along with it. But both had managed to free themselves from his delusions—Malefident with Aides’s help, and Darristea... Well, Malefident didn’t know if she had done it alone or if someone had guided her onto the right path.
“I will take over House Abaccum and, once things have settled, will assume the title of head of the Ministry of Magic,” Malefident continued.
Ӗ n u m̀ а́.. і d
“But what about Lord Aides?” Darristea asked.
“He’ll become lord of foreign affairs. Domestic troubles have died down, after all. Lady Liroud is now engaged to Aides—albeit it hasn’t been officially announced yet—and Prince Leoniel has chosen a fiancée. Lady Liroud and Lady Iora have favorable relationships with the heirs of powerful duchies and marquessates, as well as with Viscount Londart, whose trading firm will likely become the biggest in the kingdom. Through these two young ladies, these families now have ties to the royal family, meaning we don’t need to worry about them committing treason.”
The young men whose reputations had been tarnished in the Zumiano case likely would struggle slightly going forward. Zumiano was the most worrisome of the bunch, but Aides and Lady Liroud were there to keep him in check, so he shouldn’t be an issue. As for Turgis, having seen the resolve on his face earlier, Malefident didn’t doubt his reputation would improve within the near future. Shizolda had been much too soft on his friends, but hopefully this case had helped him grow a little. And Seyfalt, while currently only the son of a count, would eventually become a powerful asset to the kingdom, if what Zumiano and Aides said was true.
“His Majesty the King said that it would be best for Aides, as the new lord of foreign affairs, to focus on studying the movements of the grand duchy in the southwest, the empire in the north, and the Holy Church,” Malefident continued. The crown had taken an additional measure against the Holy Church, but Darristea didn’t need to know that just yet.
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“Do you have other questions?” Malefident asked, offering a smile to his darling little sister as he set his teacup down.
Darristea, whose face still hadn’t regained its color after the shock of all these revelations, pondered the question for a moment before quietly saying, “It doesn’t have anything to do with the current situation, but... I had no idea you trusted Marquis Ormirage so much.”
Е̊nu m̆.а
“Is it that surprising?”
“It is. Rumors claim that you two hate each other.”
“We made it look that way ever since our academy days, so as not to arouse father’s suspicions. Besides, while I do trust Aides, we’re not on good terms by any means.”
Malefident’s father had ordered him to be the best at everything, and Aides was the first person to have stood between him and that goal. From the moment they began their studies at the noble academy, Aides had constantly been far ahead of everyone else. He had even been granted the title of Archmage before Malefident. Raised as a pawn under his father’s will, Malefident’s feelings toward Aides back then had bordered on hatred.
“Aides told me he’d lost someone important to him as a child,” Malefident added.
“Yes. I have heard.”
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Malefident had realized the real consequences of that incident during his third year at the noble academy.
“Back then, I was at the end of my tether, so I went to ask Aides what to do. He was the one who showed me my first taste of failure, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t surpass him. Not knowing how to cope with my dented pride, I threw away my shame and hatred and, out of despair, went to confront him.”
From Aides’s perspective, Malefident’s anger must have been so irrational back then, it couldn’t even have been blamed on his youth.
“How can I be like you? Why do you keep taking everything from me?!” Malefident had exploded.
But all Aides had done was smile ever so slightly before saying, “Why would you need to be like me? You still haven’t lost the ones you hold dear. I’m jealous of you, Malefident.”
“His words came as a tremendous shock to me,” Malefident told Darristea, laughing at how immature his past self had been, throwing a tantrum like a child. “I knew of the tragedy that had befallen him. Yet, I would never have fathomed that he, the man I believed to have it all, would feel jealous of me.”
Enù_m̀ӑ
When he’d asked what Aides meant, he had replied honestly. “If I ever gain something precious in the future, I never want to lose it again. To that end, I want power—to eradicate all the curses that bring misfortune to others. That’s why...” The look in Aides’s eyes hadn’t been that of cold indifference he always wore, but one of loneliness and longing. “...You need to become aware of what you have and focus on what truly matters to you. So that you may never lose them.”
At his words, Malefident’s focus had fallen on what truly mattered to him for the first time—his noble, hardworking little sister, who grit her teeth and endured everything despite being trapped in their father’s delusions. He had never questioned the way their father had forced her to live, yet on that day, he finally realized how miserable it had been.
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“Aides made me realize that I was the only person in our family who could protect you,” Malefident explained.
Darristea was ten years younger than him. At their father’s demand, their mother had borne her despite her advanced age and died while Darristea had still been very young. And so, while Malefident had received his mother’s love and affection, his little sister hadn’t had that same privilege.
Now, he was the only one who could give her the affection she needed.
“So that is why you suddenly became so nice to me,” Darristea said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Ŵѐḃ n о v ё_l Е̂ n̈ u̇ m̃ а
“I’m grateful to Aides for making me realize it. And to you, too, my beloved sister, who’s all grown-up now.” Malefident paused. “You taught me how important it is to protect what we love.”
Thanks to Aides and Darristea, Malefident had learned that life wasn’t all about wanting. They’d taught him how joyful, fun, and necessary being loved and wanted was. That life wasn’t something one went through alone.
And now, Aides had a fiancée.
He’d been visibly overjoyed when he’d told Malefident, “Wellmy is an interesting girl. She’s also brave, despite the hand she was dealt, and strong. I have finally found someone I want to keep by my side and protect.”
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Malefident had felt genuinely happy for him.
Malefident looked affectionately at his sister. “I plan to find a partner of my own once you’re independent. So please, hurry and find someone you like and start living life for yourself, Darristea,” he added as a last, teasing remark.
W e b̃ñō v̂ ël̊ Е́n̊ ū mа̃_
Darristea’s cheeks flushed. “That day might come sooner than you think, brother.”
“What? You took a liking to Turgis?”
Malefident was the one who had brought the topic up, but he realized he didn’t actually like the idea of his sister finding a partner. Still, if she really liked the boy, he would approve of him—as long as there was no issue with his character, of course. But given how long the brat had harbored feelings for Darristea, he would likely treat her well.
“Um... I don’t really know, but it’s the first time a gentleman has told me he’s interested in me,” Darristea said, cupping her cheeks with her hands.
She was nothing if not adorable.
“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of suitors now that you’re no longer a potential fiancée for Prince Leoniel,” Malefident pointed out. “Still, if you like him, I won’t stop you. In the meantime, if you’re free, give me a hand with the estate management. There’s so much to do, it’s getting out of hand.”
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“Of course. I’ll do my utmost to help you, although my help might not be worth much.”
Having confirmed that his sister felt better, Malefident stood up, and the two of them headed to the office. Not only did he have to lay the groundwork for the next lord of security while preparing to take over the Ministry of Magic, but he also needed to settle into his role as the next Duke Abaccum. He could easily imagine just how busy he’d be from now on, so he wanted to complete what he could before then—and there was much to do.
“Find your own happiness, Darristea,” he said, putting a hand on his sister’s shoulder.
She responded with a smile as beautiful as a blossoming flower.
