Startled by the sudden appearance of a black fox, Margaret flinched and stopped casting her spell.
Thanks to that, the pressure crushing Railey’s head lifted, and she finally had room to think again.
‘That fox… is it the Duke of Elestine?’
A full-grown black fox appearing right in the middle of the Duke’s estate—no matter how she thought about it, there was only one possibility, her father-in-law.
Margaret screamed in panic.
“W-What is this?! Why is such a beast in the middle of the estate?!”
“Grrr!”
As if enraged at being called a mere ‘beast,’ the fox let out a roar directed at Margaret.
It wasn’t just a threat—it radiated an overwhelming sense of menace.
Margaret collapsed onto the ground in terror.
“A-a beast got inside? W-What about the security?!”
She desperately tried to crawl backward while still seated.
The fox slowly closed the distance between them, and Margaret’s pupils trembled with fear.
Her dress was wrinkled, the hem flipped up and stained with dirt, but she was far too scared to care.
It was ironic, considering how she always nagged about maintaining proper posture in any situation.
For a moment, Railey locked eyes with the fox.
At first, the oppressive aura it had shown Margaret—and the way beastfolk rampaged in the original story—had frightened her too.
But the moment she met those gentle golden eyes, she understood.
‘He stepped in because he sensed something was wrong between me and Margaret…’
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Railey lifted her head high.
She couldn’t waste this chance her father-in-law had created for her.
Approaching the fox, she gently stroked its back and looked down at the trembling Margaret.
“You must conduct yourself properly, Margaret. Acting so unbecomingly—are you trying to disgrace our family in front of the Duke’s household?”
She threw Margaret’s own favorite line right back at her.
Margaret’s lips quivered in response.
“H-how can you be so fearless?! What if it bites you…!”
“This fox is a creature well cared for by the Duke’s household. The only ones it sees as a threat… are those who mean harm to us.”
“…!”
“You acted threateningly toward a member of the Duke’s household, so the fox responded in kind. Do you even realize how disrespectful you just were?”
Margaret’s face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. Now that she realized the fox wasn’t about to attack her, she relaxed—but clearly, she felt deeply humiliated.
“You think you’ve won, but there’s nothing you can actually do!”
“……”
“Just wait. You’ll come crawling to me, begging for forgiveness!”
She quickly stood up, hastily brushed off her disheveled clothes, and fled. It was obvious she wanted to get away from there as fast as possible.
Ah…
Railey watched her retreating figure with mixed emotions.
She had never talked back to her nanny before, never once won an argument against her.
Margaret had always seemed like an unmovable mountain—something she couldn’t possibly challenge.
But now, for the first time, she seemed… small. Insignificant.
“…Ruff.”
Snapped out of her thoughts by the fox’s bark, Railey turned quickly.
“Oh… I’m sorry. I just made something up without thinking.”
She apologized to the fox.
That bit about the fox only guarding against those who threatened the Duke’s family—she had said it on the spot, without any idea whether it was true.
“Ruff. Whimper.”
The fox gave a soft, dismissive bark as if to say it was fine.
Its bark was slightly different from his son’s fox form, even though they looked alike. It was oddly fascinating.
“Are you, by any chance, family to Blackie? You really do resemble him.”
“Growl.”
“So you’re not a dog—you’re a fox, huh?”
“Grumble.”
“Well, if you are family, say hello to Blackie for me.”
The fox wagged its tail and gently pressed its snout against Railey’s waist.
It might’ve been her imagination, but… it felt like…
Is it asking me to pet it?
Knowing full well this was an adult in fox form, she still felt a bit awkward. But carefully, she reached out and ran her fingers through its thick, glossy fur.
The fox closed its eyes, letting out a pleased rumble.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t thanked you properly. Thank you… really.”
“Grr.”
The fox let out a low sound, as if saying ‘don’t mention it,’ and turned away with an air of dignity, stepping out of her reach.
It acted as if it hadn’t just been begging for attention a moment ago.
‘Maybe it’s just an instinct of beastfolk…’
Maybe he’d instinctively acted cute and asked for pets without realizing, only to regain his dignity afterward.
Thinking about that made Railey chuckle.
With warmth in her heart, she waved to the disappearing fox.
Then she gave her cheeks a couple of quick slaps.
‘Don’t space out. Think about what to do next.’
Thanks to the Duke’s timely help, she’d escaped danger—but that was only a temporary reprieve.
While provoking Margaret had successfully revealed the Viscount family’s true intentions, the problem remained: Margaret could still inflict pain on her with some unknown kind of magic.
‘It’s probably a magical artifact.’
If Margaret cast that spell on her again, Railey wasn’t sure she could endure it. The pain had been intense—so intense it could break a person.
‘…But what if I turn that pain into a weapon?’
Her eyes narrowed as she looked in the direction Margaret had gone.
As if targeting the one and only way out of a cornered situation.
***
Meanwhile, Margaret changed into clean clothes, seething.
‘Honestly, I never thought I’d have to use this obedience artifact. I didn’t expect that brat to become so arrogant so quickly!’
Originally, the plan had been quite simple.
Using Railey, she would discreetly plant a magical device—capable of eavesdropping or detecting things—in the heart of the Duke’s estate.
Railey, who had always been meek and compliant, was expected to follow orders without question.
But then—
“You’re being very rude, Margaret.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’m not Miss Railey anymore. I am Lady Railey Elestine, wife of the young Duke.”
“…!”
“Address me accordingly.”
Railey’s sharp gaze and defiant posture were so different from the woman Margaret had known that it gave her chills.
So, in a fit of anger, Margaret had used the obedience artifact on her.
She had intended to save it for a more critical moment.
‘Stay calm, Margaret. For the sake of my son’s future—and mine—I have to succeed.’
Margaret, as the widow of a knight baronet, still held minor noble status.
Though her husband was gone, her title still allowed her some protection—and that gave her confidence.
But her son wasn’t exempt.
Since the title couldn’t be inherited, her son was doomed to live as a commoner.
Because of that, Margaret swallowed her pride and lived like a servant to the Marquess of Malvern, groveling at his feet.
Her entrance into the Viscount Vitence’s household as a nanny was not by coincidence—it was orchestrated by the Marquess himself, who didn’t trust his own faction and wanted to monitor everything directly.
The foolish Viscount didn’t suspect a thing, but through Margaret, every secret and detail of the Vitence family flowed directly to the Marquess of Malvern.
Then, an unexpected opportunity came.
The foolish girl Margaret had trained was to be married into the Elestine ducal family.
The Marquess ordered Margaret to naturally make her way into the ducal household through her connection with the Viscount’s house.
He commanded her to use Railey to gather critical information from the ducal family.
If she succeeded, he promised to bestow her a small estate and a baronial title that could be inherited.
For Margaret, this mission was one she had to complete at all costs—it was everything.
Margaret adjusted her appearance once more and bit her lip.
That vile fox wouldn’t dare enter the building, but to pressure Railey effectively…
At that moment, a voice from outside announced a visitor.
“Nanny, the young madam is here to see you.”
“……!”
Railey came to her first?
This was an opportunity.
Earlier, the control artifact’s activation had been too brief, and Railey hadn’t fully grasped the situation.
Now was the time to inflict pain and embed fear deep in her mind—enough that she could never resist again.
The artifact, usually used on slaves, would show its true power this time.
Though slavery had long been abolished in the empire, such tools were still used in the underworld to torture or control others.
Normally, ordinary people couldn’t inflict pain with just the artifact alone.
But before the wedding, without Railey’s knowledge, Margaret had used her blood as a catalyst to engrave the artifact.
‘I’ll make sure you understand clearly—your situation is no different than a slave’s.’
Margaret smiled coldly as she let Railey into the room.
Once they were alone—
“What brings you he—”
“It’s all my fault!”
“……?!”
Railey suddenly clung to Margaret and began apologizing.
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