Chapter 6. Meeting Grand Father-In-Law.
“Your Grace, you have arrived!”
The duke’s aide bowed deeply to him. No one was exempt. The duke, his three grandsons, and all the servants bowed their heads in deep respect.
Standing beside Rikael, I also bowed politely.
A cold silence hung in the air for a moment before a harsh and solemn voice broke it.
“Is that child the one engaged to Rikael?”
“Yes!”
The duke answered briefly. I lifted my head to look at my future grandfather-in-law, the Grand Duke of the North.
His icy gaze felt as if it could freeze everything in its path, making my body stiffen.
His deep violet eyes and black hair suited his ominous reputation as the ‘Black Demon.’ Even his black uniform added to his menacing presence.
Officially, I was a distant relative of Count Mares, who had adopted me after I was left alone in the world.
From the Grand Duke’s perspective, an unknown child had suddenly appeared and been engaged to his grandson—it was only natural that he wouldn’t approve.
I steeled myself.
Since I had entered this household, I had to win the favor of its true power, the Grand Duke. No matter what, I would cling to this place and make it my home.
“Hello, I’m Ludia.”
“Hmm.”
A deep, weighty hum rumbled from his chest. The sheer pressure of his presence made me forget to breathe.
Without another word, the Grand Duke simply walked past me.
Phew. I let out the breath I had been holding as soon as he was gone.
There was no way he would like me from the start. Maybe it was a relief that he didn’t demand I be thrown out immediately.
Following him were two men who appeared to be his nephews, along with their children.
The Grand Duke had taken in his late brother’s two sons and raised them. However, they were ungrateful and did not get along with the duke.
Perhaps that was why their gazes toward me were filled with cold indifference and disdain.
The Banquet
The large family meal took place in the banquet hall.
The glittering chandeliers cast a warm glow, and the scent of flowers from the grand vases filled the air.
There was no shortage of food. From appetizers of cheese and bread to turkey and various steaks, everything looked delicious.
However, the meal was anything but smooth.
Even as dish after dish was served, the Grand Duke’s speech dragged on.
“And what kind of magicians are they if they can’t even craft a proper magic tool? They’re still receiving wages? Fire them all—useless fools!”
Despite it not being a formal meeting, he openly criticized the family’s shortcomings at the dinner table.
According to the original story, magicians in this era were oppressed by the temple. Furthermore, Reton, the magical gemstone, had become rare, making it difficult to create magic tools.
So perhaps it wasn’t entirely due to incompetence that they struggled to make them.
Still, I was starving.
Just then, my stomach let out a loud growl.
Why was the sound so ridiculously loud in a child’s body?
I was startled, but so were the others. Several people stared at me with expressions of disbelief.
Was this considered rude?
Humans and animals alike made noise when they were hungry… What could I do about such a natural bodily function?
“Hehe… I guess I’m a little hungry. Hehehe.”
I gave a big, cheerful grin at the Grand Duke, who was now frowning at me.
At that moment, his mouth clamped shut.
His eyebrow twitched slightly, he seemed somewhat irritated, but he didn’t scold me.
The maids had warned me that the Grand Duke was terrifying, but he let this slide, which was a relief.
To be honest, I didn’t find him that scary.
People who hid their true intentions were far scarier.
A man who took in and raised his nephews, despite his cold demeanor, surely had a warm heart deep inside.
***
A few days later
Two days had passed since the Grand Duke’s arrival.
It was a beautiful spring day, with warm sunlight perfect for a stroll.
I wandered around the guest quarters with Andy. This was where the Grand Duke always stayed when he visited.
I didn’t have anything specific to do, I was just hoping to pick up some useful information by watching his visitors.
Today was a particularly important day—Marquis Chavez was expected to arrive.
In the original novel, there was a noble family that betrayed the Grand Duke’s household in the later chapters, but I couldn’t quite remember who.
Maybe hearing their name would jog my memory. Either way, gathering information was crucial.
The knights and servants didn’t seem to care that I was loitering near the garden.
With Andy tagging along and a lollipop in my mouth, they probably just thought we were playing.
Andy’s nanny sat on a bench between the front gate and the porch, keeping an eye on us.
As noon approached, a carriage arrived.
Four men stepped out of it.
One of the knights guided a man, who looked like the marquis, inside.
As Andy and I walked past them, I overheard the marquis speaking to the man behind him.
“Garte. Hand me the report.”
Garte?
The moment I heard the name, my body froze as if struck by lightning.
Why was Garte here…?
I lifted my head to look at the man called Garte.
“Here it is.”
He handed the documents to the marquis, and at that moment, our eyes met.
His yellowish-brown eyes gleamed as they locked onto mine.
When I didn’t avert my gaze, he let out a brief chuckle before following the marquis toward the porch.
Garte. I knew exactly who he was.
If it was just a coincidence of name, that would be one thing. But if not, then that man was undoubtedly a snake, a literal one.
A shapeshifter of the serpent clan, appearing human but, in the end, nothing more than a venomous snake.
That very Garte would later kill Jake when he was sixteen.
So, he had already started lurking around here.
Come to think of it, I recalled that Garte had used his human form to infiltrate the duke’s estate and gather information.
Of course, it could just be a coincidence, but I needed to make sure.
“Andy, don’t follow me. Stay here.”
I hurried toward the front entrance of the guest house.
The Grand Duke’s office was on the third floor. Climbing all the way up with my short legs was exhausting, but this was too important to ignore.
The knights who had been watching me with amusement started looking concerned the moment I stepped onto the stairs.
“Young Miss, this is not a place to play.”
“Hehe. I have important business.”
Who would ever imagine that a little child had actual business to take care of? They probably assumed I was just playing around, fascinated by climbing stairs.
Once I reached the third floor, I strode straight to the knights guarding the office.
Only the marquis had gone inside; Garte was still standing outside.
The knight at the door looked down at me with a troubled expression. He was tall and had a rough, muscular build, but his natural demeanor seemed kind.
Upon closer inspection, I realized he was Cherto, the knight who had carried me into the carriage when the duke came to fetch me.
“Cherto, hi!”
I waved enthusiastically and beamed at him. Seeing me, he also smiled warmly.
“Young Miss, what brings you here?”
“I came to see the Grand Duke.”
Would a connection I had made in mere moments be enough to get that door open?
Of course not. Cherto’s face turned even more perplexed.
“Huh? Why would you…?”
“I have something to tell him.”
“His Grace is meeting with a vassal right now. Why not speak with him during the next meal?”
“No, I have to tell him right now.”
As I stubbornly insisted on seeing the Grand Duke, Cherto sighed, glancing back and forth between the door and me.
Garte, seemingly intrigued, also turned to look at me.
His gaze felt strange.
He tilted his head slightly, as if observing a rare specimen.
Why was he looking at me like that?
Did this **** snake find me amusing?
I felt steam practically rising from the top of my head, but I held myself together and spoke again.
“I need to go inside now.”
“Arthur, what should we do?”
Cherto whispered to another knight.
“I know… If Young Miss gets scolded, that wouldn’t be good…”
The knight named Arthur seemed worried about me.
He was probably afraid that the Grand Duke would get angry at me for disturbing him.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. I looked up at Cherto with my biggest, most pleading eyes.
Eventually, Cherto gave in.
“Alright. But just say what you need to and come right back out, understood?”
“Okay!”
I nodded and gave him a bright smile.
Just as I turned my gaze away, my eyes met Garte’s again.
His crooked stare was as cold as a snake’s.
