“That’s right, Lexion. I was covering that family in the capital until recently.”
Edith, along with everyone at the Homan Clinic, had been closely following Benjamin’s articles, so it was impossible not to know about House Lexion.
The Ducal House Lexion was one of the highly respected noble families in the country, and the Duke himself was even mentioned as a potential future emperor.
However, more famous than his immense power were the ominous rumors surrounding the nickname ‘Monster Duke’ and his family.
『 As the rumors said, within the Lexion family, children were subjected to family-level abuse to enhance and strengthen their magical powers inherited through the Lexion lineage.』
It was a family that considered each member’s life as a part of the family’s progress.
However, when Benjamin, who had been talking about Walter’s mother, brought up House Lexion, an ominous feeling crept in.
“I heard that the eldest daughter of the ducal couple, who is not well known in the world, inherited too much magic power and became terminally ill.”
“Terminally ill?”
“They say she ultimately died in a carriage accident… Lately, there has been a growing faction supporting the Duke of Lexion to be the next Emperor, and all sorts of rumors have been circulating about the Duke.”
Edith nodded in understanding.
Rumors have even reached the Fortrion territory suggesting that the Imperial Consort Dowager, Patricia, is actively working to install her young son Claude, who is also the late Emperor’s child, as the new Emperor in order to assume the role of regent.
Naturally, Patricia must have spread all sorts of bad rumors about the Duke, her competitor.
“Actually, my job at the capital newspaper was to uncover one of the Duke’s rumors. The Duke’s first daughter… what was her name? Anyway, there is a rumor that she secretly gave birth to a child.”
“She died in a carriage accident, and even if that wasn’t the case, she was terminally ill.”
“Yes. Everyone knows it that way, but some people claim that she was pregnant and staged the carriage accident to escape.”
“Is there any evidence of that?”
“Well, about five years ago, an actor who looked similar to the Duke of Lexion came to visit the Duke’s manor, claiming to be the son of his eldest daughter.”
Edith frowned in response.
If you think about it from the Duke’s point of view, couldn’t it be that some unknown people had heard the rumors and were impersonating the deceased daughter?
Her parents must have been heartbroken when their daughter passed away, so Edith couldn’t fathom the mentality of people who would take advantage of such grief.
“In the end, it was concluded that the actor, who suffered from megalomania, had caused the incident. However, it seems that Duke Lexion was extremely angry at that time. They said it was unforgivable even after the actor died. Anyway, since then, there has been a rumor that the eldest daughter faked a carriage accident and ran away from her family.”
“No one has actually seen her, then?”
“That’s right. However, I found something astonishing while investigating the kidnapping case here, as you requested. They say it was Nicholas Fortrion who sent the actor who looked like the Duke to the Duke’s manor to test the waters.”
“…!”
As they were discussing incidents from the capital, Edith couldn’t help but be surprised when a familiar name came up.
“…Nicholas? Are you sure he did it?”
“Yes. A gambler who was connected to Nicholas and the actor let it slip while he was drunk. Not too long ago, I went to see him when he was sober, gave him some money, and got confirmation. So, it’s highly likely that Nicholas kidnapped Walter either because of the Lexion bloodline or because he belonged to a noble family branch of Lexion.”
Edith was so surprised that she rubbed her stiff fingertips.
Finally, it felt like the pieces of the puzzle in her mind were coming together.
She was sure she should let Benjamin know about the situation as well.
“Actually, I have something to tell you, Benjamin. While searching for a way to break the imprisonment spell, I overheard Elizabeth plotting an assassination. I think they’re trying to get rid of Walter.”
“So that’s why you sent him away.”
Benjamin could easily imagine Edith taking risks for Walter and finding the spell to break the imprisonment spell.
After all, it was Edith Lowell.
With the desire to care for more people, she studied in the countryside and was accepted into the Imperial Academy.
His heart ached a little, but he knew her judgment was correct.
“Elizabeth is Patricia’s ally. Many people saw her hanging out with Patricia’s little brother at social clubs.”
“And here I was wondering why Elizabeth was planning to kill Walter with a man who had a capital accent…”
If Walter’s mother is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Lexion, who inherited a power so potent that her body couldn’t withstand it, then from the Duke’s perspective, it means they have a splendid heir who can inherit the Dukedom.
With an heir who can skillfully wield the family’s power, even if the Duke becomes the emperor, House Lexion won’t be shaken.
Even if the heir wasn’t from House Lexion but from a branch, it was a situation that naturally would pose a challenge from Patricia’s point of view, as she kept the aristocratic faction itself in check.
『 I did the right thing by sending him away. If he had remained here, he would have been in trouble.』
Edith was finally able to convince herself that her actions of forcibly sending Walter away were right.
If he was indeed of Lexion’s blood, not only would he have been killed, but he would have been used and then sold to the family’s enemies or forced to live his life as an experimental subject.
It’s unknown whether Elizabeth came to Fortrion with the intention of killing Walter from the beginning, but one thing was clear: her actions were just as calculated and cunning as Sophia’s.
Benjamin, in his own way, shook his head.
“I never would have thought that Nicholas, who managed the estate as if it were child’s play, was scheming like this from behind the scenes. Kidnapping and imprisoning a Lexion descendant…”
As Benjamin spoke, Walter’s characteristics that she had previously ignored appeared in Edith’s mind.
He ruled over other servants as if it were natural, using his exceptional physical strength and intuition to assist them and achieve his desires with remarkable skill.
Whenever Edith laid eyes on him, there was an air of pride and nobility about him that was hard to ignore. Given these traits, the idea that he belonged to the Duke of Lexion’s bloodline didn’t seem far-fetched at all.
⋙“It seems we have no choice but to put up such a convincing act that the butler wouldn’t dare enter.”⋘
⋙“What kind of act…?”⋘
⋙“Well, as a stableman who doesn’t know anything, I should at least pretend to seduce you, M’Lady.”⋘
Even when Walter shamelessly said such things, he did so with the grace of a nobleman.
His face and the tickling quality of his voice made Edith’s lips twitch for no reason. It was embarrassing how vividly she remembered him, to the point where it felt strange.
Benjamin, noticing Edith’s unusual behavior as if she had suddenly thought of someone else, paused for a moment and then asked.
“Edith, since you saved Walter, what do you plan to do next?”
Benjamin was more worried about Edith, who had not yet escaped from here.
For those who want to kill Walter, if things go wrong, it wouldn’t be difficult to get rid of Edith.
“I wish there was something I could do for you.”
“It’s alright. In exchange for giving up the inheritance, I asked Isabelle to summon a mage. The mage will arrive as early as next month, and then I can get out of here safely and enroll in the academy.”
“… As expected, you always have a plan, don’t you?”
“It would be better if I could find the release spell that Sophia hid before the mage arrived, but it’s like finding a needle in a haystack in the desert, so it’s probably impossible.”
Benjamin felt a bit relieved that he had worried about Edith in vain.
He briefly forgot that she was strong enough to get through the situation on her own without relying entirely on anyone’s help.
That’s why he hadn’t confessed his feelings, keeping them in his heart.
“By the way, aren’t you supposed to return to the capital soon?”
Although she had never worked for a newspaper before, Edith knew that even for a capable journalist like him, they would not give him an extended probation period.
However, Benjamin had no intention of coming back right away or conveying the editor-in-chief’s order from ‘Agnas News’ to take charge of the special article.
It was because he believed that as long as she was still trapped here, he might be able to lend her some support, even if it was small.
“Do you think my probation would be so short? Plus, I find delving into this matter interesting, so I plan to stay in Fortrion for a few more weeks. If you have any requests, please let me know.”
Because Benjamin had spoken with a tone suggesting he would teach her a thing or two about social life, Edith no longer doubted the length of his probation.
In the absence of Walter, she needed at least one more person.
She didn’t refuse his help, so she opened up about what she had been struggling with.
“Then, when you have time, I have another favor…”
──────────✿◦•
A few days later, more than forty servants arrived at Fortrion.
Elizabeth was holding back her laughter as she looked at Aizen, who was dressed as a butler standing in front of her.
“Elizabeth, what are all these people?”
Isabelle, who was looking through the sheet music next to Elizabeth, asked with curious eyes.
“I’ve hired some servants. I’ll be inheriting the estate soon, so I wanted to spend some money extravagantly. We’ve been short on people for a while, so it’s been inconvenient, hasn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
The individuals Elizabeth introduced as servants were, in fact, Count Gerturk’s private soldiers, all possessing excellent assassin qualities.
Nicholas’ funeral is over, Sophia will be away every day being investigated at the Temple, and it had become a time when there was no need to be concerned about causing a scene, so they were called to deal with Walter.
After tea time with Isabelle, she went to her room and called Aizen.
“When you find Walter, don’t kill him right away. First, abduct him to a place like an unused warehouse. Many servants can help him, so handle it quietly in a secluded location.”
“Understood.”
Aizen flashed a sly smile and then immediately got to work.
After all, the guy was trapped in the manor, so attempting to escape was like a mouse in a trap.
“Report as soon as you find him.”
Aizen gave the command in a rather relaxed tone.
However, half a day later, the news he received was entirely unexpected.
“Mr. Aizen. Well… it seems that the stableman has somehow managed to escape from the manor.”
“What?”
Aizen was so shocked that he inadvertently spilled the wine he had been sipping in celebration.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
