“The bedroom is prepared on the fourth floor. Use one entire floor for yourself. Let the housekeeper know what you need, and they will arrange it. Tomorrow, I plan to visit the dressing room. Make sure to select a dress.”
“You’re pouring it out as if you’ve been waiting.”
“Now that you’ll have more appearances in front of people, you need to prepare in advance. In your current state, you’re only bringing disgrace to the family.”
Outward appearance doesn’t matter. As long as you demonstrate your abilities, that’s enough.
Even if I were wearing rags, I had confidence that I wouldn’t be ignored.
However, further confrontation was meaningless.
Besides, fixing the annex wouldn’t change anything, and if I left the house anyway, it wouldn’t matter.
Above all, I felt uneasy because it seemed like Duke Luteous enjoyed the confrontation.
I took a step back.
“Fine. I’ll consider the bedroom and dress as a down payment.”
“…You’re accepting it faster than I thought.”
“I don’t want to waste energy on things that have already happened. But that’s as far as it goes. I can’t stand any further interference. It’s not difficult for you, Duke, is it? Just continue as you have done until now.”
Duke Luteous leisurely sipped his tea, his lips slightly curved upward.
Feeling a sense of unease, I narrowed my eyes.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Alex is returning from the Academy. I heard he has become a hunter.”
Alex is the younger son of the Luteous Duke’s family and the younger brother of Astel, with a two-year age difference.
When they were young, Alex used to torment Astel immensely.
He would freely spew out vile words like “the murderer who killed our mother” and relentlessly pick on the little brat.
His skill in wielding a sword on such a subject was exceptional. If he continued to grow in that manner, he would have no problem becoming the next commander of the royal knights.
However, his father was one of the few Swordmasters in royal history.
That was Alex’s misfortune. He was constantly compared to Duke Luteous throughout his upbringing.
Eventually, he let go of everything and started to leave.
His originally dirty personality had evolved even further, and it was all directed towards Astel.
Then one day, when Astel turned nine years old.
At the fairly young age of eleven, Alex’s admission to the Knight Academy was decided.
On a day before his admission, he came to the annex before leaving the mansion.
And then, without warning, he called out Astel and said with a serious expression.
“I really hate you.”
Who doesn’t know that? What’s the point of coming here just to tell me something everyone already knows? What a pointless gesture.
Perhaps he wanted to torment Astel until the very end.
Yet, despite all that, Astel, this soft-hearted kid, worried about Alex.
Was Alex going to cry?
‘Why would he cry? If he does, I’ll explode! That’s when I’ll lose my temper!’
Anyway, the spoiled brat became more aristocratic as he grew up.
It meant he had become a perfect scoundrel.
He acted recklessly even at the Academy, and his rough behavior was famous, wasn’t it? I heard he got into several accidents as well.
I don’t understand why Duke Luteous is letting Alex off the hook. It’s not me but that guy who’s bringing disgrace to the family.
‘Surely he must know, right?’
It was plausible. Duke Luteous isn’t someone who shows interest in his children.
Of course, I have no reason to care about how Alex lives his life.
Whether he ruins his own life with such behavior, it’s none of my concern.
As long as he’s not the pitiful creature who vents his jealousy and inferiority onto his little sister.
‘He’s becoming more and more of a nuisance.’
Just looking at Astel’s memories, Alex was completely the opposite of me.
If he had stayed in the annex, we would have had fewer encounters.
‘No matter how angry I am, I won’t lay a hand on him.’
If I’m going to retaliate, I’ll do it quietly. I’ll wait and gain independence.
I forcefully swallowed the sigh that was rising to the back of my throat.
“So, what about it?”
“There are hunters who will represent the family, and you’re not the only one.”
“Then kick me out.”
Duke Luteous put down his teacup.
I threw a mocking smile towards his expression that I couldn’t understand.
“Well, I can’t do that, can I? After all, we, once a Swordmaster, so you can roughly estimate my abilities, right?”
That statement was true.
Duke Luteous was aware of my level to some extent.
That’s why he provided me with a bedroom in accordance with my nature and reserved a fitting room for me.
“So, please stop saying things you don’t mean and listen carefully. I’m going to tell you a few important matters from now on.”
“What is it?”
“First, I fired the nanny and Vivian.”
“…And the reason?”
“They’ve been stealing my dresses and accessories all this time and selling them off.”
Duke’s expression stiffened and then immediately relaxed.
‘It seemed like a betrayed expression… Or maybe not?’
The changes were happening so quickly that I wasn’t sure if I saw it properly.
“The stolen items will be sorted out by Genia. Instruct the butler to consult with her and demand compensation from them.”
“You do the firing, and you expect me to handle the aftermath?”
“They are the people employed by you. You should consider it fortunate that I took care of the firing, shouldn’t you?”
Even though I dismissed two employees without saying a word, Duke’s reaction was indifferent.
It was a silent agreement to turn a blind eye to that extent.
Just the day before yesterday, he had kept them confined to the annex to avoid attracting attention.
“What about hiring a maid?”
“I’ll pass. I need someone to work for me, not a supervisor. I’ll find my own people. From now on, I’ll also be responsible for Genia’s salary.”
“Do you have the ability to do that? Even if you speak as if you can live on your own, in the end, you still need my assistance.”
“Don’t worry. Although we haven’t exchanged contracts yet, a significant benefactor will soon appear.”
Duke Luteous chuckled mockingly at the proclamation that I would make him pay as much as possible.
It was understandable.
No matter how much I demanded, it would be like throwing a drop of water in the ocean for him, the Empire’s top tycoon.
“Thirdly, this is the most important part. The reason I’ve come this far is to deliver this message.”
“The preamble is quite long.”
“From now on, consult with me on everything related to me. If such incidents happen again, I will immediately leave the castle and walk away from this house. So it’s best for you to maintain boundaries. Unless you want to lose the family’s hunter overnight.”
It was an effective warning to Duke Luteous. He raised an eyebrow as a sign of acquiescence.
“Five days later, a joint memorial service for the victims will be held at the Hegea Plaza. Attend it.”
“I’ll consider it.”
I gave a brief response and turned around, pausing briefly at the front of the door.
“Did you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“If Your Grace had shown me a little more interest, if even once among those countless days, you had embraced me warmly. Perhaps I would have willingly sacrificed my life for you, Your Grace.”
“….”
The study door closed.
Duke Luteous held onto the documents and resumed his work.
However, the pile of papers did not decrease for a while.
* * *
In the end, I had no choice but to come back to my true nature with Genia.
I couldn’t sleep in a roofless ruin, after all.
All I had managed to salvage was Astel’s diary. The rest was buried along with the annex.
The fourth floor of my true nature consisted of three bedrooms, two parlors, a dressing room, and a study.
Among them, the bedrooms were truly luxurious.
If this was a bedroom, then the one I used in the annex was nothing more than a hovel.
“It’s too extravagant to think of it as a guest room, and it’s too feminine to consider it Alex’s bedroom….”
No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like something prepared in just a few days.
But it wasn’t like it was prepared for my sake either.
‘Did Duke Luteous have any intentions of remarrying?’
Anyway, the bedroom was excellent, but above all, the meals were outstanding.
I felt slightly guilty towards Genia, but the taste was truly incomparable, like a fantasy.
As I enjoyed the meal, my mood improved, and I threw myself onto the spacious bed.
“It’s so soft and comfortable.”
As my body touched the soft sheets after being stiffened from the carriage accident, it felt like I was melting away.
“Ah…”
Rolling around on the bed like an old man in agony, I made a muffled sound, causing Genia to suppress her laughter.
Since the carriage accident, her attitude seemed strangely gentle. Perhaps it was because of the mood?
I brushed away the unpleasant feeling and asked.
“Genia, do you know how much it costs to rent a house in the capital?”
“The housing prices in the capital are exorbitantly high. It would vary depending on the level of the house, but on average, you would need around 50 million ruans per year.”
“50 million? That’s for renting, not even buying? Is it not a deposit, by any chance?”
“Of course, it’s the upfront payment you make at once.”
“… Is there no monthly rent?”
“Monthly rent? What’s that?”
“Paying a deposit and then monthly… No, never mind.”
I took out the check I had received from Kael in the storage box.
