Chapter 16

Doha didn’t particularly care whether Angela went to the Grand Duke of Kredel and confessed her mistake or not.

It was just a formality.

What mattered was letting her move freely.

Because then, she would run straight to the mastermind behind this incident and spill everything.

In other words, it was bait to catch a big fish.

To uncover who was manipulating everything from behind the head maid.

‘But this is….’

“Dear.”

Lost in thought, Doha suddenly lifted her head at the sound of someone calling her.

“I feel like I’ve come here for no reason and made you tired.”

The voice was gentle and filled with affection.

“Lie down and rest. I only came to see your face for a moment.”

She appeared to be somewhere between a young woman and middle-aged.

A beauty, like an actress from a classic film.

Her silver hair, neatly tied up, had a slight golden sheen, and her warm-colored eyes exuded kindness.

Even though she wore a simple dress without a single jewel, she radiated an air of elegance.

It was none other than the Grand Duchess, Fluvia.

“I went to the temple to pray for you. I hope you recover quickly.”

Doha quietly gazed up at her as she sighed, looking as if she was truly worried.

Ophelia’s birth mother had died ten years ago while giving birth to her.

Two years after losing his wife, the Grand Duke of Kredel remarried.

It seemed he had his reasons.

‘She was originally called a Saint, wasn’t she?’

Fluvia, the Saint who had saved the world from destruction.

Before the empire was unified, there had been a group of wicked sorcerers who sought to plunge the world into chaos.

The Grand Duke of Kredel had sealed their monstrous army, and Fluvia, as his strongest ally, had suppressed and defeated their schemes.

However, in using her power excessively, she had lost all of her divine strength and had been abandoned by the temple.

Though she was a savior who had saved the world, she was excommunicated and cast out into the streets, losing everything.

The Grand Duke of Kredel, the Lord of Azure Moon, couldn’t stand by and watch. Fluvia had been his comrade-in-arms on the battlefield.

He remarried her and made her the Grand Duchess.

Even if it was a marriage without love, at the very least, it ensured that she would be treated with the honor befitting a savior of the world.

‘And the most decisive reason was that Fluvia knew more about sorcery than anyone else.’

Some of the surviving sorcerers had managed to escape during the chaos.

They had hidden themselves, waiting for the right time.

To prove that their power was still alive, they cursed Ophelia, the very symbol of peace.

To protect the daughter his beloved wife had left behind, the Grand Duke of Kredel needed Fluvia.

Even though she had lost her divine powers, she was still a former Saint and had extensive experience dealing with sorcerers.

However, the sorcerers’ grudge was deep and relentless.

On the day Ophelia turned seven, they succeeded in placing a curse upon the symbol of peace.

‘And after that… as I know…’

The Grand Duke had exhausted every means to break the curse. But after failing, he had ultimately decided to transfer it to another host.

That host was now Bunny.

‘Now that I think about it, it was Fluvia who transferred the curse directly to Bunny.’

She was the only one who knew how to do it as a former Saint.

This was the truth Bunny knew.

Doha examined Fluvia with sharp eyes, despite the warm, motherly smile she wore.

“Did something happen?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Your hands are shaking.”

“Ah.”

As if realizing it just now, Fluvia awkwardly clasped her trembling hands together. Then, in a trembling voice, she spoke.

“The head maid came to me and said something strange.”

“What did she say?”

“The head maid… Ah, I can’t even bring myself to say it. It was such a terrible thought. Something unforgivable… I was so shocked that I had to check if you were safe.”

At this point, even Doha was confused.

‘Is she acting?’

She genuinely looked startled.

‘Her face doesn’t seem suspicious.’

Her forehead had a dim glow, but her eyebrows were thick and neat, and her nose was high and straight.

‘Even if she were born into a poor family, she would have been blessed with people who helped her throughout her life.’

Her eyes weren’t too droopy nor too lifted—they were slightly upturned, a sign of good fortune.

Her nostrils were well-formed, meaning she would enjoy wealth, and her full lips indicated generosity and virtue, suggesting she would gain power and glory.

She had the perfect features of a Saint.

‘But still… something feels off….’

Something… felt off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Doha felt confused, but she decided it was best to thoroughly mimic Bunny just in case.

“Why? What about the head maid? She just came to tell me she had hired a new personal maid for me.”

Feigning ignorance, Doha blinked, recalling Bunny’s speech patterns from her memory.

Then, she suddenly frowned, shrugged her shoulders, and grumbled.

“Well, she was annoying. Why? Did she badmouth me? I didn’t do anything. Well, I did threaten her a little….”

“Threaten?”

“I told her if she kept acting so arrogant, I’d have her kicked out of the estate.”

Doha muttered with a sulky face, but then her expression brightened in an instant. She clasped her hands together excitedly.

“Dad brought me to the main castle, so that means he’s finally recognizing me as his real daughter, right? The day I truly become Lady Ophelia isn’t far off now!”

“…I see.”

“Anyway, what I said to the head maid was just a warning. I told her I’d tell Dad everything she did, and she ran out in a panic.”

Doha clicked her tongue, saying the maid was acting too cocky.

“I had a feeling she was up to something, so I just tested her, and she ran away. And since she even ran to you and spouted nonsense, that means I was right, doesn’t it?”

She laughed gleefully, like a child who had no idea what was going on but was sure they had won.

“So what exactly did she do? When is she getting punished? Can I go watch?”

“You mustn’t do that, dear.”

Fluvia looked troubled as she gently scolded Doha.

She wanted to tell her that accusing someone without reason was wrong, but at the same time, thanks to her actions, the head maid’s schemes had been exposed. It was difficult to reprimand her.

“Don’t do that again next time.”

“Okay….”

Doha pouted childishly at her words, responding halfheartedly while her mind spun with calculations.

‘Now, Angela will look like a fool who ruined her own life over a child’s naïve threats.’

No matter what Angela said, no one would suspect that Doha had deliberately threatened her with knowledge of her secrets.

Everyone looked down on Bunny.

People firmly believed that Bunny was not only of low birth but also too ignorant and foolish to make the most of the opportunities given to her.

What about the Grand Duchess?

Doha met Fluvia’s gaze, who was smiling gently.

‘She’s skilled.’

Perhaps because she was a former Saint, well-practiced in concealing emotions, Doha found it impossible to read her thoughts.

‘People say she embodies Kredel itself—treating everyone equally and caring for the weak.’

Even in Bunny’s memories, Fluvia had been the same.

The only person who had ever approached Bunny—despised and outcast in the Kredel estate—given her gifts, and spoken to her kindly.

‘But that’s exactly why she’s more suspicious.’

Someone no one would ever doubt.

Fluvia was also the one who managed the allowances of both the children and Bunny.

She was the one who had suggested keeping Ophelia’s maids at the castle and had given Bunny’s considerable monthly allowance to those three maids instead.

And now, when the head maid was in crisis, the first person she had turned to was Fluvia.

At first glance, it might seem insignificant, but think about it—wasn’t it the same pattern?

‘She used Ophelia’s maids’ greed to isolate Bunny. Then, once they were expelled, she had the head maid hire similar maids to isolate Bunny all over again….’

Of course, this could all just be an unfortunate coincidence. Perhaps Fluvia was simply a pure-hearted person who believed in an ideal world.

Maybe she never intended it, and things just unfolded that way due to sheer bad luck.

‘But Fluvia was the one who personally transferred Ophelia’s curse onto Bunny.’

Could all of this truly be just a coincidence?

‘Ah.’

At that moment, Doha suddenly realized why Fluvia unsettled her so much.

Her eyes.

Golden eyes that shone brilliantly, as if capturing the warmth of the sun.

But despite their beauty, those large, round eyes had never moved.

From the very start, they had remained fixed in place.

Like the eyes of a dead fish.

Eerily still.