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Chapter : 31
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
Frea stiffened when she saw Duke Binok and the two young lords barge into her office. Showing up out of nowhere—what was the meaning of this?
Seeing the grim looks on all three of their faces, she sighed inwardly.
I know who you’ve come because of.
There was only one person who could make them react like that. It had to be because of what happened this time.
Astel wouldn’t stay quiet—she must have run straight to them and tattled. Frea had felt uneasy when there’d been no word since she left last time, and sure enough, she’d gone and caused trouble.
Just what had that girl said she did to make them like this? Fine. Let’s hear it.
Placing the shards of the broken teacup on her desk, Frea addressed Duke Binok, who stood in the middle.
“Have you come because of Astella, Duke Binok?”
“So you know. Why did you do such a thing to my daughter, Miss Valche?”
“What exactly are you saying I did? I did my utmost to look after Astella.”
“Ha! Look after her? Who do you think you’re trying to fool?”
Karin, who stood to the duke’s left, stepped forward.
“You framed our little one as a liar, didn’t you? Looks like you got jealous of her and pulled that stunt without knowing your place, huh?”
He growled fiercely like a wolf baring its fangs. Just as Frea expected—Astella had twisted the story to her advantage when telling them.
Suppressing a sigh, Frea frowned.
“I framed Astella as a liar? What do you mean by that?”
“You used Astella to hide your relationship with Duke Bethelheim. Do you have any idea what kind of humiliation that child is suffering right now?”
Verde stepped forward as well, rebuking Frea. What was this now?
“That kind-hearted girl lost her lover and became a liar overnight. To toy with my younger sister for your own sake—this isn’t something we can just let go.”
He pressed her with a menacing look. Their own situation with Raiden? Toying with Astella?
…It seems they think Raiden and I plotted all this to make this engagement happen.
From the way they said she’d used Astella to hide her relationship, it was clear she’d been fed a distorted story.
She really does come up with all kinds of lies, Astella.
It was so absurd she could hardly breathe. It would all come out eventually—yet she went this far.
“You’re playing with people’s hearts together with that duke? I won’t let this slide!”
“Ah, ugh…!”
Karin strode up and roughly grabbed Frea by the shoulder.
It hurts!
Caught off guard, she winced as pain shot through her where his grip crushed into her flesh.
“What is this—ugh…!”
“It hurts? Of course it does. But too bad—that’s not nearly enough.”
He tightened his grip and lowered his head, speaking into her ear.
“You should feel at least as much pain as our little one did.”
“Ugh…!”
She tried to break free, but his hand clamped down as if to snap her shoulder. She couldn’t shake him off.
As the pain intensified, Frea’s body trembled. Her legs nearly gave out, and she bit her lip to endure as Duke Binok approached.
“Miss Valche.”
His eyes, fixed on her without any expression, were darker than ever, yet blazing with anger.
“Astella liked you, and there were no problems in the reports, so I let things pass… but it seems you were doing filthy things behind our backs.”
“……”
“Feod recommended you so confidently, so I thought you were clever—but this is more like cunning… no, downright deceitful.”
Meeting her gaze, he continued in a low voice.
“You don’t resemble your father in looks, but you do resemble him in slyness. Well, that’s only natural, being his daughter.”
“Uh… I truly have no idea what the three of you are talking about.”
Groaning in pain, Frea looked Duke Binok straight in the eye as she answered. Her boldness made Karin snarl.
“What? You’re still denying it? Father, instead of this, we should take this woman right now and—”
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“…!”
At that moment, Raiden’s voice rang out from the doorway. He must have come to the administration office to see Frea and rushed over when he heard the commotion.
“Release her at once, Young Lord Bethelheim.”
His icy golden eyes glared at Karin as if he might tear him apart at any moment. Karin snorted.
“Ha! Look who’s here—the righteous knight. Or should I say, the filthy lover?”
“I said let go, Karin Bethelheim.”
“…!”
Raiden drew his sword from its sheath and aimed it at Karin. The sharp tip moved without hesitation toward his throat.
Karin frowned.
“You’re really going to fight me over this woman? Have you lost your mind, Duke?”
“Release her shoulder. Now.”
“Heh….”
“If you don’t, that arm will be severed.”
“W-what…?!”
The moment Raiden finished speaking, a golden aura flickered around his blade. Even as a chancellor, his swordsmanship rivaled that of the imperial knights’ captain. He could wield aura freely.
Even with Karin’s blessed power, he wouldn’t be an easy opponent.
“Tch….”
“Karin.”
As Raiden’s blade drew closer to his neck, Karin bristled and was about to lash out, but Duke Binok stopped him.
“Let her go.”
“Father, but—!”
“Now.”
“…Tch. Fine.”
Pressed by his father’s cold stare, Karin irritably released Frea.
“Ugh…!”
“Frea!”
As soon as she was free, Raiden sheathed his sword and rushed to her. When her legs gave out and she was about to collapse, he supported her by the waist and held her up.
“Haa…”
“Are you all right? Does it hurt badly, Frea?”
“Raiden… ugh…”
Barely keeping her senses, Frea slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. Seeing her groan in pain, Raiden’s expression hardened.
“Frea, we should call a doctor right away—”
“Wait… I’m fine. I’m okay, so… just wait.”
“Frea?”
“Haa…”
With his support, Frea slowly stood up, wincing as her shoulder throbbed, and looked at Duke Binok.
He had been silently watching the two of them, and now met her blue eyes as she faced him boldly again.
“Duke Binok. I can say this with complete confidence. From the day I received your order, I did not miss a single day in attending to Astella.”
For more than two months, she had spent more time at the duke’s residence than at the marquis’s estate.
“From what she ate and wore, to tea parties and banquets, and even her personal activities—I took care of everything without omission.”
Frea had done all the work of a personal maid. The servants handled the menial tasks, but she had led and carefully overseen everything.
And all three of them—Astella included—had wanted it that way.
“The two young lords and you, Duke Binok, must have seen it yourselves. How often I came and went to the duke’s estate, giving Astella basic education and preparing her for the tea parties and banquets she would attend.”
Listening to her, Verde frowned and objected.
“Even so, that was only for about two months, wasn’t it? After that, I didn’t see you coming anymore.”
“That’s because the basic education was completed in one month. Astella learned quickly, so you and the young lords were pleased and told me it was fine to stop.”
“Hm….”
“For the remaining month, I taught her how to prepare for attending or hosting tea parties and banquets, and accompanied her as well. She became so proficient that you said there was no longer any need for me to attend her, so I stopped.”
She had even been surprised at how well Astella learned and gradually applied what she was taught. In the original story, there hadn’t been much detail about her education.
She also remembered how Verde and Karin had made a fuss, proudly saying she was their little sister and that she took after their mother.
