TVSI 10

Chapter 10

“L-Lady Lancaster….”

After that, things only got worse. I had remained standing blankly in the hallway when Blensia found me.

“Lady Belsia….”

I thought she had come alone, but Hildred was with her.

“What about Emil Callicst?”

After taking one look at my devastated expression, he immediately guessed what had happened.

“Looks like Duke Callicst took him away?”

“……”

“And something happened while he was taking him, too.”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“Well, if that’s what you want. But if you stand here spacing out like this, you’ll be in trouble when it’s time to greet His Majesty. It won’t look good if you’re the only one missing.”

That was true. Once the banquet ended, we had to pay our respects to His Majesty and Princess Elsi.

Maybe I would get to see how Emil was doing then.

“I-I’m sure he’ll be okay. And….”

Blensia fidgeted awkwardly as she tried to comfort me.

“The young master isn’t weak….”

I didn’t know. The Emil Callicst I knew was a strong child who endured humiliation despite carrying deep wounds. But today, he had seemed unusually fragile.

Thanks to Blensia and Hildred, I finally pulled myself together and returned to the playroom. Rastain was there, pressing ice against his bruise.

When he spotted me, he muttered,

“Anyone would think you were guarding some priceless treasure.”

No, the opposite….

The image of Emil getting slapped flashed through my mind, and anger surged up.

“At least to me, Emil is a better person than Young Master Rastain.”

Back when I received a marriage proposal from Rastain Lucretius right after my debutante, he had been a fairly decent match.

I had actually gone through an engagement with him without any major issues, and as a fiancé, he had treated me very well.

When I worried about inheriting the title, he had even offered to become a son-in-law and marry into my family despite his pride. Thanks to that, the wedding had moved forward.

Even though I had never loved him, I had thought living together wouldn’t be so bad.

But now things were different.

“So stop acting so petty.”

“…What?”

“I don’t want to be even more disappointed in you.”

I had to save my family.

To me, Rastain would become a major obstacle.

Right now, Emil mattered more. And if Rastain kept provoking him, I had no idea when Emil’s madness might be triggered.

“I hope we don’t cross paths again today.”

I turned away coldly, and Rastain said nothing.

By the end of the celebration banquet, Emil still hadn’t returned.

‘Did he already leave?’

But the banquet was packed with members of the imperial family and influential nobles. There was no way he had left already, and yet neither Emil nor even a single strand of the duke’s silver-gray hair could be seen.

‘Did they really leave?’

The noble children stood in a line and bowed before the princess, who was still too young to babble.

While no one was looking, I glanced around discreetly. I was in the front row along with Rastain and Hildred, but since my head was lowered, it wasn’t obvious.

How long had it been?

The emperor’s lengthy speech finally came to an end.

“That is enough. You may raise your heads.”

Even beneath the chandelier light, the emperor’s black hair looked strikingly dark.

“I know it was troublesome to come all the way here because of my whim.”

The emperor reclining lazily upon the throne was the same person who had appeared as the crown prince in the original story I had read. He had despised his younger sister, Princess Robellin, and once her crimes were exposed, he had been the one insisting she be stripped of her title and executed.

“But it is quite delightful and satisfying to finally meet the talented children my aides speak so highly of.”

Beside the emperor stood a small cradle. Whether soundproofed or not, the tiny princess remained peacefully asleep.

“My daughter, too, will surely grow to lead this nation well with your support.”

He droned on endlessly, but the conclusion was simple: the children who would one day become the major players in politics were expected to support the princess.

As soon as the audience ended, Mother came straight to me.

“I heard about what happened earlier.”

Father was still among another group.

“Mother, Duke Callicst….”

I asked in case he was still somewhere in the ballroom, but Mother shook her head.

My bad feeling proved correct.

Even after the banquet ended, I couldn’t see Emil for a long time.

I finally heard news of Emil a full week after Princess Elsi’s birthday banquet.

‘Confined? Just because he fought another child?’

It was true that Rastain was a high-ranking noble, but Emil was of equal standing—or rather, even higher, since imperial blood flowed through his veins.

And yet he was confined?

Now that things had escalated this far, it felt undeniably strange.

‘Why is the duke abusing Emil to this extent?’

Because he was the son of a villainess?

But if that were the case, the duke would never have sent Emil to our house in the first place.

‘If that were true, he would have ignored my request, saying there was no reason to treat a criminal’s son kindly.’

Was it for public image?

No, that didn’t make sense either. If anything, our family was considered unusual for treating Emil well.

The duke’s reaction to the incident had seemed more like irritation toward an “accident” he hadn’t expected.

‘As if he’s trying to control Emil….’

I bit my nail so hard it snapped, drawing blood. But the pain mattered less than the anxiety clawing at me. The metallic taste of blood spread through my mouth.

That wasn’t the only problem.

“He’s not just confining him in the mansion for a few days. Apparently, he plans to take him back to the estate and practically imprison him.”

Father let out a deep sigh after returning home.

‘No.’

The thought that I might not even know when Emil would return to the capital made me feel faint.

“Should I speak with Duke Callicst?”

Mother stepped forward, her expression stiff. But Father shook his head.

“I don’t think it’ll change his mind. For now, at least, they say he’s still in the capital.”

That was the only silver lining.

Having secretly overheard the conversation, I stepped back from behind the door.

‘Is there any way to sneak into the ducal residence?’

The stress churned my stomach as I walked upstairs. I tried to endure it, but eventually called for Ilena.

“My lady… your complexion looks terrible….”

Alarmed, she left briefly before returning with medicine to soothe my stomach and a handkerchief.

When she came back to my room, Isana was with her.

“You’re not sick, are you? You don’t have a fever, but please wait just a moment.”

Isana dissolved medicine into lukewarm water and handed it to me carefully.

“Is this because of Young Master Emil?”

I froze.

‘Am I worried about Emil right now… or am I worried about my own uncertain future?’

I despised myself.

Seeing my darkening expression, Isana pulled me into an embrace.

“Oh dear… I understand how you feel. But Young Master Emil will be alright. So please take your medicine first, okay?”

The future only I had seen. The secret only I carried.

After drinking the medicine, my stomach settled slightly, but guilt squeezed at my chest instead. It became hard to breathe.

“I’m okay now, so you can go downstairs.”

I wanted to be alone. Having them around only made things harder.

Still, maybe it was the placebo effect of the medicine, because I felt a little better than before.

“First, there are two things I need to find out.”

Calmer now, I looked down at my hand wrapped in a handkerchief.

First, find a way to sneak into the ducal residence before Emil leaves.

Second, discover a complete cure for Emil’s madness.

If there were a way to transform into my adult self while keeping my current mind, I would have disguised myself and infiltrated the ducal estate.

Unfortunately, in this world, magic capable of changing a person’s appearance was forbidden.

That meant my only realistic option was bribing someone who worked at the estate.

“Lady Bell, my acquaintance knows someone named Tilly.”

“Tilly?”

“Yes. She’s worked at the ducal estate for a little over two years now. At first, she feared Young Master Emil because of the rumors, but… apparently, something happened that made her confide in my acquaintance that she didn’t know what was right anymore.”

If she was already wavering in her opinion of Emil, then she was perfect. For the sake of her own conscience, she would probably help.

“She sounds like the right person.”

A few days later, Ilena and I headed to the shopping district.

Instead of cloaks and hoods, I dressed like a commoner and hid my hair beneath a cap. Aside from looking like a rather pretty little boy, I didn’t stand out much.

“My lady, dressed like this, it feels like I suddenly have a handsome younger brother.”

“For today, I am your younger brother. Right, big sister?”

At my teasing, Ilena protested seriously.

“Younger brothers aren’t this cute!”

Just moments ago, she had said she liked the idea of having one….

Before long, we arrived at the meeting place: a restaurant commonly used by ordinary citizens.

‘Hm?’

Someone familiar was sitting at the reserved table.

“You’re….”

It was the maid who had attended Emil and me during my previous visit to the ducal estate.

I had seen her several times whenever I escorted Emil back there, so I recognized her face.

“Lady Belsia…?”

She recognized me too, halfway rising from her seat before freezing.

“So your name is Tilly.”

“Y-Yes, it is.”

Meanwhile, Ilena ordered a few simple dishes.

It was a relief that we already knew each other.

I first pulled out a plain hairpin from my pocket. It wasn’t anything too extravagant for a commoner to possess, just the sort of modest gift noble households might give to young servants.

“If you take this to the bank, they’ll exchange it for the money I promised. I can guarantee it’ll amount to at least a year’s salary.”

“T-That’s….”

“But in return, help me meet Emil. Even after I sent letters, the duke refused to allow my visits.”

She swallowed hard, visibly tense.

“Would that be impossible?”

“No… no, it should be possible.”

Tilly took a deep breath, clearly already aware of Emil’s situation.

“Fresh food supplies arrive at the ducal estate around four every morning.”

Her plan was simple.

Before dawn, I would hide inside one of the supply wagons entering the estate.

When the wagons arrived, the assistant head chef would check the purchase list. During that distraction, Tilly would draw attention while I slipped away unseen.

Near where the wagons stopped, there was an area where empty oak barrels were left to dry before being chopped into firewood. She told me to hide there until she came to fetch me.

“After cleaning the fireplaces at dawn and lighting all the fires throughout the mansion, the maids get very busy carrying firewood and coal.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’ll come get me there.”

“Yes, exactly. We also use uncut oak barrels to carry firewood. If you hide inside one, I’ll take you to Young Master Emil.”

It felt like I was preparing for a mission straight out of a spy novel.

Well… I suppose it practically was.

At that point, Ilena stepped in.

“To sneak into the supply wagon, we’ll need to know which merchant company handles deliveries.”

She said she’d see whether that side could be bribed too.

After discussing the rough route with Tilly, I stopped by an herbal shop I had looked up in advance.

“Looking for something?”

“A medicine that won’t harm animals.”

“What kind of medicine is that?”

I didn’t want to hurt them, but I needed something that would create an opening for me to get into the wagon.

I smiled brightly.

“Is there a scent horses absolutely love?”

The old shopkeeper looked at me strangely before recommending several remedies.

I chose the fastest-acting and most expensive one, then returned home as the sun was setting.

Without letting Mother or Father notice, I hurried to wash up and change clothes before entering the room Emil had stayed in.

‘Am I really doing the right thing?’

The more precious our home became to him, the less likely he would be to harm me or my family.

I knew that.

But the fact that my actions weren’t entirely for his sake kept weighing me down. It felt like I was deceiving him.

‘But you know there’s still no other choice.’

I grabbed the cufflinks I had once gifted Emil and left the room.