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Chapter 10
The Duke of Kereis fixed his sharp crimson eyes on me.
Today, his dark blue hair had been slicked neatly back, making the sinister aura surrounding him seem even stronger.
So that’s what the aura of a final mastermind looks like.
I swallowed hard and discreetly wiped the sweat from my palms.
Calm down.
You have to save Crimu.
Stay calm.
But the harder I tried to calm myself, the more violently my heart pounded.
What do I do?!
We have to catch them before they escape!
My thoughts were a complete mess.
I can’t let either the nanny or that bastard get away!
In the end, the tension swelling inside me burst out as a scream.
“Right now! P-Please… go to the nanny’s room! Save Crimu!”
It felt as though every ounce of emotion bottled up inside my chest came pouring out.
My legs gave way beneath me.
Hot tears streamed down both cheeks.
I tried to wipe them away, but I couldn’t.
My clenched fists were trembling too violently.
Even my ragged breathing was beyond my control.
“…”
A heavy silence settled over the office.
Even after hearing my desperate outburst, the Duke remained composed.
He slowly shifted his gaze away from me and turned to Dubuye.
“Find them immediately.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After the butler hurried out, only the Duke and I remained.
His brows were drawn together even more tightly than before.
For several long seconds, he stared at me as though trying to see through me.
Then, hearing movement outside, he quietly walked out of the office.
“Haa…”
The moment he left…
My strength disappeared completely.
I collapsed onto the floor.
I didn’t have a single ounce of energy left.
What just happened?
Was this a dream?
A web novel?
I couldn’t even think straight.
But one thing was certain.
Crimu would never have to suffer like that again.
“That’s right… Crimu!”
Dragging my exhausted body to my feet, I hurried to find him.
He was only four years old.
He had to be terrified.
I wanted to be by his side, no matter what.
After searching for quite a while, I finally found him in the playroom.
He was quietly crying.
“Hic…”
“Crimu!”
I rushed over, knelt down, and wrapped him tightly in my arms.
His soft, mochi-like cheek rested against my shoulder.
“It’s okay, Crimu.”
“Big Sister’s here now.”
“Everything’s going to be okay.”
I gently stroked his back over and over until he finally calmed down.
Before the sun had even set…
The two conspirators were caught.
When they first searched the nanny’s room, they found nothing.
But after I mentioned the warehouse in the backyard, they searched there as well.
This time they uncovered a huge stash of valuables…
Along with a considerable amount of stolen money.
“W-We were wrong, Your Grace…!”
“P-Please spare us…”
Since it wasn’t appropriate to force them to kneel and apologize in front of young Crimu…
The Duke chose another punishment.
Without the slightest hesitation, he ordered one of their tongues and one of their arms cut off.
Afterward, they were whipped and tied up in the town square overnight.
“…Ugh.”
Hearing the news from Britta made me shiver.
The mastermind really is the mastermind.
The fact that they were still alive was mercy enough.
That day, I’d nearly collapsed unconscious inside Crimu’s playroom.
It was probably because of the overwhelming tension.
When I finally woke up…
I was back in my own room.
According to Britta, I’d slept for an entire day.
By then, everything was already over.
“Then… what about Crimu?”
“Oh, Young Master Crimu has already been moved to a new room.”
“His Grace completely destroyed the room he used to stay in.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“They found bruises and wounds all over Young Master Crimu’s body.”
“I heard His Grace saw them himself.”
“…I see.”
According to Britta, the Duke had remained beside Crimu until the physician had finished treating every injury.
I’d thought he was simply an uncaring father.
Apparently…
That wasn’t entirely true.
Thinking of the little boy crying made me relieved that, even now, someone could begin healing those wounds.
Is it finally over?
Just as I was preparing to relax after everything that had happened…
A horrifying memory suddenly surfaced.
Wait…
Didn’t I scream something at the Duke in his office…?
“AAAAAH! I’m such an idiot!”
If I was going to say something, I should’ve spoken properly!
Why was I shaking so badly?
How am I ever supposed to face the Duke again?
Groaning, I slowly pulled the blanket over my head.
The Duke of Kereis had developed a headache.
He was the sort of man who almost never even caught a cold.
But this time…
The matter involved one of his children.
Even he couldn’t remain unaffected.
“…Maryanne.”
Leaning back in his office chair, he quietly murmured her name.
Everything had come to light because of that child.
Had she not uncovered the crimes of the new nanny and servant…
His lips twitched with lingering anger.
That day…
Maryanne had been trembling violently as she shouted.
Tears filled her eyes.
Her cheeks were flushed.
Her tiny fists had been clenched so tightly.
He hadn’t been able to ignore the words of a thirteen-year-old girl.
Because…
Her desperation had been unmistakably genuine.
Watching her scream before collapsing from exhaustion had left him with a strange feeling.
Later, Dubuye had explained everything Maryanne had told him.
She had accidentally witnessed the servant and nanny meeting secretly in the warehouse.
She had also overheard Crimu being beaten.
“…Filthy vermin.”
The breeze drifting through the window disturbed his dark blue hair.
Suddenly, he remembered something from the past.
A man from House Delbe.
The timid man had struggled to meet his eyes while speaking about an orphaned child.
“M-Maryanne Delbe… is the only member of our family who possesses a pure magical bloodline.”
At the time, the Duke had coldly warned him not to play foolish games.
Yet the man had continued pleading.
“I swear upon the Guardian Deity… there is mana within that child’s body.”
A vow upon the Guardian Deity…
The Duke had stared at him expressionlessly before asking one final question.
“How old is this girl, Maryanne Delbe?”
Feeling the breeze once again, he murmured,
“…Thirteen.”
“So she’s about the right age.”
His crimson eyes narrowed.
His thoughts shifted away from the past…
And toward that very morning.
As always, he had entered the dining room for breakfast.
Yet today…
The dining hall had been empty.
Shebert had left the estate for several days on an expedition.
Crimu had intentionally been excused from breakfast.
And Dubuye had informed him that Maryanne wasn’t feeling well.
The Duke ate alone in the silent dining room.
As usual, he finished every bite before standing.
Then, for no particular reason…
Maryanne’s trembling figure flashed through his mind.
It was strange.
The image simply refused to leave him.
“Dubuye.”
“Dubuye!”
The office door opened.
The butler stepped inside.
“You called for me, Your Grace?”
“Where is Maryanne now?”
“She remained in her room this morning.”
“I believe she’s currently visiting Young Master Crimu.”
“I see.”
“Tell her to come see me this afternoon.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“And…”
“Yes?”
The Duke paused for a moment.
“…Send a physician to Maryanne.”
“A mage, Your Grace?”
Dubuye had misunderstood.
The Duke frowned.
“No.”
“A real physician.”
“I want the child examined.”
“…Ah.”
“Her hands were trembling.”
“She appeared badly frightened.”
“And under tremendous stress.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After the puzzled butler bowed and left…
The Duke frowned even more deeply.
For some reason…
He wasn’t pleased with the order he’d just given.
“…Was that unnecessary?”
For a moment, he considered calling Dubuye back and canceling it.
Instead, he convinced himself otherwise.
If Maryanne, a child blessed with magical talent, becomes ill…
That would be troublesome.
This order is solely for the sake of House Kereis.
Absolutely not because I felt sorry for the girl who would one day become my daughter-in-law.
That afternoon…
A visitor arrived at the estate.
The luxurious carriage door creaked open.
A finely crafted cane struck the ground with a sharp tap.
The man who stepped out was Veil Kereis, who had come from the Northern Territory.
Although his hair had long since turned white, traces of the Kereis family’s distinctive blue remained.
Deep within his wrinkled eyes burned the same crimson irises shared by every member of the family.
“Take me to Getre immediately.”
Following a servant’s guidance, Veil headed toward his son’s location.
The Duke was waiting in the spacious reception room.
Father and son had not seen each other in quite some time.
Neither showed the slightest sign of happiness.
Veil sat in the seat of honor with an indifferent expression.
“Have you been well?”
“And you?”
Neither of them answered the other’s question.
They merely exchanged the customary greetings.
That was simply how the men of House Kereis were.
As soon as the brief formalities ended, they got straight to business.
“How are the northern walls?”
“I am there.”
“I hear this winter will be especially harsh.”
“And I am still there.”
Veil stroked his graying mustache and repeated the same answer.
The Duke, long accustomed to his father’s personality, asked nothing further.
Silence settled over the reception room.
Clink.
The Duke placed his teacup on its saucer.
Seeing this, Veil casually gestured for him to leave.
“Very well.”
“Travel safely on your return.”
After the Duke departed, Dubuye approached Veil.
“Sit.”
“Yes.”
Whenever these brief father-son meetings ended…
Veil always spent a little time talking with the estate’s butler.
Of course, the clever Dubuye was loyal to the Duke.
The truly important matters were never discussed.
“Crimu.”
“How is he?”
“He’s recovering quickly.”
“The physicians are treating him every day.”
Dubuye watched the sunlight brighten the old man’s pale hair.
Still gazing into the distance, Veil spoke again.
“I heard…”
“…a child has recently entered this estate.”
