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Chapter – 22
[Bona Selden] Born into a poor commoner family, when she was fortunate enough to enter a noble household as a maid, perhaps she dreamed of escaping poverty and rising in status. Bona Selden was beautiful, and she knew it well herself. The problem was that Baron Adrian—old enough to be her father—realized
it too.
Pregnant with the baron’s child, she was beaten and driven out by the baroness. The young Bona Selden did not know that all of this happened with the baron’s silent consent. With her broken body, she stayed in the slums closest to the baron’s mansion in the capital, crying out endlessly.
“I bore Baron Adrian’s child.”
“My son should bear the Adrian name.”
“Eclette, you are a child of the Adrian barony.”
Bona Selden had gone mad. She could not have endured without madness. She lived while waiting for Baron Adrian to come and take the child—take her. In the end, as she wished, the baron came to find her in the slums, but…
“Take only the child, and kill her.”
That day became Bona Selden’s last.]
“Miss, we’ve found her.”
I checked the documents handed over by Rodel. Among the list of residents whose identities couldn’t be confirmed was the name Bona Selden. The timing matched, as did the additional note that she had been found dead in a shack.
Baron Adrian would try to use this shack somehow. From his perspective, it would be a way to shock and “tame” the now-arrogant Eclette.
“Rodel, tell Lennon to check whether the shack listed in these documents is on any of the land we’ve purchased. If it isn’t…”
Baron Adrian must not be allowed to use this wretched land—or Eclette’s trauma. And then, I would meet Eclette.
“Buy up the surrounding area as well, including the shack. And post guards so no one can approach easily.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Eclette, I have no intention of interfering with your happy ending. So…
Please allow just a small gap—just enough space between the story where I achieve my dream and protect those precious to me.
“…If…”
If you reject that, then I may have no choice but to intervene in your story to protect these people.
Bang!
At the familiar sound echoing from inside the study, the servants bowed their heads and shrank back. If they were noticed now…
Was the past better? Several servants clenched their teeth, thinking of the young master who had fled to the attic instead of their true master—the source of it all.
The baron had always been violent. But when that lowborn young master was locked in the attic, he bore the brunt of the baron’s rage. After he ran away, the baron grew even more irritable, venting his anger entirely on the servants.
“Bring those filthy street rats here immediately.”
Inside the study, the butler and servants knelt with their heads bowed, their bodies a mess from the ink bottles and ornaments the baron had thrown.
“My lord. Please calm yourself.”
“Does it look like I can calm down right now?!”
Eclette Adrian. That bastard ran away from the barony without even appreciating the grace of being given a noble surname and raised as such. And the one who helped him escape was none other than the commander of the Delua Knights.
“I thought he’d escaped with the help of some lowly mercenary because he’s trash himself.”
To insult the master of Delua—called the guardian god of the Empire—was absurd beyond measure. The butler, who had witnessed the Delua Knight Commander’s strength firsthand, still trembled whenever he thought of him.
“And to think Duke Kaysers was behind him too… I knew it since his debutante days. A piece of trash bound to cause trouble. I should never have let him attend the debutante!”
“No, my lord. The mistake was giving that lowly thing the Adrian noble surname in the first place. If you hadn’t done that, no one would have known, debutante or not.”
“…Damn it.”
Rage surged. With the Delua Knight Commander and Duke Kaysers backing him, no wonder he’d grown so arrogant. No matter how much the ducal estate was probed, there wasn’t even a chance to drag Eclette back.
So the baron decided to warn Eclette—perhaps by showing him the shack where his mother had died. Burning the entire slum would be good too. That weakling would collapse quickly and realize his place. He would understand where he belonged. But…!
“The Earth Foundation? Those nobodies dare interfere with my plans?”
“You’re late on the news, Baron.”
“If you anger me any further, even if you’re the princess’s—”
“Didn’t you see the report saying Duke Kaysers is backing that ‘charity foundation’ you know nothing about?”
“What?”
The Earth Foundation had bought the shack. Not only that—the entire surrounding area now belonged to the foundation. Though it was practically imperial land, unless the imperial family intervened, a mere baron couldn’t act freely. And if the landowner held real power…
“The foundation is buying up most of that slum under the pretense of ‘reconstruction.’”
“…Is Duke Kaysers really the type to waste money on a place like that?”
“Perhaps that ‘lowly thing’ seduced the duke, Baron. Isn’t that slum your son’s hometown?”
The baron ground his teeth. It was humiliating. At the time, with no children of his own, he’d taken the child in thinking he might be useful. But later, his third wife bore him a proper heir, and Eclette became unnecessary.
I should have let him die back then!
Thanks to the duke’s involvement, he’d gained a connection to the princess—but any more would be dangerous. If it were discovered that he had halfheartedly aligned himself with the imperial family, his standing among the noble faction would become precarious. And if the princess’s anger turned on him because Eclette shared his blood…
“But Baron. Isn’t the foundation making a foolish mistake?”
“…?”
“Strictly speaking, those lowly slum dwellers are illegally occupying land belonging to the noble imperial family. If the foundation wanted to use that land, they should have paid the imperial family—not the slum residents.”
The corners of the baron’s mouth lifted. These were the words of the princess’s agent. It meant the princess would side with him.
“Our noble princess, representing the imperial family, deeply regrets this matter.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
“You can resolve what troubles our princess, can’t you, Baron?”
“Of course.”
The baron smiled viciously.
*
A letter arrived from Duke Kaysers. In truth, I’d received several letters from Vihan since the masquerade ball that day, but I hadn’t replied. There was nothing I could say to his apologies over something that had simply unfolded according to fate.
But this letter was different.
[To the Honorable Lady Rosemary Liotium,
Please forgive me for not being able to include everything I wish to say in this hastily written letter.
The princess has ordered me to enter the palace immediately, saying she has questions regarding the Earth Foundation. I do not yet know why she has suddenly taken interest, but regrettably, it may stem from my actions.
I suspect she will question the foundation’s purchase of slum land. As this concerns the foundation, I felt I should inform you, and thus write to you before entering the palace.
And, Rosemary.
I am sorry. You may scold me as much as you wish for my rudeness that day—only please grant me the chance to apologize in person.
With sincerity,
Vihan Kaysers.]
It seemed Vihan hadn’t yet learned that Princess Lucia and Baron Adrian had joined hands. If he had known, he would have prepared in advance, and wouldn’t be heading to the palace so helplessly. The duke was someone who avoided meeting the princess whenever possible.
Princess Lucia was far more obsessively fixated on Vihan than he realized. As she routinely received reports on his every move, she caught the trail of Baron Adrian—who had failed while secretly spying on the ducal estate in search of Eclette.
Learning through the baron that Eclette Adrian—the man who had dared block her path at the debutante two years ago—was now residing in the duke’s mansion, the princess used Baron Adrian to uncover the reason behind the duke’s uncharacteristic kindness.
The slum being wiped out, and Eclette fleeing the capital afterward, were both results of the princess’s intervention. Of course, since she never acted directly, neither the crown prince nor the duke noticed.
The one who contacted Baron Adrian must have been “that woman,” the princess’s subordinate. So… who was it again…? Why does my memory feel so hazy…?
“Miss.”
“Yes?”
“The person Duke Kaysers sent is waiting for a reply. Should I send him away?”
“…No. Tell him to wait a bit. And could you bring me some stationery to write a reply?”
“Yes, Miss.”
As expected, the story was unfolding exactly as before. This was the path leading toward the climax of this incident.
Because the Earth Foundation had changed the situation, I anticipated that the princess would put pressure on the foundation to allow Baron Adrian to safely burn down the slums.
If she were going to hand over the slums so easily just because the princess stepped in, I would have stopped long ago.
I began writing on the paper Amy brought.
[To Duke Vihan Kaysers,
Thank you for informing me of this important matter.
You will likely read this letter after returning from the palace. Just as you predicted, I imagine Her Highness pointed out how inappropriate the Earth Foundation’s ownership of the slum land is.
Unlike His Highness the Crown Prince, the princess does not concern herself with others’ opinions. The fact that the foundation is striving to reconstruct the slums, that the intended use of the land has already been widely publicized in the newspapers, and that Your Grace serves as the foundation’s guarantor—none of these will influence her in the slightest.
However, there is still a way forward. I will handle this matter, so please do not worry. I am only sorry that the foundation’s affairs have caused you inconvenience.
Also, Your Grace, the events at the ball are not something for which you must apologize. Rather, it was a joyful day for me, as I was reunited with a dear friend. So please do not regard that day as rudeness, but as consideration.
There is something I must return to you, which I will send along with a gift.
It is said to bring peace of mind—I hope it will be of help to you.
Rosemary Liotium.]
