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Chapter 18
Livenia had not expected Heinrich to think about that statement so deeply.
Livenia was a perceptive person and had a habit of predicting things. However, Heinrich was always a boy outside the boundaries of her predictions.
But what did this have to do with the missing items?
As she fell into thought, Livenia suddenly realized something.
“You were pretending to lose items frequently.”
Heinrich nodded shyly with a faint smile.
“Yes. It was nothing more than a small trick, but since I’m young, people easily fell for it.”
He had concluded that there must be someone in the household relaying information—to the retainers and even to the imperial palace. Someone disloyal enough to sell even the private matters of a married couple.
Most likely, it was one of the servants.
So Heinrich deliberately acted as if he frequently lost items and showed that he did not care much about it.
At first, the servants would have been cautious. But over time, they must have begun to secretly take small things.
Since loyal servants would not behave like that, it had effectively become a trap to expose the disloyal one.
Neither of them explicitly explained this reasoning aloud.
And yet Livenia felt as though they had shared an entire conversation.
She let out a small, dry laugh.
As Heinrich had said, it was a petty trick—but not something an eight-year-old would normally think of.
“Well done.”
“Really?”
She had only offered a brief compliment, yet Heinrich’s expression brightened instantly. His pale face flushed with life.
Livenia nodded, resisting the urge to pinch his still-chubby cheeks.
“Have you already identified the servants who stole the items?”
“Yes. The butler and my nanny are trustworthy, so I asked them to handle it.”
“You didn’t act personally. That is also excellent. However, there is one shortcoming.”
“What is it?”
“There is no guarantee that the one who leaked information did so for money. Therefore, the one who stole the items may not necessarily be the one who spread information.”
“Ah…”
“In that case, you cannot be certain you have achieved your original goal of identifying those who leak information.”
Livenia carefully added, worried she might be too harsh on a child.
“Of course, those who stole the master’s belongings must be punished regardless. In the end, you have done something beneficial for House Baldwin. It was a wise decision.”
She felt somewhat ashamed of her own lack of gentleness.
What would a kind adult do here?
Would they pat his head? Hug him? Shower him with praise? Offer him sweets?
None of those actions came naturally to her.
Livenia had never experienced a truly kind adult herself.
Heinrich stood up carefully.
She worried she might have discouraged him, but his posture remained upright.
He gently took Livenia’s hand and smiled softly.
“As expected, you are very wise, Madam. Please teach me more.”
At this unexpected reaction, Livenia caught her breath.
“When you grow older, Your Grace, you will make far better decisions than I do.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course.”
Heinrich smiled brightly without the slightest hint of discomfort.
“If I succeed in exposing the traitors, no one will look down on me—or on House Baldwin.”
Then, with a slightly more nervous expression, he made a request.
“When that time comes… would you teach me how to dance?”
“Your Grace, I have not even had my debutante, so my experience is limited. There are far more qualified instructors than me—”
“That is precisely why I am asking you. I will not be able to attend your debutante. But I would like your first dance to be with me, even if unofficially.”
Livenia looked down at the small hand holding hers.
He was less like a husband and more like a younger brother.
And yet the affection and goodwill he gave her were greater than anything she had ever received in her life.
So great that she wanted to lean on his shoulder—and wanted him to lean on hers.
For the first time, Livenia wished for a “good relationship” with someone.
Even if twelve years later they would sign divorce papers, she hoped they could remain friends afterward…
So, after a long time, she smiled sincerely.
“Of course. Though it seems I may end up learning from you instead.”
In that moment, she thought:
This boy would keep his promises.
He would show her what happiness was.
And therefore, she too had a responsibility—to make him happy.
At the Hess Barony, a small townhouse had been prepared for Nadia’s debutante.
It was a three-story residence on the outskirts of the capital with a small courtyard. In truth, the third floor had only one room, making it more like an attic.
From the outside, it barely seemed worthy of the name “townhouse,” but the interior was quite impressive.
That was, of course, thanks to Conrad’s careful renovation and furnishing.
The townhouse even had a butler and three maids.
Nadia greeted them with a slightly troubled expression.
“This is too much. I don’t need a butler, and two maids would be enough.”
But Conrad shook his head.
“I already compromised quite a lot.”
He seemed unhappy about how much Nadia had suffered in the Hess territory.
In the end, Nadia gave in. Considering how much Conrad cared for her, accepting this would likely ease his mind.
Then Vivian spoke excitedly.
“Lady! Can’t we just live here? The study is so pretty, and I peeked into the dressing room earlier—it’s sparkling!”
“The dressing room? Conrad, you even prepared dresses?”
“Just a few.”
“It wasn’t just a few! There were so many! I closed the door right away so the lady could see it first, I swear!”
Conrad glared at Vivian, but she was unfazed.
She clearly knew Nadia would stop him.
Nadia smiled faintly and patted Conrad’s shoulder.
“Accept it, and don’t scold Vivian too much. And Vivian, don’t be too noisy.”
“Yes, Lady.”
“I made a mistake sending Vivian.”
Conrad sighed.
“I thought there was no one in the Hess territory capable of protecting you, so I sent her—but I should have chosen someone more composed.”
“It’s really fine, Conrad. I like her. She’s fun. And she’s smart.”
“See!”
“Smart Vivian, did you gather the information I asked for?”
“Of course!”
At Nadia’s gentle question, Vivian immediately ran off to fetch documents from her luggage.
Conrad massaged his temple.
“Lady Nadia, Vivian is indeed intelligent. If I had disciplined her more, she wouldn’t behave like this… even now—”
“Conrad.”
Nadia shook her head gently.
“I’m not a dignified, noble duchess anymore. I can be friends with a cute maid without anyone criticizing me.”
“…If you say so, Lady.”
Conrad no longer objected.
When Vivian returned, he didn’t even glare at her anymore—he seemed to accept it.
Vivian cautiously approached Nadia and handed her the documents.
“Lady, here is the information on Yulia Crimson!”
Nadia accepted the neatly organized papers.
“Good work.”
Vivian quickly explained before Nadia could read them.
“Count Crimson claims his daughter is a graceful, kind ideal bride—but that doesn’t seem true. She’s more like a troublemaker.”
“A troublemaker?”
“Yes! There are rumors about her and a young stable boy. She also has many male acquaintances, gambles, and lives extravagantly.”
“That does sound like a problem. If she’s pushed into a ducal family, it could become a scandal.”
Vivian nodded strongly.
“I thought so too! But she’s not stupid. She recently appeared at a few small private parties and is said to be charming and well-mannered. Noble ladies like her. Her public image in the capital is quite good. And she’s very beautiful.”
Vivian placed a portrait on top of the documents.
Her hair was drawn so dark it looked like ink—clearly indicating its raven-black beauty.
Her round cheeks looked fresh like an apple, and her large eyes were confident and intelligent.
“She really is pretty.”
Nadia smiled lightly.
“If she likes gambling… does she like horse racing too?”
“She loves it the most! There’s a major race in the capital tomorrow. Will you attend? Yulia Crimson will likely be there!”
“Of course. If I’m going to befriend her, I should dress nicely for our first meeting.”
At Nadia’s words, Vivian’s face brightened instantly.
It seemed she would become Nadia’s doll starting tomorrow afternoon.
