CBOM 19

chapter 19

“Mother, are you feeling better?”

“…Oh, Shinoven.”

“I didn’t know the head maid was that kind of person. But now that we know, you should let go of your sorrow and rise again, Mother.”

“I know, I know… but the heart doesn’t follow the mind so easily.”

Shinoven gently held the duchess’s pale, slender hand.

“You’re too fragile. I’m worried about you.”

“How can I lie in bed when I’m worried about my son? Don’t worry too much. I’ll be fine soon.”

She wasn’t gravely ill. It was more like an illness of the heart.

The shock wasn’t just from the head maid’s betrayal, but from the true nature she revealed.

“To think she dared to dream of becoming a noble.”

“I was truly shocked when I heard that as well.”

Yes—

During questioning, the head maid had said that the mage she met promised to grant her the title of nobility.

But strangely, she claimed not to know the mage’s name.

Because of that, no one could identify who her true backer was.

“As if nobility could be granted so easily.”

“Winia is a noble too, isn’t she?”

“A vulgar lowborn noble. If even someone like the head maid can be called a noble, then yes, I suppose so.”

The duchess, whose face had just been pale moments ago, now flushed red with indignation and spat out insults freely.

“Had I known she was so delusional, I would never have entrusted her with authority.”

A mage? How rare are mages, and yet one would approach a mere maid and spirit away her underlings?

And as it turned out, Winia’s so-called backer was nothing more than a slave trader.

The missing maids had already been sold off.

To the duchess, this was perfectly befitting of a vulgar low noble and a slave merchant.

“Haa…”

What annoyed her most of all was that this had caused Livanu to appear again.

Though he was her son, she had shoved him away into the annex and completely forgotten him. But now, suddenly, he appeared in the main residence, becoming the subject of gossip.

She had hoped he would be erased from everyone’s memory. But now, there were people who had seen his grotesque face again, and tongues would wag for some time.

She thought to herself—

Why did he interfere?

What did it matter if some maid lived or died?

To the duchess, it was incomprehensible.

“Mother? Is something else troubling you?”

After Livanu had become like that, Shinoven was the duchess’s only hope.

“No, nothing.”

“Of course there is. It’s because of my brother, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Why did he have to appear again and cause you so much pain?”

Shinoven clicked his tongue.

“Don’t worry too much. This will soon quiet down.”

Her husband had said Livanu himself wished to go away for convalescence. Just as Shinoven said, things would quiet down.

But the duchess hated that Livanu became a topic of conversation, even for a moment.

In truth, she wished he were dead.

A thought she had never dared speak aloud.

Because the head maid had been suddenly arrested and things were turning urgent, Grino had to quickly escape from the duchy.

Even in his haste, he made sure to check the effects of the paralysis poison he had given the head maid.

He heard that the victim had vomited blood and collapsed. That hadn’t happened with his previous test subjects, so it surprised him—but intrigued him even more.

Perhaps it was a drug that produced different reactions depending on the person.

Thinking he should test it on a completely fresh subject, Grino hummed to himself.

“Hmm.”

The situation wasn’t exactly leisurely, but neither was it dangerous.

The hastily arranged slave merchant was someone he regularly dealt with, and he had promised to fake his death later and extract him.

Most evidence had already been magically altered.

Unless someone had magical skill as pure as his, no one would uncover the truth.

But in all the Empire, there was no one who surpassed Grino Eggpara in magic.

He was confident no one would ever suspect him as the true mastermind.

…Though he still had to report his mission failure.

“Failed?”

From the shadows, a figure veiled in darkness spoke, voice grim with disbelief.

“Yes. My apologies.”

Confidence in his magic aside, the fact remained: he had failed and fled with his tail between his legs.

Worse, the timing had been perfect for securing a new test subject, but now he would have to lie low for a while. Irritating.

“Why?”

Still, he had to report truthfully to the lord he served.

He never understood why his master had even made such a pointless offer to that diseased wretch. In his eyes, the man wasn’t important.

Though he was the duke’s son, he was practically abandoned.

If the goal was to sway House Forette, it would be better to target the second son, Shinoven.

But of course, for now, his master lacked the strength to bring the Forettes fully to their side.

“There were problems with the maids the head maid had chosen.”

“What problems?”

“They had been bribed with money, but several in a row refused it. At first, I handled things myself, then asked the head maid to take care of it so she couldn’t wriggle free—but that’s where things went awry.”

“…I see.”

“Yes. Forgive me.”

In truth, he felt no remorse.

Grino was only serving this master temporarily, as it aligned with his research. Loyalty had nothing to do with it.

His master knew this as well. They were simply sharing a boat for mutual gain.

“I’ve tampered with all the evidence and prepared another scapegoat as the mastermind. But since the head maid blurted about a mage, I’ll need to keep a low profile for a while.”

“…So be it.”

The shadowed figure seemed lost in thought.

What was done was done. There was no helping it.

“Very well.”

“Yes.”

“Be more careful next time. More importantly—how did Livanu react?”

“When I mentioned developing a drug, he seemed slightly shaken.”

Not a bad reaction.

The man nodded, satisfied.

“Keep watching him.”

“Watch him?”

Grino frowned. He had thought the orders were finished.

“May I ask why you’re so interested in him?”

“Must I explain everything to you?”

“…No, my lord.”

Honestly, it was tedious.

But since they each had their own goals, Grino could only assume that somehow that man would be useful to his master.

His master was always enigmatic, and Grino had no desire to dig deeper.

“Nothing else to report?”

“No.”

But neither of them foresaw that someone would remain by Livanu’s side—nor that he would suddenly leave the capital.

Once the matter of the head maid was resolved, the ducal household gradually regained stability.

Grace recovered as if she had never been poisoned at all.

The physician said he had never seen such a poison before, and that it seemed to be a mixture of several toxins crafted into something new.

In conclusion, it was an unknown poison, and unless the creator was found—or unless it reappeared on the market—it could not be identified.

“Milord.”

“I told you to rest. Why are you here?”

“I’m really fine now.”

Though she had recovered, Grace was forced by Livanu and Eshi to remain bedridden for a full day.

It was suffocating, lying around when she was perfectly fine, so she eventually got up—only to be stopped again.

“I’ll pack. You just rest.”

“What kind of maid lets her master do all the work?”

In the meantime, Livanu was indeed preparing to leave, as he had said.

The duke had already arranged a convalescent villa for him once the head maid’s issue was resolved.

Of course, he had also told him to reconsider if he was leaving reluctantly—but Livanu was resolute.

He had no attachment to this cursed household. Better to leave than to keep hiding away in the annex.

Why hadn’t he thought of leaving sooner?

If he had known it would be this easy, he would have left long ago.

Though if he had, he never would have met Grace. Perhaps it was better this way.

Still, the recent incident had stirred up gossip among the servants, and Livanu’s name was beginning to circulate again.

For now, it was only minor whispers within the estate, but the duke certainly wished to avoid such talk spreading further.

Leaving would stir more gossip, of course, but even that would quiet with time.

“You’ve got Eshi to help you, don’t you?”

“…True, but it’ll be faster if we both do it.”

When Grace said she would follow Livanu to the provinces, Eshi had immediately begged to come along as well.

Livanu had protested vehemently, but in the end, he had allowed it.

“Then ask Eshi if she wants to help.”

“She’ll say no.”

“Then stay put.”

More than anything, Eshi adored Grace.

She would gladly obey anything Grace asked.

It was annoying to see, since it reminded him of himself—but at least it meant Grace wouldn’t suffer alone.

That much, Livanu could accept.