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chapter 40
Grace pondered how she could deal with Sophien without getting a single drop of blood on her hands.
If, as she suspected, the Duke had secretly eliminated Sophien in her previous life, there must have been a reason for it.
“Hello, Sophien.”
So she went to find Sophien herself.
Since she had been barred from approaching by Livanu and Esie, she came secretly in the dead of night while everyone else was asleep.
“You. Where do you think you are?”
Sophien jumped up and shouted the moment she saw Grace.
“So, you’ve recovered your strength already?”
“Get out!”
“Oh, how bold.”
Even as she shouted, Grace seemed not to hear her at all.
“Hah.”
Sophien let out a hollow laugh.
“Is it all over now?”
“Why are you doing this to me…?”
Sophien muttered weakly, battered and bruised.
It seemed the new maids weren’t leaving her alone.
Apparently, she had accumulated a lot of resentment, and the things she had learned under Sophien’s supervision made her equally cruel.
It was obvious without seeing that she had been flaunting her authority and mistreating Sophien.
“You really should have been kinder in your usual ways.”
“…It’s all my fault. So please… I’ll kneel if you ask me to.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Sophien immediately knelt and clung to Grace’s feet.
“Have you reflected?”
“Yes, yes. I was wrong, please.”
“Hmm, what should I do…”
Grace pretended to deliberate.
Of course, she had no intention of letting her go; she was merely laying out a small bait to get what she wanted.
Sophien, unaware, clung even more desperately, crying and wailing.
“But I’m curious about one thing.”
“What is it…? I’ll tell you everything. I’ll answer…!”
“After raising Leto like a puppet who only obeyed you, what were you planning to do with him?”
“…Th-That is…”
“You said you’d tell me everything. I guess you’ve changed your mind.”
Sophien hesitated, and Grace, showing no reluctance, prepared to leave.
Panicked, Sophien blurted out,
“I-I-I was going to take him to the Duke!”
“The Duke? You mean Duke Foret?”
“Yes. You might not know, but Leto is actually Duke Foret’s illegitimate child. I’ve been raising him since he was little… Everything was a secret, so I thought it could be the Duke’s weakness.”
Grace had suspected Leto might be the Duke’s illegitimate child, and Sophien’s words confirmed it.
“So?”
“Until now, I made a living from it… but later, when Leto grew up, I wanted to show you that the son you abandoned had grown this much.”
Ah.
If she had just been content with taking money, she wouldn’t have hastened her own demise.
Grace could now vaguely imagine Sophien’s ultimate fate.
As expected, Leto’s absence from public view was likely because he had either died with Sophien or the Duke had silenced him in some way.
“You wanted to show him?”
“…I just wanted to prove that I had raised the Leto you abandoned so well. I only wanted him to be recognized as the Duke’s son.”
“You were planning to go to the capital yourself?”
“…Yes.”
Leto was still young.
Since she had said “when he grows up,” he had at least reached adulthood by then.
How horrifying that was.
Thinking this way, letting Sophien go felt even more unreasonable.
Moreover, Sophien had collapsed in just a few days, while Leto had endured this from birth.
“And what about Leto’s mother?”
“…Everything I said back then was true. She abused Leto too!”
“Her?”
She spoke casually, and when Leto’s mother came up, Sophien reacted almost maniacally.
It was strange, but Grace thought she could learn the full story soon since Veronique had been assigned the task.
“Alright. I’ve heard your story.”
“Then… you’ll let me go, right?”
Sophien looked up at Grace with eyes full of hope.
“Huh? I only said I’d think about it.”
But Grace smiled sweetly and forcefully knocked Sophien’s arms away from clinging to her.
“That’s not what we agreed on!”
“When did I ever make a promise to you? You speak so strangely.”
“Ahhh!”
Sophien, her face bright red, lunged at Grace but couldn’t win.
Instead, she got hit and fell.
“Ugh!”
“Where do you get off being unruly and challenging me?”
“…Hhh, I said I was wrong…”
“Ah. And Sophien.”
“…Hhh.”
“Do you still think you’re the manager of this villa? Why do you keep being so informal, it’s irritating?”
“…Kk.”
“Next time, speak respectfully, okay?”
Grace had no desire to treat those unworthy as humans.
“Once more, and don’t think I’ll let it slide.”
Grace squatted in front of the fallen Sophien, made eye contact, and tapped her cheek with a gentle smile.
Sophien felt overwhelmed.
Grace hadn’t acted violently; she had just spoken, yet Sophien, terrified, nodded repeatedly while crying.
The next day, after learning that Sophien was confined and not free, Leto took his first step outside his room.
“A walk… is that allowed…?”
He glanced at Grace and asked.
“Of course.”
Grace was just as happy as when Livanu had first stepped outside.
Though they were half-blooded siblings, their situations and actions seemed similar in comparison.
Leto, having taken the first step, went outside.
But he looked around nervously, like a frightened puppy.
“But where did you put Sophien?”
“At the villa.”
“Oh… then… what should we do?”
“Sophien? She’ll probably just stay there.”
“…Food?”
“She’ll eat well, I’m sure.”
“…Mm… But, Grace, did you lock her up…?”
“It wasn’t my idea, and I didn’t personally lock her up, but I agreed with it nonetheless.”
“Who made the decision and who locked her up?”
Why does he keep asking about Sophien?
Anyway, since he was asking so diligently, she answered clearly.
“Master Livanu made the decision to confine her, and Esie was the one who restrained her. Oh, I helped move her. Esie just knocked her out.”
“Esie?”
Leto’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. Esie tends to be quite righteous, and she was the most upset when she realized how Sophien treated Master.”
“…But your master…”
“Livanu? He stepped in to help me.”
“Why would he? Unless he doesn’t know anything…”
It seemed Leto knew he was an illegitimate child.
“I know.”
“Huh?”
“If you mean that you’re asking if I know whose son he is, then yes, Livanu knows too.”
“…You knew?”
“Of course I knew.”
“And yet, he helped you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Leto asked, puzzled, but Grace spoke as if it were obvious.
“He helped because he wanted to. Livanu is kind.”
“…A kind person wouldn’t confine anyone, though.”
“Well, that’s a minor detail.”
Leto let out a dry laugh, and Grace just shrugged.
“The important thing isn’t that.”
“Then?”
“The important thing is that Master has come outside, and many things will change from now on.”
“Then Sophien will stay confined?”
“Why do you keep asking about Sophien?”
“…I don’t know.”
He clearly wasn’t concerned about her, but she was still curious.
Well, he’s a child and practically brainwashed, so that makes sense.
Grace wondered if she should let him meet Sophien in good health sometime later.
Then Leto said,
“…I don’t know what to say.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve never had a normal conversation, so I don’t know. Sophien always told me to study hard or worried about me, and other maids just gave orders like notifications and left.”
“…You wanted to talk to me?”
“…I just felt I had to say something.”
Grace finally understood why he kept seeking Sophien.
His world had been entirely made up of Sophien, so he didn’t know how to start a conversation on other topics.
“Then may I ask you some questions?”
If so, she could start the conversation herself.
Leto nodded slowly at Grace’s question.
