chapter 11
Of course, Helena couldn’t say a word.
Naturally so.
“Mmph!”
Because I’d already gagged her.
‘Seeing her like that is oddly satisfying.’
I looked Helena up and down with a haughty gaze.
If possible, I’d love to hang the Duke up like that too—but that’ll have to wait a while.
Folding my arms, I tilted my head slightly.
“Let’s keep my use of magic a secret. You all understand, don’t you?”
At that, Helena’s eyes widened in shock.
I stepped closer to her. Of course, I’d already tied up her maids’ feet so they couldn’t escape either.
“If you don’t want to die, you’d better behave properly.”
I figured she already knew well enough about the scorn and abuse Canis and May had endured in this household.
“Even if I killed you, I wouldn’t face any serious punishment. You know that too, don’t you?”
And that was true.
The Crocus Empire, where the original story was set, was a society of strict hereditary succession.
The legitimate heir born of the family head and his first spouse held authority second only to the patriarch upon reaching adulthood.
If even a lesser house’s heir wielded such power, how much more so for the Duke’s legitimate child?
‘Canis Escleef’ was practically ranked above everyone except royalty and dukes.
So even if I openly harmed Helena, there would never be a death sentence or imprisonment waiting for me.
‘At most, they could strip me of heirship.’
I stopped my thoughts and smirked as I added,
“Don’t worry too much. I won’t actually kill you.”
Then I let a chilling smile spread across my face.
“But I can make you wish you were dead.”
I truly had no intention of killing her.
If she were just some commoner mistress, maybe—but Helena was still a noble. The worst she might face was being shunned by high society.
I had no desire to create a criminal record that could obstruct my path forward.
‘Dirty work should always be done through someone else’s hands—or with proper justification.’
I didn’t care if people suspected I was behind it. In noble society, nothing mattered more than having the proper pretext.
I silently looked up at the writhing Helena. Maybe I’d hear what she had to say.
As soon as I released her gag, she shouted with a flushed face,
“You—! If you lay a hand on me, do you think Winter will just sit by?!”
“My father?”
I burst out laughing.
Amazing, really—mother and daughter using the exact same kind of worthless threats.
“My father’s wrath? Sure, let him rage. But in the end, he can’t cast me aside.”
I spoke calmly, shrugging.
And that, too, was true.
The Duke might hate me for resembling his detested ex-wife and for being useless, but he still couldn’t abandon me.
For one simple reason.
The Duke had no alternatives.
Even if Claude bore the Escleef name and attended the Academy, he was already infamous in society as an illegitimate son.
The scarlet mark of adoption—signifying a bastard origin—was stamped even in the family registry. Though he was the Duke’s blood, he could never be recognized as a true heir.
So I drove the point home in front of Helena.
“As long as I live, Father has no other option. Not even if he wants one.”
At those words, Helena’s eyes flashed sharply.
‘Good. She picked up on it.’
Through my words, she’d realized the condition: “As long as I live.”
Satisfied at having riled her up, I released her.
She crashed onto the floor with a thud, letting out a groan as she landed hard on her backside.
Now looking down at her from above, I commanded,
“If you understand, then get out of my room!”
I had just chased Helena and her group out and was flipping through a book when Larisa approached me quietly.
“Um, my lady.”
“What is it?”
“Weren’t you trying to hide your magic? If it’s Helena, she’ll definitely run straight to His Grace and tattle.”
“Oh, that?”
I chuckled at her concern.
“It doesn’t matter. Sooner or later, my cards will be revealed anyway.”
Right now, Helena was probably thinking:
‘So that annoying girl was hiding her magic all this time!’
And she’d no doubt assume:
That revealing my magic was a weakness for Canis Escleef—a situation I’d desperately want to avoid.
‘Of course, that’s nonsense.’
Showing my magic wasn’t a weakness at all. Within five days, once I went to the Academy, everyone would know anyway.
The only reason I avoided using it before the Duke was because, as I’d said, I didn’t want his positive attention.
‘And besides, the Duke won’t believe Helena immediately.’
If she repeated herself enough, he’d eventually check, but by then I’d be gone from the mansion.
So threatening Helena now, when I risked nothing, was the perfect move.
“That may be so,” Larisa said thoughtfully, “but earlier you seemed like you were deliberately provoking Helena.”
Then, after a moment of silence, she asked,
“Are you perhaps… plotting something?”
This time I was genuinely surprised.
‘She actually caught on?’
As expected of a supporting character in the original, Larisa was sharp—and bold.
I shut my book with a snap and looked up.
“And why do you feel the need to ask me that?”
Naturally, I had no intention of harming her. But in a family feud like this, openly pointing out your mistress’s schemes was usually foolish.
“I could silence you for knowing too much.”
After all, Larisa might be a count’s daughter, but she wasn’t an heir—just the second daughter.
For the great Escleef Ducal House, making her life miserable would be child’s play.
But Larisa showed no fear at all.
“I thought… you’d actually like it better if I noticed.”
“What?”
That was unexpected. I burst into laughter.
“Pfft—ha! True enough. I intend to keep you as my exclusive maid, after all.”
Larisa was exactly the kind of person who could fill in the gaps I couldn’t manage alone.
What I needed now wasn’t some genius sorceress like Remebrel’s eldest daughter, but someone who understood me perfectly and could serve as my hands and feet.
“And besides, at the Duke’s side, it’s better to have a maid who thinks for herself than one who just obeys quietly.”
Larisa’s eyes went wide in surprise.
Understandable.
After all, what I’d just implied was a clear declaration that I intended to become the next Duke.
“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Then shall I give you the real answer?”
I gave her a villainous smile.
“You’re right. I provoked Helena on purpose.”
I had pushed all her buttons—while also leaving behind hints she might interpret as my weakness or an exploitable flaw.
‘If she’s stupid, she’ll send an assassin.’
Ideally, she’d send her trusted head maid.
But even if not, it didn’t matter.
The moment Helena sent someone to kill me, she’d fall into paranoia, even if she avoided immediate punishment.
The burden of a failed assassination always came back to the one who ordered it. Later, it might even become a useful weakness for me to exploit.
“If she’s foolish enough to fall into the trap, good. If not, it’ll still influence her someday.”
Even if an assassin didn’t come right away, I’d return to the Duke’s mansion half a year later and slowly tighten the noose around her.
And when that time came, Helena would remember my words from today.
It would be like dropping a single drop of water into oil just about to boil over.
After hearing my explanation, Larisa’s eyes sparkled.
“You really are like a true villain. Amazing!”
That was a compliment, right?
Just as Canis predicted, Helena, after being driven out, ran straight to the Duke’s office.
“Winter! Come out here, Winter!”
“What is it, Helena?”
The Duke’s face was weary, fatigued from his work. Rubbing his darkened eyes, he looked at Helena.
“I’m busy today. Unless it’s something urgent…”
“It’s about Canis.”
“Canis?”
One of his eyebrows rose in surprise. Between them, the topic of Canis almost never came up.
The Duke disliked his useless eldest daughter, while Helena couldn’t possibly look kindly on the child of her lover’s former wife.
But now, Helena broke that unspoken rule and cried out:
“She used magic on me!”
