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Chapter 16
It was on the way to the dining hall, following behind the Duke.
Just then, something I’d been wondering about popped into my head, so I quickened my short little legs to catch up to him and asked with a smile,
“…Excuse me! What happened?”
“?”
“With the butler and the elders…”
“A child need not concern herself with such matters.”
‘Tch, how am I supposed to help if I don’t even know what’s going on!’
This wasn’t the first time I’d asked, either.
I’d tried several times to find out what was happening lately, but he always looked at me cautiously and refused to tell me anything.
‘Ugh, why make such a big deal out of collapsing once? I’m only trying to make things easier for you.’
But the Duke, completely ignorant of my anxious little heart, merely gestured toward the dining hall like a prison warden.
When I trudged in, Secretary Logan immediately rose from his seat at the table.
“Lady Airi, you’re here. The Shinsu, please sit here where it’s been prepared.”
He was putting on formal airs in front of the servants, and he came over to help me up into a high chair.
Once everyone was seated, Secretary Logan did what he always did — he offered me some vegetables.
I knew exactly what that gesture meant, so my face fell.
“…I have hands, you know.”
“You faint so often, there’s no helping it, my lady.”
“…”
If the Duke punished me by watching over me like a warden, this was the secretary’s version of punishment — treating me like a newborn baby.
‘I’m five years old! And he’s feeding me? Seriously?’
I looked at the Duke with pleading eyes, but he didn’t move a muscle. He just watched me, as if he wouldn’t eat until I did.
I had no choice but to open my mouth and chew. Then, the secretary offered me a piece of meat.
I opened my mouth again mechanically, but as soon as the rich juice of the well-cooked steak filled my mouth, a smile spread across my face.
‘Wow, this is delicious!’
They say food tastes best when someone else makes it for you — and they’re absolutely right!
[You act like you hate it, but you’re loving this.]
Juno’s voice teased me as he grinned wickedly, showing his tiny rice-grain teeth.
‘Whatever. Hmph.’
He wasn’t wrong, though.
I pretended to be bothered, but having someone care for me like this wasn’t such a bad feeling.
Unlike the days when I lived in constant fear of my true identity being discovered, being fussed over and worried about so openly felt… almost like a dream.
So I smiled at Secretary Logan as he handed me another piece of steak.
“Thank you, Uncle.”
“Ha! I knew it — she only says thank you when there’s meat invol—W-wait, Uncle?”
Clutching his heart dramatically, the secretary froze in place as if struck by lightning.
At that moment, I felt a sharp gaze and turned my head.
It was the Duke.
I froze.
‘Ah, right. I wasn’t supposed to call him Uncle in front of the Duke…’
But the secretary, oblivious as ever, puffed himself up and looked smugly at the Duke.
“Well, well. A little attention and she’s already grown attached to me. Children do seem to take to me easily — must be the gentle face, eh? Ha ha!”
No, that’s not it, fake uncle.
Sure, you must miss your missing sister — but the Duke lost his child.
Do you even realize how deep that wound runs?
As expected, the Duke’s face darkened.
His eyes dropped — oddly, toward the steak — but when our gazes met again, my throat tightened and I swallowed hard.
He parted his lips, about to speak, when a servant approached.
“Secretary, a letter from the Imperial Palace.”
The secretary stiffened, took the letter, and gestured for the others to leave.
“Your Grace, shall I dismiss the staff?”
When the Duke nodded, everyone left the dining hall. The secretary examined the seal and spoke gravely.
“It’s the imperial insignia. Hah. They’ve ignored our audience requests all this time, and now this. Someone among the Elders must have reported about the Lady and the Shinsu.”
“Tell them I’m unwell and cannot receive visitors.”
“I’m afraid they anticipated that. They’ve heard you collapsed, so they’re sending someone to teach the children of the household imperial etiquette — Her Highness, the Emperor’s sister, Lady Diana.”
“…What?”
“Duchess Diana Regentanos Lucendiart, Your Grace.”
“…”
So it was Pascal Marquis behind this.
Still, the bait had worked.
They’d sent someone from the Imperial Family itself to teach me the etiquette I needed for my upcoming audience.
There was no way the Duke could refuse that without causing trouble.
But what worried me wasn’t the lesson — it was the instructor.
Because in the future, she would become infamous in high society as the Spider of the Salons — a woman surrounded by scandal.
“Juno? Juno!”
Juno hadn’t shown himself since yesterday, sulking.
And for good reason.
‘Ugh, who brings their familiar to the first lesson? How embarrassing!’
Anyway, after calling his name a few times out of politeness, I followed the maids toward the annex where the classroom was.
All the while, my mind was racing.
Today marked the first week since the imperial guest’s arrival.
The Duke had kept me from attending, using my recovery as an excuse, so the lessons had gone on without me.
And now, on the eve of the royal audience, he had finally given his permission.
‘Strange. The Duke’s never been the type to play power games with the Imperial Family…’
Still, this was my chance — a crisis that could become an opportunity.
Among the noble children in these lessons, there was one whose bloodline was tied to a spiritual medium I needed to awaken.
The first soul to awaken was the Duke’s father — the continent’s only Druid.
Druids had powers deeply connected to nature, and it was said he’d created a special garden with that power.
The medium had to be there — among the many plants he’d studied, only one flower had been mentioned specifically in his records.
And conveniently, the gardener’s child was one of my classmates.
So I had only one plan: become friends with that child and get invited to their home.
‘Except… how do you make friends, exactly? I’ve never been good at that…’
I frowned, lost in thought, until we reached the classroom.
Peeking through the door, Linda and Rosy sighed heavily.
“Oh dear, typical noble brats…”
“Poor Lady Airi, they all look so mean.”
They patted my shoulders in sympathy.
As if.
“Hands off?”
Why weren’t they moving their hands?
When I turned to look, they were grinning — that same mischievous grin I’d seen before.
“W-what? What’s with those faces! You scared me!”
“Pfft, it’s just… you make that same face whenever you’re about to teach someone a lesson.”
“Yeah, that look that says, ‘I’m about to deliver justice.’”
How did they even notice that?!
They just smirked and shrugged, and I had no words.
Sure, maybe there were some old scores I’d been meaning to settle…
But still, what did they take me for — some villainous gang leader?
Just then, click — the classroom door opened.
They quickly pushed me forward, whispering,
“Go on, my lady! Show them how the streets taught you to survive!”
“Those stuck-up nobles are nothing to you, Lady Justice!”
What nonsense.
Anyone listening would think they were genuinely worried I’d get bullied.
I smiled back at them out of habit, and they chirped, “See? Just like that!” before scurrying away.
They’d clearly grown comfortable around me lately.
‘Not good. I need to keep some distance… Once they learn the truth about me, they’ll change anyway.’
Wiping the faint sadness off my face, I stepped confidently into the classroom.
Inside were one adult and several familiar children.
“Lady Airi, how nice to finally meet you. I’m Diana Regentanos Lucendiart. I’m of the royal family, but there’s no need for formality. You may call me Lady Diana — I’ll be teaching you.”
“Thank you, Lady Diana. I’m Airi of House Everhart.”
“Lovely. Now, children, greet your new classmate.”
At her urging, I turned to face them — though my mind was already replaying everything I knew about her.
Golden hair, green eyes — the perfect image of a beauty.
I’d never met her before, but everyone in the empire knew her.
The youngest princess — once beloved by all.
But her life had taken a tragic turn.
Barely a year after her marriage, she was widowed — and rumors spread through society calling her the Spider of the Salons, accusing her of breaking up marriages and ruining homes.
Who knew how much of that was true? Still, her radiant smile now told me the rumors weren’t entirely baseless.
After all, it hadn’t even been a full season since her husband’s death.
‘No one who just lost their husband should be smiling that brightly. Maybe those rumors about her marrying for his looks weren’t lies after all.’
After a careful look, I sat down among the others.
“At a banquet,” she began, “the most important thing is knowing your place. Seating depends on social rank, and violating that order can get you expelled for rudeness. And…”
The lesson was just as dull as I expected.
Since I’d joined late, she’d restarted the material for my sake.
It didn’t bother me — I already knew all of this anyway — but I could sense what was coming next.
Noble children loved showing off, and I doubted they’d sit quietly through a repeat lesson.
“Why do we have to learn this again? Yesterday’s class was way more fun!”
“Because of her, duh. She used to be a commoner.”
“Whoa, really? Commoners don’t know this stuff? That’s weird.”
Their whispering grew louder until Lady Diana tapped her pointer against the desk.
Tap.
“Leopold twins, what did I say last time was the first virtue of a noble?”
The twin boys mumbled in small voices.
“Moral duty…”
“As nobles, we must set an example for those beneath us…”
“So tell me — is complaining about a girl who once lived as a commoner setting an example?”
“We’re sorry, Lady Diana.”
“Please forgive us, Lady Diana.”
She looked pleased as she turned to me.
“There, they’ve apologized. Don’t let it bother you, Lady Airi.”
I could tell she meant well.
But it still rubbed me the wrong way.
‘Ugh, pity me, why don’t you. You’re still treating me like some poor commoner.’
I’d seen this kind of hypocrisy before — nobles so deep in their own hierarchy that they couldn’t even see it.
And she, once adored by the entire nation, was probably the worst of them all.
Still, I simply nodded politely.
But then she said something that made my eyes snap open.
“If the Duke’s household had a proper mistress, you wouldn’t have to learn such basic things. But don’t worry, my dear — I, Diana, will fill that role for now.”
What? Mistress of the Duke’s house?
Who do you think you’re replacing?
