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Chapter 26
“I can’t believe Duke Kreutz is appearing on the show! I never would’ve imagined it!”
“I know, right? Your Majesty, did you personally ask the Duke to make an appearance?”
Not at all.
Though Cayenne Kreutz was the Empress’s son on the family tree, there was no personal contact between them whatsoever.
…Well, except for the fact that Erzea secretly checked on Cayenne from time to time, sent him tonics anonymously, felt bad whenever she saw the lights still on in the top floor of the Mage Tower late at night, and punished those who spread malicious rumors about him — all without anyone knowing.
On the surface, they were nothing more than a cold stepmother and her adopted son.
“Even if Your Majesty didn’t ask him directly, maybe the Duke found out this was your project and came to help. Like a cameo appearance!”
‘…Really?’
Erzea’s ears perked up.
She and Cayenne barely exchanged New Year’s greetings once a year, and their relationship was worse than that of strangers.
Considering the political landscape, Erzea couldn’t — and didn’t intend to — get any closer to Cayenne. Whether they wanted it or not, the imperial court had long been divided between the former Crown Prince’s faction and Cayenne’s faction, and Erzea was the Crown Prince’s biological mother.
‘But… he came to help me?’
Still, Cayenne’s behavior toward the female contestant had seemed far too unusual for him to have intervened just for that reason.
‘Come to think of it, who was that woman again? His secretary, wasn’t she?’
They’d looked awfully close — definitely not just a boss and secretary.
“Margaret.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Her chief lady-in-waiting replied briskly.
“Look into that girl named Frisia Violet.”
“Yes. I’ll find out right away.”
Margaret’s information network was formidable.
Within two hours, a report packed full of details about Frisia Violet’s background was placed before Erzea.
As she read, her eyes narrowed slightly.
‘So that’s how it is…?’
I thought I’d disguised myself pretty well with the hood.
But the moment I stepped into the busy street, people’s eyes turned toward me.
“Isn’t that her? You know, from the video sphere yesterday…”
“Huh? For real? That messy hair looks familiar.”
Flustered, I tugged the hood lower over my face.
I never thought I’d actually experience what it’s like to be a public figure!
‘Guess everyone really did watch that broadcast yesterday.’
Well, the final viewership had hit 76%, hadn’t it?
I hurried straight toward my destination.
<Lloyd Law Office>
The moment I stepped inside, Lawyer Lloyd jumped up from his chair.
“Ah, Miss! You’re here!”
With exaggerated courtesy, he pulled out a chair for me.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Please, have a seat. What would you like to drink?”
He was acting more like a personal butler than a lawyer.
He’d always been polite, but never this over-the-top.
‘Ah, he must’ve seen the broadcast too.’
I shook my head.
“There’s nothing going on between me and the Duke.”
“Oh, come on.”
He gave me a knowing look that made me want to roll my eyes.
Seriously — there isn’t!
But trying to deny it any further would just tire me out. No one believed me anyway — not even the servants at home.
Since this morning, they’d been waiting on me like I was royalty. They practically looked ready to cut my steak for me.
Even my uncle had scurried away when he ran into me earlier.
Hmm.
‘This rumor… might actually be useful?’
Hiding my real thoughts, I got straight to the point.
“Last time, you mentioned that to reclaim my family estate, I either needed to find a temporary husband myself, or — though it’s more complicated — create a legal ghost identity. Right?”
“Yes. And lately, quite a few clients have managed to protect their family rights using that second method. The old law forbidding unmarried women from becoming heads of noble houses is practically obsolete now. No one inspects those cases too closely. Since the ‘husband’ doesn’t actually exist, you won’t even have to deal with divorce paperwork later.”
“And the downside is the cost, right?”
“Exactly.”
“You didn’t tell me the exact figure last time. How much should I expect?”
“The administrative work is rather complicated, so the minimum service fee would be about 80,000 gold.”
Lloyd smiled awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed to quote such a sum to someone just starting out in society.
But I wasn’t just an ordinary rookie anymore.
‘Eighty thousand gold, huh? That still leaves me with twenty thousand to spare.’
After all, I was the special case rookie who’d “earned the favor of her superior and received a 100,000-gold bonus.”
I nodded.
“Alright. I’ll pay the 80,000. Let’s go with the second option.”
“What? You can afford that kind of money…? Ah, of course.”
Lloyd smiled knowingly.
“A capable woman who becomes the Archmage’s secretary right after graduation — and even shares such a close relationship with him — wouldn’t find that sum difficult. My apologies for underestimating you.”
“It’s not like that,” I muttered.
“To think your uncle dared to oppose someone like you… that fool. The day he’s stripped down to his underwear and thrown out is fast approaching. Heh heh heh.”
“That’s not— …ugh, forget it.”
Either way, I was satisfied with the outcome. No point correcting him.
“I’ll prepare everything perfectly. Please handle the part I asked of you as well.”
I nodded firmly.
Lately, I’d been secretly stealing my uncle’s ledgers from the estate.
Ever since I took over internal affairs as his legal ward, I’d been gathering proof of just how thoroughly he’d been draining our family’s wealth.
“It’s taking longer than I thought. He’s made such a mess of everything.”
Absurd investments, extravagance, embezzlement — even illegal gambling.
The evidence was everywhere, scattered in all directions, so I had to collect it carefully.
But I wasn’t in any rush.
If anything, I felt thrilled knowing I had so much ammunition to destroy him.
“I’ll make sure this case is a complete success!”
Lloyd’s voice sounded even more confident than before.
‘If he thinks I’m close with the Duke, he won’t dare do a sloppy job.’
Honestly, this rumor was turning out to be pretty convenient.
Feeling much lighter, I left the law office.
Just as I was about to hail a carriage home—
‘…Huh?’
A familiar face appeared from the dress shop across the street.
‘Felix?’
Right behind him came Lorena, arms full of shopping bags.
Probably shopping for the gown she’d wear to the upcoming graduation ball. Whatever. Not my problem.
‘If I run into them, it’ll just ruin my mood.’
I pulled my hood lower and turned away—
“Oh my! Frill?”
Lorena’s high-pitched voice cut through the air.
Damn it. How could her eyes be that sharp?
Cursing inwardly, I quickened my pace.
“Hey! You!”
Felix’s angry footsteps came stomping toward me.
I could feel the force of his hand about to yank my shoulder—
—but I dodged just in time.
Nice try. No way you’re touching me again.
“Ugh!”
Felix stumbled forward awkwardly, his face flushing red from embarrassment.
“You! So you are fooling around with that Duke? You accused me of cheating with Lorena and demanded compensation, but you’re the one seeing another man?!”
