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Episode 8
Julia smiled confidently.
“Yeah, that’s probably what I should do. I can’t just leave Bliss all alone.”
Wilson and Hazel immediately agreed.
“You’ve made the right choice, Miss!”
“Of course! Every child needs their mother!
“Good. Then let’s all return to the mansion tomorrow.”
None of them doubted that they would be welcomed back without any trouble.
Most importantly, all three believed that soft-hearted Charlotte would never be able to kick Julia out once she returned.
After all, what kind of woman was Charlotte?
A foolish woman who had nothing of her own, yet constantly tried to give everything she had to Bliss, even though he wasn’t her biological son.
Julia barely managed to stop herself from laughing.
I’ve spent years wrapping Bliss around my finger. There’s no way he’d throw me out.
She also had even stronger backing than Bliss.
After all, I have the Duke behind me—the only Duke in the entire Empire!
Julia was confident that she would eventually end up in Duke Summerclo’s bed.
Just wait. I’ll steal every last coin from the Arista family and make the Duke notice me!
Meanwhile…
At the same time, in the capital of the Empire.
Inside the townhouse of the Summerclo Ducal Family.
Amber, the Duke’s secretary and a magician, hurried down a hallway.
Twenty-one-year-old Amber was a young man with brilliant red hair and amber-colored eyes.
Soon, he entered the Duke’s office.
Even though it was already late at night, the office was brightly lit.
Scratch. Scratch.
The sound of a quill moving across paper grew louder as Amber approached.
Finally, he stopped in front of the desk.
“Your Grace. I’ve taken care of things in the North and returned.”
The quill finally stopped moving.
So did the large hand holding it, thick with bulging veins.
The owner of that hand, Duke Raymond Summerclo, slowly looked up.
He had dark blue hair so deep it almost looked black and vivid green eyes.
Though he was only two years older than Amber, his massive build made him seem much older.
His body was packed with muscle, and even the slightest movement carried an intimidating presence.
As expected, Raymond put down his pen with a short sigh.
“So in the end, you met that woman, Julia, and finalized the deal.”
His deep voice rumbled through the room.
Grinding his teeth, Raymond ran a hand through his neatly styled hair.
“Go ahead and say something. This time, you have every right to be upset. I knew exactly what you’d do, and I still sent you north.”
Amber shook his head.
“No, Your Grace. Feel free to blame me. I knew how much you hated someone like the late Marquis Arista’s mistress, yet I pushed forward anyway. In fact, you opposed my meeting with Julia until the very end.”
“What touching loyalty.”
“If you understand that, then please win this time too. No one among the Duke’s people wants to die like this.”
At those words, Raymond felt the weight on his shoulders grow even heavier.
He was responsible for more than a thousand retainers and countless citizens living in his territory.
Still, he wasn’t the kind of man to run away from responsibility.
A moment later, the fierce Duke disappeared, replaced by the handsome and gentle Duke known to society.
The cruelty and coldness that only his closest allies and enemies knew about vanished behind a perfect smile.
With a practiced curve of his lips, Raymond said,
“Of course I’ll win. That’s exactly why we’re planning to throw the innocent Arista mother and son out into the streets.”
Amber fell silent.
“To protect my sister and my only nephew, I’ll become whatever I need to become. Villain or otherwise.”
He was smiling, but there was obvious bitterness in his voice.
Amber spoke up in defense of his lord.
“Please don’t blame yourself so much. Wasn’t it His Majesty the Emperor who pushed you into this situation?”
For a moment, Raymond’s eyes sharpened.
“Amber. I wasn’t raised to blame others for my own sins.”
“My apologies. I spoke out of frustration towards His Majesty, who married the future Duchess yet continues to neglect her.”
“I know. That’s why I’m letting it slide. No one cares more about my sister than you and me.”
Tap. Tap.
Raymond lightly tapped the desk.
Despite his refined appearance, his mouth was anything but refined.
“That damned Emperor. Once upon a time, he swore he’d die if he couldn’t marry my sister.”
His smile became dangerous.
“And now he’s threatening to destroy the Summerclo family unless he can put another woman on the throne as Empress?”
His sharp canine teeth showed as he grinned.
Even then, his gentle expression remained perfectly intact.
“The most infuriating part is that he’s even questioning whether my nephew is truly his son.”
Raymond laughed coldly.
“The bastard is so adorable that I’d love to twist his neck personally.”
“If you make the decision, every retainer of the ducal house will follow you and Her Majesty.”
Amber had essentially suggested rebellion.
Yet neither of them seemed surprised.
Raymond chuckled.
“Watch your mouth, Amber. No matter what, the ducal family is one of the pillars supporting the Imperial Family.”
“My apologies.”
Raymond waved it off.
He stood and walked over to a sword displayed in the office.
The bastard sword looked more like a work of art than a weapon.
It had been gifted to his great-grandmother centuries ago when she became the Empire’s first and only Duke.
Standing before it, Raymond clasped his hands behind his back.
“Amber. What exactly is maternal love?”
Amber blinked.
“What?”
“What kind of troublesome emotion makes my sister hesitate like this?”
Only then did Amber realize that Raymond had recently received the same lecture he himself had just heard—from the Empress.
He also realized something else.
Raymond had considered rebellion long before Amber ever had.
Amber’s expression darkened.
“Her Majesty is still worried about Crown Prince Kenneth. Even now, she says she can’t place a bloodstained crown on his head.”
Raymond sighed.
“If only she’d decide to take the throne herself.”
“But no Emperor’s spouse has ever become ruler in the Empire’s history.”
“I know.”
His voice became irritated.
“That’s exactly why it makes me angry. My sister wasn’t meant to spend her life trapped inside the Imperial Palace.”
“Still, if the Stone Shell Mountains become part of the ducal territory, Her Majesty will finally have room to breathe.”
“I know. That’s why I allowed this dirty scheme in the first place.”
Raymond once again criticized his own decision to use Julia.
Yet if obtaining the mine could protect the Empress, his nephew, and the ducal family…
He would point a knife at Charlotte as many times as necessary.
Because it was worth it.
Adamant
Adamant.
The blessed metal granted by the one true god.
Harder than steel.
The only material in the world capable of storing magic.
A miraculous metal worth astronomical sums.
And a massive deposit of it lay hidden in Arista Territory.
Specifically, inside the Stone Shell Mountain Range.
Only Raymond, Amber, and a handful of ducal family members knew this secret.
Even Raymond had discovered it purely by accident while surveying territory near Arista lands.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Raymond loosened the tight cravat around his throat.
“Use the dead Marquis’s mistress to steal the Arista family’s wealth.”
“Then recruit the retainers dissatisfied with the current family head.”
“Help transfer the marquis title to a collateral branch.”
“In exchange, receive ownership of the Stone Shell Mountains.”
Clicking his tongue, Raymond muttered,
“What a wonderfully gentlemanly plan.”
Amber cautiously spoke.
“If it bothers you this much, should we approach Lady Charlotte directly now?”
Raymond didn’t move.
Amber continued.
“We could negotiate with her personally. Or if she’s driven out of the family, we could make arrangements to support her afterward.”
“No.”
Raymond immediately rejected the idea.
He turned around and looked directly at Amber.
“No need.”
He walked back to his desk and sat down.
“This plan was created when that troublesome Marquis was still alive.”
“Now that he’s dead, there’s no reason to change our methods.”
“More importantly, we’ve spent too long recruiting the Arista retainers already. Changing course now would only create unnecessary problems.”
“Understood.”
“So the dice have already been thrown.”
Raymond calmly reached for his documents again.
“All that’s left now is to wait.”
At that moment, Raymond had no idea.
He couldn’t even imagine that before long, he would fall so hopelessly in love with Charlotte that giving her his liver wouldn’t seem nearly enough.
