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Chapter : 11
“Were you reading a book, young lady?”
The person who entered was Sally.
Rachel kept her gaze fixed on the book and did not respond at all.
Sally’s expression, watching her, twisted slightly in displeasure.
Rachel had always been rather quiet, but she would still occasionally talk with Margaret or Sally.
That is, until Vivian arrived.
‘Now that the troublemaker is gone, it’s time to get close to Rachel again.’
Sally smiled in satisfaction and approached Rachel’s side.
“Lady. It’s not study time right now, so why don’t you take a break? I want to play with dolls.”
“……”
“Or how about playing house?”
Sally suggested several games, but Rachel ignored her completely and kept reading.
At that, irritation slowly rose in Sally’s chest.
That anger was directed not at Rachel, but at Vivian.
“Lady, you must be glad that noisy country bumpkin isn’t around anymore, right? It was hard to read with her around.”
At the mention of Vivian, Rachel—who had only been reading—turned her gaze toward Sally.
Sally took that as agreement and grew excited.
“I knew from the start that girl would run away quickly. Acting all sweet and friendly like that alone.”
“……”
“But don’t worry, Lady. I will always stay by your side—”
“…Go.”
“Pardon?”
“I said leave because you’re noisy.”
Sally flinched at Rachel’s cold voice.
Those blue eyes facing her held a chilling intensity, as if they could cut flesh.
In the end, overwhelmed by that pressure, Sally retreated into the garden. Trembling with anger, she kicked a nearby flowerpot.
With a crash, the pot toppled and shattered on the ground.
“It’s all because of that girl!”
Still seething, Sally kicked at the broken pieces in frustration.
“A country bumpkin dares to seduce the man who was meant to be my husband?”
Sally repeated what her mother had once told her, burning with rage.
Margaret had told her to get along with Rachel.
[Right now, the young lady is living as a girl due to circumstances, but when she grows up, she’ll become a boy and marry you.]
[Me and Rachel will get married?]
[Yes. So you must play with her and get along. Understand?]
“So what if that’s the case! Rachel is still going to marry me anyway!”
“Hey there, little one.”
Just then, a stranger’s voice came from beside her.
It was the guest sent by the Emperor who had arrived at Edelvine Manor a week ago.
He smiled gently and continued speaking.
“Could you tell me more about what you just said?”
“…Huh?”
“How can the young lady, who is a girl, become your husband?”
The man’s gently smiling eyes glinted eerily.
Late at night, Kalz was reviewing documents in his office.
In the heavy silence, a knock sounded.
“Your Grace, may I come in for a moment?”
Owen entered the office and immediately reported.
“The inspectors say they will return to the capital the day after tomorrow.”
“So soon?”
Kalz raised one eyebrow.
‘I thought they would stay about a month since they came such a long way.’
On the surface, the Emperor had sent inspectors under the pretense of checking on his old master living in the countryside.
But in reality, it was surveillance.
To ensure Kalz was not plotting rebellion with the imperial bloodline he had taken in.
And if they discovered that Rachel was a boy…
‘They would try to kill Rachel.’
Of course, officially she would be nothing more than the illegitimate child of the late Lady Isella, so she should not be touched.
That made it even more dangerous.
They would simply send someone in secret.
That was exactly the kind of thing the Emperor would do.
A timid man who feared and resented the existence of a more capable nephew.
The reason he had moved to this remote countryside was also because of that.
As Rachel grew, it would become harder to conceal the fact that she was a boy.
Still, he had expected some surveillance and had placed Vivian by Rachel’s side—but he had not expected them to withdraw their inspectors so quickly.
‘But to bring them all the way here and then pull them out immediately…’
Something felt off.
At that moment, an image surfaced in his mind.
Even at the moment of her death, his daughter had only worried about “Rahedis”—Rachel.
Kalz snapped out of his thoughts and spoke.
“Strengthen the security of the villa.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After handling the urgent matter, Owen handed over another document.
“And this?”
“I gathered information regarding Vivian Hessen and her father, Dias Hessen, as you ordered.”
A week ago, after the inspectors had arrived, Kalz had asked Owen to investigate Vivian.
‘The timing of the inspectors’ arrival and that girl entering the manor is too coincidental.’
Of course, since he himself had brought Vivian in, it was unlikely she was connected to the Emperor.
But after facing the inspectors, he had started to reconsider.
Perhaps he had carelessly brought an unknown common girl into the manor.
‘Better to verify things properly.’
Kalz tilted his head slightly, and Owen began his briefing.
“The father is the only family. Dias Hessen, 29 years old. He currently runs a bakery in the village.”
“And the wife?”
“She passed away before they settled in the village. It seems he has been raising the child alone since then.”
“What about his reputation?”
“He has a very good relationship with the villagers. His bond with his daughter is also said to be excellent.”
“When did they settle here?”
“Five years ago, he moved here with his daughter. He does not seem to have been a baker before that, but no one knows his past.”
“I see.”
The lack of records before his arrival was somewhat suspicious.
However, since he had been living here before the Edelvine ducal house purchased the manor, there seemed to be no connection to the Emperor.
It was unlikely the Emperor had known of this place and planted someone here in advance.
‘But it is possible he recruited someone after learning I was coming here.’
Kalz asked,
“Did the Emperor’s people make contact with the girl’s father?”
“On the day the inspectors arrived, imperial knights visited the bakery. Judging from their conversation, they did not gain anything significant.”
“And after that?”
“No further contact so far. And also…”
Owen handed Kalz the notebook he was holding.
“There is something else I should report.”
On the cover, the words “Viv’s stuff” were written neatly in childlike handwriting.
“What is this?”
“A report Vivian sent to Your Grace. She observed and analyzed the imperial knights.”
“…That girl? Why would she observe them?”
At Kalz’s question, Owen recalled what had happened earlier that day.
A servant had delivered the notebook, saying Vivian had given it.
Owen, curious, had gone to find her.
When he asked why she had sent it to His Grace, she had replied:
[Because I’m on the Duke’s side!]
Thinking of that, Owen spoke with a faint smile.
“She said she is on Your Grace’s side.”
Kalz opened the notebook with a doubtful expression.
Inside were pages filled with neat, carefully written childlike handwriting.
March 21. Clear weather.
I came home after a delicious meal and found three knight uncles.
One was big, one was thin, and the leader seemed to be average-sized.
They asked whether the young lady was doing well and whether I had ever seen her use magic.
When I said I hadn’t, they got angry.
So my dad told them to stop, but they seemed even angrier.
So before things got worse, I chased them away.
“Ha.”
A faint laugh slipped from Kalz’s lips as he finished reading.
