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Chapter 47
After sending the children out, the office was filled with only silence.
The first to speak was Zigmunt.
“Alright then… shall we begin the operation meeting?”
Sitting at his desk, hands clasped, his jaw resting upon them, Zigmunt spoke coldly.
He had gone straight to Ashilonia without rest after returning from the Hermetic State, so he could easily have been tired. Yet Zigmunt’s gaze was as rational and sharp as ever.
“Yes. First, here’s a brief summary of the plan I’ve prepared.”
Rundwell, moving briskly with determined eyes, mirrored the same focus. He placed a single sheet of paper in front of Zigmunt.
Titled: “The Great Operation to Rescue Miss Maybel!”
Reading the grandiose title, Zigmunt rolled his eyes and glanced over the contents. Then he immediately looked at Rundwell.
“…Is that all?”
Despite Zigmunt’s dry question, Rundwell did not flinch an inch.
“Yes, that’s everything.”
He even adjusted his glasses confidently, as if unaware of when he had put them on.
Zigmunt looked back down at the paper. Only three lines were written:
- Dain, who headed to Ashilonia, will detain Caesar.
- Present evidence using Kellic’s abilities once the trial begins.
- Spend happy days with Maybel for the time being.
“…Are you joking?!”
Thud!
Zigmunt slammed the desk and sprang up.
Yet Rundwell looked genuinely confused, as if he didn’t see what was wrong.
“Master Kellic saw everything, didn’t he? And Your Grace brought plenty of magic stones from the Hermetic State. Isn’t that enough?”
“No, this isn’t that simple. It’s a matter of Maybel’s parental rights, parental rights! And what’s this ‘for the time being’?”
Zigmunt hit his chest repeatedly, frustrated, as if trying to vent the sudden irritation he felt today.
Even so, Rundwell’s expression softened, seeing Zigmunt struggle to contain his anger.
“So you’re saying, if not just temporarily, you actually plan to register her as an adopted daughter?”
“That’s…”
“Really, are you trying to secure her as the heir to silence the elders, just as Dain suggested?”
Zigmunt’s lips tightened.
“That cannot happen, Your Grace. Miss Maybel has already suffered greatly from her family.”
“I know that. That’s why we’re trying to bring her back from Ashilonia, right?”
“Changing her registry against her will? And then asking for help for the sake of the Esclide Duke House?”
Rundwell’s pointed words made it difficult for Zigmunt to respond.
“Your Grace, I do not believe the Esclide Duke House, to which I have devoted my life, is so weak that it must rely on a child’s power to endure.”
“……”
Of course, the issue of succession was urgent and important. But it wasn’t so urgent that a wounded child needed to be sacrificed again. There were other ways to resolve the succession problem.
“So then, what should we do? I just don’t want Maybel—or any child—to get hurt again.”
Zigmunt ran his fingers repeatedly through his hair, clearly frustrated. His touch ruffled his fine silver hair.
Seeing Zigmunt so restless, Rundwell spoke calmly, as if soothing a child.
“Your Grace, even a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. Drinking water too quickly will upset your stomach—how much less can we rush the process of becoming part of this child’s family?”
Rundwell could speak this way because he had grown up with Zigmunt since childhood.
Afraid that Maybel might have to return to Ashilonia or end up in an orphanage, Zigmunt’s restless pacing finally slowed.
He listened quietly to Rundwell.
“Saving Miss Maybel from that scoundrel’s grasp? I am all for it. Absolutely for it.”
Even Zigmunt’s cursing had been largely influenced by Rundwell.
“But what we can do stops here. From now on, wherever she stays, with whomever, or whoever she chooses as family, her choice comes first.”
“Maybel’s… choice.”
“Yes. And consider this: although Your Grace had little time to see her because you had to leave for the Hermetic State immediately, would she open her heart just because you force her to stay?”
Zigmunt thought carefully.
The way she had tried to leave abruptly, the way she cried with joy at recognizing him yet resisted as if it were a kidnapping…
Maybel had a strong sense of self despite her upbringing. She clearly drew boundaries.
From the story about her claiming she had no money for lemonade to asking Zigmunt to “employ” her as an assistant…
“Indeed, she may stay here, but she won’t feel comfortable.”
“Yes. I agree. Even here, she would be constantly cautious. That cannot be allowed.”
No matter how much others tried to help, a wounded child’s inner pain cannot be fully healed; all efforts are mere first aid.
Convinced by Rundwell, Zigmunt slumped into his chair.
“Alright… let’s take it slowly then.”
Though his voice was calmer, it still carried dissatisfaction, but it was a problem that couldn’t be solved immediately.
Thus, Zigmunt chose to focus on solving the immediate issues rather than looking too far ahead.
“First, we prepare to secure a perfect victory at the trial.”
A week later.
An urgent noble trial was held in the Greenhurst Empire.
The parties involved were none other than the Esclide Duke House and the Ashilonia Ducal House.
It was well-known that the two houses were not on good terms, so the public’s attention was captivated.
The sudden reason for the trial, which avoided direct conflict until now, was the child.
There was no story more interesting in the otherwise dull daily life.
On the day of the trial, the area in front of the Greenhurst Supreme Court was packed with people.
“Look! Look, they’re coming! Esclide is here!”
“Over here! Over here, Ashilonia’s carriage!”
Excited crowds refused to make way, causing a traffic jam.
Meanwhile, Zigmunt, riding in the carriage, worried about Maybel.
“We already made arrangements so you wouldn’t need to appear at the trial. How about returning now?”
“Right, Maybel. You can stay with me; that’s enough.”
Kellic, who came with them, urged Maybel to trust him.
Stepping out of the carriage would expose her to countless gazes. Could she endure the pressure?
Yet Maybel shook her head repeatedly.
“It’s still my trial. Even if I don’t have to speak, I still want to be there.”
Over the past week, Zigmunt had learned that Maybel was unusually conscientious for her age.
So conscientious, in fact, that after discovering the value of her wages, she added a clause in her employment contract to charge for everything she consumed, wore, or used.
Even though the contract was already signed, and Zigmunt and Dain protested, it was futile.
They only managed to compromise by treating additional payments as “performance bonuses” for when Maybel helped.
At first, Maybel intended to simply accept the Duke House’s support.
If only I stop calling Lord Zigmunt ‘Dad’ in my dreams…
Even after returning to Esclide, she kept dreaming of calling Zigmunt “Dad.”
Why did she keep having such dreams? Did she unconsciously desire it so much?
Before letting her wish turn into reckless greed, she decided to draw a line.
I prepared well, but I don’t know how this trial will end.
Ultimately, the priests could not persuade her, and she descended with them.
“Look! The Ashilonia princess is here!”
“The Ashilonia princess actually came in the Duke House’s carriage?”
People whispered and gossiped as they pointed at Maybel.
The crowd’s density was so high that even Zigmunt’s intimidating gaze could only do so much to silence them.
Fortunately, Maybel was doing better than expected.
In fact, she felt a little excited thinking that people would finally witness the darker side of Ashilonia.
Maybe I have a bit of a spotlight-seeking side after all.
She had even adapted quickly to the servants’ over-the-top attention, which had initially felt strange.
Discovering this new self made Maybel’s expression slightly brighter.
At last, the trial began.
