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Chapter: 16
I had only intended to close my eyes for a moment, but when I opened them, quite some time had passed.
Maybe it was the long, nonstop ride in the carriage, but fatigue kept washing over me.
Seria rubbed her stiff eyes.
“I’ll get up in a little while…”
She laid her head down and turned onto her side.
“…!”
Not long after closing her eyes again, she heard the voices of several people nearby.
They said they’d make sure no one could come in—well, there you go.
Instantly awake, Seria got up and went toward the door.
“Is it really okay for us to be here?”
“This one worries too much.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I checked everything.”
The three maids were chattering excitedly among themselves.
Did they not realize someone might be listening inside the room?
Seria placed her hand on the doorknob.
“Really a noble lady, huh?”
“I told you! And of all people, a lowly agent of Azentain…”
“Don’t you see it’s just them sticking together? You should’ve seen how friendly it looked when you first came in. I’ve never seen anyone act that way.”
Lowly?
That was something she had never heard while living in the monastery.
Why should Azentains be considered lowly?
The rejection shown by the people of Antithesia wasn’t just because she was foreign—it was outright hatred.
Seria gripped the doorknob tighter.
“What are they doing here?”
A familiar voice came from beyond the door.
At that moment, the chattering maids fell silent.
“I told you no one should come in.”
It was Teodor.
Seria let her hand drop from the doorknob.
By the time the clattering footsteps of the maids faded away, the door opened, and Teodor appeared.
“Seria.”
“…”
Seria didn’t respond and went to sit on the sofa.
Teodor checked to make sure no one was outside and then closed the door.
“You’ve waited long.”
“No. It’s fine.”
“Did you hear what they were saying outside?”
“And if I did?”
Seria lowered her head as she spoke.
She knew she should be able to brush off remarks like that, but she couldn’t.
If this was how she, an adopted daughter, was treated, she could only imagine how other Azentains were treated.
Thinking of them made her blood boil.
“Hmm…”
She forced down the emotions that threatened to burst and raised her head.
Teodor sat across from her, looking as indifferent and calm as ever.
Except for the blood on his collar.
“What’s that blood on your clothes?”
“It’s not mine.”
“Haha… In your Antithesia, do parents and children even show blood when they meet?”
Seria’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
Teodor stared at her intently.
“Don’t read my mind.”
“That’s not it.”
Shaking his head, Teodor placed a small case on the table.
“What’s this?”
Seria eyed both Teodor and the case warily.
“Open it.”
Teodor gestured toward the case on the table, silently prompting her to open it.
Reluctantly, Seria reached out and opened the case.
Inside was a seal engraved with Seria’s name, alongside the rose vine emblem of the Belbart family.
A family seal usually signifies authority.
Giving her this seal meant officially granting her the right to wield the family’s power—but what was his intention?
“What does this mean?”
“Let’s just say it’s for your convenience. Use it freely when needed.”
It wouldn’t be easy for Seria to use the seal as she pleased.
As an adopted Azentain daughter, with no Belbart blood, what power could she realistically wield?
It was purely ceremonial. Teodor surely knew this.
Seria closed the seal’s case and placed it back on the table.
“By the way, when will I meet the Duke of Belbart?”
“Not right now. Perhaps I’ll meet him while I’m away.”
“That doesn’t matter. The important thing is proving my usefulness.”
When showing her abilities before the Duke of Belbart, she couldn’t let him see her weak side.
She had to appear like a tool that could be used at will.
“Your father will want to observe you slowly. He won’t act until he’s certain.”
“And we don’t know how long that will take.”
“Exactly. So we have to draw him out first.”
Teodor stood and drew the curtains. Sunlight poured into the dim room.
It had been too dark to notice at first, but the room was quite old.
The furniture and wallpaper looked as if they hadn’t been touched in a very long time.
“And from now on, if you have anything important to discuss, do it here. Except for cases like just now, no one comes into this room.”
“Is there something special about this place?”
Teodor, looking out the window, paused briefly before speaking.
“Not really, but I hate it when people touch my room.”
“…This is your room?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s my former room.”
This room didn’t match the status of Belbart’s only heir.
The lowly treatment and unfriendly gazes of the servants spoke volumes.
And that word “sticking together” from the maid—Teodor, like her, was treated as lowly.
Seria had a rough idea of what that meant.
“Why the expression?”
Seeing Seria’s suddenly serious face, Teodor spoke.
“I thought about it. From the moment you entered this mansion, the way the servants looked at you… none of it showed respect for the family heir.”
“It’s natural to be wary of Belbart. Servants can’t help it.”
“But that doesn’t usually mean ignoring someone above them. Usually.”
Teodor was silent for a moment, unsure if she meant to offend him or not.
“Well, it’s not wrong. But they have their pride. The pride of serving a great family like Belbart.”
Teodor’s voice was light, almost deliberately so, mismatched to the situation.
“So a lowly heir born of a gypsy wouldn’t satisfy them.”
So that was it.
From her brief look around, she understood why no trace of the previous master’s presence could be seen anywhere.
An heir born through a gypsy’s bloodline—the Belbart family heir.
It was a huge secret in terms of birth, but since the servants already knew, it was probably common knowledge.
Seria stared at Teodor.
“Why aren’t you doing anything? You must know what the servants are thinking.”
“Because it’s a waste of time. I’m too busy to worry about each servant.”
“So you gave up early. Now you’re just used to it.”
“…”
Teodor gave no reaction. She took it as tacit agreement.
After all his posturing, he had a weakness.
Seria smirked inwardly.
The real power in this mansion was the Duke of Belbart. Even Teodor had no sway.
This meant that for Seria to exercise even minimal authority, she needed the Duke’s recognition.
“All the more reason I need to gain the Duke of Belbart’s recognition quickly. His power is absolute in this mansion.”
“…Yeah.”
Teodor nodded willingly.
Seeing him accept his own weakness slightly widened Seria’s eyes.
His seemingly perfect demeanor had been an effort to hide his insecurities.
But why am I feeling sympathy for him now?
Thinking that, Seria turned her gaze silently to the sky outside.
The clouds were thick—snow seemed imminent.
“Is there a good strategy to move my father?”
“Not yet.”
The Duke of Belbart must have heard of Teodor’s wind-controlling abilities.
The surest way to gain the Duke’s recognition would be to demonstrate her abilities directly—but the Duke rarely left his bedroom.
“Your father has delegated full authority to me, but, as you said, within this mansion he’s absolute. So there will be people acting as his eyes everywhere.”
Teodor looked out the window.
Ivan’s loyal retinue was already lurking nearby, keeping watch on this place.
Teodor clicked his tongue softly and closed the curtains.
“In that case…”
“They’ll relay the news on their own.”
In other words, she had to throw out the bait.
Ivan already doubted Seria’s usefulness. He’d only need to see a small possibility.
Seria had figured out what to do.
A small smile curved across her lips.
