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CHAPTER 09
“…I’m saving it for later. Sometimes, patience is needed to gain a bigger advantage.”
“You really are thoughtful. Then we must make sure nothing leaks about this incident. It should be revealed at the decisive moment later. Understood. I’ll make sure the witnesses stay silent.”
I looked at the butler with pity as he dutifully accepted everything and took charge of cleaning up the mess.
Adrian, you’ve ruined another man.
“Luna, if there’s something you want, tell the butler.”
“Pardon? I only did what I was supposed to…”
“Are you saying you’ll refuse a reward from me?”
“N-No! Of course not! I’ll think carefully and let you know! Thank you so much, Master!”
Luna frantically waved her hands and then cautiously approached, kneeling to neatly place my slippers before me.
I tightened my nightgown and slipped them on.
“I’m all sticky from the sweat. Get the bath ready.”
“……”
For some reason, Luna seemed lost in thought.
Ahem! The butler cleared his throat, and only then did Luna snap out of it, clearly flustered.
“S-Sorry! Could you please repeat what you just said…?”
Terrified, Luna trembled like a leaf. Seeing her pitiful state, the butler glanced at me and subtly stepped in.
“Luna, the Master asked for a bath to be prepared.”
“Yes! Right away!”
As Luna walked toward the bathroom, I noticed her back was drenched with sweat.
‘Did she have something to say to me…? Did I imagine it?’
The long 90-minute grooming session had finally ended.
It had only been two hours since I got up, but I already longed for my bed again.
“Hand mirror.”
“Here you go, Master.”
I took the mirror from Luna and carefully inspected my face and neck.
Since I’d been choked to the point of fainting, there should’ve been petechiae on my face and hand-shaped bruises on my neck.
Also, I’d scraped my elbow and face when I fell, so there should be marks there too.
But my body was spotless. Not a scratch.
‘This must also be Piace’s power.’
Normally, priests needed to recite prayers to channel divine power.
More wounds meant repeating the prayer several times, and deeper wounds made the prayers longer.
As far as I knew, only Owen could heal an entire body with a single prayer.
‘And even Owen could only treat external injuries…’
But Piace healed both external wounds and internal illness with just a touch of her finger.
‘She’s far too young and kind for the power she holds. She’ll need companions who can protect her from being taken advantage of.’
I needed more information about Piace.
What her relationship with Adrian was, and whether she even knew what kind of power she possessed.
“Butler, prepare a report on Piace. There’s something I need to confirm.”
“Yes, Master.”
Even though it was a sudden command, the butler didn’t show a hint of doubt.
And being the capable man he was, he brought back the report in just half a day.
“Master, I’ve completed the report you requested this morning. Would you like to review it?”
“Bring it.”
The report handed to me bore a simple title:
It was a summary of Piace’s information. The first page categorized it by age.
‘Name: Piace Ebrante, of the Ebrante family… huh? She’s a ward?’
Surprisingly, Piace had been registered as a ward of the Ebrante family by Adrian about five months ago.
What kind of change of heart did Adrian have to decide on guardianship with his personality?
Tilting my head, I continued reading.
‘Age: Five. Birthday is… oh? Not far off.’
Perfect. A birthday gift wouldn’t seem suspicious.
Smiling quietly, I flipped through the pages.
‘Wow, she was the prettiest girl at the orphanage? Five noble families regularly sponsored her. And adoption was requested… what? 33 times? So many families wanted our Piace. But the director refused every time? Hmm…’
Piace was finally approved for adoption when she turned three.
Her adoptive family: The Marquis of Molton.
A household with a decent reputation and currently has a seven-year-old only daughter.
“…That’s it?”
The adoption record was only three lines long.
Everything after that was missing, and her file resumed from age four.
“This is all? What about the records from age three to four?”
“None exist. That was during her adoption period.”
“And that’s all the information you have? She’s not just any child—she’s the family’s official ward.”
“Ah… I did send people to approach the household’s staff, but they all failed. Their loyalty seems strong.”
“Butler, I don’t want excuses.”
“My apologies. I’ll request assistance from an information guild immediately. We’ll get different results from professionals.”
I flipped through the report without responding.
- Mute for one year.
- Diagnosed with enuresis. Personality changes noted.
- Muteness evolved into severe stuttering. Signs of depression.
- Underweight due to low appetite. Needs nutritional care.
- Officially registered as a ward of the Ebrante family.
There was no record of Piace ever using her healing power.
Fine. But what happened after she was disowned?
‘Did something happen at her adoptive home? This really does look like abuse…’
Just as I was lost in those dark thoughts, the butler spoke.
“So, how shall we proceed… Master, are you listening?”
“…What did you say?”
“The Academy has recommended Miss Piace for admission. This is their second attempt. How shall we respond?”
The Academy? I looked up.
“When was the first request?”
“Right after she was registered as a ward of the family, they sent the application.”
I checked the report again.
Piace had been made a ward five months ago.
Subsequent records focused on her health, which, while small in stature, was now considered stable.
But there was nothing about education. Piace was nearly six years old.
“Do you remember why I delayed her admission back then?”
“You didn’t give a specific reason. But after bringing her from the orphanage, your health was quite poor.”
“Oh, right. I was sick and ended up postponing everything related to her.”
I closed the report and tapped it with my fingers.
“Can a five-year-old attend the Academy?”
“Enrollment is now permitted from age five.”
I hadn’t been asking about eligibility. It just felt… early.
“When you attended, the minimum was seven, but they lowered it a few years ago at the nobles’ request.”
My ears perked up at that.
‘So Adrian attended the Academy?’
This was a perfect opportunity to learn more about Adrian. I casually flipped through the report.
“What’s the Academy like these days? Is it similar to when I went?”
“It’s far more prestigious now. Nearly every noble child in the capital attends. It’s a great opportunity to form connections and ties with the royal family. Wasn’t it at the Academy that you became close to that person?”
“…!”
The “person” he mentioned had to be the prince.
I quickly recalled the current ages of the princes.
First Prince: 29.
Second Prince: 26.
Third Prince: 25.
Which one was it?
“The factions supporting the princes are largely divided based on connections formed at the Academy—except for the Third Prince, who dropped out midway.”
My mind started racing.
If Leonhart dropped out of the Academy…
‘It must’ve been because of his asthma.’
“I don’t remember clearly… Was I close with the Third Prince?”
“Rather than close, you were very interested in him.”
So it wasn’t Leonhart I’d gotten close to.
“You wanted to know everything about him.”
“…Huh?”
“You were especially interested in his friendships. You even scheduled daily briefings on him.”
“……”
“Even after he left the Academy, you kept someone monitoring his surroundings.”
Isn’t that… stalking?
“At the time, rumors said the Third Prince’s asthma was so severe, he wouldn’t live long. You instructed me to contact the attendants at his palace. You said that, considering succession, a parent’s health is vital.”
“Succession…?”
“You had selected the Third Prince as the family’s future son-in-law. Naturally, succession was on your mind.”
Didn’t Adrian start at the Academy at age seven?
And at that age, she was already picking out a son-in-law?
A chilling realization crawled up my spine.
“How long did that go on?”
“Until the Third Prince volunteered for the Demon King’s expedition. So… about twelve years.”
“Twelve… years…”
“If he hadn’t joined the expedition, he’d probably be our family’s son-in-law by now.”
It was no wonder Leonhart hated Adrian with every fiber of his being.
‘He was stalked for twelve whole years!’
