MDBCD 17

Chapter 17

The next morning, breakfast was held in the dining hall on the first floor of the Grand Duke’s residence.

As soon as she woke up, Ibel changed into an indoor dress and wandered the corridor, quietly taking in a small shock.

‘It’s this dark? Even though it’s morning!’

No one drew the curtains or opened the windows.

When she asked Eloi, she was told that they only ventilated briefly at the exact time the sun was highest, then immediately shut everything again.

‘Are they cheering for mold to thrive or something?’

Clicking her tongue, she arrived at the dining hall, which was at least brighter. The curtains were open, after all.

“Did you sleep well, Ibel?”

“Yes. I don’t even remember how I fell asleep.”

She must have been so exhausted that she passed out like she was possessed.

As she sat blankly waiting for the soup, Genevieve soon appeared. The twins… naturally, were nowhere to be seen.

“Goodness, it’s getting hotter by the day.”

Opening the conversation like that, Genevieve glanced at Ibel before heading to her usual seat.

The seat to the left of the head of the family belonged to the eldest elder of the household.

‘This seat is still mine.’

That fact alone brought her some satisfaction, allowing Genevieve to regain a bit of composure.

Though she had slept poorly and was still on edge, there was no way she could leave Victor alone with some young woman of unknown origin.

Who knew what they might scheme?

From the start, Victor’s change was probably all because of this young woman. He was at an age full of vigor, after all.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Have you both recovered from your travel fatigue?”

For now, the greetings were smooth. It bothered her that no honorifics were used, but… in truth, Genevieve’s position was quite ambiguous.

She held no independent title, had no occupation. She wasn’t the lady of the house, yet she wasn’t married either, so she couldn’t be called “madam.”

Knowing that, Genevieve let it pass despite her displeasure.

Meanwhile, Victor quietly pulled the salad bowl placed in the center of the table toward himself.

In most grand ducal households, even this would be done by a servant, but he disliked excessive service.

“Anselm is forbidden from going out, and Damian isn’t in good condition, so he’ll be eating in his room.”

Soon after, Victor served salad onto Ibel’s plate first.

He left out the kohlrabi, knowing she disliked it.

“I see. You’re not starving them, right?”

“Of course not. Anselm will also eat in his room.”

Genevieve listened silently to their conversation, her eyes flashing.

What mattered most to her was just how much influence this unknown girl held over Victor.

“Of all things, Anselm had to cause such an incident! I do hope you weren’t too startled.”

With that as her opening, Genevieve continued in a falsely gentle tone.

“You weren’t hurt, were you? If a woman who isn’t even married ends up scarred, how heartbroken would her parents be?”

Now, tell me who your parents are. Let me see your family background.

Thinking that, Genevieve lifted her spoon—only to be left speechless by the response.

“It’s fine since nothing serious happened. The child just played a little prank.”

A prank? Shooting a metal pellet counts as a prank?

Tsk, tsk.

Clicking her tongue openly, Genevieve raised her voice.

“As expected, you don’t know how to handle children. I’ll have to teach you a lot.”

“I’d appreciate learning, but as for the children, I’ll gradually handle things wisely with the help of my adoptive mother.”

“What?”

Adoptive mother? No, more importantly—how could she so confidently bring up her family like that?

Not even knowing where to begin correcting her, Genevieve’s mouth opened and closed uselessly.

“I don’t like talking at length during meals, so… may I eat now?”

Having patiently waited, Ibel finally tilted her head and gestured toward the pumpkin soup in front of her. Watching everything unfold, Victor had to suppress a laugh.

As expected, she was remarkable.

Even before, Ibel had a way of unintentionally landing a solid blow on people.

“I’ll tell you what Aunt is most curious about. Ibel is the adopted daughter of the Eberstein family.”

“Eberstein? Are you saying Lady Eberstein has a second child?”

“That’s correct. Now that your curiosity is satisfied, let’s continue our meal.”

Not at all—nothing had been resolved!

At least, from Genevieve’s perspective.

But since it was no longer an elegant noble hint but a blatant ‘let’s just eat’, pressing further would only make her lose face.

‘Hah… she’s completely bewitched him. Still, I must contact Lady Eberstein immediately. An adopted daughter? The woman who shut herself away in grief after losing her daughter—what is she thinking?’

Victor’s marriage was an enormous problem that had dropped into her once peaceful life. She couldn’t just sit back, so Genevieve barely touched her food before hastily standing up.

If Lady Eberstein was truly trying to interfere in the internal affairs of the Bavarian Grand Ducal house, then she needed to meet her before the wedding and firmly warn her.

That the internal affairs of Bayern were under her control—and she should not interfere.

After the meal, Ibel decided to walk around the estate to aid her digestion.

Victor was busy and had to head straight to his office, but she wasn’t so fragile that she couldn’t walk around alone.

And she wasn’t entirely alone, either.

“I’m Dawson, the gardener. I look forward to working with you.”

“I look forward to it as well.”

Removing his worn straw hat, Dawson was a middle-aged man with a thick beard. The deep wrinkles around his eyes showed how often he smiled.

Following him, she looked around several peach trees, apple trees, and lemon trees.

Not a single one showed signs of pests—they were all growing vibrantly.

There was also a small vegetable patch nearby, and next to it was a rabbit pen. He explained that the vegetables grown there were fed directly to the rabbits.

“His Grace said that, whatever it may be, the estate should be self-sufficient. If you walk a little further from here, there’s a vineyard as well, which I manage.”

“You handle all that by yourself?”

“I’ve got a few helpers. During busy seasons, we hire workers from the village.”

Well, it certainly wasn’t something one person could do alone.

Swoooosh—

A breeze from afar rustled the grape leaves. Beneath them, summer grapes that would ripen perfectly by autumn glowed with vitality.

The sunlight pricked at her eyelids, but even that felt pleasant.

Surrounded by the fragrance of wildflowers and grapes, she felt happy.

“Um… I heard from my daughter. The young masters caused trouble again, and you protected her….”

Just then—

Dawson hesitated before carefully speaking to her, then bowed his head deeply.

“Thank you. Eloi is my only daughter, and when I heard what happened, I was truly grateful.”

“A parent’s heart is the same everywhere. I only did what I could to protect her, so don’t think too much of it.”

So Eloi was Dawson’s daughter.

Storing the new information in her mind, Ibel leisurely walked through the vineyard.

Yesterday’s incident had been accidental, but if it ended up spreading as a good rumor…

It didn’t seem like it would be too difficult to win over the maids.

The incident happened just as she was about to return to the estate after her walk.

“You must go inside now, Young Master—ahhh!”

“Grrrrr!”

Hearing the commotion at the entrance, Ibel witnessed a boy covered in dirt biting down on a servant’s forearm.

At least, fortunately, the servant’s arm was protected by a leather guard.

“Everyone, catch the second young master!”

“Don’t let him get away!”