🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 6
No wonder the carriage had been so quiet.
It was such a pathetic and obvious scheme.
In practice, the siblings had already occupied Aphelemion, but officially they could only use the name of the Fenton family.
If they introduced themselves as “Aphelemion” somewhere without me present, people would mock them for being delusional. It would also be easy for others to suspect they were trying to swallow up the ducal house without right.
That was also why Julius casually used the nickname “Duke Aphelemon” in private, yet only introduced himself as “Baron Fenton” in official settings.
Bartol and Demera, who already considered themselves heirs to the duchy in their hearts, must have always resented this. They had clearly judged today—when I came with them—to be both a crisis and an opportunity.
If the three of us entered together and were vaguely introduced as “the young lord and ladies from Aphelemion,” they probably thought I would be too caught off guard to object.
Then it would appear as though the succession of House Aphelemion had not yet been decided.
And they undoubtedly believed it would amount to the Lady of Aphelemion acknowledging that their status stood equal to hers.
In Bartol’s case, he may even have calculated that such an introduction would serve as a way to officially establish our engagement.
“Was your name Roy?”
“Pardon?”
I stepped closer to the attendant and looked up at him. People inside the banquet hall stirred once more as they turned to watch us, but I did not waver.
“For an imperial attendant, your handling of this matter is rather substandard.”
“M-My lady!”
“The Founding Emperor bestowed duchies upon the two families who aided in founding the Empire, recognizing their nobility, and decreed that their direct descendants were to be addressed differently from the children of ordinary noble houses. Surely you do not claim ignorance of that.”
“……”
“Though the formal succession has not yet taken place, I am the sole direct child of the late Duke Bael Aphelemion. I have never renounced my claim. Don’t you know that, in official settings, I should be introduced not as a mere young lady, but as a princess of the ducal house?”
When I smiled coldly, Roy flinched.
“L-Lord Bartol said that you, my lady—no, Your Grace—would feel uncomfortable being addressed differently from the other two…”
“Did you ever confirm that with me directly?”
“……”
“And the two people standing here were neither born in Aphelemion nor formally entered into the family registry. So what should they be introduced as?”
Roy, a head taller than me, swallowed dryly over and over while staring down at me. His nervous eyes darted between Bartol and me with a wronged expression.
“L-Lord and Lady Fenton…”
“Then why was the name Aphelemion included?”
His hand instinctively covered the ring on his little finger. I immediately reached out and grabbed his wrist.
“Y-Your Grace!”
“A bribe.”
“It absolutely isn’t! Lord Fenton and I occasionally met before, so it was only an ordinary gift—”
“You may have called it an ordinary gift. Bribes are always exchanged subtly. But referring to those two as members of House Aphelemion and introducing me under the same title means interfering in the succession of the ducal family.”
“I-I never intended such a thing…!”
“Attendant Roy, what is your family name? Do you truly believe you can bear the consequences of what you were about to do?”
“Ugh…”
Cold sweat poured down Roy’s face as he gasped for breath. Seeming unable to breathe properly, he clutched at his chest.
‘More naive than greedy, is he?’
Judging from his panicked expression, he was not Bartol’s accomplice. He was simply someone foolish enough to be manipulated even by an idiot like Bartol.
Just as I was wondering what to do with this dim-witted man—slow-minded, unlucky, and slow to react—a shadow standing in the hallway suddenly darted forward and stepped between us.
“What are you hesitating for, Father? Give that trash back first!”
The shadow—or rather, a young maid with brown hair—snatched the gold ring from Roy’s finger and threw it at Bartol.
“The bribe is gone now. Next, apologize to Her Grace!”
Scolding the still-dazed Roy, she pushed down on his back and bowed her own head as well.
“I, Ray Daines, apologize on behalf of my father! After suffering from a long illness, he was left with complications that make it impossible for him to properly understand matters of succession. He only managed to keep this job because of his good voice, so please, we beg for your mercy.”
“S-Sorry!”
Roy finally seemed to regain his senses and apologized to me.
“Father…? Ray Daines?”
Even amid my surprise at the sudden appearance of his daughter, both her face and name felt strangely familiar.
“Your Grace, I sincerely apologize for my father’s rudeness.”
She spoke in a voice almost choked with tears. It sounded genuine enough to make suspicion difficult.
“I understand if you must report this disrespect to the imperial household, but if you could please wait while we treat my father’s illness…”
Thud.
“Cough—cough!”
When she struck Roy’s back, he awkwardly coughed.
“Ahh, and only a month after my younger sibling died, we become entangled in such a tragedy! What must my mother in heaven think of us now?”
As tears streamed down her face, Roy’s ox-like eyes also slowly began to fill with tears.
“Ahh, Mother, my child…!”
Her trembling voice thick with emotion, the endless tears, her bowed head and sorrowful expression.
For a moment, I nearly felt moved by the pitiful sight.
I could hear other attendants standing farther down the hallway sniffling. Even Bartol and Demera, who had been standing beside me with idiotic expressions, were listening intently now. Demera’s eyes had even reddened slightly.
I probably would have believed her too—if something hadn’t suddenly flashed through my mind.
Ray Daines.
In my first life, she had entered the Imperial Palace through my recommendation and later risen to the position of Head Maid.
In my second life, she became Grace’s trusted subordinate—the very person who polished and crafted Grace’s saintly image.
I had only seen her face a handful of times, but the image in my memory was vivid.
The queen of improvisation.
An acting genius capable of moving even a stone to tears.
Ray of Tears.
Silver-tongued Ray.
To think I would meet her here. At this point in time, she was probably only a low-ranking palace maid.
“If you spare us just this once, we will never forget your kindness… We’ll repay your grace even if we must become oxen and horses…”
“I will not pursue the matter.”
Ray, who had been secretly watching my reaction through her tears, widened her eyes.
“Pardon?”
“I will not hold your father’s crime against him. So you may stop the performance.”
Ray swiftly wiped away her tears and blinked at me.
“A performance…? Was it obvious?”
“Ray Daines. Your mother openly runs Mama Daines Café in the capital. Your younger sibling is the heir to the business.”
“H-How did you know that?!”
How could I not? During my first life, after eating that café’s cookies, I had gained more weight there than anywhere else.
“N-Not many nobles come there…”
“As I said, I will not press charges. I won’t report this to anyone. Nor do I intend to make an issue of it with the imperial family.”
Taking a step closer to her flustered figure, I continued firmly.
“But I will remember your promise to repay this kindness. And you’ll repay it right now.”
“…Speak.”
Ray swallowed hard. Her eyes, now strangely serious compared to before, stared directly at me.
“If you’ve already seen through everything, and yet still choose to spare us…”
She let out a deep sigh, as though making up her mind.
“Then we truly will owe you a debt.”
“First, you will introduce me and the two idiots standing behind me like this.”
I approached the stiffly standing Roy and whispered something into his ear.
“…Yes, Your Grace. I will do as you command.”
Roy answered.
“Second, Ray—you will tell me the employment conditions you desire. And when considering a transfer, House Aphelemion will be your first choice.”
“What? Excuse me?”
“Not immediately. I’m not in a position to hire anyone yet. But if I contact you within a month, we’ll discuss it then.”
“……”
Ray stared at me blankly. Without waiting for her reply, I stepped back in front of Roy.
“It seems our entrance has been delayed long enough.”
“Yes, Your Grace! Please proceed inside!”
Roy answered while clenching both fists tightly.
“I will introduce you exactly as instructed.”
“Wait, Roy—”
Bartol belatedly tried to interrupt, but fell silent under Roy’s sharp glare.
“Lord Bartol attempted to manipulate me into adding the imperial household’s authority to the succession dispute of the ducal family. I nearly lost everything because of it.”
“T-That’s far too exaggerated.”
“I would appreciate it if you never spoke to me again. Whether in taverns or anywhere else.”
Bartol’s face twisted in humiliation. Demera’s face reddened as well.
Ignoring them both, I once more stood before the banquet hall doors.
“I’m entering.”
“They are entering!”
Roy’s booming voice rang out.
“The granddaughter of the Empire’s Great Sage, Duke Ardel Aphelemion!”
At his next words, everyone both inside and outside the hall widened their eyes in shock. I didn’t even need to turn around to know Bartol and Demera were fuming with rage behind me.
“The daughter of Duke Bael Aphelemion, the Empire’s Sword and Shield, the Golden Knight!”
I slowly stepped into the banquet hall.
“The sole princess of House Aphelemion—Lady Iris Aphelemion!”
The dazzling lights of the hall poured down upon me, and hundreds of eyes beneath the grand staircase turned toward me all at once.
A faint smile rose to my lips.
Because the title I had finally reclaimed after so long—the name I would never lose again—did not sound bad at all.
