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Chapter: 17
Knowing the original male lead’s personality, I had actually prepared myself before meeting Lus.
No matter what Lus said, I wouldn’t let it hurt me.
He’s just a child, so if one day he said something like, “I hate you, sister!” I would understand.
But unlike I expected, Lus was a genuinely kind child.
He listened well, studied hard, and was obedient to me.
And for the first time, I truly felt the difficulty of raising a child.
“Lus. Isn’t it time to study?”
I crouched down and held both of Lus’s hands as I asked.
Lus pressed his lips together tightly in response.
As usual, he was about to head to the study while I would go to the office.
But something felt off, and when I looked back, Lus wasn’t entering the study—he was standing still.
I asked him what was wrong, and this was the situation.
“Lus. Do you not want to study?”
He hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
Hmm, I understand.
Everyone sometimes doesn’t want to study.
Still, I felt reassured because I’d heard that Lus was good at studying and usually had a strong desire to learn.
“Why doesn’t our Lus want to study?”
He didn’t answer.
I panicked.
Help! Teacher!
The child says he doesn’t want to study!
What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?!
“Is it too hard, so you don’t like it?”
He shook his head.
“Hmm… then do you dislike me? Would you study if I switched you from Treon back to the teacher who taught you before?”
Lus hesitated, then shook his head again.
Ah, what do I do?
If Lus were an ordinary child, I could say, “Alright, forget studying and pursue your talent!”
Our Lus is a genius with the sword!
Even just being good at swordsmanship would let him make a living in this world.
But Lus is the male lead, the one who will lead the Valfrou dukedom.
Being good at swords alone isn’t enough…
Of course, I could still love that Lus as my child.
But what if someone tried to take advantage of him?
Or… maybe Lus simply didn’t want to become the duke?
Then what would we do?
“Hmm… Lus, is studying too difficult right now?”
“…No.”
“Then why don’t you want to study? Can you tell your sister? I’ll help you.”
At my words, Lus lifted his head, which had been hanging low, and looked at me.
His red eyes were glistening.
It pierced my heart.
Ugh, the urge to shout, “Forget studying! Lus, do whatever you want!” was bubbling up to my throat.
Instead of answering, Lus hugged me.
“Sissss….”
“Yes, Lus.”
I hugged him back, patting him gently.
Then it happened.
Lus suddenly turned around and stood in front of me, as if guarding me.
When I looked up, Treon was watching the two of us.
“Butler, what are you doing there?”
Treon replied to my question.
“Nothing.”
Nothing? That didn’t look like nothing.
Treon stared at us with a slightly shocked expression.
Since Lus said he didn’t want to study after his lesson with Treon, it had to be Treon’s fault.
I hugged Lus tightly and glared at Treon.
The villain!
“…Why are you looking at us like that?”
“What did I do?”
“…Nothing.”
“Don’t worry, sister. Let’s go.”
Lus grabbed my hand and shook it, urging me.
Treon looked at us with a complicated expression before lowering his head.
“I was wrong, Your Grace.”
When Lus saw this, he tightly held my hand and stared down at Treon.
“I committed an audacious act.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me.”
Lus’s cold tone was different from what I usually heard, but I didn’t notice, focused on his glance toward Treon.
What? What’s happening?
Why is he looking at me?
Lus stared intently at Treon as if urging him.
Treon hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
“I tried to sow discord between the lady and the duke. I apologize. I will accept any punishment.”
I wasn’t particularly surprised.
Treon didn’t like that I was taking control of the ducal house.
He probably thought he shouldn’t be manipulated by me or something like that.
If Treon hadn’t tried to say such a thing, that would have been more surprising.
“You can fire him if you want, or imprison him.”
“No, it’s just… this little matter…”
“No. Attempting to separate the two of you is an unforgivable crime.”
Wow. Seeing him act so submissive is almost scarier than his usual demeanor.
“It’s really fine. Well, given the butler’s personality, he probably just suspected some other house backing me up, rather than spreading weird rumors.”
Treon looked at me with wide eyes, then quickly regained his composure.
I guess so.
In a way, he’s a man who doesn’t stray far from expectations.
“If you’re really concerned, I’ll dock your pay for three months. We don’t have enough people to fire you anyway.”
“Thank you.”
Treon bowed again.
“You’re too kind, sister.”
Lus pouted.
“Lus, is that why you said you didn’t want to study?”
Lus pressed his lips tightly together.
This little child was trying, in his own way, to protect me.
“I have to protect you, sister.”
‘You don’t have to do this from now on. I can handle it myself.’
I tried to draw that boundary, but Lus’s tiny hand fidgeted in mine and then held my hand tightly.
I couldn’t say anything to his attempt to protect me despite being so much younger.
So I just honestly said what I felt.
“Thank you, Lus.”
Was it the right thing to say? Lus smiled brightly.
Lus went to the study with his original teacher to study, and Treon and I headed to the office.
Treon poured warm tea and placed it in front of me.
A temporary truce, I guess.
I sipped the tea while thinking.
He still seemed distrustful of me handling the castle’s affairs but had decided not to show his dissatisfaction.
I’m not expecting loyalty, just don’t try to sneakily undermine me…
Nothing hurts more than a blade from an ally.
I observed Treon as he silently worked, while Naol organized the letters that had arrived today.
Compared to working with Naol alone, everything was much faster—but stifling.
I envied Kamang, who was probably snoozing on a soft cushion right now.
After finishing the letters, Naol said,
“Lady, today you only need to look at letters from the Matek Countship.”
I watched closely.
Treon’s face went pale the instant I mentioned the Matek Countship.
He stiffened like a statue, clenching his lips and slowly breathing as if holding back something.
Then he returned to his usual expression.
If I hadn’t been observing him, I would have missed that brief change.
“The Matek Countship? For what reason?”
Naol replied,
“They want to meet directly to discuss this year’s delivery contracts.”
“Is there anything left in our territory to sell?”
“There’s one mine producing iron. The quantity isn’t huge, but thankfully Matek Countship offers a good price, so our income is decent.”
“Why would they offer a good price?”
Worried about Treon’s pale face, I asked. Naol looked as if she had never thought about it.
“I don’t know. Perhaps the ore is good quality? The butler has always handled contracts with the Matek Countship, so I don’t know the details.”
Naol’s gaze shifted to Treon.
Treon answered without hesitation, as if prepared in advance.
“Yes, the iron from our territory is consistent and of good quality, so it’s easy for the countship to work with. They also trust us from prior dealings, so they tend to offer a good price.”
“What does the Matek Countship do with the iron?”
“They make swords. Skilled artisans gather in the Matek Countship, producing high-quality swords to sell and accumulate wealth.”
“So it’s a family specialized in training artisans?”
“Yes. Artisans who supplied swords to the royal family were granted nobility in recognition of their loyalty. There were also rumors they bought their title once.”
Compared to Naol, who mainly handles accounting, Treon clearly knew more about continental affairs and noble families.
“If that family is prosperous, then our iron must really be high quality. Is that why the count is coming personally?”
“No. Usually, I go to the Matek Countship to finalize the contract and return.”
“The butler?”
“Yes. If there’s no issue, I’ll handle it again this time.”
I hesitated for a moment.
If I went to the Matek territory, I might meet an information broker.
They were scattered across the continent, and I knew how to find them from the original story.
The Valfrou territory was ruined, so the brokers had left, but maybe they were still in Matek?
“How far is the Matek Countship?”
“About two days by carriage.”
“Is it lively there?”
“They’re wealthy, so yes.”
“Then I’ll go too.”
“Eh?”
Surprise flashed across Treon’s face.
“It’s fine. I can handle it alone. It’s a rough road for a young lady to accompany me.”
He spoke unusually much.
I remembered how pale he had gone at the mention of Matek. What was this reaction?
In the original, Treon was Lus’s loyal retainer.
I had trusted him after reading the original, but could he secretly betray the dukedom too?
I shook my head and said,
“No, it’s fine. I won’t interfere with your contract. I just want to quietly be by your side. I’m more curious about the countship anyway.”
“But Lady, the Matek Countship is dangerous. If both of you go, it will hinder managing the castle.”
“Then I’ll go. You stay, butler.”
“That’s impossible!”
Treon shouted, then quickly closed his mouth as if he had made a mistake.
Naol gave him a puzzled look.
The more embarrassed Treon was, the more determined I felt to follow him.
“…I apologize for raising my voice, Lady. But…”
Treon tried various excuses, but I didn’t budge.
Finally, he surrendered to me.
“…Fine. But once there, you must follow my instructions. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Still, I need to uncover whatever secret Treon is hiding.
And if he really betrays us…
I looked at Treon with cold eyes.
Even if he was faithful in the original, he would have to be dealt with.
