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Chapter 6
I immediately flattened myself to the ground.
“After I repay Uncle Lilius, I swear I will live like a ghost, Grandfather! I will care for the servants of Randell Castle and uphold my dignity and refinement as a minor lady!”
This castle is huge, but it’s so old that the draft is unbearable! And the firewood costs a fortune!
“I won’t cause any trouble ever again… please, lift my indefinite house arrest…!”
Silence. Not a word in response.
I cautiously lifted my head, and my eyes met the Grand Duke’s, who was leaning back in his chair, glaring at me.
“Lilius.”
“Yes, Father…!”
Lilius, standing beside me, looked pale as a sheet. But the Grand Duke’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest.
“Weren’t your children’s affairs entrusted entirely to you and your wife?”
“Yes, Father… that’s correct…”
Lilius trembled as he answered. Being the youngest of the Prezieres, he had inherited the title of Marquis. Along with his wife, he managed half of the internal affairs of the Preziere household.
To oversee even half of a family as wealthy as the Prezieres was like baking bread every day with golden grains.
Wait, but why is the Grand Duke pressing Lilius so hard? Did Lilius do something wrong?
My confusion vanished the moment the Grand Duke spoke.
“It’s been three years since Tullia Preziere was put under house arrest. Why is a one-month confinement still ongoing?”
“Th-that’s…”
“And it’s an indefinite confinement?”
“What?”
I stared at Lilius, stunned. Right. Tullia had been punished three years ago for a major incident—and since that day, her house arrest had never ended.
As a result, already struggling Tullia had become more submissive and dependent on Lilius. And all of it… was Lilius’ lie?
But he was too pale and drenched in cold sweat to even look at me.
“Did you embezzle Tullia Preziere’s budget?”
“I-It seems there was some kind of misunderstanding!”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes, Father!”
“Then why did Tullia Preziere think this storage room was Randell Castle?”
I blinked in disbelief. This wasn’t a castle—it was just a storage room?
Lilius’ mouth was sealed shut. Everyone present held their breath.
Even so, the sheer scale of this building being used merely as a warehouse was astonishing. No wonder the Preziere family’s wealth was said to rival the royal family.
But why would a Grand Duke eat quietly in a warehouse without saying a word?
“You said Tullia Preziere, even after her confinement ended, threw a tantrum and insisted on staying here out of rebellion. Your wife.”
“…”
“She supposedly foamed at the mouth if anyone tried to call her by her proper name.”
Ah, so that’s how they covered it up.
Lilius was now drenched in cold sweat.
“It seems there was a misunderstanding, Father. Neither I nor my wife ever told Tullia that this place was Randell Castle.”
He gave me a pale smile.
“Tullia, why did you get that idea? Who tricked you? Tell me immediately, and I’ll teach them a lesson!”
“You promised, right?”
I asked eagerly, and Lilius hesitated, then replied, “O-of course.”
I had been waiting for that confirmation forever.
I looked up at Grand Duke Asis Preziere. His gaze was still deadly, my heart shrank—but I couldn’t let this chance slip by. I was too cold and hungry.
The Preziere Grand Duke despised tattling among family, but I instinctively sensed that this moment was the one and only chance to snitch.
Alright.
I bit the inside of my cheek hard, tasting the metallic tang of blood, and opened my mouth.
“What are you staring at with your eyes wide like that, you wretch?”
“…!”
“It’s true you were abandoned by your father.”
“…”
“Then what right do you have to cause chaos at a banquet?”
“…”
“No wonder you received indefinite house arrest from your grandfather.”
The terrifying glare of Grand Duke Asis Preziere flickered with an unreadable light.
Yes. These were the same harsh words I had heard from Tedric this morning.
“It’s well known that you were born because your mother cheated. A girl like you shouldn’t even be above me…”
Bang!
A chair toppled loudly behind me. I turned to see Tedric Preziere’s face turning red, then blue.
I stuck out my tongue mischievously at him. Tedric, losing all composure, pointed at me.
“You… you…!”
“Tedric Preziere!”
It was a roar that could have shattered the room. I merely flinched and flattened myself, but Tedric’s legs gave out, and he collapsed entirely.
The Grand Duke rose and glared at Tedric with a fearsome expression.
“G-Grandfather…”
“No need to interrogate him for the truth, I see.”
“N-no, it’s not like that…!”
Grand Duke Asis Preziere strode forward and snatched the small pendant hanging from Tedric’s neck.
“F-Father!”
Lilius gasped.
The family heirloom pendant.
Like uniforms for organization, noble families have specific jewels denoting lineage.
When Preziere children debuted at sixteen, they received this expensive pendant. Losing it…
“I will withdraw the authority granted to you as a direct heir for the time being.”
The Grand Duke’s eyes were icy cold.
“Understand?”
Tedric could barely nod, trembling. The declaration carried weight similar to a confinement order. Servants escorted him out.
Seeing his son half-dragged away, Lilius muttered a weak excuse and hurriedly followed.
I bowed low to the Grand Duke and quietly slipped away. I didn’t want to risk a one-on-one interrogation—I might have fainted—but fortunately, nothing happened.
So much had happened, and though my goal was achieved, I was exhausted. I buried myself in the blankets and immediately fell asleep. Thankfully, no one disturbed me.
The next morning.
They aren’t even giving breakfast now?
Seeing the empty table fueled my determination. Now, my tiny budget would be restored. Why should I worry about the butlers and maids?
I flung open the bedroom door—and nearly fainted.
A formal figure stood before me.
“Tullia, have you awakened?”
“Luk?”
The middle-aged man called Luk stared at me and asked again.
“You know my name?”
“Of course.”
After hundreds of interactions, I naturally remembered Luk Kelporscher, Grand Duke Asis Preziere’s personal aide.
In his early fifties, once famed for his striking looks, he still carried an aura of nobility. A brilliant strategist, cold and reserved by nature, loyal only to Grand Duke Asis.
And most importantly:
In the world of Grimelpan, Tullia can recruit him the easiest.
