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Chapter 7
Leck Kelposher was one of the very few who looked out for Tulia even a little more than for Korico.
Loyal to the Preziere family by nature, he naturally paid a bit more attention to Tulia, the Grand Duke’s granddaughter, than to Korico, the Duke’s daughter-in-law. Even when everyone in The Bread Guild despised Tulia, Leck Kelposher remained polite to her until the very end.
“You may speak freely, Miss Tulia. I am here on the Grand Duke’s orders,” he said.
“Grandfather…?” I started, my tension making me speak instinctively, but then I realized I should ask something else.
“Did you wait outside the door all this time?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“About two hours.”
I clicked my tongue in my mind. Just a few days ago, I had been standing nine hours a day at a part-time job just to pay the rent for my tiny apartment.
“You’ve had a hard time, then,” I said.
Leck blinked in surprise at my unexpected words, then a faint, gentle smile spread across his lips.
“It is the Grand Duke’s command, but I appreciate your concern.”
He handed me some documents.
“His Excellency has called for you at the family estate. You may stay there from now on. Honestly, I never understood how Preziere’s direct line could live in such a crumbling place…”
Leck paused appropriately and then extended his gloved hand toward me, precise and upright like a knight.
“Shall we go?”
It felt strange.
Beyond the unfamiliar politeness and the foreign surroundings, I felt a moment of safety—a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Even when I had been kicked out and living in a one-room apartment, there had always been the constant unease of wondering when my brothers might come and cause trouble.
Had it been so long since someone treated me with respect? Or was it simply that this man was a safety net sent by Tulia’s family?
Grasping Leck’s hand and stepping forward, I felt a curious lightness in my chest.
“Oh… I really feel like a young lady now.”
Because of yesterday’s chaos, Lilius hadn’t had the chance to properly reclaim the first floor he had hastily renovated at his own expense. Unlike the shabby second floor, the first floor gleamed and was beautiful—a stark contrast to the humble attic, almost like a Cinderella transformation.
Even though my pajamas and slippers were still a mess, my heart thumped as if I were under a spell while descending the stairs.
“Miss Tulia, I noticed yesterday that you called the Grand Duke ‘Grandfather,’” Leck remarked.
“Calling him ‘Grandmother’ wouldn’t make sense, would it?”
I looked at him, puzzled, and he chuckled lightly.
“Yes. It’s been a long time since I heard that title.”
He stopped there, but the faint smile lingering on his face clearly showed he was pleased. I understood his words a moment later.
“Ah, that’s right. Preziere grandchildren usually call the Grand Duke ‘Grandfather.’”
Most nobles in the empire call their parents “Father” or “Mother.” The royal family uses “Your Father” and “Your Mother.” The Preziere family, one of the few ducal houses rivaling the royal family, had its own formal customs. The other sons of Grand Duke Asis Preziere always addressed him as “Father,” just as Lilius had been bowing and scraping yesterday.
But one son was an exception.
The Marquess of Preziere—Tulia’s father.
And to be clear, Asis Preziere and the Marquess were not just estranged—they were practically enemies.
“A tiger losing teeth will hardly manage the household properly.”
The only person bold enough to speak such words to the iron-fisted Grand Duke Asis Preziere was Tulia’s father. Naturally, the Marquess never addressed the Duke respectfully, and Tulia had no reason to call him “Father.”
“No wonder Leck said it had been a while since he last heard it.”
Even when I met the Grand Duke again, I didn’t need to change the way I addressed him. After all, I was still subtly under suspicion of being a genuine Preziere heir. Even small points like this, showing I shared traits with the Marquess, could be advantageous.
“If the Grand Duke had thought I was rude, he would have cut off my head by now.”
I was grateful that my head was still firmly attached. Though the stat screen might one day snap it off.
I cleared my throat while staring at my dismal negative wealth stat.
“Humph, Leck.”
“Yes, Miss?”
“When will my budget be properly allocated?”
“You’ll see once you reach the family estate.”
True to his word, the Grand Duke’s chief advisor had not lied.
There were no treasure piles in the new bedroom, but several thick documents lay neatly on the wooden table. The most important thing to me was the numbers, so as soon as I closed the door, I ran over.
Carefully opening the thick envelopes, I focused on the text.
“Thank goodness I can read this.”
Reading line by line through the small, complex handwriting, my eyes widened at the final figure.
“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, hundred million, billion…”
The documents contained an eye-popping sum of money.
I quickly grabbed the IOUs I had received from Marquess Lilius. Deadlines were tight, and land ownership was about to transfer completely.
The moment I handed the sealed documents to the advisor Leck had left behind, the system screen shimmered before my eyes, filling me with a strange thrill.
How much debt had I been in that even holding this much money, my wealth stat didn’t exceed 1?
I shook my head in disbelief just as a rainbow-colored effect flashed before my eyes..
Grand Duke Asis Preziere stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring out the window. For someone his age, it was difficult to imagine him old; his eyes were as sharp and predatory as a wild beast.
“So young, yet already so wicked, tormenting an underdeveloped cousin…”
The incident of Tedric Preziere losing his family heirloom necklace had caused more stir than expected. But the details weren’t widely known—it was enough that it displeased the Grand Duke.
Few people had been present yesterday, and the Duke’s chief advisor had silenced the lower ranks. Lilius, Tedric’s father and the Duke’s youngest son, would naturally do all he could to hide his son’s faults.
Tulia Preziere…
“She is alone,” the Grand Duke noted. Among his many grandchildren, Tulia was especially fearful of him. She had always trembled and could barely speak when greeting him; it had been a long time since he had looked into her eyes properly.
Yet he could barely remember the color of her eyes, only the despair and fear that filled them—emotions far too intense for a fifteen-year-old.
Raising grandchildren, he believed, was the responsibility of their parents. He had done his duty with his own children; the children’s children should be raised by their parents, he felt.
Even though Tulia was the daughter of his second son, fully alive and well, her desperate, pleading eyes still irritated him.
“Master,” came the sound of knocks, and Leck Kelposher, the chief advisor, entered.
“Miss Tulia has arrived.”
Immediately, Asis Preziere’s brow furrowed. Like Hina had observed in the game, the Grand Duke was precise and sharp. He hated petty family complaints and found people whining over concluded matters weak and indecisive.
That was why neither Lilius nor his wife Aubrey dared visit after yesterday.
“Send her back.”
“Yes, Master. She has already returned,” Leck said.
“…?”
“Miss has already returned, Master.”
Even the Grand Duke was, for once, slightly taken aback.
“Then why has she come?”
When he turned, he noticed Leck was carrying something—not empty-handed. A small basket draped in white cloth.
“She asked me to deliver this to you, Master.”
