74. Unexpected Ally

“Lady Maude, your words are a bit harsh……”

“It’s you all whose words are harsh. Just because the madam isn’t here, you were treating her with such disrespect.”

‘Has that woman suddenly gone mad!’

A woman who never took sides is suddenly making a fuss defending the Grand Duchess!

“Are you getting anxious now that that famous illegitimate child has returned? Do you want to try to get on the madam’s good side now?”

Gasp.

Everyone unconsciously held their breath at Lady Gilette’s remark.

The Maude family’s illegitimate child. Lady Maude’s sore spot. A person no one mentioned in her presence.

The angry Lady Gilette had just openly brought it up.

“Well, I understand your position, since that illegitimate child you trampled on so thoroughly didn’t end his stubborn life and has returned. How terrifying it must be. I heard that illegitimate child has some connection with the madam too. Who knows what he might whisper about Lady Maude.”

“Lady Gilette. You got one thing right, but the rest wrong.”

Lady Maude rose from her seat calmly and composedly.

“It’s true that I’m anxious about that child’s return, but he is not an illegitimate child. He is my other son. Never call him an illegitimate child again. Otherwise……”

Lady Maude bent down and brought her face close to Lady Gilette’s ear. And after hearing her final words whispered in her ear, Lady Gilette collapsed with a pale face.

“H-how did you know that……”

Lady Maude looked around at the ladies’ association.

“The madam recently changed the head maid, didn’t she? I believe the previous head maid was employed at the castle with Lady Gilette’s recommendation. I also understand your anxiety as your influence in the castle diminishes.”

She showed no concern for what everyone might think of what she had just said.

“But I think it would be better for everyone to exercise restraint at times like these. Even without making such a fuss, the madam will surely use the people she needs to use.”

Lady Maude finished what she had to say and immediately rose from her seat.

While everyone was stunned, Lady Temeri was the first to come to her senses and clapped her hands.

“The meeting is over.”

* * *

A few days later.

I invited Lady Maude to a private tea time. It was just the two of us.

Despite Lady Temeri tipping me off that she was ‘unlike her usual self,’ Lady Maude was exactly the same as usual. A calm lady wearing achromatic clothes who appeared outwardly gentle.

‘But inside, there’s an active volcano.’

“I was thinking I needed to do something about the ladies’ association, but I never imagined you would step up.”

“No matter how capable you are, madam, you can’t take care of this vast Castle Inkheart alone. Depending on how you handle them, they can be helpful people.”

“Why did you help me?”

“Because I owe the madam a debt.”

“Me? I don’t recall helping you specifically.”

“Really? You haven’t helped me at all?”

“No.”

“I like that about you, madam.”

Lady Maude smiled.

“Everyone goes through difficult times in life. It’s very gratifying when someone nearby says what needs to be said when it’s needed.”

She lowered her eyes.

“I’ve made a decision about my problem with my husband. It was an issue I had been frustrated about for a long time, but once I made the decision, I felt relieved.”

So it’s that decision after all. I suppose there was no other choice. I nodded.

“Try to arrange the assassination outside of Inkheart……”

“I’m going to divorce my husband.”

“What?”

“Pardon?”

“Divorce?”

My mouth fell open.

“Just divorce?”

“Madam, I think I just misheard something.”

“No, a problem that ends with divorce is when one cheated and had a child outside. That’s the solution for when it only went that far!”

He lived comfortably while leaving his family to fester inside. Then Sir Percival should pay a fitting price too!

“We can’t really kill him, you know.”

Lady Maude laughed with a dejected expression.

“Of course, there were moments when I wanted to kill him.”

“Just a few moments?”

“I suppose there were quite a few.”

“This is your chance to put it into action. If you hide your movements well, no one will notice.”

Apple, who was serving our tea, carefully murmured.

“Madam, the Grand Duchess of Inkheart shouldn’t be recommending assassination. You should be stopping her, not encouraging.”

“No, talking is free. This is purely a discussion in conversation, okay?”

“Right now I’m above the ladies’ association, but when I divorce Sir Percival, I’ll have to step down. So until then, I’ll support you as much as I can. I’ll make sure the ladies’ association becomes useful to you, madam.”

I quietly sipped my tea.

A divorce between noble couples. And between famous people in the castle at that.

“How much have you planned for the divorce?”

The divorce proceedings between Sir Percival and Lady Maude could serve as a precedent for me.

“I’ll push as hard as I can for you. If you’re not going to kill him, at least strip him of all his assets. He’s the guilty spouse. Who does he think he is to be spared?”

Lady Maude covered her mouth and laughed.

“Thank you.”

I’m not joking, though.

“But, Lady Anette.”

Lady Maude suddenly lowered her head.

“Is that child doing well?”

* * *

Barbarossa swung his sword in the empty training ground. It was dawn, with no one around.

Swoosh, swish.

‘A little more.’

In the footprints of knights carved into the training ground, he could see the trajectories of swords the knights had swung before.

But the opponent Barbarossa cared about was someone else.

The clean trajectory of a sword that left not a single afterimage.

‘The Grand Duke didn’t swing like this.’

Darius Inkheart. A man younger than himself who picked up a sword later than Lucion, but showed a completely different level of skill.

The Grand Duke’s swordsmanship, which Barbarossa had seen a few times while coming and going at Castle Inkheart, had completely captivated his heart.

“Haap!”

Clang!

Was it because of his impatience?

Far from following Darius, his wrist bent and his sword spun to the ground.

“……This isn’t just about taking a few years off from training?”

When you apply force, flexibility disappears. When you try to display flexible swordsmanship, the sword loses power.

But Darius’s swordsmanship harmonized everything perfectly. This was evident just from watching him spar with the knights.

〈Sir Donau, your waist is loose. Sir Able, are you playing games with me? Sir Ramin. If you intended a counterattack from behind, you must have considered the risk of failure!〉

His free-flowing sword path faced three people charging with sufficient force simultaneously. And not street thugs, but ordained knights who completed regular training every day.

The Grand Duke not only faced such knights but also guided them at the same time. How many levels above was he?

〈You really haven’t seen my husband’s face? If you had, you wouldn’t say that.〉

〈Darius is amazing.〉

Yes, he truly was amazing. To the extent that it was understandable when Lady Anette occasionally couldn’t help but show off with pride.

〈Don’t be overwhelmed by a monster you can’t follow, find your own path.〉

Was this what Lucion meant when he gave advice on the way back to the castle?

‘Ah. He really is a monster.’

It was when Barbarossa had sprawled out on the training ground, taking a rest while he was down.

“Excuse me.”

A foot approached him as he lay there. A careful, small voice.

Barbarossa opened his mouth.

“I heard fried food is popular in the castle these days……”

His foster mother, whom he had avoided for a long time, stood before him. Oddly enough, holding a basket of fried food.

“The fried, the fried, well.”

After hesitating for a while, Barbarossa reached for the fried food basket.

“It’s too hot. What Donau ate had already cooled down.”

* * *

“He should just eat what he’s given, that guy always has too much to say.”

Yawn, I rubbed the corner of my mouth as I yawned.

‘Did I really need to see this? See, everyone’s living well on their own.’

Sylphid, who had urged me to come out at dawn to see what conclusion Lady Maude and Barbarossa would reach, was already on the verge of tears.

Spirits don’t even cry, yet they indulge in emotions all they want.

“Let’s go back inside, Anette. The dawn breeze is cold.”

Darius wiped his reddened nose.

Hey, no way?

No way, was he moved by this too?

Apparently, I was the only heartless person here.

“It’s not a big deal, really.”

I returned to the bedroom holding Darius’s hand, who had given me suspicious looks when I snuck out at dawn. It was still too early to be out of bed.

* * *

Inside the mansion of Count Spinel in the northern border region. The mansion, which was usually quiet, reflecting the strict personality of its master Count Spinel, was unusually busy today.

The young master’s groans echoed throughout the temporary infirmary set up in the mansion.

“Urgh, uuurgh!”

“You must endure, young master! If you move, it will be difficult to treat you!”

“We need to finish quickly so the young master can be comfortable!”

The assistants held down the writhing young master from both sides and pushed in the IV fluid to the end.

Count Spinel’s eyes wavered.

“The child is suffering so much!”

“It’s part of the treatment.”

“Is this really treatment? What kind of treatment tortures a patient like this?”

“I guarantee it. Please wait a little longer. Many people have already seen results with this method.”

The doctor spoke firmly.

“I don’t want to…… I don’t want to do this anymore. Please stop this.”

The young master cried loudly as he listened to the conversation between his parent and the doctor. Count Spinel’s heart broke seeing her child with tears and snot running down her face. One of Count Spinel’s subordinates, who had been watching, spoke up with difficulty.

“You must leave for the Grand Duke of Inkheart’s residence soon. The Grand Duke has summoned all lords under his command for the winter monster subjugation.”

Count Spinel was well aware of this. But how could she focus on official duties when her son was suffering like this?

“Don’t worry. Professional medical staff will always be stationed by the young master’s side. If you trust us and leave him in our care, you will see the young master fully recovered when you return, Count Spinel.”

“No! Don’t leave me behind!”

The young master crawled over and clutched Count Spinel’s clothes after the treatment that felt like torture.

The subordinate spoke with a troubled face.

“Count. We cannot take the sick young master all the way to Inkheart.”

Count Spinel sighed.