#Chapter 19. Inhumane Methods for Leading to the Right Path

“Do you even know what’s happening right now?”

Even though the sun was high in the sky, Bruno was lying down due to his drunken state.

At that sight, Jessica scrunched up her eyes and screamed while hitting Bruno’s forearm.

“Bruno! Bruno!!”

“Ugh……”

Bruno, whose head seemed to hurt, pressed firmly near his temples and gestured for her to go away.

But Jessica had no intention of backing down.

Rather, she looked at Bruno pathetically and hit his forearm more fiercely.

If he wouldn’t get up no matter how much she called, she had no choice but to get straight to the point.

Jessica, who took a deep breath, shouted loudly into Bruno’s ear.

“Alento territory is now under the duchess’s name!”

Bruno, who finally realized the seriousness of the situation, opened his eyes wide.

“……What did you say?”

“When I went to the imperial palace today, that woman thanked the empress. She said she was going on a family trip to Alento territory and would build statues of the empress and emperor there! She said she received the grant that was given for suppressing the rebellion from the Duke of Zenova!”

“What the hell does that mean!”

Bruno jumped up and then grabbed his head.

“Ah…… my head……”

Jessica, who looked at Bruno pathetically, sighed.

Bruno, who raised his upper body, didn’t care whether Jessica sighed or not and rubbed his face.

Bruno, whose complexion was poor due to his hangover, gave Jessica orders with a face that looked like he might vomit at any moment.

“We need to confirm the facts immediately, so have someone investigate, and tell the butler to bring that maid from the ducal residence tonight.”

However, Jessica’s expression froze upon hearing the order.

Her eyes gradually narrowed toward Bruno, but Bruno wasn’t mentally present enough to notice Jessica’s appearance.

“Why that maid?”

“We have to deliver it to the tutor! To prevent the family trip!”

Bruno, who shouted angrily, sighed heavily and lay back down on the bed.

He made groaning sounds while holding his head, and Jessica raised her voice while making him sit up again.

“Come to think of it, you! Why didn’t you tell me about going to the Eastern Continent as an envoy?”

“Even if it’s not brother, they’re going to send a frontier noble anyway so I won’t go. What does it matter? So just call that maid!”

Jessica, who tightly gripped her dress hem, took a sharp breath.

Her shoulders were raised high as she glared at Bruno with unusual eyes.

“You, don’t tell me…… with that maid……”

“With the maid?”

Bruno frowned deeply at Jessica’s suspicion.

“Even if I did such things, what exactly could you do about it?”

“I knew it! You’ve been involved with that maid! I should have noticed from when you met her here and there using work as an excuse!”

At Jessica’s ridiculous story, Bruno pressed his forehead.

“My head is already pounding, and now this woman!”

Since the only thing within reach was a pillow, Bruno grumbled and threw the pillow at Jessica.

“I told you not to think nonsense with that stupid head!! Are you even a woman with thoughts?”

“……Bruno!”

“All you do is suspect affairs, so how are you going to make your son a duke…… hah…… really……”

Bruno shook his head as if utterly disgusted, causing tears to flow down Jessica’s face.

“It’s your story…… it’s your story, but I heard it from the duchess. Do you know how embarrassing and hurtful it was? Moreover, how…… how hard it was to watch her chatting happily with the empress while boastfully saying she had Alento territory?”

“That’s why you should be as excellent as that woman! If you know the empress is obviously favorable toward that woman, you should save your words appropriately and just smile! Because you acted unnecessarily, you made me a laughingstock in that place too!”

Bruno grumbled and got up from his seat.

“What did you say? What do you mean I’m not as excellent as that woman?”

“What do you mean? Anyone in this Empire, even a passing dog, would understand what it means. So don’t use that limited brain of yours and just follow what I say.”

Bruno, who pushed Jessica’s forehead with his finger with a ‘thud,’ grabbed his coat that was hanging on the chair.

“Bruno!”

Jessica shouted Bruno’s name loudly, but he didn’t even pretend to listen and went outside.

*

While Lucy and Ariel were away at tea time, Daniel, who had arrived first, was waiting for them in the reception room.

“Sir Daniel.”

Lizzy carefully called to Daniel while bringing him tea.

“……What is it?”

“Everything I’m about to tell you is what was instructed from above.”

Daniel, startled by Lizzy’s words, looked around the empty room unnecessarily and nodded.

Lizzy, who lowered her voice, spoke with only her lips slightly parted like a ventriloquist.

Of course, she didn’t forget to keep moving her hands to brew the tea.

“Do you happen to know where Alento territory is located?”

At Lizzy’s question, Daniel, who rolled his eyes in the air, answered carefully.

“It’s the city right next to the canal, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s the territory that His Majesty the Emperor granted as a reward after Duke Zenova suppressed the rebellion this time.”

“But why is that territory……”

Along with Daniel’s question, Lizzy opened the lid of the tea she was brewing and let the steam cool for a moment.

“That territory is now under the duchess’s name.”

“……This can’t be. What…… what is happening?”

“The duke gave it directly to the duchess.”

“Oh no……!”

Daniel pressed his forehead and quickly lowered his hand pretending not to know.

He glanced at the door handle with wary eyes in case someone might open the door and enter.

“That territory…… isn’t it right next to the canal, used for moving supplies? To give such an important place to the duchess, this is serious.”

“That’s right. Those above also seemed to think seriously about this matter. Especially, they say the duchess begged the duke to go on a family trip to Alento territory for this upcoming family trip.”

“Don’t tell me the duke agreed?”

“Yes.”

At Lizzy’s words, Daniel, who grabbed his hair completely, slammed the table.

“Despite having so much work, seeing how he grants all the duchess’s requests…… wouldn’t it be better to inform the duke quickly?”

“He probably won’t listen.”

“……That’s right. That could be the case. Hah…… What should we do about this?”

“Most importantly, going on a family trip to that Alento territory…… there might be problems with the lady’s safety.”

“With the lady?”

“We suspect they might smuggle the lady to another country. Under the pretext of going on a family trip to Alento territory.”

Daniel, who tapped the table, nodded as if in agreement.

“That’s right. That’s certainly possible.”

Daniel thought of the smart and well-mannered Lucy. Such a lovely lady……!

“What did those above instruct me to do?”

“It would be good to evacuate the lady to a safe place before she goes to Alento territory.”

Daniel, who took a deep breath, nodded.

“That’s a good idea. Do you happen to know how many days are left?”

“It’s still undecided. They say the duke hasn’t set the travel date yet…… I’ll let you know as soon as the date is decided, so please prepare yourself mentally beforehand, Sir Daniel.”

“Understood.”

Lukewarm tea was left on the table.

After Lizzy left the reception room, Daniel sighed deeply and closed his eyes tightly.

*

“Lady, what do you think about outdoor lessons? I think learning while running around and breathing fresh air outside would be good for someone your age. Aren’t you bored receiving lessons in the playroom every time?”

Taking advantage of the duchess not observing the lesson, Daniel subtly brought up the topic to Lucy.

It couldn’t be kept secret from the duchess, but it seemed better to prepare for an outdoor lesson as suddenly as possible and evacuate the lady to a safe place.

“……Today?”

“No. Not today, I’ll prepare lessons suitable for outdoor classes next time. Could you perhaps save your words a bit to the duchess?”

“Wow! Outdoor lessons? I like it! To Mom? Why?”

Daniel, who swallowed his saliva, put on an awkward smile for now.

“Ah, it’s a bit awkward to inform her when the preparation is a bit insufficient.”

“I see. Yes! I’ll do that!”

At Lucy’s bright smile, Daniel nodded.

“Then, let’s proceed with today’s lesson.”

“But I also have something I want to ask you, teacher.”

“Yes, Lady. Please speak.”

When Daniel nodded, Lucy stared at Daniel intently with an innocent face.

“I heard that before becoming a tutor, you wanted to become a member of the House of Commons.”

“……What?”

“It was written in the special remarks, and I also went through the entire tutor list.”

“Ah, I see. But why is that……”

“I understand that becoming a member of the House of Commons requires enormous money or someone’s support. It’s a path you can’t have as a tutor. So I’m curious why you applied to be my tutor.”

Since she was such a smart lady, she seemed to have immediately noticed such incongruity.

Daniel, trying hard to ignore the cold sweat running down his back, smiled while casually organizing materials.

“Um…… the duchess probably wouldn’t like me telling you such stories, but to answer you, I applied thinking that being a tutor at the Zenova ducal residence might be a bit different.”

“You hope to become a member of the House of Commons, but you applied relying on such uncertain possibilities?”

Lucy’s green eyes were looking straight at Daniel.

She certainly had a gentle smile on her lips, but it didn’t look that way at all.

Rather than feeling like he was talking with a seven-year-old child, it felt like talking with an adult seven years older than him.

Fear struck him that all of himself might be understood by those eyes.

But all of this was for the lady’s sake……

“Oh, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask. What do you think about choosing inhumane methods to lead someone to the right path?”

“The right path?”

“Yes. However, that judgment is not objective.”

Daniel frowned.

“It’s a question about the possibility of committing inhumane acts while being captivated by illusions.”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t know if this will be an answer, but I think some sacrifices can be made if it’s truly the right path.”

“Because the results are good? Is that your definition of justice?”

Daniel, who was startled, shut his mouth tightly.

“If that’s not the right path, then what happens? Can you only blame your own incompetence for believing it was the right path?”

Normally, he wouldn’t be flustered by such questions.

He would have surely given a proper answer.

However, Daniel couldn’t say anything like a mute who had eaten honey.

Listening to the lady’s words, somehow the situation where he had agreed to a plan to kidnap the lady under the reason of protecting her seemed to apply.

Is kidnapping the right thing to do?

No matter how much the duchess might be leaking information to other countries, could his actions be justified?

What if…… all of this was actually based on misunderstanding…… Then what would happen?

Would he just become someone who kidnapped the lady?

Daniel questioned himself.