Chapter 59
Shavia got out of the carriage and stepped into the Marquis’ residence. Her lavender eyelashes trembled with anger. It was clear that she still hadn’t fully grasped the situation, having grown up mingling with commoners in the countryside.
“I guess I’ll have to help them realize their place,” she muttered.
As she pondered how to make use of the branch she had received from Regis, a husky voice, half carried by the air, reached her ears.
“Why is my lovely sister so angry again?”
The man, half-lidded eyes barely open, was none other than her older brother, Fortio. Shavia turned her body toward him, standing on the stairs.
“Are you drunk again? Or just weak?”
“I’m intoxicated by my sister’s beauty.”
Judging by the way he swayed and couldn’t hold his posture, it seemed he really was under the influence.
“Stop with the drugs. Even with antidotes, it damages your body.”
“If I don’t take them, the world doesn’t look beautiful.”
Fortio ran his hand through his hair, exuding a decadent charm as he leaned against the stair railing.
The future head of the Marquis of Pegimul, Fortio, had no interest in inheriting the title or managing the family. His only interests were drinking, drugs, and women.
If the Marquis had a male heir like him, he might have thrown him out long ago. The Marquis often lamented that, in hindsight, he should have at least fathered another son outside.
Shavia ascended the stairs and asked,
“Brother, have you met Lady Roni?”
“There’s no way a girl chosen by Father could be attractive,” Fortio said with a sly smile, as if he had heard a fun story.
“Marriage isn’t about choosing someone attractive,” Shavia replied.
“I know. You don’t need to nag me too.”
Shavia looked at her brother with a mixture of disdain and exasperation.
As heir, he should be handling everything from monster breeding to mining operations and managing trade caravans—but Shavia had taken care of it all.
Still, it was Fortio who would inherit the title of Marquis of Pegimul.
He would inherit everything Shavia had built. Yet, he remained endearing because he was the only one in the family who genuinely cared about “family.”
Fortio tilted his handsome face closer and asked,
“What’s the matter? Did someone hurt our sister’s feelings?”
“Eluana Vita Spes.”
Shavia spat the name. Fortio, initially puzzled by the unfamiliar name, soon recalled the girl from the rumors.
“That lucky girl?”
“Right. Very lucky.”
Shavia’s face contorted in anger. She only showed her true expressions to Fortio, the one person who loved her no matter what.
“Since she hurt your feelings, trouble will follow soon. What are you going to do?”
“I’ve already failed. I can’t target her again for now. And of course, she’s the daughter of the Duke of Spes.”
“You failed?”
Fortio’s face showed surprise. Shavia was intelligent and resourceful; he had never seen her fail a plan.
“Yes. Failed. I couldn’t control the variables.”
“So you’re not giving up?”
“Of course not.”
Her initial plan was to make the noble girl feel excluded among her peers, slowly frustrate her, and finally drag her down to despair. To achieve this, marrying her to Regis was the best method.
“Maybe I should make her the Crown Princess,” Shavia said.
Fortio shook his head in dismay.
“That’s a bit cruel.”
Being the same age, Fortio knew Regis’ temperament well. While he shook his head, Shavia smiled.
“Aren’t you curious whether she can escape this through luck again?”
“Why is it taking so long?”
The Duke of Spes asked as he stared at the towering pile of reports. Noah glanced at the report in front of him. No wonder he had been rereading the same page for hours.
“Shall we spend a couple of hours talking?”
“I don’t understand why it would take so long,” muttered the Duke of Spes in dissatisfaction. Noah realized that nothing he said would help.
“Let’s take a walk. You’ll see the carriage arrive from the garden.”
It was basically an invitation to go meet them. The Duke closed the report and stood.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
He added that his body already felt stiff and headed outside. On the way to the garden, he noticed a strange girl and paused.
“Who is that?”
Noah explained, following the Duke’s gaze.
“This is a girl named Ling. While traveling to Aden, she was almost sold under a red lantern, but the young lady saved her and brought her here. She’s now working as a maid.”
“She reminds me of Stella in that way.”
When Stella had secretly snuck out of the Imperial Castle at twelve, the Duke had once accompanied her to the market. They had seen a boy almost hit by a carriage—it was ten-year-old Ron Vita.
A baron, getting out of a carriage, blocked Ron’s path and beat him. It was Stella who saved him, providing medical care and some money when she learned he had no parents. A few years later, a letter arrived at the Duke’s mansion for Stella, changing all their lives.
Recalling twelve-year-old Stella standing before ten-year-old Ron Vita, the Duke turned toward the Daisy Room, Louis’ room. When he knocked, there was a tentative response.
Louis peeked his head out.
“Please come in.”
As Louis stepped back, the Duke and Noah entered. The Daisy Room had changed significantly—everything was now child-sized, and the attached study was full of toys.
“Do you like the room?”
“Yes! There are so many toys. Thank you!”
Louis bowed. His pink hair and sparkling eyes resembled Ron Vita.
“If there’s anything inconvenient or you need something, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’m your father now, after all.”
“Uh… yes.”
Louis felt confused at being called “father.” Noticing his hesitation, the Duke added,
“You don’t have to call me father forcibly. Do it naturally when you’re ready. I’ve contacted the mage, and they’ll respond soon.”
“Thank you!”
Louis rolled his eyes around, still shy.
The Duke of Spes was relatively stoic—not unkind, but not like Ron, who embodied warmth. Naturally, this made him feel distant.
“We’ll gradually close the distance,” he said.
Seeing Louis hesitate, lights gathered around, revealing a fragment of the Duke’s heart to the boy:
[Since Ron was a good father to my child, I also want to be a good father to you.]
Louis finally felt at ease.
“Y-Yes… F-Father… Duke,” he stammered.
Unable to finish saying “father,” Louis smiled. The Duke, unconsciously, patted his head. The adorable child, resembling young Ron, didn’t shy away from the awkward touch.
“Alright. Then rest.”
The Duke left the room, feeling lighter. As he was about to continue the walk, Noah called out:
“The carriage from the Imperial Castle has arrived.”
They hurried down, and Eluana stepped out, holding Alex’s hand and smiling at the Duke.
“Father, I’m back.”
“Would you like to stop by the study? We have something to discuss.”
“Yes, I have something to tell you too.”
Eluana walked alongside the Duke. Noah, noticing a subtle gesture from the Duke, stepped back respectfully.
“You have something to say?”
Eluana’s proud face spoke first.
“I’ve finished talking with Kazar.”
The Duke, watching his daughter call the Fourth Prince by name, replied after a slight pause.
“Of course. No one in the Empire would refuse your fiancé position.”
‘But she initially refused,’ Eluana thought, smiling awkwardly. Despite the expressionless look, her eyes held a spark of joy. Seeing the Duke’s mansion through the carriage window, she thought, We’re home. This place now felt like home.
Her warm mood, however, shattered the moment she arrived at the study ten minutes later.
“…You mean Louis might have to leave to learn magic?”
The small ball she had on her shoulder fell to the floor with a plop.
Louis is leaving? He’s leaving?
“That’s impossible!”
It was unthinkable.
Eluana had understood from the Duke what it meant that Louis was a “child blessed by mana.” She understood his desire to grow stronger, and that only the mage Kairon could teach him.
But leaving him behind…
Louis was only six. With his mother having died at his birth, he felt more like a son than a sibling. A wave of frustration and tears welled up in her chest. She had thought the Duke had been good to Louis, but perhaps it had been bothersome for him too.
She felt a pang of resentment.
“For Louis’ sake,” the Duke said.
Eluana could no longer hear him. The fallen ball mirrored her feelings perfectly.
“Louis is too young to go follow a stranger to learn magic. He’ll be scared too.”
“He says he wants to go.”
“That’s impossible. Even if he might have to be apart from me?”
The Duke didn’t answer, but the silence was an answer enough. Eluana almost cried and looked down awkwardly.
“Can’t the mage stay at the Duke’s mansion?”
“I can suggest it, but he may not agree under certain conditions. At worst, he may refuse Louis as a student.”
“So Louis might not be able to learn magic?”
“Currently, Louis is perfecting magic with the help of mana. That won’t change. Without a circle, the amount of mana in his body is limited. If he uses magic beyond his ability, he’ll enter a state of mana depletion.”
Eluana’s heart sank. Mana depletion could even lead to death in the worst-case scenario.
“So it’s not about where he learns, then?”
“Kairon will visit the Duke’s mansion soon. We’ll discuss it again then.”
The Duke tried to leave the matter unresolved—until a door suddenly appeared in the middle of the study. It opened wide, and a girl with purple hair peeked her head in.
“Did someone call me?”
