CHAPTER 10…………………………….
The sharp red eyes of Duke Kereis turned toward me.
Today, his deep blue hair was slicked neatly back, making the aura of menace around him even stronger.
So this is what the presence of a true villain feels like.
I swallowed hard, trying to wipe the sweat from my palms.
Stay calm. You have to save Crimu. Calm. Calm.
But the more I told myself that, the louder my heart pounded—wildly, uncontrollably.
Oh no, what do I do? I have to catch them before they escape!
My mind was spinning into chaos.
That nanny—and that bastard—I can’t let either of them get away!
Finally, the pressure and fear boiling inside burst out of me in a single desperate shout.
“Right now! T-The nanny’s room! Please, save Crimu!!”
It felt like all the pent-up emotion in my chest came spilling out at once.
My legs gave out beneath me, trembling.
Hot tears streamed down my cheeks.
I tried to lift my hand to wipe them away, but couldn’t—my fists were clenched so tightly that they shook.
Even my breathing came in rough, uneven bursts that I could barely control.
“……”
A heavy silence fell.
Despite my outburst, the Duke remained calm. He slowly turned his gaze from me to the butler.
“Find them. Now.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Once the butler left, only the Duke and I remained in the study.
His brow was furrowed deeper than before, his expression cold and unreadable.
After a few seconds of piercing silence, he finally turned away and left the room.
“Haa…”
As soon as he was gone, my legs gave out completely, and I sank to the floor.
I had no strength left.
What just happened?
Was that real? Or am I still stuck in some web novel?
But one thing was certain—Crimu wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.
“Right, Crimu! Where is he now?”
Dragging my weak body up, I ran through the mansion, searching for him.
He was just a frightened four-year-old child.
I had to be by his side—no matter what.
After what felt like forever, I finally found him in the playroom, quietly sniffling.
“Sniff…”
“Crimu…!”
I rushed over, kneeling down to wrap him tightly in my arms.
His soft, round cheek pressed against my shoulder.
“Crimu, it’s okay now. Your big sister’s here. Everything’s going to be okay.”
I kept gently patting his back until his trembling started to ease.
Before the sun had even set, the two who had conspired together were caught.
When they searched the nanny’s room, nothing was found—but after I told them to check the backyard storage, they discovered a pile of stolen goods and a hefty sum of money.
“W-We’re sorry, Your Grace…!”
“Please, spare us… hic…”
The Duke didn’t make them kneel and apologize in front of the young Crimu—he was not that merciful.
Instead, he ordered that their tongues and one arm each be cut off, and that they be whipped and tied up in the public square overnight.
“Ugh…”
When I heard this from Britta, I shuddered.
Yep, still the terrifying final boss of this story.
It was honestly a miracle they were even alive.
That day, I’d practically collapsed in Crimu’s playroom—probably from the sheer emotional stress.
When I woke up, I was already in my room. Britta told me I’d been asleep for an entire day.
By the time I came to, everything was already over.
“And Crimu…?”
“Oh! Young Master Crimu was moved to a new room. The Duke completely destroyed the old one.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They said when the Duke saw the bruises and cuts on the young master’s body, he lost control.”
“Oh…”
Apparently, the Duke had stayed with Crimu through the entire treatment before finally leaving.
I’d thought he was a cold, indifferent father—but maybe that wasn’t the case after all.
Thinking of little Crimu crying, I was just relieved he could finally heal.
So… it’s finally over?
I was about to let my mind and body rest when a horrifying thought struck me.
Wait—didn’t I… scream at the Duke in his office?!
“AAAH! I’m dead!!”
If I was going to yell, I should’ve done it properly, not trembling like a scared mouse!
How was I supposed to face him now?!
I yanked my blanket up to my head and buried myself in it.
Duke Kereis had a headache.
It wasn’t often he fell ill—but this time, the matter had involved his own child.
“Merianne…”
Leaning back in his office chair, he murmured her name.
All of this had been exposed because of that girl.
If not for her, he might never have known of the nanny and servant’s cruelty.
His lips twitched with lingering anger.
He remembered clearly how she had stood before him—shaking, her eyes brimming with tears, cheeks flushed, small fists clenched tightly.
He had no choice but to listen to her.
Her desperation had been too real.
And when her strength gave out and she nearly collapsed, he’d felt… something strange stir inside him.
Later, the butler had told him everything Merianne had said—how she’d seen the nanny’s secret meeting behind the storage, and how she’d heard Crimu being beaten.
“Filthy worms.”
The breeze from the open window ruffled his blue hair slightly.
Then an old memory surfaced—of a man from the Delve family visiting him not long ago.
The man had stammered nervously, unable to even meet his eyes, as he spoke of a recently orphaned child.
“L-Lady Merianne Delve is the o-only pure-blooded magic heir of our house.”
The Duke had coldly dismissed him at first, telling him not to waste his time with such nonsense.
But the man had persisted.
“I swear upon the Guardian Spirit’s name—Merianne carries mana in her body.”
Swearing upon a Guardian Spirit’s name…
The Duke had regarded him impassively and asked one final question: how old was the girl?
Now, as the wind brushed past once more, he murmured to himself with a bitter expression—
“Thirteen… about the same age, then.”
His crimson eyes narrowed.
The confusion in his head faded, replaced by thoughts of that morning.
When he’d gone to the dining hall, it had been empty.
His eldest son, Shevert, was still away on training.
Crimu had been told to rest.
And the butler had reported that Merianne wasn’t feeling well.
He’d eaten alone in the quiet hall, finishing his meal as always—when suddenly, he’d thought of her trembling voice and tearful face.
Strangely enough, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since.
“Debuye. Debuye!”
The butler entered quickly.
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“Where is Merianne right now?”
“She was in her room earlier, but I believe she’s visiting Young Master Crimu at the moment.”
“I see. Tell her to come see me this afternoon.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“And also—”
The Duke paused for a moment before continuing.
“Send her a physician.”
“…A physician, my lord? You mean a mage?”
The Duke frowned.
“No, a doctor. Have her examined properly.”
“Ah… yes, Your Grace.”
“Her hands were shaking… she seemed frightened and tense.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The butler left, looking puzzled.
As soon as he was gone, the Duke frowned deeper.
For some reason, he didn’t like what he’d just ordered.
“…Was that unnecessary?”
He almost called the butler back to cancel it—but stopped himself.
Then he convinced himself quietly: it was a rational decision.
If Merianne truly possessed magical potential, her health was important.
This was purely for the good of the Kereis family.
Absolutely not because he felt… pity for her.
Later that afternoon, a guest arrived at the mansion.
A luxurious carriage pulled up, and its door creaked open.
A finely crafted staff struck the ground with a thud.
Stepping out was Veil Kereis, the Duke’s father, from the northern estates.
Though his hair was white with age, it still retained the family’s trademark blue sheen, and his deep, wrinkled eyes glowed a fierce crimson.
“Take me to where Getre is.”
Following the servant’s lead, Veil walked toward the reception room where his son waited.
Father and son faced each other, both without the faintest hint of warmth.
Veil sat in the place of honor, his expression stiff.
“Have you been well?”
“I could ask the same.”
Neither answered the other’s question.
The men of House Kereis had always been this way—formal, curt, and cold.
After their brief exchange, they went straight to business.
“How is the northern wall holding?”
“I am there, am I not?”
“I hear this winter will be severe.”
“I am there, am I not?”
Veil tugged at his white mustache, giving the same dry reply twice.
The Duke was used to it, so he didn’t press further.
Silence filled the room again.
Clink. The Duke set down his teacup.
Veil motioned him away with a hand.
“That will be all. You may go.”
The Duke bowed slightly and left.
Once alone, Veil gestured for the butler, Debuye, to sit beside him.
“Sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Whenever Veil visited, he always spoke briefly with his son’s butler afterward.
Though, of course, Debuye was loyal to the Duke—so nothing of true importance was ever said.
“And Crimu?”
“He’s recovering well, sir. Receiving treatment every day.”
Veil’s silver-blue hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight as he stared off into the distance.
Then, after a pause, he asked quietly—
“There’s a new child in the mansion, isn’t there?”
