Chapter 9
I didn’t know much about magic devices, but this wasn’t some far-fetched possibility either.
If the duke truly hated Cain, he wouldn’t have contacted him at all.
Yet I’d been told that messages had come in not long ago.
Which meant the problem might actually be on the receiving end—something preventing proper replies.
And this isn’t a coincidence.
That a purification stone was wedged among the magic device’s components was absurd.
Tristan must have deliberately interfered to drive a wedge between Cain and the duke.
The moment I tried to touch the device, he’d reacted excessively and even grabbed my arm.
I can sense divine power. He was trying to stop me from noticing the purification stone.
Placing the purification stone on the table, I looked straight at Tristan.
“This is unbelievable! Why would something like this be inside here?!”
Tristan put on an act, looking utterly shocked, as if he knew nothing.
“I know, right? Someone must have planted it on purpose. Obviously some petty, cowardly person who enjoys tormenting others!”
When I echoed him, also pretending ignorance, Tristan’s expression quickly stiffened as he muttered,
“There’s no proof that a person did this yet… Isn’t that a bit much?”
“It’s obvious. I heard that everything was fine when the device was inspected for malfunctions. They must have taken it out temporarily back then.”
Right?
At my words, Rain—still too stunned to fully process things—answered blankly,
“This is… the worst…”
Tristan clenched his teeth for a brief moment.
Good. Now for the next step.
Without pausing, I continued,
“And since things have turned out like this, please contact the duke even if you have to send someone in person. The magic device might be completely unusable because of the purification stone.”
“…Very well. Then I will send someone to inform the duke.”
Even now, Tristan was trying to block me to the very end.
But it was pointless.
“That’s fine, but after seeing this purification stone, I can’t trust anything. If you’re unable to bring the duke here, could you at least bring back the duke’s signature as proof that he received the message?”
“…Yes. Understood.”
I furrowed my brows and spoke as worriedly as possible.
At that, left speechless, Tristan turned away with a face so red it looked ready to burst.
Hmm. Did I go too far?
“Wait.”
I called out to Tristan as he was about to leave.
“You should apologize to the young master too. Because of your mistake, things almost went badly between the duke and the young master. And you’re acting as the estate’s administrator, no less.”
At my words, Tristan’s face looked seconds away from exploding.
“I apologize, Young Master. I will be more careful in the future…”
Trembling, Tristan bowed deeply, then hurried out of the room.
Even as he left, he didn’t forget to glare at me viciously.
“Please make sure the message reaches the duke quickly.”
I smiled brightly at Tristan’s retreating figure.
Just before he left, his face was completely twisted with rage.
Thud.
The door closed with a reasonably loud sound.
I guess he couldn’t bring himself to slam it any harder.
Thinking that I should never become an adult like that, I turned my gaze away from the door.
Then I smiled at Cain, whose eyes met mine.
Cain’s eyes were wide with surprise.
*
Bang!
Tristan slammed the door as he stormed into his office.
“That brat—how dare she toy with me?!”
Fury burned at the top of Tristan’s head, his face flushing red and blue in turns.
It was humiliation.
Grinding his teeth, he recalled himself bowing and apologizing to Cain.
“She could’ve just asked for jewels or something. But no—she demanded that as compensation!”
Tristan didn’t want Duke Argent to know there had been an incident in the estate.
The reason was clear.
He wanted to boast that the estate remained peaceful under his management.
He didn’t want Gerard’s son growing closer to the duke.
And above all, for his future—where he would have Duke Argent all to himself as her new spouse.
Normally, this wouldn’t have been difficult at all.
Manipulating Cain was as easy as breathing for him.
In fact, the moment he hinted that the duke might worry, Cain had immediately suggested hiding the incident.
But at this rate, Duke Argent will find out.
Perhaps even the fact that he’d planted a purification stone in the communication device would come to light.
No—not just that. Other things too…!
“I have to stop it. No matter what!”
Tristan muttered anxiously.
This is all because of that brat. If she hadn’t existed—!
His anger, after circling endlessly, returned to Winiel.
From the very beginning, Winiel’s presence had irritated him.
A saint candidate. Claiming she had something to say to the young master.
“She needs to be dealt with. If I get rid of that brat, everything can be reversed.”
Seeing her as a variable, he’d tried to drive her away—yet she’d ended up saving Cain and entering the estate regardless.
“Hah. Still, maybe this works out.”
After all, Cain was still keeping his distance from the duke.
If he added a few more rumors and piled on the guilt, Cain would keep his mouth shut forever.
So all he had to do was silence Winiel somehow.
He needed a way—a way to do it.
After venting his rage while thinking of Winiel for quite some time, Tristan suddenly froze.
Come to think of it… that’s still left.
Opening his safe, Tristan took out a single sheet of paper from a hidden compartment inside.
It was covered with a complex magic circle.
Leering down at it, Tristan scribbled his name across the paper.
This will do it for sure.
Tap—clatter.
Unaware that his fountain pen had rolled off the desk, Tristan’s lips curled upward.
*
Several days passed after the purification stone was discovered in the communication device.
During that time, Cain began receiving purification he hadn’t been getting before.
It was something Tristan strongly recommended, probably fearing being blamed when the duke arrived.
I didn’t like how suddenly he’d changed his tune, but purification was good for Cain, so I didn’t stop it.
Still, I wanted to be the one to purify him and put him in my debt.
Unfortunately, Cain insisted on using purification stones instead.
Tristan, who clearly disliked me being around Cain, eagerly supported that choice.
It left a bad taste in my mouth, but it did confirm one thing for me.
As I thought—Tristan was the one who brainwashed Cain into avoiding purification.
He must’ve been worried that if Cain was seen receiving purification, someone would realize how serious things were and inform the duke.
For example, that maid. Rain, was it?
She didn’t seem to have many others she could talk to—but even one person was enough.
She’d serve as a witness when I told the duke later.
Aside from that, Rain had been an enormous help to me.
She even agreed to contact the duke. And after that, she’s been taking such good care of me.
Not that she hadn’t before—but now she cleaned my room until it practically sparkled every day, and brought me freshly made snacks several times a day.
The chocolate muffin I was eating right now was also from Rain…
“Huh? Where did all the muffins go?”
I frowned at the empty plate, not even a crumb left behind.
There was no need to look for the culprit.
…I ate them all.
I got down from my chair.
She looked busy, so I should bring the plate myself.
It seemed like Rain was managing the entire estate on her own.
For a ducal household, wasn’t the number of servants absurdly small?
Is this also Tristan’s doing?
Whatever the case, I’d report everything.
Originally, I’d planned to hint at things indirectly, but after the communication device incident, I’d changed my mind.
I’ll just say it outright.
Keeping quiet wouldn’t help Cain—even if he hated me for it at first.
And honestly, I’d go crazy if I didn’t.
I reached the kitchen, washed the plate, and set it aside.
The few servants I occasionally saw merely glanced at me once, already accustomed to this, then returned to their work.
Where did Rain go? Cleaning somewhere else?
I thought she’d be here soon, since it was almost lunchtime.
After looking around the kitchen, I returned to my room.
No matter how much I offered to help, Rain never listened.
I’ll insist on doing the dishes later.
Just as I returned to my room—
“Huh?”
I felt a murky presence.
This can’t be—
A chill ran down my spine.
“Aaaah!”
Before I could think further, a scream echoed from the first floor.
Startled, I bolted into the hallway.
The moment I reached the stairs and ran down, I came face to face with a black, slime-like monster I’d seen before.
“!”
The situation was worse than I thought.
It wasn’t just the monster—Rain and a knight were there too.
The scream from earlier must have been the knight’s, and Rain already looked like she’d been attacked, lying on the ground.
Black magic inside the ducal estate?!
Questions flooded my mind, but dealing with the monster came first.
I channeled divine power into the temple insignia and threw it at the creature.
Fwoosh!
The monster vanished, engulfed in white flames.
Without a moment to relax, I rushed to Rain.
“Hey—are you okay?!”
Seeing Rain collapsed when she’d been perfectly fine just moments earlier filled me with fear.
She’s not dead, right?
With trembling hands, I checked her condition.
She’s breathing…!
But she must have come into contact with the monster—her arm was already turning gray.
I need to purify her—now.
I placed my hand on the contaminated area.
“What’s going on?! What happened?!”
“Rain collapsed!”
Hearing the scream, other servants came running.
Thank goodness. If I ask them to move her to a bed—
At that moment, the knight beside us staggered backward and shouted,
“Th—this girl summoned the monster with black magic!”
