Karia briefly considered offering empty words, but she was far too irritated to cater to anyone’s feelings.
“Even as a formality, I don’t feel comfortable. I’m sure the Grand Duchess feels the same.”
“I don’t hate you.”
“You don’t like me either.”
She didn’t say it accusingly. In truth, there was no reason to blame the Grand Duchess. If Karia had expected compensation for her chaotic childhood, it should’ve been directed at the Grand Duke—not his wife.
Just as Karia found it difficult to deal with Lady Lamia and Lord Cristian, the Grand Duchess must’ve been even more bewildered by her husband’s illegitimate daughter—one whose existence hadn’t even been discussed.
Karia understood that the Grand Duchess had been relatively merciful to her.
“You don’t need to try with me. Sometimes, people just don’t get along. Let’s think of it that way.”
“Karia.”
“I’ll take my leave now.”
The Grand Duchess gave her reluctant permission as Karia bowed politely. With a deep sigh and a hand pressed to her forehead, the Grand Duchess leaned on her son, Alcard.
Leaving the mother and son behind, Karia slowly walked down the corridor toward the entrance.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, her legs gave out. Her heart pounded, and heat spread through her body. Terrible timing.
“Making me wait this long…”
Karia clenched her teeth to hold back a scream. Hellfire will burn, was it? This pain matched that curse perfectly.
“But it’s still nothing compared to before.”
Compared to losing her husband—her heart—and her child—her soul—this pain was nothing.
“What’s going on?”
A deep, low voice pierced through her ears as sweat drenched her. She looked up and met eyes with crimson irises in the shadows.
“Karia?”
“Grenveric.”
Grenveric Lutherbert. The Grand Duke’s eldest son and heir, the spitting image of the Grand Duke in his younger days.
“Why are you so shocked? Did I come somewhere I shouldn’t have?”
He was also the man Karia loathed most among the royals.
“Your mother sold you for ten thousand gold. This candlestick is worth thirteen thousand. So you’re worth less than a candlestick.”
He was always praised as mature and thoughtful, but he had been heartlessly cruel to his impoverished younger sibling. Karia had always been battered by the stone-like words he hurled at her. To her, he was a disaster—a force of nature. Whenever she met him, her heart grew cold, dark, and pained.
“……”
Karia glared at him with venom, and he frowned, remaining silent for a long moment.
Eventually, Grenveric turned his head and walked past her. It was a clear snub.
“Steward! It’s too late. I’ll stay the night! Prepare a room!”
Karia shouted toward the steward, loud enough for Grenveric to hear. In truth, she disliked this mansion. But if someone else found her even more uncomfortable than she found the place—she was willing to endure it.
—
She spent the night in pain, only falling asleep at dawn. At least she hadn’t passed out this time, which was a small relief. She thought someone might knock out of concern, but no one came until she rose late in the morning.
She’d hoped to show up at breakfast just to discomfort Grenveric, but when she arrived, not only was he gone—no one from the ducal family remained in the castle.
So Karia quietly slipped away from the ducal estate and returned to the forest. She tied her horse to the main pillar, since the stables were in ruins, and walked toward the castle. There, she saw Andyon and Alice arguing on the second-floor balcony.
“Alice, you can’t just touch things without permission!”
“I’m cleaning! It’s cleaning!”
“Why are you cleaning the treasure vault instead of the main living quarters?!”
“They seem to have gotten quite close.”
At Karia’s voice, both turned to look at her.
“Master!”
“Mom!”
Despite their constant bickering, both golems were clearly thrilled to see her.
Alice, especially, jumped onto Andyon’s shoulder, slid down his arm like a slide, and landed in front of her.
“Alice, you should say ‘Master,’ not ‘Mom.’”
“But you said she’s like a mom!”
“I said she’s like a mother—not that she is one!”
“Hmm… so she’s a mom but not a mom?”
Alice tilted her round head in confusion.
“Then I don’t have to listen when she tells me to, right?”
“Alice!”
“It’s fine. What’s in a title? Call me whatever you like.”
If she fussed over every little thing, she’d never get anything done. Karia waved a hand, and Alice proudly lifted her chin—as if she’d won. Where did she even learn that posture?
Karia laughed in disbelief—then blinked in surprise. Around Alice’s neck was something excessively shiny.
“What’s that hanging around your neck?”
“Oh, this!”
“—That’s my necklace.”
And not just any necklace. It was a treasure—a sapphire larger than a fist, set with minimal refinement.
Archmage Asmoph had never cared for flashy accessories, but he kept rare gemstones, either received as gifts or found during alchemical research.
That necklace was one of his most precious, purchased at auction for 100 kg of gold. And now, it was being dragged around Alice’s stony body, scratched with every step.
“Andyon said it’s a necklace! You wear it around your neck! Alice found it while cleaning!”
“—So it was in the treasure vault…”
Alice grinned, revealing she’d found even more and began pulling out necklaces, bracelets, belts, and brooches from her waist.
Karia sighed and held her forehead. Each gem was priceless and now bore scratches from careless handling.
“Do you want one too, Mom?”
“Oh dear. You didn’t realize, did you? All of those things already belong to me. So that one on your neck—hand it back, please.”
“Why? I want it!”
“Alice!”
Alice reluctantly handed over the others but clutched the necklace on her neck like a treasure.
“You have lots of other stuff! And you only have one neck! You only need one!”
As Alice screeched in protest, Karia covered her ears. Why did children obsess over things they didn’t even understand?
She remembered how Eddy, at two or three, had fixated on jewelry too. He’d reach for earrings glinting in the sun, and with surprising strength, nearly tore them off her ears once.
Now Alice’s voice went beyond scraping metal—more like a blaring siren. Karia finally raised both hands in surrender.
“Fine! Fine, keep it.”
“Yay! I’m so happy!”
“Master, you shouldn’t just give in like that.”
“She’s still a baby. She’ll grow out of it.”
Karia decided not to overthink it. It wasn’t like Alice would sell the necklace. She’d eventually get tired of it and hand it over.
Alice was her golem, and the jewelry was hers. It had simply changed locations—still within her grasp.
Instead, she took the rest of the returned jewelry and headed to the castle’s second floor, to the treasure vault. The doorknob was broken, with splinters exposed—Alice’s doing, no doubt.
Back when she’d lived here, the treasure room had been sealed by magic. But the spells had faded over time, leaving it vulnerable.
Broken shelves and rolled-up carpets confirmed Alice’s chaotic cleaning.
“Is she helping or causing trouble?”
Karia sighed deeply, then entered the vault and pushed aside a wall painting. Behind it was a hidden handle. Turning it caused the seamless wall to crack and open like a door.
Inside was a mountain of gold.
“It’s a bit worn, but not bad. Alice, load one bag full of gold onto my horse.”
“Gold? This is gold?”
“Master, why are you suddenly—”
Yesterday’s conversation with the Grand Duke had made something clear. No matter her birth or title, without her own power, she couldn’t do anything.
Seeing the poor Duke of Pandeon, sold for two million gold, had driven home the point: power comes from wealth, more than status.
The castle was hers, but she couldn’t claim it openly. Explaining magic in this era was useless, and even if she could—it would only make her life harder.
But inside this castle was a vast fortune sh
e’d accumulated long ago. Back then, she hadn’t needed it—her power alone cleared the way.
But that was the past. Now, she too would rely on money—and she had plenty of it.
