• Chapter 34 – The Family Meeting

Four days later, a family council was held at the Duke of Dilan’s estate.

The moment Kaelan learned about it, he wanted to send letters to all the retainers canceling the meeting. But he knew all too well that his uncle would do everything in his power to sabotage such an attempt.

Besides, canceling an officially announced family meeting would only raise further suspicion.

Not a single letter or visit came from Viscount Kranos, the one behind all this, until the day of the meeting. And on that day, he showed up as if nothing had happened, utterly shameless.

“Uncle. You’ve arrived.”

“Oh—Kaelan. You look a bit gaunt. Has it been too much, running the duchy?”

“Thanks to you, Uncle.”

Kaelan didn’t bother hiding his hostility, and Viscount Kranos chuckled as if amused.

Seeing Kaelan meet his gaze so boldly and impudently, Kranos thought to himself: If today’s council ends with me being entrusted with the title of Duke, I’ll be sure to discipline that arrogant boy thoroughly.

The two of them walked side by side toward the meeting room, not exchanging a single word, nor even pretending to acknowledge each other’s presence. Their eyes stayed fixed ahead, cold and distant.

When the door to the meeting room came into view in the distance, it was Kranos who finally broke the silence.

“Seems you’ve grown quite close to the Duchess while I wasn’t looking.”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Then how do you explain spreading that baseless rumor to the royal family—that the Duchess has recovered? Are you saying it had nothing to do with protecting her?”

“No. It didn’t.”

That rumor was to prevent this very situation from happening. But you ruined it all, Uncle.

Kranos overheard Kaelan’s muttered words. His nephew clearly knew his intentions and was determined to push him out. That realization annoyed him—until he confirmed that the Duchess was still unconscious. Then, his mood lifted instantly.

Of course. Do you know how much time and money I spent making that cuckoo bird disappear without a trace?

And I even fed that Torrat seed powder to my brother’s bloodline. The Dilan line will end with them—no heirs left. The next Duke of Dilan will be me. Me and my family!

Now openly grinning, Kranos made no attempt to mask his delight, but Kaelan merely cast him a glance and maintained his stoic expression.

The two didn’t even face each other until they stood before the council room doors. Not long ago, their relationship hadn’t been this hostile—but over the past four days, things had sharply deteriorated.

“Well then, shall we go in? I’m sure everyone’s waiting for us.”

“After you.”

The doors opened.

Inside, seven retainers sat on either side of a long table, awaiting Kaelan and Viscount Kranos.

The meeting began smoothly enough.

First, the retainers expressed their condolences to Kaelan regarding the Duchess’s condition and offered words of encouragement, recognizing the burden he had carried alone.

“But I must ask—wasn’t it Viscount Kranos who convened this council? By what authority did you call this meeting?”

“Indeed. Isn’t that overstepping your bounds? For a viscount to summon the ducal family council—it’s quite inappropriate.”

“I heard the Duchess is recovering and the young duke is managing affairs well. What reason is there for this council?”

The atmosphere began to shift.

The higher-ranking retainers, who had assumed Kaelan had summoned the meeting, were visibly displeased upon learning it was Kranos who had done so.

Sensing this, and especially when the Duchess was mentioned, Kranos stood with a practiced smile and spoke:

“I have something important to clarify. I did not summon you today as a mere viscount, but as the individual named in the last will of my missing brother, Duke Perdo Dilan, to be entrusted with the title of Duke.”

Murmurs rippled through the room.

At the mention of the late Duke’s will, questions naturally arose about the Duchess’s current state.

“But Viscount, didn’t the will specify that if the Duchess were rendered incapable of managing the duchy, only then would the authority pass to you and the young duke? I’ve heard the Duchess is improving. How do you justify this?”

“I understand Count Pondel’s concern—and likely the concern of everyone here. That’s why I must explain. A few days ago, I visited the Dilan estate myself.”

Everyone turned their attention to Kranos.

His confidence and refusal to be cowed by criticism silenced the retainers, who decided to at least hear him out.

Kranos raised his voice with more conviction.

“When I visited, the Duchess was in bed, unconscious. It was well after she had collapsed, and there was no sign of recovery. Kaelan—no, the young duke—was managing all affairs in her stead.”

“But wasn’t your visit a few days ago? Couldn’t her condition have improved since then? I heard those rumors of her recovery started spreading recently.”

“No. As of this moment, the Duchess remains in critical condition and has not regained consciousness.”

The room stirred again.

But Kranos didn’t stop.

“I can say this with certainty because the only daughter of the Dilan family sent me this letter.”

With dramatic flair, he pulled out a letter and raised it high. And just then, the doors opened—Lady Reyna entered the room.

Kranos beamed at her.

“Lady Reyna. Come, over here.”

Reyna, looking confused, hesitantly stepped forward. Following her uncle’s gesture, she walked to his side—only to find herself facing Kaelan from the opposite end of the room.

Why am I here?

Uncle only asked me to confirm that I sent the letter. That was all.

But as she stood there, something felt wrong. Very wrong.

The moment she met Kaelan’s stony gaze from across the room, it hit her.

Something’s not right. This… isn’t how things were supposed to go.

Kranos gently placed a hand on Reyna’s shoulder, his voice soft.

“Now, Lady Reyna. Can you confirm that this letter was written by you?”

Why is Kaelan looking at me like that? What’s going on?

But then Reyna realized—Kaelan’s harsh gaze wasn’t aimed at her. It was directed just beyond her, past her shoulder.

Turning her head, she looked back—to see her smiling uncle.

“Lady Reyna? Please answer.”

Kranos’s usual smile no longer felt warm. In the cold atmosphere of the council, his hand on her shoulder felt heavy and suffocating.

“….”

“Lady Reyna.”

When she remained silent, Kranos called her name again, pressing harder on her shoulder.

His eyes, though still curved in a smile, were chillingly cold.

[Reyna, I appreciate your concern, but I won’t be calling Uncle.]

[Why not?]

[It’s not time yet. The woman only just received the appointment—no, forget it. I’ll explain later. Just trust me for now.]

[I don’t understand… why?]

Reyna had thought Kaelan was simply trying to handle everything on his own—because he was the eldest, because the burden was heavy. She thought he just didn’t want to ask for help.

That’s why, hoping to ease his load, she had written to their uncle.

“Haha. Seems the Lady is nervous. Her first council meeting, after all.”

Still receiving no answer, Kranos turned to the retainers with a light laugh.

Then he squeezed Reyna’s shoulder and whispered:

“Reyna. Everyone is waiting for your answer.”

“…Yes.”

Looking around, Reyna saw that all eyes in the room were fixed on her.

Always surrounded by warmth and affection, she had never felt such cold, greedy stares. It terrified her.

Even more so because her beloved uncle was one of them.

“Lady Reyna. Would you please tell us what the letter said?”

“…I wrote it because after the Duchess collapsed, Kaelan was managing everything alone. He looked like he was struggling, so I asked Uncle to help him.”

She looked at Kaelan, trying to convey that it was all out of concern for him. But he refused to meet her eyes, still staring only at Kranos.

“Did you all hear that? As the Lady said, the Duchess was unconscious and the young duke had to manage the duchy alone!”

With Reyna’s confirmation, Kranos dropped his hand from her shoulder and turned triumphantly to the room, spreading his arms wide.

“My missing brother’s will clearly states: If Duchess Belladonna Dilan is unable to fulfill her duties due to an unforeseen incident, then Viscount Kranos and the eldest son, Kaelan, shall jointly manage the affairs of the duchy.

“Therefore, with the Duchess still unconscious, the ones entitled to the ducal authority are myself and the young duke.”

The majority of the retainers nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Reyna took a step back. As the situation seemed to unfold exactly as she had hoped, the knot of anxiety in her chest loosened slightly.

I was right. I did the right thing for Kaelan.