Chapter 33
As soon as they came into the room, they silently checked my condition.
I could already guess the questions that would follow, so I answered first.
“I’m fine. Just a small injury on my arm, and five doctors came to treat it. They even checked to make sure all my fingers and toes were still attached.”
I joked on purpose to lighten the heavy mood, and the two of them relaxed a little.
“But how did you find me? You showed up so fast—it surprised me.”
“Ah, that’s…”
Lucas frowned awkwardly, and Sise, standing beside him, shrugged and answered instead.
“Call it a tip-off, or say the accomplice confessed. Anyway, Kana Osette came forward and told the truth herself.”
“Kana did?”
“Yeah. She said your father sold you to slavers to pay off his gambling debt.”
So that was it.
I hadn’t even tried to escape because I wanted to figure out who was targeting me.
Couldn’t you at least have threatened me a bit? ‘If you don’t give up the heir’s seat, your granddaughter dies!’—something dramatic like that?
But it seemed the ambitious Mr. Osette bungled his scheme before he could even make a move.
Then was the carriage ambush their doing as well?
I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed likely.
Either way, this incident will ruin the Osettes. I’ll just watch and see how it plays out.
With that carefree thought, I stretched out on the bed—then suddenly remembered something and bolted upright.
“Oh! What about the girl who was captured with me?”
“The cat-folk girl?”
“Yes.”
“She was safely returned to her tribe.”
“That’s a relief. And…”
“And?”
“This is going to sound silly, but I have a feeling….”
“What is it?”
“Um… starting today, am I the young grand duke?”
Lucas and Sise blinked at me for a moment, then burst out laughing.
So it’s true. From today, I really am the Young Grand Duke.
This was the start of my secret grand plan to bring down House Ashinov.
The Grand Duke quietly summoned Kana.
It was after the slave traders captured by the Mist Knights confessed that their employer was Osette, confirming every part of Kana’s report.
Kana greeted him politely and bowed as she sat across from him.
“Your father claims that you were the one who planned it.”
“My father?”
Kana’s eyes widened in surprise, then she gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
“He… to the very end… I hoped he would repent at last….”
She shed big, glistening tears, just as she had when she turned in her father’s crimes.
The Grand Duke watched her silently.
Because of this incident, the girl who had once schemed to reclaim her family’s main house was now in the position of benefactor.
Right before the Osettes’ downfall, she had pushed them into ruin and survived alone?
Suspicious—but there was no proof.
All the circumstances favored her.
“Thanks to you, we were able to find Danaë quickly. I should reward you.”
“I didn’t do it for a reward. I only wished to do what was right. However…”
Kana dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and made a request.
“I’ve betrayed my father. I can’t return to House Osette. Until I find somewhere to stay, would you shelter me, Your Grace?”
7
Several changes came to the winter estate.
First, the collateral relatives who had been staying in the annex left.
Those who had tried every trick to cling to the main family suddenly fled, pale-faced.
When I asked the three brothers what caused the change of heart, they only gave me strange smiles instead of answers.
The second change was that Kana remained in the annex.
With the Grand Duke’s permission, she stayed there openly as an honored guest.
She said it was temporary until she found a new place to rely on, but for a young noblewoman, that wasn’t easy unless a marriage proposal arrived.
So everyone whispered that Kana would probably occupy the annex for quite a while.
The third and final change was that I was officially appointed the Young Grand Duke of House Ashinov.
Hooray!
“Danaë, this is the seal of the Young Grand Duke. You have been formally appointed, so I give it to you.”
Receiving the seal from the Grand Duke made me truly his heir.
I had only one reason for striving to become the successor of my enemy, House Ashinov:
to draw the grand picture of its downfall.
People might expect me to show again the skills I’d demonstrated during the heir’s test, but…
From now on, I plan to swing the club at Ashinov with everything I’ve got!
And when the house collapses, I’ll laugh and leave to live the life I couldn’t enjoy in my previous existence.
If I stash away a bit of wealth before the family falls, I can live comfortably even after I ruin them.
I’ll consider that compensation for killing me, Pamel.
Thinking that, I welcomed my first day as the Young Grand Duke.
And that day, I realized there was a serious problem with my plan to wreak havoc.
“…Is this really all I have to do?”
I blinked at the papers Lucas handed me. No matter how I looked, there was nothing important.
Most were petty matters—citizens’ complaints, approvals for small expenses.
All I had to do was glance over them and stamp my seal.
“I thought I’d be doing something grander. I am the Young Grand Duke, after all.”
I’d managed billions during the heir’s test, so I thought once I became the heir for real, I’d have more authority.
With that power I’d drive Ashinov into ruin.
But here I was, reviewing documents that asked things like, ‘How many candles should we buy this year?’
Even if I ordered them to buy ten thousand candles to waste money, that wouldn’t bankrupt the Ashinovs.
“His Grace handles all important matters. He can’t entrust the family’s fate to someone so young yet. Don’t feel pressured—just learn gradually,” Lucas said.
“But I want to do something important. I can handle it!”
Lucas gently patted my head with a pitying look.
“You don’t need to prove your worth. Your very existence is important.”
That’s kind and touching, but…
I need to be in charge of something critical!
Of course, I couldn’t say I needed it so I could destroy the family.
What, they don’t give real power to the Young Grand Duke? Do I have to wait until I’m Grand Duke to wreck the house?
I tried to guess when that might be.
Usually the position is for life. It only passes on when the current Grand Duke dies.
He’s in his fifties now. At that rate I’d have to wait at least thirty years—and he’s so healthy it might be far longer.
How can I wait that long!
If I just sit around, I’ll be a bent old granny before I can take revenge.
Luckily, Lucas offered a hint after seeing my grim expression.
“If you really want important work, why not prove your abilities to His Grace?”
“Wasn’t showing him during the heir’s test enough?”
“His Grace is quite strict about business. His standards are high. The test succeeded, but the process wasn’t exactly smooth, was it?”
True.
The treasure-ship salvage and the ruins excavation—both had succeeded thanks to knowledge from my past life.
From the outside, it probably looked like I just got lucky and made money.
That wouldn’t meet the Grand Duke’s standards for a capable successor.
So that’s why he’s giving me only simple tasks while continuing my training as heir.
“He’s a fair man. If he decides you’re truly capable, he’ll entrust you with something big. I’ve heard he himself undertook great responsibilities when he was young.”
That simplified the problem.
So if I show real skill, he might grant me more authority?
I hated the idea of using my talents for Ashinov’s benefit, but to ruin them sooner I needed greater power.
This felt less like taking one step back for a hundred steps forward, and more like fifty steps back—but still.
All of this is to build momentum for swinging that club, Danaë!
I encouraged myself as I glared at the documents before me.
First, I’d deal with these petty tasks quickly—
and then plot something far bigger.
