Chapter 58
“What is that child even saying right now? Family rules? Studying the rules? Ah—ahahaHAH!”
Lady Larien slapped the desk, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
“Didn’t you all claim she was gifted? A prodigy, shining brilliantly in magical studies!”
Then she looked around at the branch family members as if seeking agreement.
“And yet look at her now — what foolish behaviour is this? She’s five, not a toddler. Does she not understand how serious this place is?!”
She ended with a sneer, but her expression quickly shifted to cold.
Suddenly, she shouted sharply:
“This is exactly why this disaster happened! Bringing in a child with no proper background as a ward! How could an uneducated commoner possibly understand noble customs?”
The branch families immediately understood her intent and nodded one by one.
Kainton was among them.
“You speak the truth, Madam. This is not a place for an ignorant brat to sully.”
“Indeed! What a disgrace. A child in such a sacred hall!”
A nasty smile crept across Larien’s mouth.
She spoke again, slowly and mockingly.
“I’m disappointed, Duchess. You claimed she was gifted? At this rate, my Clara must be ten, no, twenty times more intelligent than that rootless girl.”
Sharon Abner glared at her hard.
But Larien didn’t flinch—not even a blink.
She simply pressed on, raising her voice again:
“This is why approval from the Elder Council is required when designating a ward. And yet you refused to bring precious Clara into the main house.”
“……”
“Meanwhile, this child sleeps in the sacred review chamber as if it’s her bedroom, then insults this meeting by calling it a rule study! Isn’t that worthy of discipline, even if she is a child?”
Sharon Abner was furious.
She acknowledged that the child made a mistake.
But these people were exactly the type to inflate the smallest slip into a massive flaw.
Sharon clenched her fists tightly, thinking of the knights she had stationed nearby.
I specifically ordered them not to let her come anywhere near here.
And yet they failed to keep track of one small child, leading to this cruel spectacle.
Of course, she didn’t know the real reason:
Annelia had already teamed up with Owen to distract Miel and Soya, sneaked away an hour earlier, and infiltrated the chamber with a careful, meticulous plan.
The knights never even had a chance.
“Child. Answer me.”
Lady Larien’s voice dripped with ice as she stared down at Ria.
“Let’s see you smile again like before. Do you really think this place is a study room at the orphanage?”
Sharon looked at Annelia.
The child’s innocent side profile was visible—looking a little surprised, a little blank.
“We weren’t studying rules. We were discussing what to do with you!”
Larien tapped the large book on the table with her index finger.
“There is a very serious issue with the Duchess bringing you here. You are a child who ought to be expelled. Do you understand?”
“……”
“This is a review meeting. And we are questioning your suitability. Especially considering the astronomically expensive cost caused by your carelessness!”
The cost of healing Annelia after the assassination attempt.
Sharon held her forehead.
In all the review meetings she had endured over the years, she had never been this shaken.
She could handle being attacked—that was always expected.
But the child?
Absolutely not.
The child was innocent.
Unable to bear it any longer, she half-rose from her seat.
“The child—”
“Ah! So this isn’t a rule study!”
A bright voice cut her off.
Sharon froze, staring at Annelia.
“Ria didn’t know it was a review meeting! I thought it was a rule study! Because everyone got it wrong!”
Lady Larien’s mouth snapped shut.
“…Got what wrong?”
Ria beamed.
“The rules!”
Then she pointed at Chairman Herrmann.
“That grandpa kept getting the rules wrong!”
The room felt ice-cold.
A ripple of murmurs spread slowly.
Lady Larien glared at Ria with a stiff expression.
Sharon, too, stared at the child, stunned.
Ria continued speaking cheerfully:
“Article 46, Clause 5 of the Elder Council Rights! Major family decisions must be discussed with the Elder Council!”
“……”
“But—that doesn’t apply if the Elder Council isn’t functioning properly.”
Silence crushed the room.
The child added quietly to Larien, as if shy:
“When it’s not functioning properly, it means… like now. When the rules are all wrong.”
“You… you little—!”
Lady Larien’s face turned blazing red.
The branch families were struck speechless.
Kainton stared with utter disbelief before shouting:
“You insolent brat! Do you know where you are?!”
“Article 3, Clause 4! During major discussions involving the family head, voices must not be raised, and all behavior must be dignified!”
“Y-you—!”
“And… is there really a huge problem with me becoming the duchess’s ward…?”
She repeated Larien’s accusation with innocent eyes.
Chairman Herrmann finally twitched, regaining himself.
Then he spoke stiffly, voice wooden:
“A-Article 23, Clause 9: Among major family decisions is ‘designation of a ward.’ And these decisions must be—”
“Wrong again, Grandpa!”
Herrmann fell silent.
“Grandpa didn’t study the rules properly, huh?”
Annelia pointed to the thick law book on the table.
“These rules are really important. Every single word! In Article 23, Clause 9, you forgot the word before ‘designation of a ward.’”
Herrmann hurriedly opened the book.
He traced the text with a trembling finger… then froze.
“Article 23, Clause 9… ‘Designation of a family ward.’”
“Mmhm! I knew I was right!”
The child turned to Sharon Abner.
“Duchess, when you first came to get me, you said, ‘I’m on my way back from putting my name on your guardian papers,’ right?”
All eyes turned to Sharon.
“…Yes.”
“Then that means I’m your ward, not Abner’s ward. Right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then I’m not the Abner family’s ward at all! Because of Rule Book Article 2, Clause 1—‘A family head’s personal actions can be separate from the family’s actions depending on intention!’”
Sharon’s pupils widened sharply.
Her lips trembled as she nodded.
“…Yes.”
“That is impossible!”
A scream exploded through the chamber.
Lady Larien shot to her feet, face red with outrage.
“Lies! Do you think you can say anything you want and make it true?!”
Then she shouted at Herrmann:
“Chairman! Why aren’t you verifying this?!”
Her thoughts were obvious:
A child like that couldn’t possibly know the rules this precisely!
Surely she was just repeating nonsense she overheard somewhere.
A common orphan with no upbringing—obviously, she doesn’t understand seriousness.
But Chairman Herrmann’s answer was far from what she expected.
“…There is not a single mistake. Not even one word.”
“That— that cannot be!”
“No, it can!”
Ria giggled brightly.
“I memorized everything! Article 1, Clause 1 through Article 149, Clause 3!”
“……”
“Because the Duchess brought me here from the orphanage and fed me lots of delicious food, and I was really grateful.”
“……”
“And I want to become a wonderful adult someday who helps the Abner family! So I studied really hard! That’s why, actually…”
Her expression drooped sadly.
“This place feels weird… Why is everyone so mean to the duchess? Even though you all get the rules wrong…”
“……”
“You shout and get angry… but Rule Book Article 1, Clause 1, says the family head has the strongest authority in the whole family…”
Ria looked at Sharon with sorrowful eyes.
“Duchess, you must be too kind. You’re so kind that you forgive all the retainers who don’t study the rules properly. You don’t punish them… or torture them…”
