Chapter 29
Was it because the tree was imbued with a spirit?
Its growth rate was astonishing.
It had only been four days since the new buds appeared, but in that short time, the branches had filled out with lush green leaves.
“Lady-to-be of the Duke! As promised, I’ve brought the fertilizer today!”
Standing before a cart piled high with sacks of fertilizer, Marquis Fenian shouted cheerfully.
“Should I just mix it all together?”
“Just a moment. I’ll need to check first.”
I asked the attendants to unload the fertilizer sacks from the cart, then turned my eyes to the plum tree spirit who came running with a sparkle in its eyes.
‘Let’s see, is there any fertilizer I shouldn’t use…?’
There wasn’t a single one.
Even though the tree now had vibrant, healthy leaves, the plum tree spirit was still demanding an enormous amount of fertilizer.
“I think you can mix it all.”
“Hahaha! Did you hear that? Everyone, get to mixing!”
Marquis Fenian issued commands to the attendants while grabbing a shovel himself.
He energetically mixed the fertilizer that the attendants poured out from the sacks.
Some of the fertilizer smelled quite strong, yet her face remained bright and cheerful.
“Bring the next batch, quick! Hurry!”
Not long ago, she was saying she didn’t have much time left to live, but now Marquis Fenian looked like she had the energy to live another fifty years with ease.
‘That pledge of loyalty… is there really no way to undo it?’
Sigh. Oh well.
When the time comes to take the envelope and leave, I’ll just be honest with her and apologize.
If the Duke helps smooth things over, it’ll probably be fine. After all, the one Marquis Fenian is supposed to be loyal to is the Duke anyway.
‘But still… one thing is bothering me…’
As I watched Marquis Fenian mixing fertilizer enthusiastically, and the plum tree spirit cheering her on just as eagerly, I fiddled with the necklace hidden beneath my clothes.
The spirit stone that Alicia had fashioned into a pendant.
‘Considering how it soaked up all that fertilizer and water after I dug it out… it must’ve been the reason the tree couldn’t properly absorb nutrients and was withering away, right?’
The tree had bounced back and grown quickly just from being imbued with a spirit.
So what kind of effect did this spirit stone have that it could cause such a huge plum tree to slowly die?
* * *
The plum tree had come back to life, but the Grand Madam fell ill for three whole days. It was undoubtedly a case of stress-induced illness.
“That wretched girl, that sly little thing…!”
What worsened the Grand Madam’s mood was none other than Veronica.
Trying to avoid public scrutiny, I brought Veronica to the Delphinium Pavilion and told her not to spend time with Iree.
She immediately pouted.
‘Why? Why can’t I play with Sister Iree?’
‘Don’t call her “Sister”! Like I said before, the engagement hasn’t even been formalized—no one knows what could happen…’
‘But big brother said he’ll definitely marry her no matter what. He always keeps his promises. Unlike Mother.’
‘What?’
‘You don’t need to take me to plays anymore or buy me dolls. I’m not going to play with you anymore, Mother.’
‘W-what did you say?’
‘Promises are meant to be kept. But you’ve never kept a single promise you made to me!’
Veronica had always been a sweet and obedient child, though she could be a bit moody.
And yet here she was, raising her voice and being rude to her own mother.
The cause was obvious. Iree must have been a bad influence.
“That wicked girl dares to mess with my daughter… Oh, the nerve!”
She was angry and bitter. She felt wronged and humiliated.
What drove her most insane, though, was the fact that Marquis Fenian had pledged loyalty to Iree.
‘If Count Bollani and Count Kale heard about the pledge, they won’t try to get rid of her either.’
Which meant those two would no longer help her drive Iree away.
Because doing so would make them enemies of Marquis Fenian.
‘Why am I the only one opposing that woman? How am I supposed to get rid of her all by myself?!’
While the Grand Madam was brooding in her sickbed, a servant brought some unwelcome news.
“Grand Madam. His Grace, the Duke, has come to visit.”
“Tell him to go away! Do I look like I’m in any state to receive guests?”
“You seem quite energetic, though.”
This time again, Elkias threw open the door to her bedroom without waiting for permission.
It was one thing to disrespect her, but this was outrageous. Now fully enraged, the Grand Madam leapt out of bed and glared at him.
“Get out! If you don’t leave, I will! I’ll go out and tell everyone that the Duke kicked his own mother out of her room! That he’s a heartless brute who abandoned his own flesh and blood!”
“I’d be very interested to hear how that story spreads. Unfortunately, I’m not here to see you today. I’ll just handle my business and be on my way, so please get some rest.”
“What? What business do you have at the Delphinium Pavilion if it’s not with me—?”
“Maid Olbia.”
At the Duke’s call, the eyes of the maid who had been standing at the bedside widened, and the Grand Madam’s jaw dropped.
“My maid? Why?!”
“There’s a gardener who tried to poison the fertilizer meant for the plum tree. He was bribed.”
Olbia, who had steeled herself the moment she heard her name, managed to maintain a neutral expression.
But the Grand Madam did not.
“So, you’re saying my maid ordered it?”
“Yes. The gardener confessed. He said he was paid off by the Grand Madam’s maid.”
Both the Duke’s and the Grand Madam’s eyes turned to Olbia.
Under the weight of cold contempt and tense silence, Olbia calmly replied,
“There must be some misunderstanding. Or perhaps someone is trying to frame me.”
“Of course! That’s it! Someone must be framing my maid. So you should go interrogate that gardener again!”
“Grand Madam. What kind of methods do you think I used to interrogate the gardener? How many times do you think I confirmed the facts?”
This was no suspicion—Elkias had come here with certainty.
And to show he didn’t need to hear any more, he gave a small nod to the knights accompanying him.
“Take her.”
“No!”
The Grand Madam sprang out of bed and almost fell to the floor, throwing herself in front of her maid.
The knights, unsure how to proceed, turned to Elkias with troubled expressions.
“Grand Madam.”
“She’s my maid from my family home! She’s served me nearly her whole life! She’s like my right hand! How dare you take her so lightly!”
“As I’ve said repeatedly, this is not being done lightly.”
His tone was purely official, void of emotion.
Then, Olbia burst into tears in the Grand Madam’s arms.
“I’ve been wrongly accused! Your Grace, how can you condemn me without even hearing my side of the story?”
“I’ll hear it. So come with us quietly.”
“Grand Madam…!”
Olbia clung to the Grand Madam, pleading.
The Grand Madam held Olbia tight, like a mother cradling a child, and glared at Elkias with burning fury.
“You’ve always excluded me, tormented me. But I held back. I tried to respect you as the Duke. And now you’re taking even my maid from me?!”
“…So what you’re saying is, I fabricated a charge against your maid because of personal spite? Is that it?”
“Yes!”
The Grand Madam all but screamed in fury. Elkias clicked his tongue.
The gaze he gave her now carried a mix of pity and disdain.
“How tragic. Grand Madam of House Rudian.”
She flinched at the deliberate emphasis on “Rudian.”
“You plotted to poison the tree that symbolizes and protects Rudian—and now you stand there shamelessly insisting you did nothing wrong. How many times over the past decades have you insulted and mocked this house while standing in its center?”
“Elkias Rudian! Watch your mouth!”
“Well, since it’s open, shall I say more? Are you protecting your maid so desperately because you were the one who gave the order?”
