CHAPTER 07
If it weren’t for Kaelan, the children would’ve probably lunged at me—but despite that, the meal was satisfying.
Only Kaelan and I had cleared our plates, finishing our meal in silence.
On the way to the office afterward, he didn’t say a single word, and neither did I. Still, I didn’t need to turn around to know his mind was racing.
The fact that I dismissed Countess Cassandra despite anticipating the children’s pushback…
That could only mean one thing: she had done something truly unforgivable.
I’ve always been cautious—constantly watching how the children react before I make a move.
So for me to do something so drastic, Kaelan must know there had to be a reason.
As we neared the office door, his brow furrowed slightly.
It seemed he still hadn’t figured it out.
Of course he hadn’t—his information network wouldn’t have uncovered any flaws in Countess Cassandra.
And that must be what bothered him the most:
That I knew something he didn’t.
Knowing him well, I got straight to the point.
“Countess Cassandra has a lover.”
Kaelan’s brow twitched, and he blinked twice.
He was clearly surprised, yet already trying to weigh the credibility of what I’d said.
I was well aware of how powerful Kaelan’s information network was.
He’d used it to protect himself and build his faction before coming of age, and after inheriting the duchy, he brought in his trusted allies to strengthen our household from within.
Even so, I was certain he had no clue about the countess’s affair.
This was something I knew because of my regression—an affair that, in about six months, would rock the imperial palace.
Countess Cassandra had been cheating on her husband for five years.
And for five whole years, no one—not even her husband—had noticed.
But now, in this timeline, there were exactly three people who knew about it.
The countess herself, her secret lover… and me, someone even they didn’t realize was aware.
“Are you sure?”
“I am. I’m the only one who knows, apart from the two involved.”
“…”
“But now you know too, Kaelan.”
“…If it’s true, then I understand.”
Kaelan, for now, accepted my explanation.
He didn’t fully believe me, but he also didn’t think I was lying.
And if the affair was real, then it would explain why I removed her from her position so decisively and without warning.
“That’s why I reached out to Viscountess Marsen. Thankfully, she agreed and will be visiting soon.”
“Viscountess Marsen…”
He likely didn’t know much about her either.
To him, she was probably just a quiet, dignified woman who’d lost her husband.
“She’s been out of social circles for a while, but from what I’ve learned, she’s a woman of good character.”
“I see.”
“I think once Reyna and Haldeir meet her, they’ll grow fond of her too. That’s why, Kaelan—”
“Yes?”
“Can you explain it to them for me? Judging by how they reacted today, I think you’ll have more luck than I will.”
Kaelan stared at me for a moment as I smiled, then nodded.
“Very well.”
He would start investigating the countess’s affair the moment he left this room—and he would discover the truth soon enough.
And then he’d dig into how I found out.
That’s just how he is—he can’t stand when something slips past him.
But this time… he won’t find anything.
Well, maybe just one thing.
That I have no informants of my own.
I told him Viscountess Marsen had readily agreed, but in truth, she declined at first.
She’d refused when I asked her to become Reyna and Haldeir’s etiquette tutor.
Why? Because Countess Cassandra was still teaching the children at the time.
Among nobles, taking another’s position is seen as shameless and greedy—even if the role is one everyone secretly covets.
So naturally, when I approached her while Cassandra still held the position, she turned me down.
But then I sent her a letter:
“Countess Cassandra will step down on her own. Since the children can’t be left without a tutor, I must ask this of you—though I know it’s sudden.”
The letter carried an unspoken message: There’s nothing to worry about. Please feel at ease and accept.
And she did.
Her acceptance brought me relief. I’d been eager to establish a connection with her before she gained even more influence.
Before she became the royal nanny of the empire’s only princess—the treasured jewel of the imperial family.
The princess was the emperor and empress’s beloved daughter, and even the princes deferred to her. Becoming her nanny meant being granted a level of untouchable prestige among the nobility.
And the princess, with her intense possessiveness over anything she considered “hers,” despised anyone who laid a hand on her people.
Everyone learned that the hard way.
At a ball, a jealous noblewoman insulted Viscountess Marsen while drunk:
“How fortunate you are, Viscountess Marsen. Your husband left you such a generous parting gift—didn’t he?”
Wobbling with wine in hand, she slurred her taunts in front of a crowd.
“It seems you didn’t grieve too hard. After all, you still managed to become the princess’s nanny, didn’t you? Ha!”
The viscountess’s eyes welled with tears.
She and her husband had been one of the rare noble couples who’d married for love.
He died in a carriage accident, shielding her with his body. Only she had survived.
Ever since, she’d kept away from social life—until the princess brought her back as her nanny.
“How dare you, Count Dmitri!”
“You’ve gone too far!”
Other noblewomen surrounded the trembling viscountess, shielding her from the onslaught.
But Count Dmitri wasn’t done.
“What, am I wrong? The lady who claimed she’d married for love is here smiling after becoming nanny to the imperial princess. I guess even grief can be overcome when power’s involved, eh?”
“Count! Mind your tongue!”
“Pay him no mind, Viscountess.”
Viscountess Marsen, known for her gentle and reserved nature, was so stunned she couldn’t even speak.
“If I was rude, I apologize,” he said, bowing with exaggerated mockery.
He’d waited until the imperial family had left the ball before making his move—cowardly and calculated.
“Don’t forget, Count Dmitri. She may rank below you, but she is the imperial princess’s nanny.”
“Ah, yes! The mighty nanny. Will she go crying to the princess so I get punished? Power is such a wonderful thing.”
He was confident she wouldn’t say anything.
Eventually, she left in tears, escorted by sympathetic noblewomen.
Many urged her to tell the princess.
But she refused, saying it would only tarnish Her Highness’s name.
“Count, drunken or not, you must watch your words. If Her Highness finds out, you won’t be spared.”
“Oh, Duchess Dylan. It’s been so long.”
“Save your greetings. I’m disgusted by your behavior.”
“So emotional… But isn’t your situation similar to hers? Two noblewomen without their husbands…”
“Count!”
More wine followed, and so did more disgraceful words.
No one could stop him.
“I won’t forget this night, Count. And I hope Kaelan comes of age soon…”
Even my warning didn’t faze him—because everyone knew I had little power within the duchy.
That was the only reason someone like Count Dmitri dared speak to me that way.
But what happened that night didn’t stay a secret.
And the princess heard everything.
She was furious.
Count Dmitri vanished from high society not long after.
He was utterly destroyed.
From then on, Viscountess Marsen became someone no one dared to provoke.
Later, when she found out what the princess had done, she told Her Highness it wasn’t necessary—only to earn the princess’s quiet sulking, which reportedly took quite a bit of effort to resolve.
I recalled a line from her reply letter:
“I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t refuse you, Duchess.”
Of all the things Count Dmitri said that night, one wasn’t entirely wrong:
“Two women… without their partners.”
She was a widow. I was the wife of a missing man.
Both of us were leading our noble houses alone.
And perhaps… that’s what helped me reach her heart.
