~Chapter 10~
Leah left Raphaella with a nearby maid for a moment and followed the butler to the drawing room on the first floor.
‘Why did the Duchess Dowager call for me? And why not Raphaella too?’
As the door to the drawing room opened, Lia saw the Duchess Dowager sitting on the sofa.
Unlike Johann, she had reddish-brown hair and dark brown eyes with a hint of green.
Sitting gracefully, she looked exactly like what a high noblewoman should be—completely different from someone else.
Feeling even more nervous than she did around Carolina, Leah sat down in the seat offered to her.
She had expected a cold glare like Carolina’s, but—“Nice to meet you.
Would you like some tea?”
The Duchess smiled warmly.
“Y-Yes.”
A maid beside the Duchess poured tea into the cup in front of Lia.
“I heard from Johann a while ago, but I’ve been so busy taking care of my daughter that I didn’t have the time to call you until now.”
“It’s alright.”
“You saved my son’s life.
Please forgive my late thanks.”
Even the way she apologized was elegant.
It was hard to believe she was from the same family as that person.
“…Yes.”
“I heard a bit from Johann, but…”
The Duchess asked Leah various questions
Where exactly she lived in the North, how she met Johann when he was injured, and so on.
“You learned that from your grandmother?”
“Yes.”
“There must be unique wisdom in that region. Monster poison is very hard to cure…”
“I was just lucky.”
“Lucky or not, you still saved my son.”
The Duchess brought the teacup to her lips.
“I’m truly grateful.
You saved his life.”
It hadn’t felt like much when Johann said she was his lifesaver, but hearing it from the Duchess made Leah feel a bit embarrassed and shy.
She had only wanted to save him, that’s all.
But the Duchess’s sincerity made her chest feel warm and tingly.
“Thanks to you, the late Duke got to see his son’s face before he passed away…”
The Duchess muttered as if to herself.
“As her grandmother, I should be the one looking after Raphaella… but with my daughter’s situation, it won’t be easy.”
“It’s okay.”
“Have you met Johann’s aunt?”
“Yes.”
“Good.
No need to introduce you then.
While you’re staying at the mansion, if you ever need advice or help, talk to Carolina in my place.”
“…Yes.”
Though Leah thought to herself, that’s definitely not going to happen.
“And also, neither you nor Raphaella are to go up to the fourth floor.”
The Duchess’s tone turned stern.
“No one is allowed up there.
No exceptions.”
She didn’t say how long her daughter had been sick or how serious it was,but when talking about her, the Duchess didn’t seem like a noble at all—just a mother struggling with a sick child.
Even with the cold tone, Leah felt a bit of sympathy as a fellow parent.
Not that there was anything she could do.
—
Later.
After meeting with the Emperor, Johann headed to see the Crown Prince.
That had been the real reason he came to the palace—not the Emperor.
“So, I heard you have a daughter now?”
The Crown Prince greeted him with a big laugh, then started poking around about the child.
Johann only told him the same thing he had told his family.
“So that’s what you were doing during those missing years, huh?”
“Wasting time, really.”
“Wasting time? A child is a treasure!”
“For nobles, a child is just…”
“Not all nobles are cold to their children!”
“Is there any noble who’s not?”
“There are! My uncle, for example…”
The Crown Prince cut himself off, frowning like he’d brought up a bad memory.
“Anyway, if she’s your daughter, I bet she’ll steal hearts quickly.”
“…”
“Enough of that—did you find the guy who tried to assassinate you?”
The Crown Prince lowered his voice.
“I did.
But he was already dead.”
“What?”
“He killed his whole family and then himself.”
“…He killed his family? He was insane.”
Johann had been returning to the capital after a successful monster hunt when it happened.
He’d let his guard down, thinking it was all over—and was stabbed by a knight who’d been helping him the whole mission.
It took a long time to find the guy afterward.
He was hiding well, or someone had hidden him.
Not even his family could be found.
Just when Johann was ready to give up, they found him—already dead in some remote village that wasn’t even on the map.
“They said he killed himself less than a week after arriving?”
“Yes.
It was such a disturbing incident, the villagers remember the exact day.”
“Then why run all the way there if he was just going to kill himself?”
“…It is strange.”
“If he was connected to the Empress… maybe he wanted to make sure her involvement stayed hidden.”
“If he was more than a pawn—really loyal—then it makes sense.”
They both suspected the Empress had ordered Johann’s assassination.
She had too many suspicious actions tied to her—from the murder of the previous Empress to attempts to discredit the Crown Prince.
She’d stop at nothing to make her son the next Emperor.
“But didn’t she want you as her daughter’s husband?”
Many nobles wanted Johann—young, powerful, and the youngest swordmaster ever—for their daughters.
He had gotten engaged to someone else early on,just to avoid getting dragged into the royal family.
“But while I was away, the Empress convinced my fiancée’s family to marry her off to someone else.”
“So she still tried to kill you?”
“…”
“She’s crazy.
She was desperate to marry you off to the Princess.”
The Crown Prince massaged his temples, clearly annoyed.
“After you returned, she went ahead and forced the engagement.”
“…”
“If only we could see into that black heart of hers… Maybe then we’d know how she got my mother killed.”
“…Still, you’ve struck a blow to her.”
The Crown Prince suddenly smiled.
“Your kid—Raphaella, right? Think how annoying she must be to the Empress and the Princess.”
“I hope the Princess can’t stand her.”
“Hah! With her spoiled temper, she definitely won’t.
But the Empress… she’s the real problem.”
He leaned back, sipping his cold tea.
“Johann, bring your daughter to the palace someday. I’d love to meet her.”
“…Alright.”
Johann nodded slightly.
—
Meanwhile, in the Empress’s palace
In a sunlit room, a woman with platinum-blonde hair twisted up in a perfect bun was calmly eating lunch.
She was the most noble woman in the Empire—Empress Narcissa von Valerius.
She was in a great mood—until a maid rushed toward her.
“Your Majesty…”
“What is it?”
The Empress’s gaze turned sharp.
Even though her meal was nearly over, she clearly hated being interrupted.
“It’s about the Duke of Blumhardt.
He visited His Majesty the Emperor this morning…”
“And?”
“Apparently, while he was missing, he met a woman and had a daughter with her.”
“…What?”
The Empress sat up straight.
“They say the woman saved the Duke’s life when he was badly injured.”
“She saved him?”
“Yes.”
The Empress clenched the soft fabric of her sofa.
“So as a reward, he officially registered her daughter into the family.”
Johann had apparently told the Emperor that he couldn’t help it—she was his lifesaver.
The Emperor, not one for details or deep thought, accepted it with a simple “Well, nothing we can do then.”
‘Idiot.’
Even if he’s one of the five great Dukes of the Empire,how could the Emperor allow him to register a random child when he’s supposed to marry the Princess?
Just thinking about how the Princess would cry and whine to break the engagement made her head ache.
It had already been delayed because of that fool who misinterpreted her orders and acted on his own.
And Johann had been dodging marriage using all sorts of excuses.
‘Now I have to deal with my spoiled daughter too.’
The servants, sensing the Empress’s rising anger, began trembling in silence.
‘So now some brat from who-knows-where is trying to break off the marriage? No way.’
It was an unexpected twist—but if the girl really looked like Johann…she might actually come in handy later.
