Chapter 15
“Head Steward Adrian and the Duke have the keys. I also heard there’s one in the Duchess’s room.”
That item was the highest-grade anti-dragon weapon, Raglia.
Even if Joseph was smart, he was still just one person. There was no way he could take on the overwhelming power of Archduke Orseus—
unless he had a weapon so ancient and powerful that even its brilliance had been forgotten with time.
“I thought I had more time…”
From the moment Joseph accidentally learned about Raglia, he had wanted it.
Joseph Rohia was the kind of person who was never satisfied being beneath anyone.
Of course, his dark ambitions were still immature, but from a young age, Joseph instinctively knew exactly what he wanted.
And thanks to the incident I caused using Boris a few days ago, Joseph probably got the chance to act much earlier than he originally would have.
***
“I need to go tonight.”
After Loti happily skipped off to enjoy her day off, I was left alone—clutching my head in frustration.
The fact that Joseph had started helping with greeting guests and managing tribute gifts meant he now had a reason to ask for the key to the underground treasure vault.
“He might’ve already taken it…”
The scary thought made me rush out of my room.
But—
“Where are you going, my lady?”
I had to stop in my tracks.
A stranger stood right in front of my room.
She had pale skin, long purple hair, and a blank expression. She looked plain but strangely elegant.
I glanced at her uniform—she was wearing a maid’s outfit.
“I just need to go somewhere,” I said vaguely.
The maid nodded politely.
“My name is Rena. I’ll be attending to you today while Loti is on her day off.”
What?
I thought I finally had a day of freedom—but they sent someone new to watch me instead.
Seeing my expression darken, Rena added,
“I guess no one told you.”
“……”
“Typical of Loti Hesward.”
There was a strange look in her eyes that I couldn’t quite describe.
…Looks like she doesn’t like Loti either.
I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Rena looked down at me and calmly asked,
“You said you were going somewhere. Where would you like to go?”
“You’re going to follow me?”
“I’m here to serve you, my lady. And if you need something, I can take care of it for you. The Duchess said you aren’t well and need to rest in your room.”
Her emotionless face didn’t hide the firmness in her tone. She was clearly following Yudis’s orders.
“So please let me know what you need. If you just need fresh air, I can even bring flowers for you.”
In other words, I wasn’t allowed to even walk around.
I looked up at her and thought for a moment before saying,
“I lost a bracelet.”
“A bracelet?”
“Yeah… it had a red bead about this big. It was a keepsake from Grandma Khalifa. I think I lost it the day Yubel was born when I went outside.”
It was a complete lie.
But it was a good lie.
…I mean, I’m trying to save the world. A small lie like this is fine, right?
I smiled sadly, trying to look as pitiful and innocent as possible.
“If it’s not too much trouble… could you look for it?”
“…Do you remember where you might’ve dropped it?”
“Um… maybe the kitchen? Or Lady Yudis’s room? You might have to search the entire mansion. Honestly, I can’t remember. I’m really sorry to trouble you.”
Rena’s expression twisted slightly.
She probably realized I was lying. But she didn’t have a choice.
“Thanks again!”
I pretended to head back into my room and waved at her.
She frowned deeply, knowing the bracelet didn’t exist.
***
Once back inside, I waited a bit, then slowly opened the door again.
No one was outside.
I was worried Rena might lock me in—but thankfully, she didn’t.
With so many guests coming and going at the mansion lately, they probably didn’t want to cause a scene.
Which also meant… if I caused trouble, it might backfire on me.
Whatever I did, I needed a good excuse.
I quietly made my way toward the stairs—my goal was the garden.
Joseph and Bern Rohia were still out there, welcoming guests.
“…Isn’t that Lady Izana?”
“I think so. Where’s she going?”
Servants were already starting to recognize me as I passed.
I picked up my pace. I had to reach the garden before anyone told Rena or Yudis.
The hallway was decorated in bright red, just like the Duchess’s bold taste.
The carpet was red, the flowers were all roses—it was a lot.
As I reached the stairs, I could hear the guests chatting below.
They had been arriving all morning in those fancy carriages.
“Duchess, are you sure it’s okay for you to be moving around like this already?”
“I’m fine, Karine. But you—coming all the way here just after your wedding…”
Yudis was among them.
It seemed Bern and Joseph were handling the guests outside, while Yudis was entertaining them inside.
I fixed my clothes, put on a polite smile, and slowly started walking down the stairs.
Please don’t talk to me. Please just ignore me…
I stared straight ahead, pretending to be invisible, when—
“You really have to raise daughters with care.”
“…So they don’t fall for some sleazy guy?”
I accidentally responded to someone’s mumble and froze in place.
“…Didn’t expect the young lady to agree with me. But that woman’s instincts were never wrong.”
I glanced to my left, where the voice had come from.
A man in a fancy green outfit was stroking his reddish beard and staring at a portrait on the wall.
Then, he turned and looked straight at me—with sharp, blood-red eyes.
He was a middle-aged man I’d seen before around the mansion.
“You’re just as straightforward as they say, young lady. Maybe a little too much.”
I gave him an awkward nod.
He looked away from me and returned his gaze to the portrait.
It was of a delicate-looking woman with silver hair and mysterious violet eyes.
Her name was Azellia Lionea.
She was born decades ago as an illegitimate daughter of the Western Empire’s emperor and lived her life as a powerless princess.
Her portrait hung in the Rohia mansion among other past family members because she was the grandmother of Bern Rohia.
Back then, the duke had a legal wife, but Azellia refused to be cast aside by her mother, the emperor. She insisted on staying with the duke—even if only as a concubine.
Ironically, all the legal wife’s sons died young in accidents. Only Azellia’s son survived and inherited the Rohia title.
Thanks to her, the current Rohia heirs carried royal blood and were considered close relatives of the Lionea royal family.
…And if the man in front of me was who I thought he was—
He hated Bern Rohia deeply and always muttered the same phrase whenever he saw this portrait or anything related to the Rohias:
“You really have to raise daughters with care. So they don’t fall for some sleazy guy.”
Still staring at the portrait of Azellia Lionea, the man said softly,
“Luckily, I like honesty, so no need to be nervous. I’m not here to scare you, young lady. Like I said—I believe daughters should be raised with great care.”
