#25. Preparation (2)
Spirit arts were a power Sasha discovered while searching for versatile abilities to compensate for her limitations.
Conveniently, Alexandra Arban possessed a naturally high affinity with spirits.
Though her physical limits kept her from becoming a great knight or mage, her innate talent allowed her to rise quickly as a spiritist.
In just one year of training, she had already bonded with several spirits and commanded them as if they were extensions of her own body.
「Why? Why did you call us?」
「Tell us~ Hurry~」
The spirits fluttered their wings and circled above Sasha’s head. Their childlike behavior was so pure and sweet that Sasha couldn’t help but smile.
“Can you check what’s going on at the main estate?”
「Okay!」
The spirits accepted her request cheerfully and flitted off toward the manor.
Sasha watched their small forms vanish, concern in her eyes.
‘They’re so low-grade they can barely speak properly… I’m a bit worried.’
Spirits are born from mana. The richer the mana, the higher-grade the spirit.
But unlike the past when mana was abundant, the world now suffered from a sharp decrease in ambient mana.
As a result, fewer spirits were born, and those that did appear were of lower rank.
The powerful spirits that had helped Sasha in her previous life could no longer be found.
‘Even if I did find a high-grade spirit, I wouldn’t be able to speak with it yet, much less make a contract.’
Her progress over the past year was impressive—but only to a point.
To bond with a greater spirit, she’d need several more years of disciplined practice.
Swallowing her frustration, Sasha waited for the spirits to return.
Soon they came back, fluttering around her, sharing the news they had gathered.
「The Grand Duke is coming back!」
“What? Really?”
「Yes, yes! It’s true! Really true!」
At the joyful news, Sasha beamed.
‘At last… the Duke of Volkov is returning!’
The air was bitterly cold, enough to freeze one’s nose—but for the Volkov estate, winter was an important season.
That was when the army, which had left with the Duke, returned home.
Soldiers would spend winter with their families, then return to battle in the spring.
So in Volkov territory, winter wasn’t just a cold season—it was a time of reunion and significance.
To common folk, it meant loved ones returning home.
But not everyone welcomed it equally.
For example, Count Tula, merely acting head of the house, had to keep his ambitions in check with the Duke’s return.
‘But for me, this is a golden opportunity.’
Winter meant a chance to block Count Tula’s ambitions—with the Grand Duke back to take control.
And for Pavel…
“So?” Sasha asked him after relaying the news.
But Pavel remained indifferent.
There was no sign of joy that his one remaining family member was returning.
Sasha blinked in confusion.
“Doesn’t it matter to you? You haven’t seen him in so long.”
“Not really.”
She studied his face, wondering if maybe he was just shy—but there wasn’t a trace of emotion in him.
‘He really doesn’t care.’
Sasha bit her lip.
She had sensed it since the wedding: the father-son relationship wasn’t close.
She didn’t yet know what the Grand Duke truly felt—but from how Pavel acted…
‘Their emotional rift is deeper than I thought.’
And that was a problem.
For Pavel’s emotional well-being, and for his rightful place as heir, a good relationship with his father—the Grand Duke and actual head of the family—was essential.
‘I wish they could get along better…’
Just then, Pavel, who’d been aloof until now, furrowed his brow as if recalling something.
“Ah, it’s going to be a pain.”
Curious, Sasha asked,
“What is?”
“Going to the manor. Every winter they insist I stop living here and move back there.”
“You have to move in? Why?”
“No idea.”
Pavel shrugged, clearly clueless.
Sasha’s expression turned serious. As she frowned in thought, Pavel offered,
“Want me to find out? I could go and listen in.”
He meant he could use his ability to hear what Count Tula was planning.
It was admirable—especially since Pavel disliked using his power—but Sasha shook her head.
“No. That would make all our past efforts meaningless. I appreciate it, but it’s okay.”
To show she meant it, she gently patted his shoulder and added,
“I think I already have a good idea. But there’s something I need to confirm…”
“What is it?”
Sasha began asking questions, pulling from her suspicions.
“So every winter, when the Duke returns, you’re always sent to the manor?”
“Yeah.”
“And the servants treat you well there, right? Come when you call?”
“Yep.”
“There’s always a doctor nearby to treat you if you’re sick?”
“That’s right.”
“And you suddenly get a new tutor every winter?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
Pavel widened his eyes in surprise at how accurately she described everything.
But Sasha wasn’t shocked.
‘It’s so obvious.’
On the surface, the Duke seemed utterly uninterested in Pavel.
That’s what people said—and that’s what Sasha had assumed, too.
If the Duke cared about his son, he would have ensured he lived in comfort and dignity.
Surely, he wouldn’t have left him in a remote annex, ignored and mistreated by staff.
And yet, the Duke had never shown interest in Pavel’s daily life.
Even worse, whenever they spoke about the Duke, Pavel’s discomfort was clear.
Just now, when Sasha told him his father was coming home after nearly a year, Pavel’s reaction was cold.
‘If the Duke had ever shown affection, even in private, Pavel wouldn’t act like this.’
Sasha had nearly believed what everyone else did—that the Duke didn’t care for his son.
But she had her reasons to think otherwise.
‘At the wedding, I got the sense that he truly cared.’
She remembered the moment the Duke came to the bride’s waiting room to quietly inform her of Pavel’s absence.
The stern but worried look he’d given his rebellious son during the ceremony.
That wasn’t all.
Count Tula’s behavior was suspicious.
If the Duke truly hated Pavel, he wouldn’t call him to the manor every winter.
He’d leave him stashed away in the annex, out of sight.
But instead, every year like clockwork, Pavel was summoned to the manor and treated properly—as the Duke’s heir.
Why?
Because it was for show.
To make it look like Pavel was being well cared for.
‘That’s probably why the Duke is fooled.’
Since they didn’t exchange letters or communicate much, the Duke had no way of knowing how Pavel really lived.
All he heard were lies from Count Tula.
And when the Duke came home in winter, Tula suddenly treated Pavel like royalty—just long enough to keep up appearances.
‘The Duke probably thought everything was fine while he was away.’
She’d heard that Dmitri Volkov trusted his younger brother deeply.
Deep enough to make him regent and hand over control of the estate while he was at war.
‘That makes things harder for me.’
To protect Pavel from Count Tula’s grip, Sasha needed the Duke on her side.
But even if she told him the truth about Pavel’s mistreatment, it wouldn’t be easy to convince him.
Count Tula would cover it up, and the Duke—who trusted his brother—would believe him.
Of course, he’d trust his own brother over some girl he’d only met once at a wedding.
‘And I was recommended by Count Tula himself. That doesn’t help either…’
It was all working against her.
But Sasha had confidence.
“I’ll just have to show him.”
No matter what sweet lies Count Tula tried, Sasha would expose the truth.
She’d show the Duke exactly how Pavel had been treated—clearly enough to shatter even the strongest trust.
It wouldn’t be hard.
All she had to do was recreate the same scenes she had witnessed.
The way the staff at the manor treated Pavel. Count Tula’s behavior. Let the Duke see it all.
‘And if I season it just right… it’ll be perfect.’
Sasha stared out the window, her gaze somber, as snow blew fiercely against the glass.
