Chapter 10
“For now, I suppose I should thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve become quite accustomed to my father’s room.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“Except for one drawer that won’t open. It seems Father must have lost the key.”
“Shall I call a locksmith?”
When Daphne asked, Liam shook his head.
“Well, if it’s Father’s secret, I think I’ll respect it. I am curious, but a gentleman ought to keep another gentleman’s secret.”
“That is a very admirable decision.”
“I knew you would agree.”
Liam walked around the desk and stopped in front of Daphne.
For a moment, he stared intently at her face. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“I really do like you.”
“Ah… yes, I also like myself.”
“After seeing you today, you seem quite helpful as well. More importantly, I need you to help me accept my father’s passing.”
“That’s my specialty.”
“Exactly. But ordinary people can’t understand the deep bond we share.”
“Idiots!”
“Yes. Those idiot-like Sloan elders are very serious about the family pact.”
“Th-those respectable people… why are we talking about them…?”
Instead of answering, Liam handed her a letter.
It was from the representative of the elders. The message urged him to bring Sutton’s ‘son’ as soon as possible and form the family pact.
“So I replied that I would welcome you.”
“As expected of Your Grace! A mirror for all rulers!”
Daphne jingled her hands together and offered exaggerated praise she didn’t mean at all.
Liam grinned and then showed her another letter that had arrived today.
[All members of the family council will visit immediately.]
The meaning of that short sentence was clear.
They intended to gather all their power and drag Daphne out of the mansion if necessary.
The Sutton family had earned some recognition for their absolute loyalty to the ducal house—but that was only among servants.
To those with true noble blood, the Suttons were nothing more than lowly workers.
So if those nobles joined forces to force Daphne out of the mansion, it was entirely possible they would succeed.
“S-so what should I do?”
Daphne looked at Liam—the only person she could rely on—and spoke desperately.
“Wouldn’t it work if Your Grace firmly ordered them to accept me as your attendant?”
“Of course, I’d prefer to resolve things that simply, but…”
He placed the letter back on the desk and crossed his arms.
“I still haven’t officially inherited the title yet, so I can’t exercise absolute authority.”
“What? B-but if you’re not the duke, then who—”
“I am the duke. However, since the king hasn’t approved the succession yet, my power is somewhat limited.”
“So in other words…”
“You could say I’m an unauthorized duke. Some of the vassals still don’t recognize me… like Hugo Marple. Well, something like that.”
He twirled his finger lazily while explaining.
Daphne felt quite shocked.
All the effort she had put into pleasing Liam suddenly felt pointless.
It felt like she had been tricked by that sly man.
“You’ve got the face of someone who wants to grab my collar again.”
That was exactly right.
Why was someone without proper authority putting her through all these ridiculous tests?!
“But even so, I still have a strong voice in the family council, so I should be able to help somewhat.”
“As expected of my master!”
“But my opinion alone won’t carry enough weight.”
“You mean I need to win someone else’s favor?”
Liam nodded.
“I’ll work hard.”
“Good. That’s my cute little flatterer.”
Liam patted Daphne’s head as she responded energetically.
Enjoying the way her soft silver hair slipped through his fingers.
“Now then, first…”
He ruffled her hair as he continued.
“In the ducal family council, the weight of someone’s voice depends on a certain standard.”
“There’s a standard?”
“Yes. The standard is the ‘duke.’ The closer someone’s blood is to the duke, the more weight their opinion carries.”
So the person Daphne needed to target was just one individual—the council member who was closest to Liam by blood.
“If the most powerful person beside me supports you… Daphne Sutton?”
“Y-yes?”
Her eyes darted nervously as if she had drifted into her own thoughts.
Liam lowered his hand and gently grabbed one of her cheeks.
“You seem awfully relaxed to be thinking about something else while such a handsome man is standing in front of you.”
“No, you’re absolutely not handsome. I mean—!”
Daphne stepped back in a panic, not even realizing what she had just denied.
Naturally, this also put distance between her and his hand.
“T-the closest… blood relative? Wh-who…?”
Perhaps because she looked so tense she was practically breaking into a cold sweat, Liam didn’t drag out the answer for long.
“Asher Marple will explain the rest. Go see him.”
No—actually, he didn’t.
Instead, he returned to his chair with a slightly sulky expression.
“Please just tell me quickly.”
“Listen carefully to Asher’s explanation and think about how to gain his support. He’s a difficult person.”
“Asher went to town to buy that miracle cream that makes your skin smooth! Just tell me!”
“You mean the cream advertised as ‘apply it and become a beautiful man’? For him to care about his appearance… did he get a girlfriend?”
“That’s not important! Just tell me!”
Daphne asked again, but Liam simply hummed a tune and fiddled with his hat, not even glancing at her.
Daphne couldn’t tolerate this injustice.
If she was going to lick the soles of his feet like a proper sycophant, shouldn’t the master give something in return?
“Oh, the meeting is tomorrow. Considering the topic, everyone is rushing here as fast as they can.”
He waved his hand casually as if saying “good luck.”
Daphne glared at him before stomping out of his office.
But when she found herself alone in the empty hallway…
She leaned her back against the closed door and shut her eyes for a moment.
“…No.”
After forcibly calming the anxiety stirring inside her, she began thinking rationally.
In truth, Liam’s closest blood relative was his older brother.
But according to what she had learned in her previous life, he could no longer voice opinions in family matters.
Because he now belonged not to the family—but to the king.
So he wouldn’t attend this meeting.
And in such an old and traditional family council, it was usually elderly grandparents who gathered anyway.
Hope began to bloom inside Daphne.
Winning the support of the elderly is one of my specialties.
In her previous life, she had lived in Orinshire.
It was a rural village where most young people had moved to the big cities, leaving behind a population dominated by elderly residents.
Daphne had practically monopolized the affection of the village elders.
They always called for her help—when a fence broke, when heavy loads needed moving, even when sheep needed shearing.
If she hadn’t married and left, she might have even secured a respectable position in the Orinshire village association.
So first I should hurry into town and meet Asher Marple to find out what kind of person he is.
Daphne quickly grabbed her coat and hat and left through the back door of the mansion.
After asking the gardener for permission, she even borrowed a bicycle and began pedaling energetically.
Then suddenly, she noticed a small boy lingering near the front gate of the mansion.
“Who’s that?”
He looked about the same age as Samuel.
The boy seemed to have come from far away, carrying a large bag.
As an older sister who loved her younger brother dearly, Daphne couldn’t possibly ignore such a cute boy.
She changed direction and rode toward him.
“Did you come because of the job advertisement?”
Daphne pointed at the newspaper in the boy’s hand as if she already knew everything.
Just as Liam had mentioned earlier, the huge mansion was short on servants.
“Trying to work already at your age… how admirable.”
Without even giving the boy a chance to answer, Daphne began vigorously ruffling his jet-black hair.
He was just too cute.
“No, I—”
“By the way, that door you’re heading toward is used by the important members of the family. In other words, it’s the door used by arrogant, annoying people.”
She explained jokingly so the boy wouldn’t accidentally make the mistake of entering through the front gate.
The boy’s expression turned slightly unpleasant.
Perhaps he had indeed been about to knock on the front gate before Daphne stopped him.
“I’m in a bit of a hurry, but I’ll take you to the back door.”
Daphne took the boy’s bag and placed it on the luggage rack of her bicycle.
Then she began walking quickly around the garden while pushing the bicycle.
The boy hurriedly followed behind her.
“Hey, wait—!”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me. You just reminded me of my little brother. We’re almost there.”
Daphne handed the bag back to him.
“Go on in. Everyone will be kind to you… Oh! Do you know how to greet people politely? You bow like this.”
Hoping the boy would make a good impression on the other servants, she demonstrated a proper bow.
The boy stared at Daphne with a stunned expression.
Probably because he had never received a greeting like that before in his life.
