Chapter 9
“F-Father!”
“If that woman were a spy or anything like that, she wouldn’t be lying there asleep all the time. And I’ve already made my decision about that child.”
“But you said you’d listen to me!”
“I said I would hear you out, Lexit. I never said I would agree.”
Even though I wasn’t there, I instinctively shut my mouth.
“I don’t understand why everyone is so against her.”
But Lexit still didn’t give up.
While everyone else remained silent, barely even breathing, Lexit kept talking without pause.
“Father, I need to ask. Why are you keeping her close? Is she some illegitimate child you had outside? If that’s the case, then just admit it—”
“Lexit, why do you hate that child so much?”
“I just do. She disgusts me. I hate that some nobody girl is my sister, and I hate that Allen acts like a fool and dotes on her just because he calls her sister.”
“If that’s all, then leave it be.”
At those words, murmurs spread louder through the room.
“You should have just brought in one of your acknowledged illegitimate children! Not her. She’s not one of us. Her hair, her eyes—nothing is similar! What do you think people will say?!”
“Since when has the Grand Duchy feared the opinions of others?”
“That’s…!”
“If you question my decision again, Lexit, even if you are my son, I won’t forgive you. The same goes for the rest of the retainers. If anyone dares to summon me again for nonsense like this, they won’t get off lightly.”
“Father!”
“My patience ends here.”
“……”
“Unless you can bring me a legitimate reason why that child—why that woman—shouldn’t be here. If you can, maybe I’ll consider it.”
The Grand Duke’s tone was mocking as he rose from his seat. I heard the scrape of his chair against the floor.
The door then opened and slammed shut loudly, indicating he’d left the room.
‘See? He needs me!’
Why else would he speak like that to his retainers and even his own son? He really needed me!
I couldn’t help but grin.
But that wasn’t the end of it. After the Grand Duke left, Lexit seemed to follow him, and the others trickled out as well. But I could still hear a few men murmuring inside.
“Damn it.”
“What kind of disaster is this?”
Each voiced their own irritation. They seemed unable to contain their anger.
“We can just kill or expel the girl later… but what about the woman?”
At that moment—
A chilling voice, like fingernails scraping a silver platter, pierced the air.
“We must place my daughter in the vacant position of Grand Duchess. But now, this girl and that woman suddenly appear? I won’t stand for it.”
“…What if we used Young Lord Lexit?”
“That might be a good idea.”
The voices of the retainers came through the wall clearly.
I couldn’t see who was speaking due to the wall, but their intentions were crystal clear.
They hated me. And they were ready to do anything to get rid of me.
“Young Lord Lexit won’t be so easy to manipulate.”
“Well, despite appearances, he hasn’t been exactly friendly to us. But if we leave things as they are, who knows what’ll happen. Maybe Lord Allen would be a better target.”
“Yes! Lord Allen might work! He’s naive enough—it might just be possible.”
They chuckled among themselves with shady laughter, clearly pleased with their idea.
Then—
“Shh.”
“Huh?”
“Quiet. You never know who might be listening.”
“But, Marquis—”
“Shh. I have a bad feeling.”
“Ah… yes.”
With that, the room fell silent.
“Anyway… let’s talk about the rest later.”
“Understood.”
I was debating whether to go back when I heard someone walking toward where I was hiding.
I instinctively covered my mouth. Did they figure out I was here?
“There are always rats in places like this.”
“What are you looking at?”
“Is something there?”
One of them asked, and the old man with the raspy voice slowly swept his hand along the wall near me.
“This Grand Duchy has always been well-prepared for invasions, so there are hidden escape routes everywhere. The current Grand Duke hasn’t needed them, but they’re still around, built by ancestors.”
“You mean there’s one here?”
“Of course. I don’t know where exactly, but… best be cautious.”
‘So this is an escape route!’
But the room those men were in wasn’t the same as mine. I had an exit through this passage, but there was no door linking our rooms—just a thick wall.
‘That means they can’t suddenly come in here.’
I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly pressed my body against the back wall, just in case.
At that moment, the old man stopped speaking. I heard the scrape of something metallic dragging on the floor. Before I could even process it, something poked through a small crack in the wall.
‘Gasp…’
I barely stifled a gasp.
Others rushed over as well, probably startled.
“Is something in there?”
“No. I just smelled something… unfamiliar.”
“Maybe it’s the fireplace.”
“Could be. Or maybe I’m just being overly sensitive…”
Trailing off, the old man clicked his tongue and pressed his eye against the wall crack.
Thankfully, it was too dark for him to see me.
“We should go back. The Grand Duke might get suspicious if we stay too long.”
“…Yes, let’s.”
The metal rod slipped back out from the wall.
If I’d moved any slower, I would’ve been badly injured. If I hadn’t stifled that noise, they probably would’ve torn the wall down to find me.
‘That was close.’
Back when I used to be beaten, I learned how to stifle cries of pain. That instinct had saved me today.
‘That old man might’ve noticed me, though.’
I listened carefully as the men walked away and the door shut.
“Whew…”
Honestly, I wanted to storm into that room and see who those men were, but I wasn’t about to risk it.
This place didn’t have windows or doors. No way to identify those shady men.
‘But he said “Marquis.” Definitely.’
Though the old man was interrupted, I was sure about that one word.
Beyond the wall, silence fell. I wondered if someone had stayed behind, suspecting my presence, but thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case.
‘He’s sharp. Gotta be careful.’
One thing was certain—he was someone people followed.
I didn’t know his name or face, but I knew he was a marquis. That was a valuable piece of information.
“Well then, time to move again.”
Once the silence stretched out, I started walking again.
‘Knowledge is power.’
Whether big or small, gathering information was crucial. So I walked and walked, passing through many rooms.
I passed Allen’s room—he seemed oddly excited—and some servants’ quarters too.
By now, I was soaked in sweat and choking on dust.
There was hardly any light, and though a breeze occasionally blew through, it wasn’t enough to indicate where the exit was.
Just when I was starting to get exhausted, a familiar word caught my ear.
“What should we do, Your Grace?”
Truthfully, I was lost.
I’d completely lost the way back to my mother.
I could use magic to return, but I’d been greedy for more information and lost my way completely.
My feet ached, my throat was dry, and the word “Grand Duke” was like music to my ears.
Maybe this was another fireplace?
I pressed my ear gently to the wall to listen in.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
I wondered if they were talking about what the retainers had said earlier, but it didn’t seem like it.
“I’m more curious about what’s troubling Your Grace.”
“…She called me ‘Dad,’ you know?”
“Did she?”
“I’ve heard that word countless times from my own children, but hearing it from her… it felt strange.”
I pressed closer to the wall in surprise.
“Is that so?”
“She looked like she was about to die, and yet she called me Dad when we first met. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“Though I haven’t seen her face yet, the stories I’ve heard are quite fascinating. The new young lady seems to remind everyone of the young twin lords.”
“If that’s true, it must be terrible. Those two blew up buildings more times than I can count.”
“I see. So what now? I heard you haven’t opened your door since. Lady Cecilia came asking what you’re going to do.”
The mention of Cecilia made my chest tighten.
Should I go back? But I didn’t know the way.
Should I use magic to return? My face must be filthy by now.
If I went back, I’d fall asleep immediately, and they’d surely notice. I didn’t want anyone to know I’d been sneaking around.
As I debated, I heard the Grand Duke chuckle.
“…Such a troublesome princess. Truly a handful.”
“They say you haven’t eaten either. It’s completely quiet in there—they’re wondering what you’re doing.”
At that moment—
I heard the Grand Duke push back his chair and stand up.
“Sounds like our little troublemaker princess is off exploring a maze.”
