~Chapter 11~
“Were you reading, my lady?”
The one who entered was Sally.
Rahel kept her eyes fixed on the book, giving no reply.
Sally’s lips jutted out at the silent treatment.
Rahel had always been on the quiet side, but she would still exchange a few words now and then with Margaret or Sally.
At least, until Vivian appeared.
Now that the nuisance is gone, it’s my chance to get close to Rahel again.
Sally approached with a triumphant little smile.
“My lady, it isn’t study time right now. Why don’t you take a break? We could play with dolls.”
“……”
“Or maybe we could play house?”
Sally rattled off a list of games, but Rahel didn’t so much as glance her way, her gaze never leaving the book.
Annoyance began to simmer inside Sally.
Her anger, however, wasn’t aimed at Rahel—but at Vivian.
“Isn’t it nice that noisy little country girl isn’t around? It was hard to read with her always chattering.”
At the mention of Vivian, Rahel’s eyes finally lifted from the page to Sally.
Taking that look as a sign of agreement, Sally grew even bolder.
“I knew from the beginning she’d run off sooner or later. Always pretending to be so nice, acting like she was close to everyone.”
“……”
“But don’t worry, my lady. I’ll always stay by your side—”
“Leave.”
“…What?”
“Be quiet and get out.”
Sally flinched at Rahel’s icy tone.
The pair of blue eyes fixed on her glinted with a chill sharp enough to cut.
Overwhelmed by that pressure, Sally stumbled out into the garden. Anger welled up inside her until she could barely contain it.
“This is all that girl’s fault!”
She lashed out and kicked over a flowerpot, which shattered on the ground with a sharp crash.
“How dare some country bumpkin try to seduce the man who’s supposed to be my husband?”
She was parroting the words her mother had drummed into her.
Right now the young lady has to live as a girl, but once she grows up, she’ll become a man and marry you.
I’ll marry Rahel?
Yes. That’s why you must play nicely with her. Understand?
“She can try all she wants—Rahel’s going to marry me in the end!”
“Little one.”
A man’s unfamiliar voice came from nearby.
It was the guest who had arrived a week ago at Edelvine Manor, the one sent by the Emperor.
He smiled softly as he spoke.
“That story you were just telling… Could you explain it to me in more detail?”
“…What?”
“How is it that the young lady, who is a girl, can become your husband?”
The man’s eyes gleamed coldly behind his gentle smile.
Late at night, in his study, Kalts was going over documents.
The quiet was broken by a knock.
“Sir, may I enter?”
It was Owen, who came in with a report.
“The imperial inspectors say they’ll be returning to the capital the day after tomorrow.”
“So soon?” Kalts arched a brow.
I thought they’d stay at least a month after coming all this way.
Officially, the Emperor claimed he was sending inspectors to check on the well-being of his retired teacher in the countryside.
But Kalts knew the truth: the real reason was surveillance.
The Emperor feared that Kalts might conspire to rebellion with a hidden royal heir.
And if Rahel’s secret—that he was a boy—were ever discovered…
The Emperor would try to have him killed.
Outwardly, Rahel was the illegitimate child of the late Lady Isela, with an unknown father. Touching him directly would be dangerous.
Which only made it worse—the Emperor would send someone quietly in the dark.
Kalts knew his former pupil well. That timid man would be terrified, consumed with hatred, simply at the thought of a nephew stronger than himself.
It was for that very reason Kalts had brought Rahel to this distant countryside, far from the capital.
The older Rahel grew, the harder it would be to conceal his true sex. Kalts had expected surveillance sooner or later—that was why he had arranged for Vivian to accompany him.
But for the Emperor to act this quickly was beyond his calculations.
And yet… now they’re withdrawing the inspectors so soon? That doesn’t bode well.
A memory rose unbidden: his daughter’s final moments. Even as she lay dying, she had worried only for her son.
Father, please… protect Lahedis. Protect your grandson.
Kalts pulled himself from his thoughts and gave an order.
“Double the guards around the manor.”
“Yes, sir.”
With that settled, Owen laid another document before him.
“And this?”
“Information on Vivian Hessen and her father, Dias Hessen, as you requested.”
Kalts recalled. The inspectors had arrived about a week ago. Concerned by the suspicious timing of Vivian’s appearance at the manor, he had ordered Owen to investigate.
The girl came into the house just as the Emperor’s men arrived—too much of a coincidence.
Of course, it had been his own decision to take her in, so the likelihood of her being connected to the Emperor was slim.
But the thought nagged at him nonetheless.
“Her family?”
“Only her father, Dias Hessen. Age twenty-nine. He runs a bakery in the village.”
“And the mother?”
“She died before they settled here. Since then, the father has raised the girl alone.”
“And their reputation?”
“Very good. The father is well liked by the villagers, and his bond with his daughter is said to be strong.”
“When did they come to this village?”
“Five years ago, with the daughter. It seems he wasn’t a baker before then—no one knows his past.”
“I see.”
The lack of history was troubling, but he had lived here since before Kalts purchased the Edelvine estate. That lessened suspicion of imperial involvement.
Still, the Emperor could have bought his loyalty once he learned I’d be coming here.
Kalts asked, “Any contact between the Emperor’s men and the father?”
“The inspectors’ knights visited the bakery the day they arrived. From what was overheard, they gained nothing of value.”
“And besides that?”
“Nothing unusual. However…”
Owen handed him a small notebook.
“There is something you should see.”
On the front, in neat, childish handwriting, were the words: Bibi’s Notebook.
“What is this?”
“A report from Vivian, addressed to you, sir. She’s been observing and analyzing the imperial knights.”
“…She has? Why would that girl be watching the knights?”
Owen recalled what had happened earlier that day.
A servant had delivered the notebook, saying Vivian left it for the duke. When Owen questioned her about it, she had simply smiled and replied—
Because I’m on the duke’s side, of course!
Remembering that, Owen couldn’t help but smile faintly as he added,
“She says she’s on your side, sir.”
Kalts frowned, skeptical, but opened the notebook.
Inside, the pages were filled with neat, earnest handwriting.
March 21st. Weather: clear.
We had a delicious dinner and came home, but there were three knights waiting.
One was big, one was thin, and the leader was in between.
They asked if I’d ever seen the young lady use magic. I said no, so they got angry.
My father told them to stop, but that only made them angrier.
So before they could start a fight, I chased them out.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh slipped from Kalts’s lips as he read the child’s report.
