Chapter 26
“Who would’ve thought Duke Kreutz himself would appear! I never imagined this!”
“So true. Your Majesty the Empress, did you personally ask the Duke to participate?”
That was not the case at all.
Kaien Kreutz was, in terms of lineage, the Empress’s son—but there was absolutely no personal relationship between them.
…In truth, behind the scenes, Erzea would occasionally check on Kaien’s well-being, secretly send him medicinal herbs under anonymity, feel inwardly concerned when the top floor of the Mage Tower remained lit late into the night, and quietly take action against anyone spreading malicious rumors about Kaien.
On the surface, however, they were nothing more than a distant, cold stepmother and adopted son.
“Even if Her Majesty didn’t personally request him, perhaps the Duke came to help upon realizing this was Her Majesty’s project. Like a cameo appearance!”
“…Is that so?”
Erzea’s ears perked up at that.
Erzea and Kaien were distant to the point of being worse than strangers—at most exchanging New Year’s greetings once a year.
Considering political standing, Erzea had no intention of—and could not afford to—grow closer to Kaien. Whether the individuals involved wanted it or not, the imperial court had once been divided into the Crown Prince faction and Kaien’s faction. As the Crown Prince’s mother, Erzea naturally stood on one side.
“So… he came to help me…?”
However, judging by his actions toward the female participant, Kaien’s behavior seemed unusually different.
“Now that I think about it, who exactly is that woman? They said she’s the Duke’s secretary, right?”
She seemed to share a very close relationship with Kaien.
It didn’t seem like a simple employer-secretary relationship at all.
“Margaret.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Erzea’s head maid responded promptly.
“Go investigate a girl named Freesia Violet.”
“Yes. I will look into it immediately.”
The head maid’s information network was highly capable.
In less than two hours, a detailed report filled with personal information about Freesia Violet was placed before Erzea.
As she read the report, Erzea’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“…I see, then.”
I thought I had done a decent job pulling my hood up.
But the moment I got off in the bustling district, people’s gazes immediately turned toward me.
“Isn’t that that person? From yesterday’s viewing orb…”
“Huh? Really? That messy hair looks familiar…”
Flustered, I pulled my hood down even tighter.
Who would’ve thought I’d ever experience the troubles of being a celebrity like this!
‘So many people really did watch the viewing orb yesterday.’
Well, the final viewership rate had apparently reached 76%.
I quickly made my way straight toward my destination.
< Lloyd Law Office >
As soon as I entered, Mr. Lloyd, the legal advisor, stood up abruptly.
“Welcome, valued client!”
Lloyd politely pulled out a chair for me.
“I’ve been waiting for you. We will take excellent care of you. Please, have a seat. What would you like to drink?”
His attitude was almost like a personal butler.
He had always been kind, but never this excessively attentive.
‘This guy saw it too—the viewing orb.’
I shook my head.
“Duke Kreutz and I have no relationship whatsoever.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lloyd looked at me knowingly, as if he understood everything.
No matter how many times I denied it…
It was useless. No one believed me anyway. Not even my household servants.
This morning, they had treated me as though I were royalty—almost to the point of serving me food themselves.
Come to think of it, even my uncle, upon seeing me, had quietly backed away and hidden himself.
Hmm.
‘Maybe this rumor is actually useful.’
Keeping my thoughts to myself, I got straight to the point.
“You mentioned last time that if I wanted to reclaim my family, I could either find a temporary husband myself or, though more costly, create a false identity.”
“That’s correct. There have been quite a few recent cases of clients protecting their families using that method. The law stating that unmarried women cannot become heads of households is nearly obsolete now, so inspections are not strict. Since it’s a legal marriage with a non-existent person, divorce procedures afterward are not complicated.”
“The downside being the cost?”
“Exactly.”
“You couldn’t give me a concrete number last time. How much should I expect?”
“Due to the complexity of administrative procedures, the fee will be at least 80,000 gold.”
Lloyd gave an awkward smile.
He seemed slightly embarrassed to quote such a large sum to someone like me, a young newcomer to society.
But I was no ordinary newcomer.
‘80,000 gold… that still leaves me with 20,000 gold.’
I was an exceptional rookie who had received a 100,000 gold bonus directly from my superior’s trust.
I nodded.
“Alright. I’ll pay it. Please proceed with the second method.”
“Pardon? How did you come by such a sum… ah, I see.”
Lloyd smiled as if reassured.
“As expected from someone who, right after graduating from the academy, became the Mage Tower Master’s secretary, and who has such an exceptional charm as to form a close relationship with him—such an amount would be trivial. I was short-sighted.”
“That’s not what this is…”
“To think you crossed someone like this. Your uncle is truly a fool. It won’t be long before he’s stripped bare and driven out.”
“Not… that’s not it… sigh. Never mind.”
In the end, I gave up correcting him. The conclusion was favorable anyway.
“I will prepare everything to the best of my ability. I ask that you also proceed with the tasks I requested.”
I nodded firmly.
Recently, I had been secretly taking financial ledgers from my uncle’s estate.
This was to prove just how much he had been quietly draining the family ever since he took over internal affairs as my guardian.
“It’s taking a bit longer than expected. He’s been involved in too many things.”
Wasteful investments, luxury spending, embezzlement, and even illegal gambling.
The evidence was scattered everywhere in such variety that collecting it carefully was taking time.
Still, I wasn’t impatient.
Rather, I felt satisfaction at having so much material to bring him down.
“This time, I will see it through perfectly!”
The lawyer’s voice sounded more reliable than before.
‘Since he thinks I’m closely connected to the Duke, he won’t handle things carelessly.’
As expected, this rumor is quite convenient…
With a lighter heart, I left the law office.
Just as I was about to hail a hired carriage to return home—
“…Huh?”
Across the street, a familiar face emerged from a dress shop.
‘Felix?’
Behind him, Lorena also stepped out, holding multiple shopping bags in both hands.
They were likely shopping for dresses to wear to the upcoming graduation ball… but that had nothing to do with me.
‘Seeing them would only ruin my appetite.’
I pulled my hood down deeper and tried to leave the area—
“Oh my. Frill?”
Lorena’s high-pitched voice rang out.
Damn it. Why was her eyesight so sharp?
Cursing inwardly, I quickened my pace.
“Hey. You!”
Felix’s angry voice followed as he stormed toward me.
He was about to grab my shoulder forcefully—but I dodged a step ahead.
Not this time.
“Ugh!”
Startled by my sudden movement, Felix lost his balance.
His face flushed red with embarrassment as he shouted angrily.
“Hey! Are you seriously involved with the Duke or what?! After shamelessly claiming that Lorena and I cheated and demanding compensation, turns out you’ve been seeing another man all along?!”
