Chapter 3
Rachel let out a dry laugh to herself.
“Wow. This place is really a complete disaster.”
Liquor bottles were scattered across one side of the room, while old, worn-out weapons were piled carelessly on the other.
And on top of that—
“Y-You bastard! With one word from me, I can kick someone like you out! Huh? Want to lose your job?”
The commander of the knights, who had clearly gotten his position through connections, was drunk out of his mind and was bullying a single knight.
“That man is… Rupert Archer?”
The unyielding knight who protected the novel’s female lead, the Saintess, through countless dangers.
‘He was originally a knight of the Agnes family, wasn’t he?’
Judging by the atmosphere in the training yard, today seemed to be the very day he would leave this family.
“You bastards! If you don’t stop right now—!”
It’s about time I stepped in.
She couldn’t afford to lose Rupert.
He was someone who would one day reach the rank of Master, one of the greatest swordsmen.
If she couldn’t recruit him now, he would become a major obstacle to her favorite character in the future.
Rachel gave a mocking snort and spoke.
“Or else what?”
Only then did the knights notice her, and their faces filled with shock.
“Planning to fight?”
She tilted her head slightly.
Tail hurriedly sheathed his sword.
“Y-Your Grace… what brings you all the way here…?”
“Is seeing me in my own house really that surprising?”
Well, it probably was.
They must have assumed she had started her morning with alcohol again.
“You there. Bring me a chair.”
“Y-Yes!”
The knight she pointed at quickly placed a chair before her.
Rachel calmly sat down, crossed her arms, and looked ahead.
Anyone could tell she intended to watch the fight.
Yet Tail and Rupert only stood there blankly, still unable to understand the situation.
“Well? Weren’t you two about to fight?”
Rupert looked at her with the sharp eyes of a beast waiting for its chance.
“May I really do that?”
“Of course. No matter what happens, you won’t suffer any disadvantage. I promise on my name.”
A noble who valued honor had sworn on her name.
In other words—
He could beat the commander as much as he pleased.
Shing.
Rupert had no intention of wasting such an opportunity.
With cold eyes, he drew his sword.
“Y-Your Grace… are you serious?”
Tail desperately looked toward Rachel for help.
But for some reason, her eyes remained icy cold.
Something’s wrong.
This is wrong.
“Sister-in-law clearly said Her Grace wouldn’t be in her right mind… so how…”
His thoughts never reached the end.
“Actually… using a real sword against the commander would be disrespectful to my blade.”
“What?”
“I’ll use this instead.”
Rupert returned his sword to its sheath and picked up a wooden practice sword.
“You insane fool! You’re going to fight me with a wooden sword?”
No matter how skilled someone was, facing a real sword with nothing but a wooden one was practically suicide.
Convinced he had already won, Tail sneered as he drew his sword.
“Arrogant brat! You’ll regret that decision!”
But—
Thud! Thud! Smash!
“Aaaagh! W-Wait! Stop!”
Despite all his confidence, Tail couldn’t even counterattack once.
He was beaten like a helpless animal.
The result was exactly what everyone expected.
Rupert won overwhelmingly.
“…How utterly pathetic.”
Rachel muttered while looking down at Tail, who was writhing on the ground.
She hadn’t expected much from him in the first place, so there was nothing to be disappointed about.
Still, he was even worse than she had imagined.
Drinking while on duty.
A rusted sword.
A sloppy stance that even someone who knew nothing about swordsmanship could recognize.
If not for Abigail, he wouldn’t have qualified to be even an ordinary knight, let alone commander.
“I-I only lost because I’m not in good condition! Give me one more chance, and I’ll make up for my mistake!”
“Really?”
“Your Grace!”
Ignoring Tail’s desperate excuses, Rachel walked toward Rupert.
“Sir Rupert.”
The moment she called his name, tension appeared on his face.
Is she going to take back her promise?
His trust in the Duke had long since hit rock bottom.
Even if she changed her mind now, he wouldn’t be surprised.
Then—
“From today onward, you’re the commander of the knights.”
“…Pardon?”
What… did I just hear?
Commander?
All of a sudden?
Come to think of it… Her Grace’s eyes…
The Duke’s blue eyes shone as brilliantly as gemstones.
Am I dreaming?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but none lasted.
Because of the quiet yet unmistakably clear voice that followed.
“I have your first order.”
“P-Please command me.”
Without realizing it, he placed his fist over his chest and bowed.
“Arrest those pieces of trash immediately.”
Her gentle voice carried an authority that allowed no resistance.
Ah… finally…!
The Duke had changed.
He didn’t know why.
That wasn’t important.
What mattered was that the moment he had waited for had finally arrived.
Holding back the joy welling up inside him, Rupert shouted in a trembling voice,
“…I-I accept your command!”
The Head Maid’s Office
Abigail’s mornings were always comfortable.
Every morning she groomed her hair with expensive perfume oil while maids massaged her hands and feet.
She enjoyed the Agnes family’s wealth and power as though she herself were the mistress of the estate.
Heaven truly favored me. If I hadn’t happened to obtain that…
No one believed the current Duke had become addicted to drugs.
Everyone simply assumed the Duke had fallen into depression and despair after losing her parents so suddenly.
Since she had always been timid and withdrawn, no one questioned it.
This morning bothers me a little…
Normally, the Duke would wake up and immediately reach for alcohol in a lifeless state.
After all, Abigail had carefully conditioned her with drugged liquor.
Yet today…
A pattern that had remained unchanged for half a year had suddenly broken.
It must have been a coincidence.
She was probably already drinking in the bathroom.
Addiction was an illness.
It wasn’t something a person could overcome simply through willpower or a change of heart.
What happened this morning was nothing more than a temporary accident caused by poor condition.
Trying to calm her anxiety, Abigail looked at the pink-haired maid carefully massaging her feet.
“Can’t you do better than that? Your hands have no strength at all. Tsk.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Meaningless chores like foot massages and cleaning were always assigned to low-ranking maids.
Meanwhile, Abigail occasionally rewarded the maids she favored with jewelry.
If she simply allowed them to become her companions, they willingly became her loyal servants.
While the Duke steadily lost everyone’s trust, Abigail had gathered people to her side this way.
Clicking her tongue at Anne, who still failed to satisfy her even after being scolded, Abigail said,
“Tsk. It seems you still don’t know whose favor you should be trying to earn.”
Anne had been cherished by the former head maid whom Abigail had driven away.
To show everyone what happened to those who failed to please her, Abigail deliberately assigned Anne only the lowest and most degrading work.
Some time later—
A maid rushed inside with a panicked expression.
It was the maid whom Marcus had locked inside the wardrobe earlier before she finally escaped.
“Head Maid! I have urgent news!”
“Why are you making such a fuss?”
“T-The Duke… has met Baron Lantern!”
“What?”
Abigail shot to her feet.
She glared at the maid with murderous eyes.
“Didn’t I clearly tell you what to do?”
If the Duke had drunk the liquor, she shouldn’t have been in any condition to meet Baron Lantern.
So how had the two met?
“I-I did tell Her Grace…!”
“Don’t tell me you came back without confirming she actually drank it?”
“I-I confirmed she raised it to her lips! But… Her Grace locked me inside a wardrobe!”
“You useless idiot!”
Abigail hurled a cake plate.
Instead of hitting the maid, it struck the innocent Anne in the face.
Smack!
“Aah!”
“Didn’t I tell you to make absolutely sure she drank it?”
“I-I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
“This is exactly why I hate using idiots with no brains. You’re fired as of today. Get out of this mansion!”
Baron Lantern.
She should have gotten rid of that troublesome fly long ago.
Yet somehow he had still managed to meet the Duke.
Crash!
Abigail angrily smashed a flower vase onto the floor.
After locking up Tail and the rest of the trash in prison—
Rachel explained everything to Rupert.
The reason she had acted strangely for the past six months was because Abigail had been putting drugs into her alcohol.
She still didn’t know exactly what drug this body had been taking, but she was certain it had affected her.
“Sir Rupert, remember this. Don’t let even one of them escape.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Even if it costs me my life, I will carry out your command.”
“No… you don’t have to risk your life…”
“Please don’t worry! I swear upon my name and honor that I will accomplish it!”
Rachel looked at Rupert’s determined eyes and smiled awkwardly.
Why does everyone keep betting their lives or their honor?
That’s a lot of pressure…
“Anyway, you know who needs to be arrested, right?”
“Yes!”
The estate was a complete mess.
If even the knight order had become like this, there was no need to mention the other departments.
The people who should have held important positions had been demoted or driven away.
Their places had all been filled by the Head Maid’s relatives.
She couldn’t allow any of them time to escape.
Everything had to be dealt with before Count Waver, Abigail’s powerful backer, could interfere.
Besides… the current head of the Waver family is already in my hands.
Hehe.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Thinking about Tail being beaten senseless by Rupert before being dragged to prison, Rachel smiled in satisfaction.
She divided the available knights and soldiers into groups and ordered them to arrest everyone listed in Marcus’s Report.
The charge:
Attempted poisoning of the Duke.
Rupert and Rachel would personally deal with one target.
The Head Maid.
When I think about how much Liz suffered because of that woman…
Her fists trembled.
Her favorite character would not enter the ducal household until a year later, at the age of nine.
That was when all the suffering would begin.
And because of it, her favorite would grow into a magnificent villain.
As long as I’m alive, I’m never letting that happen.
My favorite deserves nothing but happiness.
…Because you were the one who helped me endure those dark days.
For a brief moment, memories from the past surfaced.
A shadow passed through Rachel’s blue eyes.
But only for a moment.
“Well then… shall we go catch her?”
Forcing herself to smile, she walked ahead.
Their destination—
The office of the true mastermind behind all this.
The Head Maid.
Crash!
Did something happen?
Hearing something shatter, Rachel entered the office.
A frown appeared on her face.
The room was littered with broken objects, as though someone had thrown a violent tantrum.
A pink-haired maid stood trembling in the corner, her face covered in whipped cream.
“What happened here?”
Only then did Abigail notice Rachel.
Her eyes shook violently.
“I-I was just about to come see you…”
Rachel ignored her completely.
With an icy expression, she walked straight past Abigail.
She held out a handkerchief to Anne.
“Here. Wipe your face.”
Then—
She slowly turned back.
“Abigail.”
The expression on Rachel’s face was colder than ice.
The moment Abigail sensed the change in her, the smile on her lips stiffened.
