Chapter 30
“…She looks dirtier than I expected.”
“I heard Duke Edward himself brought her here, so I thought she’d be some amazing beauty.”
The people dressed in luxurious clothes clicked their tongues as they looked out from the third-floor reception room overlooking the training grounds.
“I heard the Duke is always keeping her close.”
“They say she’s staying in the storage room connected to his bedroom. Apparently, they even use the same bathroom.”
More people clicked their tongues in disbelief.
“Hah. I never thought he was that kind of man.”
“Leaving aside Lady Sepina, the Saintess, to enjoy another woman?”
“What does he even see in someone like her?”
They looked down at Lucy, who was hurrying after Gorgo with dissatisfied expressions.
One middle-aged man with a nasty smile said,
“Well, who knows? She looked like a beggar when she arrived, but after cleaning her up, she’s actually quite pretty.”
“Hmm.”
“Maybe she’s secretly very seductive. Or maybe she has a great body under those clothes…”
Just as the men were about to grin at his vulgar commentā
“What disgusting things you’re saying.”
A cold voice echoed through the room, freezing everyone.
It was just as cold and commanding as Edward’s voice.
“Anyone listening would think there are only men in this room.”
“M-Madam, we didn’t mean…”
“You dared to speak like that while forgetting I was here? You’re only a viscount.”
“I…”
“Take him away.”
“M-Madam!”
The laughing noble was dragged away.
Only the mercenaries in the back alleys would know what became of him.
The others wiped cold sweat from their foreheads as they glanced at the woman standing nearby.
She was an elegant older woman with traces of beautiful golden hair despite the gray mixed into it.
She was the widow of the previous Duke of Tesseron.
Looking at everyone with disappointment, she spoke.
“Why are we gathered here?”
“W-Well…”
“Isn’t it to make proper decisions for the Duke, who has become less wise these days?”
Several people nodded, though everyone knew those were merely pretty words.
Everyone gathered there had once been influential retainers under the previous Duke.
Now, after being pushed aside by Edward and treated as outdated, they had formed their own faction.
Even so, all the authority they once held had already been taken by Edward.
“Damn it. The moment the previous Duke died, everything became like this.”
“We’re not old fools who deserve to be pushed into a corner!”
Using the Dowager Duchess as their center, they constantly watched Edward’s actions, hoping to regain even a little of their former power.
The Dowager Duchess herself was desperate to reclaim her position as the lady of the duchy.
Then Lucy had appeared.
One retainer pretended to worry about Edward.
“If he keeps a woman like that by his side, it will damage his reputation.”
“The Duke already… well… often treats nobles terribly, so opinions about him are divided.”
Others clicked their tongues dramatically.
“A beggar like that should have been thrown out at the front gate.”
“That woman… I mean, the butler Rosendal is too foolish. She never gives the Duke proper advice when she should.”
“I heard a messenger from the Temple has arrived.”
That was exactly what they had been discussing.
The Temple had sent an envoy.
Even more importantly, the envoy had brought an imperial decree from the Emperor.
That meant both the Temple and the Emperor were involved.
‘Whatever it is, Edward won’t be able to refuse easily.’
If Edward ended up under their control, it would benefit everyone here.
While he was restricted by the Emperor and the Temple, they could recover their influence.
But if Lucy became an obstacle, things would change.
“What if the Temple’s envoy sees that girl?”
“If they think it’s an insult to Lady Sepina, relations between the Temple and Tesseron could be completely destroyed!”
Most of them had benefited from connections with the Temple, so they all became excited.
“No.”
“Madam?”
“Edward has always been as cold as stone. But look at how he treats that girl.”
Instead, the Dowager Duchess smiled.
She knew Sepina had wanted Edward for a long time.
The Temple would never simply abandon Edward now.
Instead, they would try to get rid of the girl.
And if Edward showed that she was important to him…
The Dowager Duchess smiled even more.
“You men are too emotional.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we brought that lowborn girl over to our side?”
The retainers widened their eyes.
The Dowager Duchess spoke confidently.
“Someone like her is much easier to control than a Saintess like Sepina.”
“…”
“People who reach for things beyond their station are all the same. Give them a little money, treat them kindly, and they’ll tell you everything.”
The retainers exchanged looks.
“That’s true. She’s the woman closest to the Duke.”
“If we persuade her, she’ll be very useful.”
“She could even become our hostage.”
The Dowager Duchess smiled.
‘Finally.’
That ungrateful boy who locked her away had finally gained something precious.
For a long time, Edward having no weakness had been her biggest problem.
‘Anyone with something precious also has a weakness.’
Until recently, Edward had none.
She had thought they would all grow old and die forgotten.
She didn’t know what he was thinking, but now he finally had something.
‘And it’s just some lowborn girl from nowhere.’
The previous Duke and his wife certainly had unusual taste.
‘I don’t know how much he values her.’
Even if he didn’t value her very much, she was still useful.
She looked like a timid little mouse who could easily be persuaded into bringing them information about Edward.
And she had only just arrived at the mansion.
She had no trusted maids and didn’t understand the atmosphere yet.
‘Now is the time to take control of her.’
While the Dowager Duchess finished her calculations, one timid retainer hesitated.
“But Madam… what if she’s more cautious than she looks?”
Snap.
Without even letting him finish, the Dowager Duchess snapped her fingers.
A shadow appeared behind her.
“Madam.”
“You know what you need to do.”
“Yes.”
“If you fail…”
“I understand.”
The shadow bowed while tightly clenching an injured hand.
As the shadow disappeared, the Dowager Duchess’s smile grew even deeper.
A few hours later.
Inside the enormous library of the Tesseron estate, Lucy sat deeply buried in a beanbag-like chair, frowning as she turned another page.
After thoroughly washing in Edward’s bathroom, her slightly damp hair now carried the same scent as his.
Edward, who would have been pleased to see that, wasn’t there.
Books were piled around her almost as high as she was sitting.
Every one of them was about Dragon Incarnations and holy power.
Reading with a serious expression, Lucy pouted slightly and muttered,
“So… if someone uses too much holy power all at once, they can faint.”
