It has already been over a month since I started taking classes in Visenna.
What kind of family the Duke is, he didn't give me a separate period for adaptation.
The inability to adapt itself was a violation of the contract, so there was no time to fool around.
Anyway, there is a fact that I realized while listening to the teacher that changes every time.
Even the villain has to be diligent, girl.
In the afternoon, the sunlight shining through the window grew stronger.
I looked at the teacher who brought me a history book the size of an adult's palm with a sour face.
Would it be better to be more friendly?
Spartan education began before I even thought about it.
The teacher, who said his name was Noyce, briefly finished his introduction, and I showed a willingness to attend class in earnest.
"I heard that you know all the history of the Visenna family. Miss Ciel."
"That's right. How did you know?"
I lowered my voice to answer the meaningful gaze of the teacher.
Speaking of history, there was nothing particularly difficult about the achievements of Duke Eustia.
"However, you may not have been familiar with the history of the Imperial family. The Ricardo Imperial family of the Djibril Empire is famous for its long and vast history."
Oh, are we going to have a proper class? I felt a little excited.
I made eye contact with the teacher as a sign that I would work hard.
If it's memorizing the history, I was confident, so I blinked with a face telling him to do it quickly.
The teacher, who accepted my challenge, slowly swept his chin and took his chance.
"What choice should the Emperor make for the sake of wealth and strength?"
I wondered why he was asking such a question when I was ready to recite the Imperial family power.
I looked at the bearded old man with a puzzled face.
I've heard of it. It was a question of whether to choose the Royal road* or the Defeat road**.
If I were a scholar of the Djiibril Empire, I would have chosen the Royal road, but now I was a member of Visenna.
My answer has already been decided.
"What the Empire needs now is defeat road. The military will expand the land and imposes strict punishments, so it's perfect for scolding the rulers of the empire who are busy eating behind the scenes."
The teacher expression changed strangely at my answer.
There were traces of burn marks on the old man's face.
Noyce seemed to laugh.
His pale, bloodless face was covered with a black eye patch that covered his left eye.
“So you mean that what Miss Ciel wants is military rule?”
I pondered deeply at Noyce's question.
A part-timer, an office worker, and when I came here, I only worked as a maid, but I had never been in a position to rule.
So I haven't really thought about that, but if I had to, it was the latter.
Even so, dictatorship or heinous military rule should not be allowed.
Is it because I only see a lot of bad guys? I'm not sure I can indoctrinate someone with virtue...
"To put it another way."
In fact, I still wondered if I had to reign over someone even now.
I've never thought of such a thing in my life.
However, this was a class-based society with nobility, commoners, and serfs.
It won't happen, but... … If I were to rule the family, I thought that I would be on the side of losing.
The place where I am is also the territory of Visenna. The law must be governed by a stricter law so that there is no hindrance.
In order to rule the North, which had become a refuge for criminals, a law stronger than the Empire's law was needed.
“What does it take to make others follow your rule?”
“It’s authority and force.”
This was an easy question for anyone to answer.
The old man who was smiling at my answer took off his eye patch.
His left eye was empty as if he had a hole.
It was then that I realized the identity of the old man.
'Noyce LĂĽge.'
Baron LĂĽge was a long-established family.
Long ago, Noyce took care of the imperial gardens and landscaping the entire capital by importing trees from other countries.
He was once a central aristocrat, but during the reign of the Emperor, he was considered a traitor and his family was destroyed.
There were scars around the old man's eyes that seemed to have been cut several times.
My eyes shook slightly at him.
Noyce, who was staring at me, burst into laughter and said.
"Hoho, still, this old man.... Even if I don't have one eye, I often look far into the world."
Noyce, who thought I was frightened, wore an eye patch again with a skillful hand.
But it wasn't just the wound that surprised me.
'He was falsely accused.'
Noyce grinned.
There was no resentment against the imperial family. He just laughed as if he were passing the past years.
Noise asked in a praise voice.
"What do you think, Miss Ciel?"
"What do you mean?"
"Does the Visenna family have the power to compete with the Imperial family?"
This time, it was not easy to answer.
When I was working as a maid to the Grand Duke, I would have answered without hesitation.
"So far .…"
Noyce gave a strange expression at the answer that came after a while.
He mumbled something I had never heard from Duke Eustia, and asked in a hoarse voice.
"If Miss Ciel is given the position of head of the family–."
As he spoke, Noyce's face was hazy as if he were dreaming.
He seemed to recall old memories and also seemed to envision a distant future.
Hearing those words, my heart pounded slightly. Isn't the assumption itself shocking.
Since Duke Eustia, his master, was immortal, his son, Sharkis, would not become his master until just before his death.
If Duke Eustia chose one of his children, it would be Sharkis, the Duke's biological son, who would most likely to become the next head of the family.
However, Sharkis is not greedy for the position of head family, and the Visenna family is embroiled in war years later.
The Imperial family and the temple, which had been hostile for hundreds of years, colluded only for one purpose.
Its purpose is to punish the Visenna family, which threatens the throne.
Eustia was satisfied with being the Duke of the empire. From a commoner to an aristocrat, he realized how annoying it was to be the owner of the estate, and he didn't even look at the throne.
However, this was only from Visenna's side, and it was different from the imperial family's point of view.
Other venerable noble families feared Duke Eustia but regarded Visenna as a thorn in their eyes.
Although they had their own reasons for attacking Visenna, but the important thing was that the Duke was defeated in the war.
Sharkis's heart is pierced by an arrow used by the Emperor's Knight Commander.
Sharkis wasn't the only one who died. Shurei Visenna died at the hands of the Emperor, leaving Duke Eustia alone.
Duke Eustia, who lost his two sons, endured alone in the war against the imperial force in Visenna estate.
By the time most of the knights who followed him fell, he was kneeling by the hands of the Saintess.
There was no reason to care about the safety of the Visenna family when I worked as a maid for the Grand Duke.
At that time, Visenna was a stranger to me. There was also no intention of getting involved in the war between the Imperial family and the Visenna family.
To be exact, I thought it was a different world from me, who was busy getting things done as a maid.
But not now. After the three-year contract is over, I will return to the Grand Duke's estate.
Whatever happened to the Visenna family, it had nothing to do with me.
But what if the war breaks out before I go back?
It was a fixed future for us to die together. Besides, it's different if they are people I don't know, but I got to know these guys now, I don't want to see them die.
'Why are you asking this? I would never be the head of this family.'
I was somehow shaken by Noyce's question.
It was when I was going to say it wouldn't happen anyway.
Noyce looked at me with squinted eyes and asked.
"What choice would you make as Visenna's successor?"
Will my answer be delivered to Duke Eustia?
Before answering, I thought about it first.
Wasn't it unnecessary teaching for the adopted daughter who had a three-year contract? It would have been enough if I looked noble on the outside.
All I had to do was show impeccable manners while using elegant language.
I bite the cookie to loosen the stiffening corners of my mouth.
Looking in the mirror in the corner of the wall with a sideways glance, I finally saw a childlike expression.
“If it were me, I would bleak (break) the collusion between the Imperial family and the temple.”
I wanted to say it in a cool way, but today, a short tongue popped out.
Leaving my regret behind, I firmly conveyed my intention to Noyce.
The imperial family and the temple were contractors who could not be together. This was not just the Djibril Empire.
The imperial family, which defends absolute monarchy, and the temple, which seeks to seize power through religion, have always been wary and hostile to each other.
The time was fixed for them to join hands. It's when you meet a bigger and more threatening enemy.
I spoke in a rather low voice.
"They feared the Lord of the North, Visenna."
The Imperial family and the temple will work together to eliminate a stronger enemy.
Callan, the male lead, and Riena, the female lead.
The meeting between the Emperor and the Saintess.
This meant an implicit cartel - an agreement between companies in the same industry for the purpose of restricting or alleviating competition.
Well, if it's just a romance novel, it would be just a marriage between men and women who are in love.
"Can you break it?"
Feeling Noyce's voice trembling, I opened my closed eyes.
I don't know how the turquoise eyes, which have always looked innocent, would look.
"If it becomes a threat to Visenna."
I'd have to step up.
They also will kill me. And it's kind of weird to say this, but I think it'll hurt a little when Sharkis dies.
It was the same for Shurei, who had never seen his face, and Duke Eustia, who still I couldn't understand his inside.
Even if the Imperial family and the temple are strong now, it is faster to lose trust than to gain it.
t/n : *it refers to the correct and standard path that a leader should follow.