Everything went as Serxia said. Terdeau and Selpius searched through every newspaper but couldn't find anyone who knew about the journalist named 'As.' The special edition had vanished from the capital the next day as if nothing had happened. No one mentioned the special edition to me, nor did they mock me. I could once again feel the power of the Laphireon family.
"I've already told all the newspapers not to write about you, either in articles or special editions, so this kind of thing won't happen again."
Did you really just 'tell' them...?
"I feel ashamed that you were put in such a situation because of the Laphireon family."
"It's okay. I don't think I was harmed. In fact, it was good."
"Good?"
"Everyone must now know that I am part of the Laphireon family."
Terdeau stared at me intently as I smiled. Then, instead of speaking, he handed me the pudding in front of him.
"Eat it."
All of a sudden?
"Aren't you going to eat it, Terdeau?"
"I don't like it."
"But you ate two of them deliciously until yesterday, didn't you?"
"I've changed my taste from today. Eat it."
All of a sudden? Well, if that's the case...
"Thank you. I'll eat it well."
Terdeau, who had been nodding his head, took a bite of the crusty baguette and looked at Selpius.
"Selpius."
Selpius, startled, picked up the pudding in front of him and guarded it.
"This pudding is mine."
"Not the pudding. ...Are you going to stay in the capital indefinitely?"
Selpius, who had been shocked by Terdeau's question, put down his dessert spoon in horror.
"Are you going to kick me out again?"
"No."
Selpius, who had been excited, looked down at the pudding in his hand and asked resolutely.
"Then, if I give you this, you won't kick me out, right?"
"No."
Terdeau pushed Selpius's pudding away with his hand and raised an eyebrow.
"Not the pudding. ...If you're going to stay in the capital, you need to enroll in an academy."
"An academy?"
Selpius pinched his cheek, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Ouch. ...It's not a dream?"
"Exactly. It's not a dream."
"Why?"
"I'm fine. And it's safer for me to go with you."
I found it incredibly cute that his ulterior motives were so obvious.
"Then eat everything on your plate."
Pointing to the plate with a lot of vegetables left, Selpius pouted and picked up his fork determinedly.
"If it's too much, you don't have to take care of Selpius as well. I can..."
"You're busy preparing for the festival. The capital festival hosted by the royal family must be keeping you very busy."
Terdeau didn't answer. His silence was as good as a yes.
"It's fine. I feel more confident going with Selpius."
We are a married couple by contract, but I can do this much. I smiled, and Terdeau, with a tight-lipped expression, handed me his baguette.
"Why the baguette...?"
"Eat it."
"But it's your breakfast."
"I don't like baguettes."
Didn't you just eat two of them enthusiastically? Terdeau pushed his baguette and pudding to me and silently ate his salad. ***
"Your Highness, I couldn't understand a single word. It was too difficult."
As we left the lawyer's office, Rebecca clutched her head and shook it.
"Actually, I didn't understand much either."
I could tell he was competent, but the imperial legal terms were quite difficult. The gist was simple. My stepmother and Reina could sue me for disinheritance under three conditions: forging a will, using the will to threaten, or murdering my father. I had no connection to any of these, but it was better to be prepared in case they sued for some other reason.
"Rebecca, check on my family often. If anything strange happens, report it to me."
"Yes, don't worry. I'll do my best!"
Seeing Rebecca's enthusiasm, I smiled awkwardly. Rebecca said that even with a good family, relationships would inevitably sour after inheriting a large fortune. It seemed familiar to her, given her family's rapid decline.
"Should we go to pick up Young Master Selpius now?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Before we pick up Young Master Selpius, would you like to see the statue of His Excellency the Duke?"
"Statue?"
Is there a statue of Terdeau here? I widened my eyes in surprise, and Rebecca looked back at me, equally surprised.
"Didn't you know? This festival is to praise His Excellency the Duke and His Majesty the Emperor, so their statues are being erected in the square!"
"Oh, I see."
"Didn't His Excellency the Duke tell you?"
We wouldn't tell each other such things.
"I think I heard about it..."
"His Excellency the Duke will be disappointed! You two are still newlyweds!"
Rebecca led me with a mischievous smile.
"This way! Your Highness!"
Since I have to act as the Duchess of Laphireon in public... should I go see it? I followed Rebecca to the square. Fortunately, the lawyer's office wasn't far from the square. The square was bustling with people, all gathered in one spot.
"Everyone must have come to see the statue of His Excellency the Duke! He is such a remarkable person!"
But the people's reactions seemed strange. And there were too many of them. I couldn't even see the statue. Sensing something was off, I pushed through the crowd and stopped at the center of the square where the statue should have been.
"..."
My face turned as hard as stone. Rebecca, who had been following me, stopped smiling and gasped in shock.
"Who, who dared to... the statue of His Excellency the Duke...!"
Terdeau's statue was shattered on the ground, broken into pieces. It was clear that someone had deliberately destroyed it.
'...Could it be the person who wrote the special edition?'
I looked at the shattered pieces at my feet and told Rebecca.
"Rebecca, call the workers to clean up the remains of the statue."
"Ah... Yes!"
"Also, call the city guards."
"Yes, yes!"
Rebecca was quick to catch on. She immediately ran to carry out my orders. Even the people who had gathered to see the broken statue began to disperse, glancing at me nervously.
'If I can catch who did this...'
Soon, the city guards Rebecca called rushed over.
"Your Highness, the Duchess of Laphireon!"
"Make sure no one approaches the area where the statue of His Excellency the Duke was broken."
The guard, shocked by the sight of the shattered statue, choked out a response.
"It was definitely fine this morning when I took over the shift...!"
If it wasn't broken this morning, it must have been destroyed after that.
'In such a large square, and during the time when people were passing by, no one noticed the statue being destroyed?'
I felt a strange sense of unease and tilted my head. In any case, we need to investigate the time.
"The statue of His Excellency the Duke was broken, so we must find the culprit."
"Yes!"
The guard quickly set up barricades around the square to prevent anyone from approaching. After watching this, I returned to the carriage and headed to the academy where Selpius was waiting. ...
"Children often forget their time commitments when they play."
Why am I here?
"Yes, he'll come running out excitedly in a moment."
"From the 7th grade, students can live in the dormitories. Living in the dormitories might make it a bit easier."
"I don't want to send my daughter to the dormitories because she dislikes them."
I was only here to pick up Selpius.
"I didn't expect to meet the Duchess of Laphireon here. I heard that the young master came to the capital... are you attending the Delphane Academy?"
"Oh, then our children can become good friends."
"I heard you inherited an enormous fortune. Impressive!"
Why isn't Selpius here...?
"Everyone should approach slowly. Look, the poor Duchess of Laphireon is trembling in shock."
"Oh, really. ...Indeed, Her Highness Princess Dodorea is so considerate."
Princess Dodorea is here! I looked at Dodorea, who was surrounded by several noble ladies and was smiling gently. When our eyes met, she covered her mouth with a fan and smiled sweetly.
"You seem curious about why I'm here."
"No, not really..."
"I promised to pick up a young princess who attends this academy today."
The young princess... must be the seventh princess from my previous life, who was supposed to marry Terdeau. Oh, I ended up waiting among the ladies who were picking up their children...!
"I was going to give you something anyway, so this is perfect."
No, I want to refuse. Dodorea's eyes, which were full of venom despite her sweet voice, handed me something in front of everyone.
"..."
"What is this?"
"It's an invitation."
"An invitation?"
Since I didn't take it, Dodorea placed the invitation in my hand and smiled.