On the other hand, late at night, at the Zahart Viscount's residence.
"Damn it, damn it... damn it!"
The viscountess, holding her head, picked at her fingernails. Every time she saw the stack of collection notices on the desk, she felt as if she would suffocate and die. Even after sending away most of the household staff, keeping only the minimum number, and despite the mansion being like a broken vase that leaks water, money kept slipping away. After the death of Viscount Zahart, his collateral relative inherited the viscountcy. In the process, all the potential sources of income, such as the viscount's territory and mines, also passed to the new viscount. Now, all that remained for the viscountess was this mansion, which required a lot of money to maintain, and a modest monthly allowance. Of course, this modest allowance was far from enough to sustain her previously luxurious lifestyle.
"That's ridiculous! Just for borrowing a little bit!"
The viscountess grabbed a handful of the collection notices on the desk and threw them into the fireplace. The embers, fed by the paper, flared up.
"Why did I even... join this family! Why! Ahh!"
Bang! The viscountess, screaming, threw everything within reach in all directions. She felt as if she would really suffocate if she didn't do something.
"If this is how it's going to be, I shouldn't have killed him...!"
The study quickly turned into a mess, but no one came running. Even if she managed to resolve this debt, the snowballing debts weighed heavily on her.
"If only you had listened to me when I suggested having a child, you wouldn't have killed him, right?"
The viscountess threw a cushion from the sofa with all her might at the wall. The more she burned inside, the more Fereshati came to mind. A child who didn't even bother to look at her parents, let alone help, and who had taken all the inheritance and cleaned up after himself.
"I should have killed him too!"
She should have just done it all at once without delay. Who would have thought there would be a will? As the viscountess clenched her teeth, the door to the study creaked open, making a rusty sound. Without anyone to maintain it, the door had become rusty.
"Phew, the smell."
The viscountess, trying to steady her breathing, turned her head.
"Mom, just because we're the Zahart family, does it mean we can let the place rot like this? Manage the servants a bit."
Reina, dressed in a luxurious dress unlike the viscountess, appeared. Behind her, a woman with brilliant blonde hair entered.
"......!"
The viscountess, who had been looking at Reina indifferently, widened her eyes when she saw the woman behind her.
"Your Highness, why are you here...! I greet Your Highness, Princess Dodorea."
It was Princess Dodorea. Dodorea glanced around the messy study and nodded.
"I sent a letter saying I would visit today. Didn't you check it?"
Oops. Without anyone to manage the letters, the viscountess had to do it herself. But no matter how many times she checked, all she found were collection notices, which made her so angry that she ended up not checking them at all and just stacking them in a corner.
"Whatever."
Seeing the viscountess's awkward expression, Dodorea approached the relatively clean sofa. Reina, who followed behind, hurriedly took out a handkerchief and laid it on the spot where Dodorea would sit. She then blew on the dirty sofa and sat down next to her.
"Looks like we can't have a nice chat over tea."
Dodorea gestured to the opposite sofa. The viscountess, who had been staring at her, smoothed her disheveled hair and sat down.
"What brings you here...? Did Reina, my daughter, do something wrong?"
"Mom, really. Do you think I would do that?"
Dodorea's gaze fell on the messy desk, specifically the stack of collection notices.
"That."
Dodorea pointed at the notices with her chin.
"If I clear those for you, what can you do for me?"
"......!"
The viscountess's eyes wavered. Dodorea, crossing her long legs, traced her red lips with her index finger and smiled seductively.
"It's not a big deal for me, you know?"
The viscountess, narrowing her eyes, scanned Dodorea. She had heard rumors that the princess had changed after fighting a mysterious illness, but this was the first time she had seen her in person.
'She definitely has a different aura now.'
When Dodorea was ill, everyone called her an innocent and pure girl. The princess who couldn't even kill a bug that flew into her bedroom and would let it out alive. Everyone in the palace said they had never seen someone as kind and pure as Dodorea. But the current Dodorea was different. The way she casually swung her crossed legs and looked around was completely different.
'Was she just acting all this time?'
Now that she had recovered from her illness, she might be greedy for things she couldn't enjoy before. After all, once humans taste something, they tend to crave more. The viscountess nodded and bowed her head. At that moment, a mocking laugh came from the opposite sofa.
"Done looking me over?"
The viscountess's face turned red at Dodorea's mockery.
"No, I wouldn't dare... Your Highness."
"Enough. Have you made up your mind?"
Dodorea leaned forward as if she were in a hurry.
"What can you do for me?"
The viscountess glanced at Reina, who was sitting opposite. Reina was frantically trying to communicate something with her eyes, but the viscountess couldn't understand. She quickly thought. What could Dodorea want? But it was hard to come up with an answer. What could a princess who had everything want from her?
"Whatever you want, I'll do it."
Dodorea smiled in satisfaction at the viscountess's submissive answer and placed a small, stiff piece of paper on the table. The viscountess picked up the black, stiff paper.
"What is this?"
"Shh."
Dodorea smiled and placed her finger to her lips.
"I'll invite you to a secret, exclusive party just for us."
"Really?"
"Tomorrow. When everyone is asleep, go to the place written on this. Everyone will be there to support you."
The black paper had faint writing that could only be seen with a light. It seemed to be the location. Dodorea, leaning back, rested her arm on the sofa and tapped it.
"But are you going to leave things as they are?"
"Leave what...?"
"Your daughter."
Daughter? The viscountess instinctively looked at Reina, who was sitting next to her. Reina, smiling widely, quickly added,
"Prince Laphireon is a perfect match for Your Highness, not someone like Fereshati."
Reina, trying to flatter Dodorea, made her laugh. Dodorea, as if petting a pet, stroked Reina's head.
'Ah.'
The viscountess finally let out a small gasp. Yes, she had momentarily forgotten about that widespread rumor. The rumor that Princess Dodorea, who had recovered from her illness, wanted to make Prince Laphireon, whom she had married, her own.
'So it was true.'
The viscountess thought she had found the answer to Dodorea's earlier question. But it was hard to understand why a princess would chase after a man who was already married and had a bad reputation. Power and wealth were already in Dodorea's hands, so that couldn't be the goal.
'Could it be real love?'
The viscountess narrowed her eyes. No, this wasn't the look of someone in love. It was more like the obsession of a child who couldn't get a toy. Either way, it was an opportunity for her.
"What do you think?"
Dodorea asked. The viscountess, gripping the black paper tightly, forced a smile.
"Of course."
Sigh. The viscountess took a deep breath.
"He is a suitable match for Your Highness."
Ah, it feels like I can finally breathe. The viscountess smiled brightly, as if shedding a suffocating garment. Dodorea, noticing the burning desire in the viscountess's eyes, propped her chin up and said,
"Viscountess, your husband died in an accident, right?"
"......!"
The viscountess, who had been smiling, froze. Her raised lips trembled. Officially, Viscount Zahart's death was ruled as sudden. It was so sudden that there were no signs of foul play. Even the autopsy found no poison in his body. The doctors said that the struggle was due to a sudden heart attack.
"That's... what?"
"Ah, it wasn't an accident but a planned murder."
Where did she hear this? Who knew? The viscountess gritted her teeth. Reina, noticing her mother's heightened alertness, waved her hands and laughed.
"Mom, it's okay. Relax."
"......Did you tell her, Reina?"
"Would I be crazy enough to say that? No one told her. Who would know? It's a secret only you and I know. Just..."
Reina looked at Dodorea with awe.
"Your Highness knows everything. She knows everything."
"That's ridiculous... How can anyone know everything?"
"Isn't that scary? The princess knows everything."
Reina, covering her mouth with both hands, whispered.
"Sorry... please save me..."
Let's see how far this goes. The viscountess's eyes, burning with anger, made Reina, sitting opposite, gasp.
A week passed. Ailett left for the duchy with Phineas and Gloria, and Serxia returned to the merchant guild to manage her wine business. Terdeo was busy during the day with the rebels and the upcoming conquest war, and at night, he spent time in the annex's underground prison. Phineas was now attending the academy alone since he left. I had offered to take him there and back, but he firmly refused.
'Is he still awkward being alone with me?'
I thought, stroking the teacup I held with my thumb, about Phineas leaving for the academy alone in the carriage.
'At nine, is it the age when you want to do everything alone?'
I couldn't remember what I was like at that age. I only remembered being in the mansion with my mother. Rebecca, sitting opposite and enjoying tea with me, sipped her tea and spoke.
"Her Highness, there's a scary rumor going around the mansion."
Rebecca's voice snapped me out of my daze, and I met her eyes.
"A scary rumor? What is it?"
Rebecca put down her teacup and looked around, then whispered as if sharing a secret.
"There's a ghost in the annex."
"A ghost?"
"Yes, as soon as it gets dark, the sound of a woman sobbing and a man pleading for his life can be heard from the annex."
The sounds of a woman and a man heard every night in the annex. I immediately knew who they were.
'Melina and that man were locked in the annex's underground prison, right?'
Terdeo had said he would extract information by whipping them for a week. The sobbing and pleading must mean Terdeo was at work. I nodded calmly at Rebecca's words and sipped my tea.
"Once morning comes, the sounds disappear... Ugh, it's been a week."
"If it's been a week, they'll probably disappear in a few more days."
"How do you know that, Her Highness?"
"Just a hunch. I have good intuition."
Rebecca, shivering, rubbed her arms and shuddered.
"Aren't you scared, Her Highness? I was so scared after hearing this story that I couldn't sleep at night!"
"Rebecca, you're still so innocent."
"Huh?"
"The truly scary thing isn't an invisible ghost but a person."
Yes, like my family who tried to kill me.
"Her Highness, ... your expression was really scary just now."
I composed my expression and forced a light smile. Rebecca, making a playful scared face, turned her head. At that moment, the sound of footsteps on the grass came from the side.
"Her Highness."
The butler, holding a letter, approached me. He wouldn't come to me during tea time unless it was urgent. His face was clouded with worry.
"You should see this."
I took the letter he handed me and unfolded it. As I read the message, my hand tightened involuntarily.
"What is this...?"
"Why are you reacting like that, Her Highness?"
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"My mother has filed a lawsuit against me."
"Huh?"
Rebecca's large eyes blinked.
"They say I'm guilty of killing my father, which disqualifies me from inheritance. The temple sent a notice saying I might lose my inheritance rights."
"Wow!"
I couldn't stop laughing bitterly. After all this, this was the only thing she managed to do.
Rebecca, shocked, covered her mouth and asked me cautiously.
"Her... Highness. Just to be sure... did you...?"
"Did I kill my father?"
That's right. I looked at Rebecca with a cold gaze. Rebecca, covering her mouth with both hands, whispered.
"Sorry... please save me..."
Let's see how far this goes. As my eyes, burning with anger, darted, Rebecca, sitting opposite, gasped.