It had been seven days since my return. Passing through the main gate, I opened the carriage door to find Mio standing there silently.
I handed her the luggage.
"Are you back too? How did it go?"
"Welcome back, sir. Please return to the carriage. We can talk there."
As she said this, she forcibly entered as well. It seemed to be a matter she didn't want anyone, including the servants, to hear, and it was urgent.
I steeled myself.
"Did you find out? What about the blood relations of the four?"
She handed me several documents. Some were quite old records, and others were notes written in Mio's handwriting.
Looking at the top document, I frowned.
"…'All present.' …Is this accurate?"
"Yes. There are no records of adoption or remarriage in the Shaduran family in the noble family tree kept in the royal library."
"Not just on paper, for example, if the baron had forced himself on a maid—"
"The sisters were undoubtedly born from Lady Elvira's womb."
The top document was a record from the royal capital's maternity hospital. The patient's name was Elvira Shaduran.
Usually, in a noble family, a doctor would be called to the house, but it seemed to have been a difficult birth, so she was admitted before labor began. Detailed records of her condition were listed, and at the end, it was noted that she had given birth to a daughter—named Anastasia—safely.
About two years later, she gave birth to Marie. This was a smooth delivery, but she was admitted as a precaution due to the previous experience. For the third child, the younger brother, the doctor visited once for an examination.
"…Did you manage to talk to the doctor?"
"The doctor refused to disclose patient information. I paid the midwife to get the records and her memories."
"Memories… Was the woman definitely Elvira? Could someone else have been using her name?"
"It was definitely her. The features matched."
"…What was the state of the couple at the time?"
"They were both shedding tears of joy."
"Even with Marie?"
"Yes."
"…When they were discharged, was there any possibility of the babies being switched?"
"It was a small, privately-run maternity hospital with only one bed, so thorough care was promised. At least, an accidental mix-up was impossible."
I nodded. But I still couldn't accept it.
For example, if Elvira had been unfaithful, that would explain why Gregor insulted Marie. —No, that's also strange. If it had been revealed, he would have expelled her as a wicked wife rather than tormenting her.
Besides, Elvira also mistreated Marie. …Rather, the mother even more so…
I took out a stack of letters from my bag.
All of them were from the Shadurans to Marie. I couldn't give them to her, but I felt guilty about discarding them, so I carried them around.
The content was mostly the same: "useless," "do you really think you're loved?" "you're being deceived" — and the baron's letters ended with "come back quickly." The lady's letters were just insults: "ugly woman," "disgusting red-haired ball," "apologize to Anastasia and die" — I crushed the envelope in my hand.
"…Are they really Marie's biological parents? If this is what parents say…!?"
"Sir, if parents unconditionally love and protect their children, I wouldn't be here."
I was speechless and could only look up at the sky.
—It's disappointing. That was my honest feeling. Both because such parents actually exist and because "I have to deal with that family as relatives from now on."
Mio smiled wryly, apparently in agreement.
"It would have been better if Marie had been adopted."
"I was hoping for a scenario where Marie was the only real one and the others were fakes. The real Shaduran family was buried in the basement of the manor."
"Then you execute the couple and have a happy ending. Personally, I'd like to do it, but either way, Marie would be sad."
That was true.
Whether or not they were blood-related, they were important family to Marie. It wasn't something that could be easily separated.
…Besides, hiding these letters had its limits. She might come and demand a response soon…
Mio extended an envelope in front of my lowered head.
"I just received this from Thomas. It seems to have arrived this morning."
"…This… isn't that unfair?"
"It feels like they're not choosing their methods anymore."
Mio also had a bitter expression. Indeed.
If I received this, I couldn't hide it from Marie. After all, they were blood-related. I was currently only a verbally engaged fiancé and had no right to suppress it.
'Father critically ill. Come immediately.'
"What do you think? If I show her this, she will definitely return home."
"…There's no choice. But she can't go alone. I'll go with her."
"No."
Mio rejected it at an incredible speed. She must have predicted I would say this. I knew why it was impossible. There was still work to be done, and I had no time to go to the Shaduran territory.
"I'll accompany Marie."
"No, I've completed the handover of the business. The only thing left is to write the thank-you letters for the engagement ceremony. If I stay up all night to finish that… I hope Ryu-Ryu has reduced the workload a bit."
"Sir, you've been overworking yourself lately. I understand you're worried about Marie, but please rest and rely on us."
She said this in her usual tone, which meant I must look quite exhausted. I decided to listen to her.
"…Then, I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, I'll take care of it."
"Thank you. …By the way, Mio, if you visit the Shadurans, I want you to take this."
I took out a thick stack of papers from my bag. It was so much that I considered just giving her the bag. When she asked what it was, I answered.
"A letter from me to the Shadurans. I've ignored them all this time, so this is my response."
"…A response? Their words were almost entirely insults to Marie, right?"
"Exactly. This is my rebuttal. I've written down a complaint about how they talk about my wife and how much Marie is loved."
"…It looks like a long novel."
"I've been writing it since the day that package arrived."
"Please do your work."
"I am doing my work. I've been cutting into my sleep time."
"Please sleep."
"If the Shadurans hurt Marie even a little, I want you to read this and argue for her."