CH 5

“Hmm.”

After that, my brother took a long pause. However, he did not hide his gaze that looked at me in a bad way.

Perhaps, had it not been for Sir Yuzef’s warning, I would have known nothing of his intentions until now.

I decided to open my mouth first.

“If you intend to ask me to remarry, don’t say a word, Brother.”

“What?”

“Of course, no matter how much my brother made by selling me, his younger sister, to that violent man, he would know the minimum courtesy that should be followed, so I don’t think he would bring up my remarriage in front of my husband’s coffin less than three days after he died.”

“No, at that time. I didn’t know the Duke of Dieren was such a man. How could I have intentionally married you to such a man…”

“That doesn’t matter anymore. I’m talking about the present, not the past, Brother.”

The face of the man who resembles me, slowly but surely turned white.

And when I saw the reaction, I couldn’t help but to spit inwardly. I didn’t expect it, but it seems Sir Yuzef was really right.

“I will tell you without doubt, Brother. Ten years ago, it was enough for my brother to be able to handle my marriage as he pleased, whether it was his close business partner or a quasi-baron recently knighted.”

“Wait, Lizelotte. Did you already know who the partner I had arranged was?”

Now, that reaction is clear.

“Unlike then, I am now both a duchess and a duke stand-in, and Brother is just Baron Randgritz. Do you understand what I mean?”

“B-but Lizelotte. Think carefully. Your second marriage partner must be a very low-ranking noble, and then the Dieren Duchy brought into our Randgritz lineage…”

“To sum it up, my brother has absolutely no right to be involved in my marital affairs.”

My brother probably tried to take the initiative naturally, his temper rising. Of course, I had no intention of tolerating the attempt, as I had anticipated his reaction in advance.

“I believe you understand what I mean, Baron Randgritz.”

“…”

That’s how I finished what I had to say. For a while, my brother only flapped his lips in bewilderment, as if he had not expected me to take such a cold attitude.

The truth is. If I had heard about remarriage from my brother without any information, I would not have been able to control the anger that rose to the top of my head at that moment.

If you get agitated like that, it’s the same as losing. It was fortunate that I was able to prepare for my brother’s nonsense in advance.

I deliberately pulled up my lips and continued, showing a deep smile.

“…But, could it be that my older brother called me aside to talk about something that never happened? Now, tell me. What were you trying to say to me in such a secretive way?”

Ha, where is a younger sibling who is as nice as I am? Didn’t I make a hole for my brother to escape so that he would not be embarrassed at the end?

In the end, my brother had no choice but to make an awkward excuse.

“…Just. I was going to tell you to stop by home once this social season is over. Even if you’re married, isn’t the Randgritz Barony your home?”

“Hoho, Brother is still timid. Even though it was a personal matter, there was no need to call me separately.”

It was my victory.

“Let me see. I’ll try to make time, but I’m afraid it’s hard to give a definite answer, as I’ll have to concentrate on managing the Dieren Dukedom until my eldest son succeeds the dukedom, as you know.”

“Ha, yes. Let’s talk about it again next time.”

What next time?

It was the moment when I made up my mind not to meet my brother until I completely handed over the dukedom to Kardiel.

Meanwhile, Kardiel was sitting in the next drawing room with Viscount Baden.

Frankly, Kardiel was deeply displeased with this situation, in which he had to be in the same space with Viscount Baden alone.

‘Did you say you wanted to talk to me separately?’

He didn’t understand why it had to be. They were not that close.

Had it not been for what his stepmother had said in advance, Kardiel would surely have issued an order to get out at once.

“Ahem, you are Kardiel. It’s the first time I’ve seen you, but you must be very smart, seeing that you look just like your father, the Duke of Dieren. I am the collateral family representative of the Dieren Duchy and the older cousin that your father trusted and followed the most during his lifetime. Just feel free to call me First Uncle.”

“Nice to meet you, Viscount Baden.”

“If you think First Uncle is too far away, why don’t you just call me Uncle?”

“Would you prefer to be called Viscount Baden, or Chairman of the Privy Council?”

“Hmm. It’s very formal for family members.”

At the relentless drawing of the line, Viscount Baden cleared his throat and touched his long mustache. It was an act to hide the embarrassment.

Yes. In fact, today was the first time Kardiel faced Viscount Baden. This was because Viscount Baden had never visited Dieren. The dukedom, or the duke himself.

‘I’ve often heard of his name because he seems to have had a lot of interaction with my late father.’

But that was it.

After all, he was a person who did not show his face even when Kardiel and his younger siblings were born. Even when their birth mother died, he did not come to pay respects.

‘It’s obvious why such a person came to pay his respects now.’

It is to aim for an empty space of the dukedom. Of course, he was thinking about taking that position.

‘Besides, he seems to think that a child as young as I am would be able to be used easily.’

Kardiel is, of course, a minor who is only fifteen years old.

However, a child who has experienced an unfortunate childhood grows up early. Kardiel was the eldest who cut out the heart of a child from an early age in order to protect himself and his younger siblings.

Because of that, the child was mature beyond his peers, thoughtful, and distrustful of adults. He was also quite familiar with the logic of the world.

Above all, he was quick-witted. Although it was more of a skill learned through survival instinct.

That Kardiel was not someone who could fall for clumsy tricks.

“I’m curious about something, Ka… hmm. Anyway, sonny.”

“I am Kardiel Diark Dieren.”

“Yes, Kardiel.”

He couldn’t even memorize his nephew’s name.

“I heard that the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Dieren was not good. Am I right?”

Kardiel immediately noticed Viscount Baden’s intentions when he was asked that first question.

He did not want to have a long conversation, so Kardiel decided to turn around and eventually tell him in advance the answer to the question he wanted to ask.

“You seem to be weighing the possibility that my stepmother murdered my father, but you are firmly mistaken. My father stumbled while running around drunk, and my stepmother was at least several metres away from my father at the time, so pushing him was absolutely impossible. Besides, as you have seen, she has an ankle injury.”

“Hmm. I-I… see… Alas, that’s fortunate. Hohoho. I-I was just asking because I was worried that the Duchess would be embroiled in gossip in the future!”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

When Kardiel responded appropriately, Viscount Baden began to give additional explanations without even being asked, as if he was embarrassed.

“As you know, the person who benefits the most from this incident is your stepmother. If a stranger sees it, he or she could sufficiently raise suspicions of murder.”

“I heard that false rumors in the social world will subside after a while anyway. If you’re an adult on the collateral family side, don’t pay attention to such words. Aren’t you the one who should protect Dieren?”

“R-right. Of course yes… Uhm, ahem!”

Viscount Baden soon brought up the next topic.

“But no matter, you should know this point clearly. The fact that your stepmother is now a complete stranger not only to you but also to the Dieren duchy.”

Now that he saw it, this seemed to be the main point.

A dark shadow was cast over Kardiel’s expressionless face and deep blue eyes.

“Think about it. It’s not like your stepmother gave birth to the duke’s child. It may have been a mother-son relationship until now, but it was when your father was alive. In other words…”

Viscount Baden, who had changed his posture, continued to speak in a serious tone.

“I mean, that woman has no reason to be nice to you now. Rather than being nice, she would think that you’re a pain in the neck. Perhaps by now she is concocting a vicious ploy and thinking of harming you.”

“You speak harshly.”

“That’s harsh? Look at that. You don’t know how serious the situation is right now. Do you know what she is plotting with your uncle, Baron Randgritz?”

Kardiel’s rebuttal seemed to have become a fuse. Viscount Baden’s face flushed red and his words spilling out became faster.

“They’re trying to swallow Dieren whole by remarrying your stepmother to a man of an insignificant family, and handing over the dukedom to a child born between them!”