"Such an amount of Mana," Thomas’s eyes sparkled. The Mana around Morrigan was so intense that even Thomas, a powerful Dark Magic User, could feel the pressure. "An incredible talent..."
Morrigan indeed exuded a terrifying aura, just as the rumors said. An ordinary person could feel the pressure even just being in Morrigan’s presence.
"The old man was really right." Thomas smiled with satisfaction, adjusting his glasses.
He looked at Morrigan, who was peacefully reading a book after killing all the insects in the mansion. ’I truly serve the right person.’
"Lady Morrigan, your father is about to arrive." The knock on the door caught Morrigan’s attention, and her expression soured as she heard the maid Maria.
She understood why her father was coming. He was there to scold her for canceling the engagement, and on top of that, he would also punish her.
"I’m coming," Morrigan said. She then elegantly placed the book on her bed and stood up.
Maria stood nervously in front of Morrigan. Maria was a shy and quiet young girl. She had red hair, blue eyes, and a freckled face.
Being half-Wargan, she was a slave, purchased by Duke Alfred and assigned as Morrigan’s maid.
Unlike the other servants, Maria was loyal and obedient to her work.
Despite being bullied by the other maids, she remained dedicated to her duties and had personally assisted Morrigan many times.
"Maria, when will the Lord be here?" Hearing Morrigan, Maria flinched and quickly replied, "He will be here in half an hour, my Lady."
Morrigan nodded, then went to her wardrobe. With Maria’s help, she dressed in her cleanest and most appropriate attire.
A black and red gothic dress. After 15 minutes of preparation, Morrigan applied light makeup and then went downstairs to greet her father.
"Let’s go, Maria." Maria followed Morrigan with short but quick steps.
******
"So, we’re going to meet Duke Alfred?" Jack gazed thoughtfully at the game. It was the first time he had seen Morrigan’s mansion in such detail.
"Behind his cold and stern appearance, the Duke is actually a man who deeply cares for his daughter." Yes, at first, Jack also hated Duke Alfred, but in a route where Alice was an enemy of the Duke, he sacrificed himself to protect Morrigan and was executed.
The reason he sent Morrigan to this mansion from the age of six was actually to protect her from his wife.
Even though the Thornvile Duchy was a powerful family, Alfred’s wife was the daughter of the Duke of Orkney, a pious duchy.
Unlike the Thornvile Duchy, the Orkney Duchy had ties and connections so close to the Church that they could rival even the Royal family.
Even though the Thornvile Duchy had the kingdom’s best knight order, the Sun Knights, the Church’s immense power was still present everywhere in the kingdom.
Thanks to the alliance formed with the Orkney Duchy, there had been many successful collaborations.
Because of this, Alfred couldn’t divorce his wife. That’s why he sent Morrigan to a mansion where she could grow up peacefully and comfortably.
Because of this, Jack didn’t hate Alfred. The real culprit here was his wife, Isabella.
Jack checked his new stats. Shadow Manipulation had reached level 3, while the Revelation skill had increased to level 4.
Besides that, Jack had leveled up. Now at level 3, Jack’s Mana reserve had increased from 200 to 300.
Along with that, he had learned to control Shadow Manipulation better.
Jack watched as Morrigan descended the stairs with graceful steps, accompanied by Maria, a minor female character in the Otome game.
Maria’s role was small. Freed from slavery at the age of 14, Maria continued to assist Morrigan faithfully until she was 18.
Morrigan shook her head. "I don’t."
"It means that for the first time in generations, a tradition of marriage alliance between the Duke of Thornvile and the Royal Family has been broken." Alfred’s furrowed brow revealed his anger.
Morrigan understood the significance of this. The ancestor of Thornvile was the Sun Knight, Gawain.
After the fall of the Albion Empire, the Royal Family of the Holy Mary Kingdom arranged political marriages with the Duchy of Thornvile, descendants of Gawain, to legitimize their claim to descend from King Arthur.
This way, the Kingdom gained the support of one of the most powerful Knight Orders on the continent, while the Duchy of Thornvile received Royal backing.
"This time, our loss was immense," the Duke said. He then continued, "Even though King Henry still promises us Royal support, I find it hard to believe."
Alfred spoke with disappointment. Henry was uncomfortable with the immense power the Duchy of Thornvile held over the Kingdom.
"If my sister, Queen Anna, hadn’t convinced Henry, even this might not have happened." As the Duke reprimanded Morrigan, Mikail entered the room.
Mikail knelt down. "I found the end-of-month report, my lord. A total of 2.3 million gold has been spent."
This amount was enough for a family to live a good life for a lifetime, but it was a small sum for a Duchy.
Alfred’s calculating eyes turned to Mikail. "Give me the report."
Mikail obeyed and handed the report to the Duke. The Duke took it and carefully examined it. Something caught his attention. "Why was 200,000 gold spent on jewelry and dowry here?"
Alfred’s eyes turned to Morrigan. She wasn’t wearing any earrings, jewelry, or fancy ornaments.
Alfred’s eyes glowed with a bloody gleam. He looked at Mikail. "Search all the rooms."
Mikail felt the Duke’s bloodthirsty aura, nodded, and left.
Alfred looked at Morrigan with complex eyes. From the moment she was born, Morrigan had black hair.
This should have been impossible; for every generation, all Thornvile nobles had blonde hair and blue eyes.
Morrigan being born with black hair was considered a sign of Dark Magic and was rejected by her devout mother.
"From now on, Thomas will handle your finances." Listening to her father, Morrigan nodded. "As you wish, Father."
"Good," Alfred nodded calmly.
"Please, I am innocent!" Two knights held the servant who had previously mistreated Morrigan by the arms and forcibly made her kneel before the Duke. "My lord, I am innocent!"
The Duke’s sharp eyes locked onto the woman’s. His gaze made the servant tremble, and she bowed her head to the ground, begging for mercy.
Mikail watched this calmly. "We found luxury jewelry worth 40,000 gold in her room. We believe she took the other items to her home."
The Duke raised an eyebrow and looked at the servant. "Is that so?"
The servant immediately shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "These are things I bought with the money I’ve earned throughout my life! I am innocent, my lord!"
The Duke, looking at the crying servant, turned to Mikail and extended his hand. "Give me your sword."
Mikail knelt and handed his sword to the Duke. Upon seeing this, the servant was terrified, trembling. "Please, my lord, I-"
"You are sentenced to death for embezzling money from the Duchy of Thornvile." The Duke’s icy voice sent shivers through everyone. He raised the sword and, with a sharp swing, delivered the blow.
The woman’s lifeless body fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The Duke handed the bloody sword back to Mikail.
"Mikail, all the servants and butlers are dismissed. Assign suitable replacements." Without even glancing at Morrigan, the Duke left.
The two knights took the lifeless body away and departed.