CH 14

“It’s no wonder that the second wife said no. The lady is only fourteen now. A fourteen year old lady should stay home.”

A creeping voice continued, “Anyway, that’s why I talked about the Duke at that time. There’s no choice but to ask the other adults. Besides, the young lady is in a difficult position to meet the Duke. That’s why you have to go after the only son!” 

I went back to the bedroom with Olga, who was starting to chatter. 

I can’t help it. If outdoor exercise is not possible, then I will have to do indoor exercise. I felt like my head was clear as I moved my body and began to sweat. 

However. . .Are you saying I’m in a difficult position to meet with the Duke? No matter how much she can live in the annex, Yana is still the duke’s granddaughter. What’s so difficult about that? 

It wasn’t until lunch that day that I learned what Olga meant. 

The servant who came to visit her left the following message. 

“I come with a message from the second Lord. As a punishment for leaving the castle without permission, from today on, it is forbidden to leave the annex without the permission of the second Lord.”

“Why me?” 

When I lightly questioned him, the servant replied with a cocky expression and a raised chin. It was as if Roman’s authority had become his authority now too. 

“This is the second Lord’s order.” 

“Is this in your nature? To speak to me, who is the lady of Tuslena, with a threatening tone?” 

We kept raising our faces as we fought, but at some point, the servant’s chin unknowingly high in the sky, had begun to drop. 

“I-I just received the order from the second Lord. . .” 

“So you are threatening me with the name of the second Lord, yes?” 

“Hey! Don’t talk nonsense! I have clearly delivered the Lord’s order. If you refuse, it’s your responsibility, lady. . .” 

“I will go to my grandfather and tell him that a servant yelled at me and threatened me.” 

“. .. “

The servant’s complexion turned pale. 

“I don’t believe that the great Duke will listen to that. . .” 

“You have to tell me whether you will listen or not, then.” 

Alright, now I have a good place to meet the duke. I turned to Olga and said, “Will you come? Take me to my grandfather’s office right now.” 

* * *

I moved my steps with enthusiasm, but when I arrived at the office, no matter how hard I knocked on the door, I couldn’t her anyone. 

I opened the door wide in frustration. 

“Miss!” 

Olga, startled, was appalled by Rin’s actions. 

As expected, it’s empty. 

The master’s office was as spacious and antique as the drawing room. It was a room that spelled of people living in it, such as books and maps, rare antiques, and whiskey inside the exhibition hall, filled with bookshelves on both sides of the wall. 

Should I go back? 

Basically, it is rude to stay in an unoccupied room without permission. After she pondered for a moment, Rin told Olga, who was restless outside her door. 

“I’ll wait for Grandpa here. Go back to your room, Olga.” 

“Ah, lady! If you carelessly stay here. . .!” 

I shut the door. 

After that, I heard a knock on the door several times, but as I continued to ignore it, it soon became quiet. 

Where did the Duke go? 

Come to think of it. .. You said that the family’s Lords came. Will he stay with them? 

Judging from the uniforms she hadn’t seen before at the gymnasium, it was highly likely that the family’s visitors had already arrived. Since the head of the family personally came forward to meet them, I wonder if it was the head of a small family whose succession was almost certain. 

Rin carefully explored the master’s room. 

The top of the desk was messy, probably because he had been away for a while after doing his errands. A book as thick as a history book was spread out, and next to it, papers filled with unfamiliar languages were scattered here and there. 

It’s a hieroglyph. 

But why is it so complicated? 

The drawings that I had just seen were copied several times into the Duke’s paper. All the same, as well. The interpretation written below said, [ Occupied by the most powerful ego ]. 

.. . .Is it philosophy? 

When I opened some papers, a very old notebook appeared. The hieroglyphs written on the notebook seemed much longer and more complex. 

Rin, staring blankly, realized that the sentence copied by the master was located right in the center of the first paragraph. 

It’s a translation.

If you were the head of the fourth family, you would be busy enough to be even more busy, even if you had two bodies, but it was surprising that you were doing the translation yourself either way. 

“. . .Hmm.” 

Shall I use this?

Rin hugged the book on the desk and moved to the sofa. 

“Ugh, heavy!” 

They said there was a big dirty reason, but it seemed to be none other than a dictionary of hieroglyphs. Even judging from the fact that there is only one written on the spine, it seems there are several more dictionaries of this size. 

“Good, shall we read it?” 

After opening the first page of the dictionary, I began to memorize the first hieroglyph. 

How much time had passed like that? 

Click.

The owner of the office has returned. 

“Just in case, let the Phantom Knights live in the annex. If a problem arises. . .” 

The Duke, who was conveying various words to his aid, found Rin. Rin shouted at the Duke, “Grandfather!” 

“–Yana?” 

Likewise, Rin hurriedly ran in front of the Duke and smiled broadly. “I came because I wanted to see my grandfather! You weren’t here, so I decided to wait.” 

The Duke, who became somewhat embarrassed, bid the aid goodbye and went inside. As he looked around the room, he picked up a dictionary thrown on the sofa and scolded Yana severely, “Yana, it is not polite to look around without the owner. Be careful next time.”

“Yes I will.” 

When she answered meekly, the expression on the Duke’s face softened slightly. Sitting on the sofa, he sighed and touched his eyelends. Then, he gestured toward Rin. 

“Come here, Yana. How is your body? Aren’t you sick?” 

“I’m very good.” 

“I’m glad you’re good, but to think that you, not another child, came to find me. . .So, is there anything you want to say to me?” 

But I didn’t mean to actually say what I originally said was going to be the reason for my visit. He’ll just say that it’s not something he’ll interfere with. 

It was purely for the purpose of scaring the servants. 

If Roman had a head, he would have left her alone for the time being. People who are prone to stabbing tend to be very cautious when unexpected events occur. 

Rin patted the shoulder of the tired looking duke, and then asked insinuatingly, “Grandpa, I have a question. What countries are the hieroglyphs of the pictures in the book from?” 

The Duke, who had been receiving the message without a word, smiled in surprise.

“Are you already distinguishing those things?” 

“It’s nothing, but are you really studying it? Grandpa has a lot of work to do. Aren’t you tired?” 

“Learning never ends, Yana.” 

The Duke of Tuslena smiled lightly and turned his head to stare at the desk, “Looks like you’re interested, but learning hieroglyphs won’t do you much good. Hmm. Come to think of it, you’ve come of age, so it’s about time you have a proper home education teacher. Did your second uncle introduce you to one yet?” 

“I don’t take any classes.” 

Olga told me that, so I’m definite that is the truth. 

Yana has no teacher. Why? A smart doll loses her value as a doll. Roman’s doll, Yana, did not need to learn. 

The Duke, who was looking at Rin with a puzzled expression, slowly stroked his chin. 

“Haha, recently I even passed out after eating a poisonous fruit. Recovering will come first.” 

What is the priority of recovery? It’s just an excuse to not teach me anything. 

You trust Roman that much. It seems that he has been fooling the Duke with very plausible words for years. 

Therefore, a more cautious approach should be taken. 

Even if he came and accused the disgusting act related to Roman, the master would rather doubt it than trust me. That is because the second son the Duke knows isn’t like that. 

The important thing now is not to deal with Roman. 

To build trust with the Duke step by step, that is what Yana must do right now. 

She has to make him her greatest ally. 

If the process goes well, Roman’s evil deeds will naturally be revealed. 

“Don’t worry, Yana. Roman will find you a good teacher. If you want to learn hieroglyphics, go to the ancient scripture rather than Konrad. . .” 

“I memorized everything.” 

“–What?”