CH 20.4

Lucas came out of Lila’s room. He looked like he’d just been kicked out, his face ashen.

“Hhooh.”

He sighed deeply, as if trying to vent the heat that had been building up inside him.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t have work to do, so his steps were brisk. A quick descent from the Duchess’s chambers on the third floor brought him to the alchemist’s laboratory.

As usual, he skipped the knock and flung the door open.

“Aahk! Crazy!”

And a voice, not unlike his own, boomed out.

“Well, that’s the usual response.”

Lucas stood up stiffly, his face flushed with surprise, and Nick’s eyes glazed over.

“That, no, knock on the door!”

“More than that, what happened?”

Nick’s eyes lit up when Lucas asked, not a day too soon.

“I figured it out!”

“Heh.”

“I figured it out the hard way, Duke.”

“And that’s how you got the herb?”

“…No, not that, I found out where the herb is grown.”

Lucas shot him a disgruntled glare, for while it was wonderful that he had found the secret herb, he had only found the location.

“Where the hell does it grow, and have you even managed to get a sample? Are you sure you’ve got it right?”

Nick was stunned for a moment by the displeasure in his voice, but he had something to say.

“How do you procure an herb that only grows in mountains that are under imperial control and owned by the imperial family?”

Lucas’s glare deepened as he answered with a hint of resentment.

“Which mountains belong to the imperial family?”

“A mountain in the immediate vicinity of the imperial palace, but it has no name and is not very large, so it is overshadowed by other mountains. However, the aura of the land is different. I don’t know why, it’s just different, that’s the only way to describe it.”

The corners of his otherwise straightforward mouth twisted into a pout. Lucas did not hide his displeasure.

“Of all things…”

It wasn’t difficult to get to the mountains owned by the imperial family, but the area near the palace was a bit dangerous. Especially if the herb that was the key to the estrus potion was deliberately grown there.

‘If the area’s energy is different, then it’s most likely related to Lupus.’

Lucas knew now that his ancestry was different from the imperial ancestry, but he had his doubts.

How could the Duke of Montefeltra be royalty if his ancestors were different in the first place?

Deciding that this was a good time to check his genealogy, Lucas rubbed his eyebrows together in confusion.

It was then that Nick spoke, as if he had been waiting for him.

“But the important thing is that you’ve identified the herb. I’ll find as many similar herbs as I can. I’ve already figured out the formula for the potion, so it shouldn’t take long to make something similar, if not identical. Don’t be heartbroken.”

Nick was confident. If nothing else, he was proud of his alchemy.

Lucas was dubious, but he knew he had no one else to trust.

“Well, I have no choice but to trust you.”

“I’ll do my best to make it similar, if not identical.”

“Alright. Okay… We’ve already come this far.”

Neither his father nor his brother had ever lived a life of mere imperial conformity. It may have been futile, but at least they’d put up a fight.

Not a bad start.

“Well, then, off to work.”

Lucas stepped out of the alchemist’s lab and headed for his office, then turned and headed up to the third floor.

He had a feeling that Lila would have finished talking to Michael by now.

After a gentle knock, he entered the room and was greeted by a voice.

“I knew you’d be good. And this time you’re top of the class. How is that? You got in early and you’re not behind at all. Our Michael must be a genius!”

—Well, I wouldn’t say so, but… I’m a little embarrassed. I think Lila is being too flattering.

“No, no, no, this deserves praise!”

—…I’ve never been praised for anything like this before.

“…Well, I’ll give you lots of them in the future. When you grow up and become an adult, I’ll be there for you a lot, lot.”

The room was buzzing with activity and good cheer. Lucas watched Lila, who didn’t seem to notice his entrance, and sighed.

It’s a shame his wife and nephew are so affectionate.

* * *

In the middle of the day when it was fairly cold, the Duke of Montefeltra’s affairs were somewhat in order.

As hard as it was to dismiss more than half the staff, it was equally difficult to hire new ones.

As the wedding preparations proceeded, Lucas handed Lila a key that only the Duchess could hold.

The key appeared to be made of the same material that the black ring Lucas had given her as a wedding present. It was beautifully set with blue sapphires, like blue hydrangeas, and at the end of the key was a transparent, superlative crystal.

Tucking the key into the subspace ring Michael had given her, Lila stood in front of the full-length mirror and inspected her dress.

“My Lady, you look beautiful today.”

The Duke, who was later than most in preparing for winter, was busy today. Lila had only recently heard from Lucas and decided to help Vincent.

“Shall we go, then?”

“Yes, my lady.”

With the exception of the new recruit, Lila was now in control of the fate of the remaining employees.

Vincent had handed over the final authority to Lila. It was something she would have to do now.

The dress swayed with Lila’s steps. The velvet dress, made by Kate, was warm and billowy.

They made their way to the great drawing room on the first floor, where Vincent’s hired help would be gathered.

Vincent, who was waiting in the doorway, saw Lila and opened the door. The servants inside fell silent in unison.

They could see the change in Lila for the first time. Lucas had kept the servants in prison as soon as he returned to the duchy, and only those who were cleared of the charges were discharged.

Wide-eyed, the servants could not help but open their mouths, for she was a sight to behold.

Lila swept her eyes over the hires with a sharpness that Jessie and Vincent did not see.

She remembered the faces of the servants who had gossiped or ignored her, Michael, and Lucas during her brief time at the duchy.

Slowly, Lila swept her gaze over the faces of those who stood frozen in surprise and fear.

“You.”

“… Yes?”

The maid who had been standing there, her face a mask of ecstasy, replied in surprise.

“And you, you, you.”

The four maids, who Lila snapped her fingers at, could only nod with trepidation.

They were nervous, having been told first that they had been dismissed without a letter of introduction.

Jessie’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sight of the four Lila had brought home, then she bowed her head.

“I remember your name, but I don’t remember the other three.”

Emma and the other three were too stunned to answer. She didn’t look anything like the Duchess they knew.

“Hmm, well, names don’t matter, what matters is that you tampered with the young Duke’s treats. How are you still here?”

The cold voice slammed into them, showing no mercy. Vincent stood at Lila’s side, a troubled look on his face.

“I apologise, my lady.”

“Vincent, I believe I have communicated with you before…”

“I apologise.”

Vincent didn’t look up. Lila was well aware of how much work he was doing, so she let it slide.

“Now that you know, let’s move on. Those four dared to touch the young Duke’s things…”

“Help me, my lady!”

“It was wrong, my lady!”

“Emma made me do it, and I didn’t even touch it.”

One of the maids fell to her knees and pleaded. The other two maids, except for Emma, quickly dropped to their knees and begged as well.

“Really, we didn’t even touch it, it was all you, Emma, You did it all by yourself, we would never touch the young master’s treats.”

“Oh, no! It’s not just me…”

Emma started to chime in, but Lila beat her to it. In an instant, silence descended on the parlour.

“I think you two are mistaken about something.”

Lila’s eyes grew very cold. She only said the obvious. The four of them looked down on Lucas and Michael.

In fact, the same could be said for the servants now. The only difference was that they had done their jobs, so they were left behind.

“You think I don’t know how you usually look at the Duke and the young Duke. You didn’t think you could hide your look in a person’s eyes so easily, did you? Don’t think you’re innocent because you get to stay. How dare you speak ill of the Duke and the young Duke, while receiving the salary of the Duke of Montefeltra?”

Lila had been torn since before she had come down here. She tried to be rational, but when she saw the rest of the servants, it was grim.

Lila’s blue eyes turned to Cooper, the chef.

“I’m sure you have nothing to say about wasting the Duke’s fortune without even knowing where the young master’s treats were headed.”

She hadn’t forgotten how he’d treated her the first time.

“Duke, Duchess…”

Cooper was mortified. He didn’t really know, but he recognised the faces of the maids already on their knees.

“How dare you judge a man by his appearance. Do you not even know where you work? Do you even know who you are serving?”

Lila really didn’t understand.

“I really don’t understand. Why do you mock me, the Duke, and the young Duke based on appearances. Do our titles disappear when you do that? Come on, everyone, answer me.”

Cobalt eyes, frosty as the northern cold, fell on Cooper, and he remembered what he had done to Lila the first time.

Everyone does.

Everyone judges people by their looks.

So he’d complied, except the Duchess had said otherwise. But she was right.

“I apologise.”

“It is only when the Duke is away that the true responsibilities of his servants are revealed. But what about you? With Vincent gone, you, the butler, the head of the household, and the maids and servants, all of you, should have worked together to protect the household, not just in case someone broke in, but to keep the mansion tidy and in order even when he’s not there.”

Word for word, she was right. They were not fulfilling their responsibilities.

Because there was no master.

Because the owner was ugly.