Chapter 21.

Everything Is for My Son

The Duchess Dowager of House Klaus, Riona, was having dinner.

Yuri, who still had bandages wrapped around her calves, attentively rearranged the dishes according to Riona’s preferences as she served her meal.

“Are you doing the task I gave you properly?”

“Of course, Duchess Dowager.”

Yuri answered with a dark expression and nodded.

In truth, things were not going well for her at all.

The injuries she had suffered from falling down the stairs still throbbed, and the scars from the beating on her calves had remained.

And damn Essika had said she would cut off the jewelry being sent from her family.

Everything was going badly, making Yuri increasingly anxious.

I have no choice but to carry out this task properly.

Clatter.

At the sound of the utensils hitting each other, Riona frowned.

“Yuri?”

Yuri, who had been lost in thought for a moment, hurriedly lowered her head and properly arranged the utensils.

And then—

Bang!

The door burst open, and Kallian Klaus entered with heavy footsteps.

Riona elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

Yuri stared blankly at him for a moment before belatedly flinching and stepping backward.

Kallian’s eyebrows were stiff, and his complexion was somewhat pale.

Riona, however, smiled brightly and asked,

“I heard you had something important enough to do even if it meant skipping dinner. I suppose you have finished your work, Duke.”

“Mother. There is something I don’t understand.”

Kallian’s low voice was filled with deep confusion.

His violet eyes trembled as he looked at Riona.

“Whatever it is, sit down, Duke.”

Riona spoke gently, trying to calm her son, who seemed surprised or angry about something, and gave Yuri a meaningful glance.

Yuri pulled out Kallian’s chair and looked at him, but he did not even meet her eyes as he sat down.

Pour.

Riona poured water into his empty glass.

Kallian’s eyebrow twitched again.

Mother.

His one and only mother was looking at him with warm eyes.

“Did something unpleasant happen?”

“I went to examine the list of expenses allocated to Essika.”

“……Ah.”

The corner of Riona’s lips twitched slightly before returning to normal.

“Why did you suddenly become curious about that?”

“It is my duty as the head of House Klaus to make sure the family’s budget is being used appropriately.”

“Oh, Kallian. How thoughtful of you.”

Riona spoke as though praising him for his stiff answer.

“But there is something I don’t understand. You clearly said Essika was so extravagant that her spending was putting a strain on the family’s finances…”

Kallian asked Riona with a cold gaze.

“Yet during the three years of her marriage, the total amount of the ducal family’s budget spent on her was only twenty thousand rings.”

A maid in the ducal residence earned around five thousand rings a year, and experienced maids could earn two or three times that amount.

A dress suitable for a noblewoman cost twenty thousand rings at the cheapest, while a somewhat more elaborate one could cost fifty thousand.

Even the dress Riona was wearing now must have cost more than fifty thousand rings.

Yet the Duchess had spent less than the price of a single shabby dress over three years…

The records were completely incompatible with the word extravagance.

Riona’s eyes trembled as she looked at Kallian.

“…So, Duke, have you come here to accuse your mother of lying?”

The atmosphere at the dinner table instantly froze.

“I didn’t come to accuse you, Mother. I simply want to know the truth.”

“The truth…”

Riona lifted her cup with a cold expression and drank some water.

Then she let out a small sigh before continuing.

“Essika was raised as the daughter of House Brigitte, a family that bought its title with money. She never received the education that proper noble children like you, Kallian, received. She was more interested in what she could enjoy than in the duties she was supposed to fulfill as Duchess.”

“……”

“To become a member of House Klaus, she needed to abandon the vanity she inherited from House Brigitte. So I thought I had to be stricter with that child. I was worried that my soft-hearted son might fail to understand his mother’s intentions.”

At Riona’s words, Kallian’s hand twitched.

“So you’re saying you lied to me?”

“Kallian.”

Riona looked at him as though she were frustrated.

“Who do you think is responsible for making Kallian a Duke?”

Kallian’s violet eyes trembled faintly.

Riona looked as though she were actually blaming herself.

As though she had been hurt by the fact that her son, who had always trusted her without question, was now looking at her suspiciously.

“This mother has lived her entire life thinking only about Kallian’s success. I accomplished that for you… and the matter concerning Essika is no different.”

“Even so, you shouldn’t have lied to me about it.”

Kallian spoke firmly and clearly.

He had thought Essika was shameless when she stood before him wearing a maid’s clothes.

He had also wondered why she had been wearing the same red dress so often recently.

The reason he had never imagined something like this was because of his mother’s words.

The Essika Klaus he had known was simply the woman his mother had described as extremely extravagant and capable of putting the finances of House Klaus at risk.

But after discovering that there was a truth he had never known, he felt ashamed.

And he felt a sense of defeat toward Essika Klaus.

Essika would not bow before him.

Because she had never actually been extravagant.

“…I understand, Duke. At the time, I told you that lie out of goodwill for your sake. But if it ultimately caused you pain, then that was also a mistake in my judgment.”

“……”

“But you must understand one thing: everything I do is for your sake, Duke.”

Riona’s voice sounded sorrowful.

Whenever Riona looked at him like this, Kallian’s heart ached.

Compassion for his mother, who had sacrificed her entire life for him, filled his chest and made it feel heavy.

“And…”

Riona continued.

“I heard that you reassigned Essika’s room.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Kallian’s hand twitched.

Essika had moved rooms after her conflict with his mother.

But…

He had not known she had been staying in such a tiny room.

Regardless of what she had done wrong, it was far too cramped and secluded for a noblewoman to live in.

That was why he had unilaterally ordered her room to be changed without consulting Riona.

Perhaps his mother might have been displeased by it.

After a moment, Riona spoke.

“You did well.”

At the unexpected praise, Kallian’s eyebrow twitched.

Yuri, who had been listening from behind, clenched her fists tightly.

“I was actually thinking of suggesting that Essika move rooms because she seemed to have reflected sufficiently on her mistakes. This mother had always felt uncomfortable about it as well.”

Riona smiled brightly.

“Now that you are taking such an interest in the affairs of the household, Duke, I believe all that remains is for peace to return to House Klaus.”

Kallian stared blankly at Riona for a moment.

Yes…

There was no way Mother had deliberately treated Essika cruelly.

He then answered calmly.

“Yes. I also want peace in House Klaus. But I would like you to promise me one thing.”

Riona’s eyes flickered briefly.

Kallian was not a son who normally objected to her.

Especially when it came to matters within the family.

“From now on, whenever you decide on a punishment for Essika, please consult me as well.”

Riona’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Kallian’s expression was serious, and his dark eyes demanded an answer.

The smile disappeared completely from Riona’s lips.

She lowered her gaze and answered,

“…I will do so, Duke.”

**

House Brigitte was a noble family from the Friharts region, located south of the capital of Turesia, Torres.

The region bordered the sea and was always bustling with merchant ships and traders.

And as the region grew more prosperous, so did the Brigitte estate.

House Brigitte had helped stimulate the Empire’s economy by maintaining trade despite wartime trade restrictions.

For this, the Emperor had granted them a baronial title.

Now, rather than being merely a family of jewelers, House Brigitte was a merchant-noble family helping develop the region.

Gossips often said that with the treasures stored in Baron Brigitte’s warehouses, the minor noble families of the capital could be bought up one after another as easily as putting items into a shopping basket.

“Essika… sent a letter.”

Schupert Brigitte was the eldest son of Baron Brigitte.

He had taken over all authority over the family’s merchant company in place of his aging father.

His appearance was exceptionally handsome, with beautiful silver hair and blue eyes.

Three years ago, his only younger sister, Essika, had married into House Klaus, one of the most prestigious families in the capital, the ducal house of Klaus.

They had sent her off with an enormous dowry, but they had barely heard anything from her since.

The etiquette of House Klaus was extremely strict.

Apparently, even frequent visits from her own brother could be considered improper.

Even so, Schupert had been sending her jewelry every month through Yuri, Essika’s childhood friend.

But he could not help worrying about her.

Rip.

Schupert tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter.

The page was filled with carefully written characters.

The handwriting did not resemble Essika’s usual style.

And yet there was no doubt that it was hers.

[Dear Brother Schupert,

It must be around the time when the slightly unripe velvet grapes arrive at Friharts Harbor. These days, I miss their sour fragrance, as well as the flames of the sea that I often watched with you, Brother.

I am writing to you today because I have a few requests.]

At the word requests, Schupert’s eyebrow moved.

Two years ago, when he had met Essika and asked whether there was anything she needed, she had merely shaken her head weakly.

That bright and spirited girl had looked as though her soul had died.

He had been worried, but when she looked at him as though asking him not to question her further, he had reluctantly turned away.

[Please stop sending me jewelry from now on. If anyone requests jewelry from you using handwriting that is not mine, or tells you that I asked them to send it, it is all a lie. Please report that person to the authorities.]

Schupert turned to the next page with a hardened expression.

[And this may be a difficult request, but I would like you to ask Father to give me my share of the inheritance in advance. With that inheritance, please purchase the land marked on the enclosed map.]

A map had been enclosed.

A red circle had been drawn around a barren area in the Elmure region, west of the capital.

“This place…?”

Schupert’s eyebrow twitched.

As the Empire’s territory expanded through its wars of conquest, the Emperor wanted to establish new hub cities in various regions.

Elmure was one of the candidates being considered for a hub city in the west.

Of course, the region of Chihen was considered more likely than Elmure because several waterways divided the area, making it easier to access.

House Klaus had also apparently invested in Chihen.

But Elmure, which Essika had circled, had a much harsher environment than Chihen and was not an attractive location for investors.

“Why would Essika want Elmure…?”

The final line of the letter read:

[Please, Brother. I really need you to do this.]