16
“Did you all sleep well? Come, have a seat.”
When they entered the breakfast hall, Walter was already there, smiling brightly as he welcomed his son and daughter-in-law.
Railey paused momentarily in the middle of greeting him when she noticed something.
“What is it, dear?”
“Um... Father-in-law, your cravat is inside out.”
“Oh! Ah!”
Walter looked down at his attire, flustered.
“I felt a bit stuffy earlier, so I took it off without much thought and just tied it back quickly...”
He attempted to redo the cravat himself, but it only made things worse. The silk fabric seemed to assert its own will in an even stranger direction.
Railey, unable to watch any longer, spoke up.
“Shall I call a servant?”
“Huh? No need for something like this.”
“Then... may I help you instead?”
“You? Wouldn’t that be troublesome for you?”
Her father-in-law asked with gentle eyes—eyes so kind it was impossible for a daughter-in-law to say yes to the trouble, even if it was.
Not that Railey found it troublesome at all in the first place.
“Not at all. It’s no trouble at all.”
“...Then may I ask for your help?”
“Yes!”
Railey neatly fixed his cravat, adjusting it to suit his outfit perfectly. Walter looked at her with a melted, fond smile.
Meanwhile, Serge’s gaze, directed at this scene, had long surpassed the level of a frozen fish's eyes—it practically reeked of disdain. But Walter didn’t seem to care one bit.
“It’s all done, Father-in-law!”
“Sorry for the trouble. This clumsy father-in-law of yours... But, on the other hand, I’m rather happy too. You’re so good with your hands!”
“This was really nothing, though…”
“Compare it to what I did. It’s absolutely something.”
Railey couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Walter’s joke.
She had only ever been surrounded by people who tried to put her down for everything. So this small gesture of praise from her father-in-law felt both unfamiliar and endearing.
“Now, let’s eat. I asked the servants to stay away on purpose today… so we can talk comfortably.”
“Yes, Father-in-law.”
Now that she thought about it, the meal was the kind that didn’t require constant service from the staff.
It seemed Walter had deliberately arranged it for a private, intimate conversation.
But he didn’t bring up the topic right away. Instead, he simply looked focused on ensuring his daughter-in-law could enjoy her meal in peace.
Thanks to that, Railey had time to calmly gather her thoughts about what she wanted to say.
Once the meal was finished—
Walter gently asked her in a soft voice.
“…So, is the decision you made yesterday still unchanged?”
“Yes. And it never will be.”
Railey responded firmly, eyes steady and unwavering.
She couldn’t afford to let go of this opportunity. If she didn’t sever ties now, her family—backed by questionable power—might try something again.
“I see…”
Walter lowered his eyes, folding his hands together, then slowly turned to his son.
“Come to think of it, Serge, you probably don’t know what we’re talking about. If it’s alright, I can explain—”
“No, Father.”
Serge curtly cut off his father's well-meaning offer.
“I already know everything. Lady Railey told me.”
“You… did? When?”
“Last night.”
“Huh…”
Walter looked at his son with disbelief. Railey misread his expression and quickly tried to explain, as if defending Serge.
“Oh! It’s not that Young Master Serge came looking for me late at night! Actually, I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went for a walk in the garden. That’s when I happened to run into him.”
“The garden, huh…”
“Yes. I thought it was important for him to know too, so I shared what you and I had talked about. Was that rash of me?”
Worried that Railey might feel discouraged, Walter immediately shook his head.
“No, you did well. You saved me the trouble of having to explain it again—so it’s actually a good thing.”
“I see…”
“That boy… I was surprised when he said he’d join us for breakfast without even being called…”
Walter let out a dry chuckle as he looked at Serge, who, however, didn’t spare a single glance toward his father and spoke directly.
“I support Lady Railey’s decision, Father.”
“Are you aware this could be dangerous for your wife? We can handle this matter on our own.”
“That’s just a one-sided decision you made without considering Lady Railey, Father…”
His voice was calm, but every word was laced with thorns.
“And as Lady Railey said, her way actually minimizes the potential damage in the long run.”
“Yes! I won’t bring shame upon Elestine. I can do this—truly. Please trust me, Father-in-law.”
“……”
Though Walter couldn’t completely hide the concern on his face, he seemed to recognize the unwavering resolve in Railey’s eyes.
After some thought, he finally opened his mouth in a heavier tone.
“Alright. If that’s your decision, I won’t say anything more about it. But… I do want to put some measures in place to make sure nothing happens to you. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Of course. Would you be willing to listen to the plan I’ve come up with?”
“Go ahead, speak freely.”
“First of all…”
Railey began to explain, her tone steady and resolute.
***
Later that afternoon.
Margaret came to visit Railey again.
She’d made a bit of a scene earlier in the day due to not feeling well—but that hadn’t derailed her plans. What mattered now was making sure Railey didn’t catch on, so everything could be completed without anyone suspecting her.
After confirming they were alone and no one could overhear, Margaret handed Railey a magical artifact.
At a glance, the magical artifact just looked like a plain ring box.
“This is the magic tool…?”
“Fascinating, right? These days, magical artifact technology has advanced so much that they look like ordinary objects. It makes them very hard to detect.”
Opening the box revealed its mana circuit, making it clear that it was indeed a magical artifact. But externally, it was designed so well that no one could suspect it for what it really was.
“You’ll have to find a way—any excuse—to get into the duke’s office. You remember the method, right?”
“Y-Yeah! I’ll do my best…”
Margaret’s plan was as follows:
Railey would strap the magical artifact to her ankle and enter the duke’s office.
Once inside, she would discreetly nudge the artifact into a small gap between the sofa and the floor using her foot.
Thanks to the current fashion of full, floor-length dresses that covered the legs entirely, the duke wouldn’t be able to notice her movements.
“Still, it might look unnatural, so we’ll need to practice. Sigh… I do worry whether a dim-witted girl like you can pull it off.”
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. We’ll just keep practicing until it goes smoothly. You wouldn’t want to get hurt, would you?”
Railey flinched at the comment, which hinted at the use of obedience-based magical artifacts. She lowered her head deeply and nodded, clearly frightened. Margaret looked satisfied with her submissive attitude.
What followed happened swiftly.
After repeated practice sessions with Margaret, Railey managed to master natural, fluid movements.
From the outside, it would be impossible to tell she was doing anything with her feet while sitting on the sofa.
Soon after, Railey smoothly made her way into the duke’s office under the pretense of having a conversation. She placed the magic tool in the designated spot without a hitch.
‘Honestly, I was worried that ditzy girl would get caught, but it seems she’s not that brainless after all.’
Everything had gone according to plan so far.
The only thing left was to wait for the moment when some 'valuable information' could be obtained.
That night, Margaret activated the magical artifact paired with the one planted in the duke’s office.
It transmitted the conversations that had occurred there, allowing her to listen in.
For a while, no particularly useful intel came up—just minor reports about internal affairs in the Elestine territory. Still, Margaret recorded everything meticulously, knowing it could be used in some way later.
Then, several nights later—
A conversation caught her attention, making her eyes flash with excitement.
[What budget are you considering for the upcoming Core Ruby Mine auction, Your Grace?]
[Due to last year’s poor harvest, we won’t be able to spend extravagantly. I’m currently thinking around…]
It was the very piece of information she had been waiting for.
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