FCHTIB Chapter 17

Margaret grinned widely, like a devil.

With this, the baronial title was practically in her grasp.

To be honest, she had expected that usable information would come much later, so she had braced herself for a longer wait.

She recalled the conversation she had had with the Marquess’s subordinate.

“What kind of information does the Marquess expect from me?”

“Enough to guarantee victory in the upcoming Core Ruby Mine auction—that would be satisfactory.”

“…….”

“Of course, the Marquess didn’t expect to obtain something that valuable from the start. He just hoped that over time, you'd build up enough merit to deliver something of that level.”

That’s why she hadn’t set her hopes too high, even while trying to extract information through Railey.

But to catch such a big fish right from the start—

'I should send a letter immediately tomorrow.'

Though she had a communication magic artifact just in case, it was safer to send a letter encrypted and disguised as an ordinary message.

Margaret’s palms were slick with sweat from excitement.

She could finally shake off the detestable role of a nanny and proudly live as a proper baroness, with her son inheriting the title. The image of that future danced vividly before her eyes.

***

But the next morning...

Margaret sensed something was off.

The usually quiet atmosphere of the ducal estate was strangely chaotic, and many servants seemed to be summoned somewhere en masse.

She grabbed one of the maids to ask what was going on.

“Has something happened?”

“They’ve ordered us not to talk about it, so I’m not sure of the details… But there’s a strict order restricting all movement in and out.”

“I want to send a letter to my family. Is that not allowed either?”

“No, I’m afraid not. Letters are also considered external contact and have been prohibited for over two weeks.”

While the ducal estate had always felt somewhat closed off, this was clearly something different.

Confirming her unease, Railey came to Margaret after breakfast with a face full of despair.

“Margaret… Th-this is bad.”

“What’s going on, my lady?”

“A suspicious magic artifact was found in the office…! The Duke himself said so!”

“What…?!”

“I-I wasn’t caught…! I acted like I didn’t know anything!”

Railey shrank back as she explained.

It seemed the magic artifact had been discovered while they were rearranging furniture during one of the occasional major clean-ups at the ducal estate. It had been lying hidden under a sofa.

“They can’t tell who placed it or when… So they’re starting by combing through the servants like they’re hunting rats.”

“Tch…”

“If they don’t find anything from the staff, they might search our rooms and even our bodies next… D-do you think it’d be better to get rid of the magic artifact you have?”

She had a point. At this rate, suspicion would soon fall on Margaret, the newly arrived daughter-in-law, or even her as the nanny.

Railey trembled in fear, clearly terrified that Margaret might lash out at her again—whether physically or with a magic tool.

Margaret gritted her teeth. She wanted to vent her anger on the girl right that second, but there were more urgent matters at hand.

She made a snap decision.

“…Let’s go to your room, my lady.”

“Huh…? Why…?”

“I have an important message to send.”

Even if she disposed of the magic artifacts in her possession discreetly, the information she had gathered had to be delivered to the Marquess as soon as possible.

There were less than two weeks left until the auction. If she failed to report it before then, the hard-earned, valuable intel would be rendered useless.

That meant she would have to use the communication magic artifact. But with surveillance so tight right now, using it openly would be as good as a confession.

Therefore, she had to find a safe spot within the estate—somewhere magic detection wouldn’t reach.

That left only the private quarters of noble family members, like bedrooms.

Most aristocratic families installed magic circles in personal areas to block external spells. Conveniently, spells cast inside those areas couldn’t be detected from the outside either.

It was a security loophole, but to Margaret, it was a godsend.

She gathered up all her magic artifacts, hid them on her body, and rushed Railey along, practically dragging her to her room.

As soon as they entered Railey’s bedroom, Margaret activated the communication artifact in a hurry.

[What is it?]

“Reporting in. I’ve obtained information related to the bid amount for the mine auction, as you requested.”

[Ha! You work faster than expected. Not bad.]

“Thank you.”

[Then make your report now. Or will you send it by letter?]

“No. But before I do—I’d like to confirm our prior agreement.”

[Agreement?]

“The promise to grant me the baronial title.”

[You dare try to bargain with me?]

“This is important to me!”

[Hmph… I’ll look into it. Wait for my next message. Contact me again in half a day.]

With an irritated tone, the connection was abruptly cut off.

Margaret anxiously chewed on her nails. She had hoped to settle everything with just this one call, but things weren’t going as planned, and her frustration boiled over.

The reason she had tried to secure the promise first was a calculated move.

If it became known that she had been caught scheming against the Elestine household, the value of the information she had obtained would plummet. Worse, the Marquess of Malvern might use that as an excuse not to reward her.

So before anything else, Margaret wanted to get a firm confirmation about the baronial title—then deal with the fallout afterward.

At that moment, Railey, who had been watching from the side, asked Margaret with trembling eyes.

“W-what do you mean, being granted the baronial title? That’s impossible... Father can’t do that…”

“…”

“W-wait! Margaret, are you saying you’re selling information… not to Father, but to someone else…?!”

Margaret clicked her tongue inwardly. This girl—annoyingly sharp sometimes.

“But you said that if I tried hard enough, it would really help the Viscount’s house… This isn’t what you said…”

“Ugh, shut up. Seriously.”

“……!”

Dropping all pretense of politeness, Margaret scowled at Railey.

“Just keep your mouth shut. If you so much as utter something stupid, you’ll suffer for it.”

“W-what…?”

“What, the last time didn’t hurt enough?”

“……!”

At those words—clearly referring to the obedience magic artifact—Railey’s face went pale.

Still, she bit her lip and shouted again.

“Th-this isn’t right! If it were for helping my family, maybe… but…!”

“What did you just say?”

“I’ll tell the Duke right awa—”

“You little—!”

With a sharp crackling sound, Railey collapsed to the floor, convulsing.

Margaret had activated the obedience magic artifact on her without holding back.

“Say it again! If you’ve got the guts, go on!”

As Margaret hissed threateningly, Railey kept her head bowed and murmured quietly.

“…You're really trying.”

“What?”

Margaret froze, confused by what she thought she had heard. Then Railey looked up, wearing a cold smile.

“It means you’re finished.”

“Wha— Gah!”

Suddenly, a crushing pressure descended on Margaret’s entire body, and she cried out in shock.

Before she knew it, dark-clad men had emerged from the shadows and restrained her.

Quickly and efficiently, they tied her up and coldly declared.

“We have identified you as the perpetrator who disrupted the Duke’s House and harmed one of its members. According to the laws of the domain, you are under arrest.”

“W-wait! I was just following orders—!”

“Silence her.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Margaret tried to scream something in protest, almost frantically—but her mouth was silenced before she could utter a word.

‘This can’t be real! A trap? That girl…? Is that even possible?’

A storm of questions raced through her mind, but no answers came.

She wanted at least to get one last look at Railey’s face. But just like they blindfold a condemned prisoner, a hood was pulled over her head, and darkness consumed her vision.

A deep, primal fear gripped her—as if she would never see the light again.

There was no escape from the terror.

***

Watching Margaret’s figure disappear from the room, Railey let out a long, deep sigh.

“...Are you alright?”

Serge, who had been hiding nearby just in case, stepped forward to support her.

“Ah! I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“……”

Serge pressed his lips tightly together, looking displeased, and muttered under his breath.

“...You’re not fine at all, though.”

“Pardon?”

“You didn’t tell me that nanny had a magic artifact that could harm someone…”