FCHTIB Chapter 18

As soon as she realized the truth, Railey was flustered.

'Is Young Master Serge angry because I kept something from him?'

But in fact, she hadn’t deliberately avoided talking about the obedience artifact.

It wasn’t something she had intentionally hidden for any purpose.

From the duchy’s perspective, it hadn’t seemed like a particularly important matter, so she hadn’t thought it was worth mentioning.

It was true that Margaret had intentionally guided her into using the obedience artifact—to ensure she would be punished thoroughly.

If it were merely a case of scheming within the duchy and getting caught, there might have been room for leniency.

She could simply claim she had been following orders from someone else.

But directly harming the young madam was an entirely different matter.

Even if it didn’t result in execution, it would certainly mean spending decades rotting in prison.

However, this was ultimately just a side issue related to Railey's personal revenge—it had nothing to do with the duchy.

Thanks to Margaret, who bragged under the false impression that Railey was fully under her control, Railey was able to confirm that she herself was the only target of the artifact’s attack.

If the artifact had posed a threat to others in the duchy, that would have been a different story. But since she alone would be harmed and it would pass quickly, she didn’t think it was a serious problem.

Railey cautiously opened her mouth.

“If you’re angry because I hid something from you, I apologize. But it’s not like I purposely kept it secret or meant to hide it... I just didn’t think it was important enough to bring up.”

“...Not important?”

“Yes.”

Railey calmly conveyed what she had thought to her husband.

But Serge’s expression didn’t soften. In fact, the atmosphere seemed to be growing colder by the second.

Flustered, she added quickly.

“It’s not like the duchy was harmed by it, so I thought it wouldn’t matter.”

“It is something that harms the duchy...”

“...?”

Railey tilted her head in confusion, unable to think of any way Margaret using the artifact on her could damage the duchy.

Then Serge met her gaze directly through his glasses and spoke firmly.

“Lady Railey... I think you’ve forgotten that you yourself are a member of this duchy.”

“...!”

“Lady Railey is in pain and suffering—how could that not be considered harm to the duchy?”

It was a perspective Railey had never considered before.

She had thought that a little suffering on her part was no big deal.

In fact, she had thought it might be beneficial—if it meant Margaret would receive a harsher punishment while the duchy remained unharmed.

“If I had known this… I never would’ve agreed with your decision, Lady Railey.”

“Young Master Serge…”

“So from now on, please don’t say things like ‘me being hurt isn’t a loss’ or ‘it’s not a big deal’... Please don’t.”

“…”

“People tend to bottle up their pain like that… until they break.”

Serge’s voice trembled softly, his expression sorrowful.

At that moment, Railey’s heart dropped even more than it had when he’d seemed angry earlier.

She could feel the shadow of the late duchess behind his words—someone who had passed away long ago.

She didn’t know the details, but perhaps Serge believed that the previous duchess had been unable to show her pain, and in the end, had betrayed them and left this world.

To Serge, Railey’s actions could very well be reopening that wound.

“I’m sorry. From now on, I won’t hide it when I’m hurting or struggling.”

“Yes… Please do that…”

Like father, like son—Serge seemed to share the same soft heart as Walter.

He was introverted and not socially adept, but perhaps that’s exactly why he treated those close to him with such delicate care.

To someone like Railey, who had lived thinking only of her own survival, this kind of kindness felt almost too generous.

She felt a twinge in her chest.

‘Even if I leave someday…’

She wanted to treat him kindly enough that he would never blame himself for it.

She resolved to protect her gentle husband from being hurt—and once more, she comforted Serge.

***

After leaving Railey’s quarters, Serge stepped into Walter’s office through the window.

Walter frowned, startled by the sudden intrusion.

“...What, did the door cease to exist?”

“Don’t nag over something so trivial.”

“Haa... Fine. What about my daughter-in-law?”

“I told her to rest in her quarters until the cleanup is complete. It’s better she doesn’t see anything unpleasant.”

“Hmm.”

Though the exterior of the duke’s castle—including the office—appeared peaceful, inside was a different story. It was a living hell.

Margaret had been captured, and now they were scrubbing the estate clean of any other potential spies or traitors.

They were also tracking the signal of the communication artifact, preparing to immediately strike at whoever had backed her.

It was a near-perfect operation—one that brought benefit after benefit to the duke’s family.

And the person who had orchestrated it all was none other than their young, newlywed daughter-in-law.

“That girl... she’s quite clever.”

Serge didn’t respond, but he silently agreed with the sentiment.

He recalled the conversations he’d had with Railey while they were forming this plan.

“I don’t think the nanny was simply following orders from my father.”

“...Then what are you suggesting?”

“Most likely, she was directly instructed by the person backing my father… She was planted into our household as a spy.”

Railey had deduced this based on the sense of discomfort she had always felt around the nanny.

And the magic artifacts Margaret possessed supported her suspicion. There was no way her father—who was merely a viscount—could afford to equip a mere nanny with an emergency communication artifact.

“We can use that to set a trap. If we can catch the exact moment Margaret uses the communication artifact to contact her backer...”

Railey had correctly predicted that Margaret would choose the least guarded place—her own room—to use the device.

Serge, too, was exceptionally intelligent despite his young age, though much of it stemmed from the beastfolk’s innate intuition.

But Railey, a young human girl with such deep insight, was impressive even by comparison.

“I quite like that girl.”

“...”

“I was planning to eventually let her go… but not anymore.”

Walter’s beastlike pupils gleamed with predatory sharpness.

“If you’re thinking of acting up and casting her out, let me know in advance. I’d rather annul the marriage quickly and raise her as my own. She might surpass even Yuan in potential.”

“I’m not really…”

Serge muttered with a casual tone.

“I’m not planning to cast her out either.”

“Oh?”

Walter smirked faintly.

“So you’ve grown attached to her too, haven’t you?”

“It’s not like that. She just bothers me less than I expected, that’s all.”

“...”

“I don’t trust you, Father. If I send her away, you might break your promise and try to pair me with another woman. So I’ve decided it’s better to keep someone around who isn’t too bothersome—for now.”

At his son's blunt reply, Walter let out a snort of laughter.

From someone usually so cold and unyielding that not even grass could grow around him, this response practically shouted his true feelings.

“...More importantly, Father.”

“Yes?”

“Please send a healing mage to her. She should get a medical checkup.”

“What are you talking about?”

Serge briefly explained what he had seen while stationed near Railey’s side.

The moment Walter heard that Margaret had used a magical artifact to harm Railey, his expression hardened.

Without another word, he left the office, saying he would take immediate action.

Most likely, Margaret’s interrogation was about to become even more brutal.

‘No way she’s walking out of the duke’s estate in one piece.’

Feeling slightly less irritated, Serge thought back to Railey once more.

Railey's willingness to pursue revenge even at the cost of her own suffering—that strength amazed Serge.

Despite the emotional scars from abuse, where had she been hiding such resilience?

Even more remarkable was how, when her husband showed signs of weakness, she immediately took on the role of comforter, as if she were the one protecting him.

She truly was a person full of unexpected layers.

'You’re easily fooled by people like my father… and soft-hearted toward those who seem kind and pitiable.'

Unaware that he had never spent this much time dwelling on someone else before, Serge finally left the office.

***

The next morning.

As soon as Railey met her father-in-law, she spoke with a solemn expression.

“Um, Father-in-law.”

“What is it, my dear?”

“This might be a difficult request... but may I say something?”

“Of course. Speak freely.”

Swallowing nervously, she continued.

“Please don’t show mercy to Margaret. You’re a generous man, so you might be tempted to forgive her... But that would only set a bad example…”