19
Misunderstanding the expression on his face, Railey quickly added.
“Of course, I completely understand your desire to show mercy. But sometimes, you need to set an example by being firm…”
“No, no. It seems you've misunderstood, my dear.”
“Pardon?”
“Of course, I’ve already given orders to ensure that person pays the appropriate price. How could I possibly show mercy to someone who dared to harm you?”
“Ah…”
“Don’t worry. Even if you hadn’t said anything, I was planning to punish her thoroughly.”
“…I’m sorry. I was worrying over nothing.”
Railey fidgeted with her fingers, looking slightly embarrassed.
Walter gave his daughter-in-law a warm smile.
“No need to apologize. It’s only natural.”
“Yes. And…”
Railey hesitated before finally voicing what she most wanted to say.
“…Will the Viscount Vitence household be dealt with as planned?”
“Yes. That won’t be a problem either. You are no longer someone who has any ties to the Viscount Vitenche family.”
“…”
Though there were others behind the scenes, the one who had directly sent the nanny Margaret was none other than the Viscount Vitence household. They would not escape punishment.
Not only would they be severely punished, but they would also be forced to pay massive reparations.
After that, it would be difficult for the family to remain intact.
“Of course, it's certain that you will now be under the protection of our family. So don’t worry.”
“…Yes.”
“Would you… like to see your family one last time?”
Walter’s voice was gentle and cautious.
Even that small consideration was something completely unlike her own parents.
Railey had once longed for affection and acknowledgment from them. She believed that since they were the ones who brought her into this world, she had to obey and respect them. She even dreamed of a day when her older brother would embrace her with kindness.
But now she knew they had been wrong all along.
“The ones who are strange… are not you, but your parents.”
“…!”
“A child can’t choose their parents. Then at the very least… shouldn’t they be given the right to discard the trash that failed to act like parents?”
The words Serge had once said gave her both clarity and resolve.
Of course, as a human being, it was impossible to completely rid herself of emotions. Perhaps if she saw them again, her heart might weaken.
“No. I don’t want to see them… and I have no intention of meeting them again in the future.”
She simply wanted to live the rest of her life like they were strangers, never even hearing news of them again.
Even if they were to fall so low that they were less than commoners and wandered like beggars, it would be none of her concern.
“Yes. I’ll respect your wishes, my dear.”
“…Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me for that.”
Walter rose from his seat and gently stroked Railey’s hair.
“Anyway, let’s shake off all the bad things that happened to you! Let’s talk about something more cheerful.”
“Something cheerful…?”
“I mentioned it before, didn’t I? It’s the social season—we need to go to the capital. Of course, you’ll have to come with us.”
“Ah…”
“Before we go, we’ll have to buy lots of dresses and accessories! First of all, we must get a pink dress. Pink suits you so well…”
“Father.”
A firm voice interrupted Walter, who was excitedly fantasizing about dressing up his daughter-in-law like a doll.
“Shouldn’t something come first?”
“Come first…?”
“I’m talking about Lady Railey’s shadow escort.”
“Hmm. Yes, of course I’ve considered that. But ideally, someone close to her should be a woman. I just haven’t found anyone yet who’s both skilled and trustworthy…”
“Please keep looking.”
“…All right. Don’t worry.”
Walter cleared his throat and turned back to Railey.
“We are taking your safety more seriously than anything else. But that doesn’t mean the clothes you’ll wear aren’t important too!”
“But… I’ve already received a lot of clothes…”
“Those were just rushed in before we could properly commission them from a reputable boutique! Now we’re going to get clothes that truly suit you. Hmm… we should start with at least twenty dresses for this trip to the capital, don’t you think?”
“Isn’t that way too many dresses?!”
Railey was flustered by her father-in-law’s overwhelming enthusiasm, yet she couldn’t ignore the clumsy affection that radiated from his gestures.
‘I have to find a way to repay them… somehow.’
Although the ducal family did gain something from this recent incident, that was merely compensation for the potential damage the Vitence Viscount family could have caused.
More than that, it had mostly served Railey’s own purpose—severing ties with her birth family.
‘Then while I’m in the capital, I should meet with an informant!’
Even though she possessed knowledge of the original story, it wasn’t complete. So, she planned to meet with an informant to fill in the gaps.
‘I’ll do whatever I can to help the ducal family avoid even a bit of misfortune.’
Without realizing it, her once-firm goal of “escaping the Elestine Duchy” had started to grow faint. But Railey hadn’t yet noticed this change in herself.
***
“You useless fools!”
A sharp-featured woman in her thirties hurled a teacup across the room.
Unable to dodge the incoming wrath, her subordinate bowed his head and pleaded.
“We’re so sorry, Marquess Malvern!”
“Do you think groveling will erase your failure? Will it turn back time?”
“…”
“Damn it… to be tripped up by this kind of blunder…”
Grinding her teeth in frustration, Marquess Malvern eventually dismissed everyone from her office.
There was nothing else she could do at the moment but vent her anger.
Not only had Elestine caught her tail, but the agents she had secretly planted had all been rooted out.
To make things worse, a letter had arrived from the Elestine Duchy, as if mocking her.
Though the content was seemingly trivial, the Marquess easily grasped its deeper message.
“We know it was you. Now pay the price.”
It was a warning—if she didn’t quietly fall in line, they would drag everything out into the open and turn it into a scandalous mudslinging affair.
If she wanted to cut off the Vitence family like a snake’s tail and keep things quiet, she would have to pay dearly.
The Marquess found herself cornered.
If this matter were to go public, the consequences would go far beyond a mere trial. Other families she had manipulated would also start backing away to protect themselves.
To smooth things over, she’d not only have to give up the Core Ruby Mine but might have to offer even heavier reparations.
And this weakness—the knowledge that Elestine now held over her—would likely continue to haunt her in the future.
She thought of the Duke of Elestine, that deceptively bumbling man who always seemed to turn things in his favor in the end, smiling as if he knew nothing while dismantling his enemies from within.
Her deep-rooted hatred, which had taken hold ever since he rejected the marriage proposal, had yet to be washed away.
Fueled by the single-minded desire to make that man submit, she had won the succession battle and risen to her current position.
One day, she would bring down Elestine and trample it beneath her feet.
And she would see that man crawling before her—no matter what.
Marquess Malvern bit her lip, reaffirming her vow.
Even if she had to give something up… she at least deserved a little catharsis.
She rang a bell, and in an instant, a figure emerged from the shadows.
“How is the Vitence Viscount family holding up?”
“They are on the brink of bankruptcy. They’ll be summoned to trial soon, and it seems the Imperial Family won’t be granting any leniency.”
“As expected. There’s no real reason for the Imperial Family to waste sympathy on such a worthless house.”
“The Viscount appears to be driven by desperation. There’s no proof, but… there is a possibility he may try to implicate you, Your Excellency.”
“Then we simply need to redirect that desperation elsewhere.”
“You mean…?”
“Before they’re transported to the capital under guard, make sure the Vitence family is intercepted. Arrange it so the timing coincides with the Elestine Duchy’s arrival in the capital for the auction.”
A venomous smile curved her lips.
“So that he has the chance… to punish the daughter who ruined his life.”
🍓; Oh! Marquess Malvern is actually a woman... I'll check the previous chapters to make sure the pronouns are correct—or at least that I used they/them before...
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