Gilbert seemed quite pissed off.
"Imagine being so insane you act up and refuse to acknowledge reality."
"Ahuk!"
[T/N: please forgive my lack of knowledge when it comes to crying sounds LMAO]
I sobbed, hands raised to my face in a pitiful manner, as if I had taken the insults aimed at Vega and Prokeon like they were aimed at me instead.
"Your Excellency!"
They both immediately reacted, reliably following after me. I stumbled, falling into a bow.
"Ah, I feel dizzy all of a sudden...."
"I'll get a doctor right away!"
Gilbert pursed his lips with force. I had this ominous feeling that he was going to throw a tantrum at every single dinner.
I guess I'll become somewhat good at guessing in the future.
After having angered Gilbert, it was teatime.
Vega bowed politely and delivered the news.
"Your Excellency, the Marquis' subordinate has arrived."
"Please bring them to the drawing-room."
Did my mother send them?
As I was about to get up, Vega stuttered with a pale face.
"Y-your excellency, please speak at ease..."
Hey.
"I'm aware that you have yet become comfortable around me, but to accept you speaking to me like this is something I cannot do."
It almost seemed like he was about to froth from the mouth and pass out.
They're truly funny people. With traces of a suppressed smile on my face, I headed to the drawing-room.
The vassal, who has assisted my parents since the beginning, set a courteous example.
"Congratulations on becoming the madame of the Kallakis household, Your Excellency the Grand Duchess."
"I'm glad to see you too. Is there something going on?"
"It's about the disposal of Baron Turner, Your Excellency."
"Oh dear."
Soon after hearing Kallen's name, I burst into a fit of laughter.
It seems like all the efforts I put in long ago have finally bore fruit.
It wasn't like he believed I would've just let this incident go, but he would've never imagined that I'll use every means to go as far as I can.
Right now, Gilbert only had one leg, and that leg was Kallen.
Originally, Gilbert, who was greedy and power-hungry, should've had multiple limbs like a squid of some sort, but I had no intention of letting him take that bloody throne.
Once Aedis Kallakis appeared, those who followed Gilbert hesitated.
Now that he was unable to leave his room, Gilbert would have nothing left if Kallen was dealt with.
There's a lot to think about, but I'm glad I was born as Maevia Morgana from the beginning.
If I had become her while the original novel was progressing, it'd be out of my capability to untangle this exceedingly difficult dilemma. And I haven't even read the ending, that'd only make things more difficult.
I opened the document that the vassal handed me. It contained detailed tellings of Baron Turner's financial status, loan records, remaining payments, territories he owned and projects he was investing in.
In short, everything he had a hand in. He also invested in apiculture.
Leery distributions of funds were also written down, a sign that my mother had also meddled with this. There were but a few days until the damage finally settles in.
Kallen's future, which he'll probably spend starving, wishing he'd be able to eat ginger-like Gilbert, was brought on by no one but himself.
I closed the file and told the vassal,
"Tomorrow evening, I'll be visiting my parents with His Excellency to say hello. Please inform them that I'll be there in time for dinner."
After hesitating for a moment, the vassal asked in a careful tone,
"Your Excellency, wouldn't that be a bit too sudden?"
I didn't answer right away but thought about the novel instead.
Yeah, it was worth it.
In 〈Esmeralda's Crescent Moon〉, Maevia married around early autumn, a month from today.
Obviously, the marriage partner was different but I can't be so sure about whether or not Rehan's behaviour would change.
I felt on edge.
When Maevia arrived in the north, the first scene I read was Rehan running away.
At the time, Aedis was also in the north but he just stayed still. He shut himself in his room and didn't move an inch.
Anyways, Rehan running away from home was a huge incident that changed his personality completely. A bad change.
He ended up getting many injuries, and it took him a while to recover from the shock. And Maevia was the one to comfort him. Like that, Rehan opened his heart to Maevia.
But Rehan would never return to what he used to be.
I wish I could stop it.
No matter the day, a wedding should be grand. I think it'd be good if we had one after getting close to Aedis.
"Let's at least have the ceremony in the capital..."
"..."
"Seems like you have no intention of having a ceremony."
The vassal murmured, guessing what the look on my face meant. He nodded slightly.
"The paperwork is all done. I guess it isn't a marriage of love, huh."
In political marriages, there were many cases where people didn't hold ceremonies because they had no feelings for each other. It's rare for them to have an affair, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
The vassal looked at me before adding,
"But even if it's an obligatory marriage, there needs to be... no, ignore what I just said. Your Excellency must've made all your decisions with the sincerity of your heart. How dare I question such profound goals."
The vassal suddenly changed what he was saying halfway through, maybe because of my subtle gaze.
He thought I was sacrificing my ancestors for their wrongdoings.
It'd be nice if I had been able to turn this crisis into an opportunity... but even my parents believe this was a ticking time bomb I wouldn't be able to stop.
Of course, Gilbert himself was a time bomb.
On the other hand, the Grand Duke... Aedis, there was a considerable difference between now and the original, even though they both saved me.
He watched and observed me, and accepted me in a straightforward manner. I readily associated with him.
His intentions seemed sincere.
Ummm, but why wasn't Rehan included in his definition of 'my people'?
After the vassal left, the drawing-room felt empty. I neglected my quill pen and recalled what Aedis said instead.
His assessment of Gilbert spared no mercy.
-That look on your face tells me you want to know how I educated my kids.
Tok, tok. The quill pen's tip tapped against the desk.
-Though, the fact that I was forced to take them in concerns me quite a bit. I assumed he'd get along with his teachers, but he turned them into disabled people instead.
I want to know who on earth was capable of forcing Aedis to get two kids.
And both Gilbert and Rehan were far from normal.
Did their biological parents have any special abilities?
I stood up, preparing to go back to Aedis. However, my schedule was messed up due to even more unexpected guests coming.
I turned around and headed to the front door. There, I met a woman with bright red hair.
As soon as she saw me, she exploded.
"Maevia! My birthday party!"
She forgot to act like her usual self and huffed and puffed.
What's with her all of a sudden? Is it because Gilbert's locked up in this mansion and she's here to complain?
Her sudden burst of anger surprised me, but I still greeted her,
"Hello, Monica."
She ruthlessly spoke ill of me, as if she hadn't heard my greeting.
"Why did you only send a letter to Charlie? Aren't we close too?"
Her nitpicky way of speaking contained obvious sadness. Monica seemed disappointed.
No, well, I did send a letter to Charlie yesterday, right before I left the Marquis' estate. It was a letter thanking her for easing the atmosphere at the imperial ball when Aedis and I danced.
If it hadn't been for her, the mood of the ball would've frozen after we left.
However, I didn't know how Monica knew of the letter.
Why are you so obsessed with your birthday party when it's not even a once in a lifetime thing?
I felt a bit dumbfounded.
"Answer me, Maevia!"
She further interrogated me fiercely, as if I had committed a crime worthy of a death sentence.
As her tone rose steeply, Aedis' subordinates, who were both in charge of guard and servant duties, looked at us curiously.
With sheen uniforms that looked like they came out the back of a closet, they looked like muscular servants that resembled a deeply rooted tree.
Monica didn't seem to care for the excessive attention she was attracting, because, without a doubt, she was screaming very loudly.
"Is that all you have to say? Or do you want me to come in?"
She looked over to behind the door. Monica flinched.
"Y... Your Excellency the Grand Duke?"
"Of course you can. Would you like to meet with him?"
I'd rather have Aedis deal with her.
But before my hopes could blossom, they were shattered.
Monica cried out with a face as red as her hair.
"N-no! My objective here is you!"
What did I do wrong?
Monica took a deep breath and answered resolutely.
"I'm coming in. I'm not like the prince. I'm not going to act afraid of His Excellency the Grand Duke from afar as I wish you happiness with pathetic, incompetent and wretched words."
Says the heir of a meritorious family that was going to bring down the Imperial family.
"Hurry and show me in."
She followed me inside, on edge.