"Young master, you can't enter."
Dereck looked up, confirming that he had heard it right. And the person who was talking to him was his mother's headmaid. Although she was just a maid, in the absence of his mother, her words carried almost the same weight.
Dereck could sense that his mother was in her bed chamber. And there were two more people with her.
"Oh!" As he used her senses to probe deeper, he realized what a couple of young men were doing in his mother's bedroom. He closed his eyes and shook his head, saying, "Okay."
This young master had always been obedient. They had never needed to tell him to do something twice, just like now. However, looking at his reaction, the headmaid felt he had seen through them.
She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed for her master. She understood that wisdom might not always come with age. There are people like the young master who are more mature than his age.
'No wonder he could achieve so much at such a young age. If only he had been the eldest master, my lady didn't have to worry so much.'
"So, where should I go?" Dereck asked as the handmaid didn't give him any direction. "Although the main birthday party is tomorrow, the main house is already bustling. I don't want to waste my energy there."
"There is no need, young master. My lady had already made some preparation for you?"
The smile with the word 'preparation' gave him an unhealthy feeling. But it wasn't the feeling he hated.
The head maid remained the guard, and the other maid refused to let anyone enter, no matter who it was, before leading Dereck.
The duke's house was prepared like the grand palace of some worlds. It was understandable, as it was a dukedom before the kingdom existed.
As soon as you enter the area, you have the courtyards of the male heirs, followed by the duke's mansion. Behind it was the courtyard of the duke's harem and female heirs. And at the end, by the black walls, were the courtyards of those who had fallen out of favor.
The head maid was leading Dereck toward that area when she asked, "Did the young master like anyone enough to make her a consort?"
"Consort?" Dereck couldn't think of any.
Since the actual birthday party is tomorrow, only those with close political ties to the duke or higher status than the duke are permitted to enter the central courtyard today.
Their number was small. So, the rest of the people are from the branch family or somehow related to Duke's previous generation.
In this world, it is standard for the woman of the branch family to be married to the main branch. They would just take it as a way to climb their family's status ladder.
Because Dereck's father is a count, there was an issue with him not being a direct descendant of the Duke. On top of that, he has no intention of competing for the title. As a result, he had practically no female admirers.
"I don't think I have any admirers."
"Please don't joke, young master." The head maid wasn't joking. "The young master would be joining the royal academy soon. The capital's citizens would be lining up outside the count's house to have their daughters wed to you when word got out that you are a four-circle mage at such a tender age."
Dereck knew that even if it sounded like a joke, the probability of that happening could have been higher. After all, men with bright futures are a high commodity.
"So, if there are any young ladies that the young master is interested in, please let us know. My lady would try her best to make your wish come true."
"Interested?" Dereck thought about it, as the only word that came out of his mouth was, "Ahhh!"
The head maid didn't miss it. "So, there is someone. Which lucky young lady would that be?"
"I think her name is Ashley." Seeing the head maid was thinking about it, Dereck added, "She was a cute girl. She was with the third princess."
"Oh!" A smile appeared on her face, saying, "As expected from our young master."
"Do you know about her?"
"She is the seventh daughter of Marquis Redscale, the general of the South." The head maid nodded, adding, "Don't worry, young master, I will let my lady know about your choice."
Dereck shook his head. He didn't care about concubines, consorts, or wives. None of them would give her any rewards. But he was interested in Ashley's ability.
However, he was confident that there was no way that such a marriage could occur, even if it didn't matter. Right now, he was curious about something else.
"Where are we going?"
The head maid smirked, asking, "Didn't the young master complain that he was missing Lady Morgiana?"
"Oh!"
"My lady had decided it was time for the young master to have his concubine."
"Okay! And who is it?"
"I don't think the young master has seen her. She is the second daughter of the third son of your duke's younger sister."
"It's all very complicated."
The head maid nodded and continued, "She was married to the second son of Lord Triston."
Dereck was a little surprised because Lord Tristion was his uncle, the first son of the Duke, and who would be the Duke in the future.
Even if she is the wife of his second son, she should be very high up in the pecking order. It shouldn't make any sense to him until he remembers...
"The second son of Lord Triston had died three years ago." The head maid explained. "Before she could step out of her red carriage, he died. She became a widow on the day of her marriage."
"So…"
"My lady had talked to Lord Triston's wife. She wants her to leave the house as soon as possible. She would have been sold if it weren't for the Duke's birthday celebration."
"Sold? What about her father's house?"
"Who would have accepted a woman who had devoured her husband on the day of the wedding?"
"Devoured!?" Dereck perfectly understood the meaning of the word. Even a concubine with a son would have more prestige than a wife without a child.
Understandably, a wife who didn't get to warm her husband's bed is nothing but bad luck—a defective product.
"Don't worry, young master. She had completed the mourning session, along with spending her first year in the temple to appease the spirit of her husband."
"So, what do you want me to do?" He took a deep sigh before asking.
The head maid hadn't expected the question or that reaction. Whenever she thought she had understood the second young master perfectly, he would surprise her.
She assumed he was an innocent child, and he turned out to be a lustful one like his father. Again, she thought he would be elated that they had found him a concubine, and he didn't care.
"Young master, are you happy about anything? If you are unhappy about anything, please tell me. My lady would find another concubine for you."
"And what about her?"
"Sorry?"
"Forget about it. I will take her as my concubine."
"Yes, young master."
"And send some servants here. I will spend my night here." Dereck didn't know how long Veronica would continue. 'It is not like she got many chances to enjoy herself.' Dereck didn't want to embarrass her and had a good time.
"As you wish, young master."
They had to walk for five more minutes, but none spoke. It wasn't until they reached the courtyard that the head maid said, "This is the place. I will send some of the servants and guards here soon."
Seeing the maid leave, Dereck looked at the slightly opened door. It was also why Dereck had not asked her to lead him into the courtyard.
"Oh! I forgot to ask her name. Whatever…" Dereck entered the courtyard as the sound of struggle became louder than before.
While the courtyard could have been cleaner, it was far from filthy. In the garden, weeds were practically nonexistent. All the weeds that had been pulled up, along with the fallen leaves, were stored near the courtyard wall.
There were sections of roofs that were missing tiles and sections that were covered in straws. There were still some soiled shoe marks on the cleaned building floor.
"The house owner didn't get the chance to clean yet." Dereck stepped in. The voice of the struggles became even louder. Dereck smirked at the progress, mumbling, "Who would have thought there would be a day when I would play a hero?"
"Don't run around anymore. No one will come to this part of the building." And the sound of things falling followed, "Why are you running so much? Don't you know you could only live because I was helping you to do so?"
"And now that woman had decided to send you to be concubine of another man… Ahhh…" The scream came from that man's soul. "You are going to sell your body anyway. Why don't you pay first for all the luxury you have lived in?"
"I didn't." That was the first time Dereck had heard Cecilia's voice. "All the gifts the young master had sent me had been left in the other room. I have used none of it. It wasn't something a widow like me should use."
"SHUT UP. Didn't you eat food? Didn't you wear clothes? I intended to bring food and clothing to your house so you could use them. I am solely responsible for it."
"After your man passed away, did you feel like anyone in that house cared? All they cared about was for you to die quietly. Without me, you would not be here today. And now you are trying to bite the hand that feeds you?"
"No…" Cecelia gave a sharp cry before running out of the room. Or at least she tried.
Dereck was standing right outside of the door. Naturally, she was there as soon as she noticed her.
And the moment of hesitation was enough for her assaulter to catch up with her.
Without caring for Dereck's presence, the man grabbed her by the waist and threw her into the room. Cecelia's head hit the edge of the bed, and she lost consciousness.