Chapter 26
“Ha! Who do you think you are, dismissing someone like that?”
The Marchioness erupted in anger, furious that her authority had been challenged.
Claire widened her eyes in mock surprise.
“Are you angry at me right now?”
“Of course I am! Who do you think you are, acting like—”
“I’m leaving.”
Claire cut her off, rising abruptly and crossing her arms with a haughty air.
Despite her overall gentle appearance, her eyes were cold and sharp.
“This is so disappointing. I thought Grandfather and Grandmother would take my side. Are you saying a maid is more important than your granddaughter? If so, I’ll just return to my father.”
“What…?”
Seeing the prospect of 100,000 gold flying out the window, the Marquis hurried to stop her.
“Wait, Claire! Isn’t it because you acted without consulting anyone? The Ravello Marquisate is a prestigious family—you can’t just do as you please—”
“I’m part of the Ravello Marquisate.”
“…”
“You told me to live here because you acknowledged me as a member of the Ravello family and granted me those rights, didn’t you?”
“…”
“If that’s not the case, I’ll leave. There’s no reason for me to stay here.”
The Ravello family members stared at Claire, rendered speechless. With her chin held high, she was resolute.
It was a power struggle. If they stopped her, she would win; if they didn’t, well…
‘They’ll stop me. They have no choice.’
Confident in her victory, Claire watched the conflicted Marquis and Marchioness with a smug look.
If they wanted to use her and profit from her presence, they had no choice but to keep her. Not to mention, they’d lose 100,000 gold every month if she left.
Who in their right mind would kick out a money tree that walked through their door?
“Claire, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
In the end, the Marchioness backed down.
Forcing a smile, she spoke in a sweet voice.
“What misunderstanding?”
“I wasn’t angry with you. I was upset with that maid for being disrespectful to you.”
“Is that so?”
Claire narrowed her eyes and let out a soft chuckle.
The Marchioness flushed in embarrassment, feeling degraded for having to grovel to someone so much younger.
“Then you’ll dismiss the maid?”
“Of course! I’ll make sure she’s gone by the end of dinner.”
“Thank you.”
Claire sat back down. As if nothing had happened, she resumed eating, but then she casually added,
“Oh, by the way, Grandmother.”
“…?”
“I think it’s time to re-educate the servants. The Ravello Marquisate is a prestigious family, but it seems the servants’ standards don’t quite match up.”
Criticizing the household’s staff was tantamount to criticizing the mistress of the house.
The Marquis grabbed the Marchioness’s arm, silently telling her to stay calm. Reluctantly, she bit her lip to hold back her anger. Claire, on the other hand, finished her dinner with a satisfied smile.
That night, the Marchioness sent two new maids to Claire.
‘I knew this would happen.’
Looking over the newcomers, Claire chuckled quietly.
Ivy, one of the maids, was notorious among the staff for her sticky fingers but had survived by currying favor with the Marchioness.
Matilda, the other maid, was the niece of the head maid. Though she was working to pay off her family’s debts, she was known for slacking off, relying on her aunt’s protection.
‘So, the Marchioness sent her troublemakers to me, hoping to control me indirectly.’
Perhaps warned in advance, the two maids maintained a respectful demeanor, unlike Jane.
Claire welcomed them cordially, for now.
“Welcome, Ivy, Matilda. Let’s get along well.”
“Yes, my lady. Thank you.”
Hiding their true intentions, they exchanged polite greetings.
It remained to be seen who would achieve their goals in this subtle battle.
_
Meanwhile, with Theodore
Theodore organized information about himself into a report, omitting any details about critical weaknesses that could destroy him if revealed.
What he provided was honest and transparent enough to gain her trust.
‘This should be sufficient for her to believe in me.’
On the day Claire was scheduled to meet him, Theodore sat in contemplation as he waited for her.
When Claire revealed her subtle distrust toward him, Theodore was inwardly shocked.
He had assumed she would naturally trust him.
But he soon regained his composure and tried to reason out the cause. And then he began to understand.
Although it was no longer the case, he had once been well-known in social circles as a close friend of Eric Muton.
Given that the former Duchess had a poor relationship with the Muton family, it made sense for Claire to be wary of him by association.
‘But that changes now.’
As Claire entered the room, Theodore rose slowly to greet her.
“Have you been well?”
“More or less. Living in the marquisate turned out to be better than I expected.”
Claire sat down on the sofa as if she owned the place, familiar with her surroundings.
Unlike before, when she would passively endure everything, she no longer found her childhood home completely uncomfortable.
Theodore handed over two thick envelopes.
“These are the investigation results on His Highness the Crown Prince and Alex Ravello.”
“That was fast. While I understand you could investigate the Crown Prince using the guild, it seems like you already had Alex Ravello’s information prepared.”
“…Let’s just say the Episteme Guild’s intelligence-gathering capabilities are that good.”
Theodore shrugged casually. Claire opened Alex’s dossier first.
- Engaged to Nina Merison last summer.
- Lost over 1 billion gold in a failed investment last fall.
- Caused a drunken disturbance at Baron Smith’s estate this winter and paid compensation.
- Has been meeting with Countess McQuarrie more than three times a week for the past two years (※affair).
‘An affair with a noblewoman? Alex Ravello has gone mad.’
Claire was astonished at the scandalous details about her half-brother, whom she barely knew.
He’s really done it all, hasn’t he…
While it was somewhat acceptable for nobles to have commoner mistresses, engaging in an affair with another noble was grounds for social ruin.
Even the illustrious Brian Muton had been keen to keep his affair with Charlotte Fennec a secret.
‘If this gets out, Alex is finished.’
Claire’s lips curled into a faint smile. Theodore noticed her subtle expression and commented.
“You seem pleased with the results.”
“Only with Alex Ravello’s.”
She hadn’t yet reviewed the Crown Prince’s dossier.
Claire calmly moved on to the next document and began reading.
‘So it’s true that there’s tension between His Majesty and the Crown Prince over the throne.’
When Tobias ascended the throne, he had promised to abdicate once the Crown Prince came of age and was ready to rule.
However, even now, at the age of 22, Theodore saw no sign of abdication. He had been requesting it since he was 18.
‘So he’s building his own faction while remaining at odds with the pro-emperor nobles. Wait—what?’
Claire’s eyes widened as she came across a surprising detail. Among the pro-emperor nobles was none other than the Muton family.
She had known that Brian Muton leaned toward supporting the emperor but had assumed he maintained neutrality due to his son’s close relationship with Theodore.
But perhaps that wasn’t the case.
‘So that’s why he told me about the duke’s affair and severed ties with Eric?’
Claire’s gaze lowered to another section of the report, where the key reason the emperor couldn’t oust Theodore was written.
- Contract with Silund, the Guardian Dragon.
Only the rightful ruler of the throne could form a contract with Silund.
In other words, without a contract with Silund, one couldn’t be recognized as the true emperor. This was why Tobias hadn’t completely solidified his rule over the imperial family.
When Theodore’s parents passed away, he had formed a contract with Silund. This was the only reason he retained his position as Crown Prince despite losing his parents.
Theodore observed Claire’s unreadable expression and eventually broke the silence.
“I heard His Highness the Crown Prince proposed a contractual relationship to you. What’s your decision?”
“…”
“Are you still considering it?”
“No, I’ve made up my mind.”
Claire’s clear and composed reply came as she closed the report.
Theodore instinctively leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.
“What is it? Rejection? Acceptance?”
“I’ll tell His Highness directly.”
“….”
Claire drew a definitive line and stood up without hesitation.
“Thank you for the investigation, Teddy. I’ll see you next time.”
“…Is there nothing else you’d like me to do?”
“Not for now. You should rest too. It must have been exhausting handling back-to-back requests from me.”
The words “It wasn’t that tiring” almost escaped Theodore’s lips, but he held them back.
It would feel too desperate.
He could only wait for Claire’s response when she met with the Crown Prince.
***
Two days later.
Claire arranged a meeting with the Crown Prince at Franz’s estate.
Arriving early, she tended to the plants she was cultivating for the guild’s supply contracts.
As she worked idly, old memories began to surface.
‘I used to think His Highness liked Evelyn when we were younger.’
He had visited the ducal estate so frequently that it seemed he was there every day, often wandering near the garden.
She had assumed it was because he wanted to run into Evelyn, who loved flowers and often strolled through the garden.
‘Your Highness, Lady Evelyn isn’t here today. She usually walks in the garden on weekends. Perhaps you could visit then?’
‘…Why are you telling me this? What does it matter to me if she walks in the garden?’
‘Well, Your Highness likes Evelyn, doesn’t he?’
Claire had said it with good intentions. The idea of innocent young love between children was both cute and slightly enviable.
After all, Priscilla had never experienced such feelings before her arranged marriage.
But Theodore had turned beet red and snapped at her.
‘I do not! Who said I like her? I don’t!’
‘Oh, I’m sorry if it was a secret. I didn’t mean to—’
‘I absolutely don’t like her! I don’t like Lady Evelyn! I like—I like—!’
—
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