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Vivian, having left the hall, sat at her desk organizing some paperwork.

There were several piles of letters sorted out somewhat.

On one side were friendly letters from various families.

The main theme was a desire to get along well with the Rondore Family.

On the other side were proposals directed at Vivian.

Letters from selfish men hiding their true motives behind empty promises of risking their lives to protect her.

Among them, a few strange letters claimed they didn’t need power and were just drawn to Vivian’s beauty, but all of them made her feel like reading them was a waste of time.

If Lady Linne knew how she felt, she would’ve facepalmed.

Even recently, Lady Linne kept saying it would be wise to catch a man quickly.

The Rondore Family, with Vivian as its last remaining descendant, was still precarious, and securing offspring was essential to overcome this crisis.

Now, it felt more like worrying about the future that lies ahead for the Rondore Family than just Vivian’s survival.

However, Vivian increasingly wondered if she was capable of getting married.

She had never once felt her heart flutter at the sight of a man.

She had never thought, “Ah, I should dream of a future with that person,” or “I’d be safe with him,” or “I’d be happy if he was around,” or “I want to have his child.”

According to Lady Linne, those thoughts were supposed to come naturally.

Of course, she had never done anything out of love so far… but she thought shouldn’t there at least be a personal preference for someone she’d spend her life with?

“…”

Vivian crumpled one of the proposal letters and let out a sigh.

…Honestly, being truthful, there was someone who made her think about all those things.

But he was such an exceptional figure that she felt she shouldn’t even entertain the idea.

Moreover, the very fact that she had those thoughts about him felt like a bizarre sin.

It was to the point she couldn’t face her parents.

Vivian knew how much her mother had despised Jade Allen.

Though her mother’s collapse must have included the deaths of her father and brother, the lingering resentment toward Jade Allen surely contributed to her illness.

His son? …That was preposterous.

Vivian opened another letter.

There was also a letter from the royal family.

She had anticipated this.

Sure enough, the letter mentioned that the royal family planned to visit Roktana.

The reason for their visit was clearly stated, and it concerned the Korod Family and… Kyle Allen.

It seemed the East Kingdom, still hoping for peace, was trying to avoid conflict with the Allen Family as much as possible.

“…”

This was all rather complicated.

The royal family. The visiting Allen Family.

Today might have gone smoothly, but she was already bracing for tomorrow’s battle.

How tough would tomorrow be?

Keila would surely demand Kyle’s return, and Vivian had no intention of allowing that, no matter what.

The scuffle that would ensue just from that thought already felt overwhelming.

…Couldn’t they just leave the two of them alone?

Vivian selfishly thought so.

She wasn’t going to let Kyle go, and Kyle had no thoughts of leaving.

Wasn’t that enough?

“Hah.”

Vivian set down the documents and tried to blow out the candle.

But before she could, there was a commotion outside her room.

Yanes and Hobbes were blocking someone’s entry, and the person trying to come in wouldn’t back down.

In the midst of the ruckus, Vivian finally asked, “What’s going on?”

There was a moment of silence before a familiar voice spoke up.

‘Lady Vivian, it’s Nesto. I have something urgent to discuss with you.’

Intelligence officer Nesto. A man who was the very definition of useless.

Vivian clicked her tongue.

Had he sensed the crisis too?

The treasurer Brinden was dead, and Scholar Krellyn had been cast out from the castle after Kyle’s recovery. They were also slowly preparing for the dismissal of Butler Pippin, and the maids who were gossiping about Vivian had all but vanished by now.

In the gap, Vivian’s influence had started to fill the void, with commoners she had chosen stepping in more densely.

Those who had once been hostile toward her must be feeling anxious too.

Now, the only ones left to get rid of were Nesto, the 1st Knight Order, and Baelor.

It was within this process that Nesto had come to see her.

“…Please come back tomorrow. I’m planning to rest now,” she said.

Nesto paused for a moment before slowly speaking.

‘My lady, just a moment. This is something that must be said, and as an intelligence officer of Rondore, I must express this.’

“…How competent did you think you were to say something like that?”

‘Please trust me this one time. It seems the time has come to reveal an old secret.’

…An old secret?

At that moment, something caught Vivian’s attention.

‘I’ve conducted a body examination. Just give me a brief moment. If you refuse, you can certainly bring in Kyle Allen. Of course, it would probably be best if you didn’t choose that option. What I wish to tell you is urgent.’

Finally unable to resist the temptation, Vivian said, “…Let him in.”

Nesto entered the room with slow, unthreatening movements.

The sharpness he had shown before was nowhere to be seen in his eyes now.

Upon entering, Nesto offered an unusually enthusiastic greeting.

His salute was filled with the meaning of complete subservience.

“This sudden change is quite surprising.”

“…I can imagine you’d feel that way. But I’m also… so happy to finally be honest.”

Vivian looked at him suspiciously, memories of Nesto’s former behavior weighing heavily on her mind, but she also noticed tears welling in his eyes.

Seeing that expression, Vivian couldn’t find her voice.

He didn’t seem like a person who would lie.

Using a spell confirmed he wasn’t being deceitful either.

“Lady Vivian, please blame my shortcomings for not having the courage you possess. I wished to help you, but I was so busy hiding my own inadequacies. I watched you struggle and lead a difficult life, yet I never found the courage to comfort you… punish me for that.”

“…Nesto, this is uncomfortable. Just act as you normally would. Honestly, I can only see this as an attempt to show subservience now that I’m gaining power.”

Vivian spoke, trying to hide her confusion.

“I no longer need you. You’ve never been of any help… and I can stand on my own from now on. I was going to deal with you just like I do with the other retainers. If you could just walk away on your own, I think we could avoid any bloodshed.”

Nesto said nothing and merely nodded.

“…Yes, that might be for the best. I acknowledge my lack of shame. If that is your choice, I will follow. However… please understand one thing, I have worked hard to keep the promise made by the former Duchess of Rondore… and I have, to a degree, fulfilled that promise.”

The mention of her mother took Vivian by surprise.

“Lady Vivian, I have been working hard to identify the enemies plotting against you. And to do so, I have had to pretend to be hostile toward you. That way, they would accept me as one of their own… Yes, the only reason I am able to be so open with you now is because you have gained power. Had you not, I would still be hiding… No, I would definitely have been lurking.”

“…”

“However, being sneaky also allowed me to accomplish certain things. Countless people doubted me for being the intelligence officer of Rondore, and in order to counter that, I had to deceive everyone even more deeply. Consequently, I couldn’t let anyone suspect me. But if I must make excuses, let me say that I sent notes to Kyle Allen every time I discovered a threat against you.”

‘I was receiving notes. There are still some allies left in this castle.’

“…Ah.”

The moment she heard that, Vivian realized she could no longer push Nesto away.

“In my position, I did my utmost to prioritize your safety… if not to the maximum, then at least to the best of my abilities. It may be a level that would embarrass my former Duchess, but surely she would recognize that I did try.”

Tears streamed down Nesto’s face.

He looked liberated from years of oppression, overjoyed and relieved, as if he felt lucky to witness Vivian’s growth.

Vivian found it all too hard to accept.

“But… Nesto, you’ve lied to me too much…”

“…I had no other choice. I was the only one who could assess the enemy’s movements… and had to be more cautious…”

A long sigh escaped Vivian’s lips.

She needed more time.

The one she thought useless, the one she believed was an enemy, was actually someone quietly helping her all along.

She could understand it rationally, but emotionally it was a struggle to accept.

“…Please leave. I need time to process this…”

-Swish, swish.

Nesto wiped his tears with his sleeve and spoke with determination.

No.”

As he straightened his shoulders with confidence, the man who had previously seemed so sly now felt decidedly honorable.

“…The reason I came to find you at this hour was not simply for that. Until now, I have merely spoken those words to gain your trust. I’m not here to whine about my suffering. Surely you’ve endured far more than I have. So what reason do I have to compare my struggles with yours?”

Nesto took a step closer.

“Lady Vivian. Do you have a guess as to who targeted your life?”

If she excluded the dead Count Korod from her thinking… it was just a hunch, but—

-Robert Rondore.

Nesto nodded.

“It was Robert.”

There was an unmistakable hatred and fury in Nesto’s voice as he mentioned Robert’s name.

Vivian wasn’t surprised after having a hint of expectation about it.

Nesto continued.

“Now that Count Korod is dead and your power is increasing, it’s time to take down the remaining traitor, Robert Rondore.”

Vivian was skeptical about that plan.

“-Why wouldn’t there be a justification?”

Nesto replied, his eyes reddening.

His voice quaked with suppressed rage, and his fists clenched tightly.

“There’s more than enough justification…! Do you know how hard I’ve fought to keep the evidence safe…? That monster hiding behind the guise of a human… must die. At all costs… that one must be… fried in oil…”

“Why… do you feel this way?”

Seeing Vivian bewildered, Nesto took a deep breath and calmed himself.

After a while of heavily exhaling, he began to relax.

“Lady Vivian… you must listen to this without shock. And please, I hope you can trust my words.”

He seemed to carry a hint of compassion in his eyes.

As if the coming tale would be incredibly difficult to accept.

He whispered.

“…I will reveal to you the true culprit behind what has become of the Rondore Family.”

 

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