Enough time had passed for the wounds to heal and new flesh to grow.

News of the stepmother’s second pregnancy was heard.

Kardiel made that resolution, but there wasn’t much a young child could do.

One night, as the stepmother’s final month of pregnancy approached. She lost her footing on the tall staircase and did not wake for three days.

The second sibling left with the blood she shed. This time too, it was the devil’s scheme.

The devil was displeased that the stepmother dared to oppose him and protect the siblings.

However, being wary of her family’s influence, he could not lay hands on her directly.

Instead, he decided to seize opportunities to eliminate the things she cherished one by one.

At last, Kardiel could make up his mind to tell the stepmother the truth.

And he begged her to please, now find her own way to survive.

If he had to witness her withering away like his deceased mother, he felt he simply could not bear it.

The stepmother, however, was a stronger person than Kardiel had thought.

She calmly stated that she already knew everything, and then sat down next to Kardiel.

Her locked and cracked voice attested to her deep sorrow.

However, in her sunken violet eyes, the shadow of despair that Kardiel had worried about was not visible.

Kardiel, who cried until his eyes were sore that day, thought.

That he wanted to become an adult quickly.

So that…

He could prevent anyone from harming his stepmother, who was more noble than anyone in the world, his savior.

Next time, he would become his stepmother’s savior.

“…”

Suddenly rising, Kardiel hurriedly left the bed.

Fortunately, the thick carpet swallowed the sound of his slippers.

The place Kardiel arrived after moving his steps was inside the dressing room lined with long wardrobes.

‘It should have been around here.’

Kardiel’s hand, stretched high, carefully felt the top of the wardrobe.

At last, what he had been looking for was grasped and quietly pulled out.

Even in the darkness, the metal glinting in the faint moonlight was the jewel-adorned hilt of a sword.

The symbol of violence that the late Duke Daiern always wore at his waist, and Kardiel’s fear.

‘Sometimes I regret your death, Father.’

That vicious devil died too early, contrary to Kardiel’s plans.

And in a way that was regrettably peaceful at that.

‘You should have lived at least until I came of age.’

If so, the old wolf from the collateral line with eyes full of greed would not have dared to covet Daiern.

Also, like now, a swarm of dirty locusts who don’t know their place would not have dared to flock in to claim the stepmother.

‘That was the only thing I expected from you, Father.’

With a short metallic sound, a long sword was drawn from Kardiel’s hand.

Even though it was ceremonial, it had never been maintained at all, the sword was not sharpened at all and was rusted.

‘It’s truly useless.’

This was the reality of the father he had feared so much.

Flashy and threatening, but in fact, nothing but a piece of scrap metal incapable of any function.

With a swish, the sword in Kardiel’s hand suddenly cut through the air, creating a silver trajectory.

A concise swinging motion without any excess.

Then, with a light thud, something fell onto the carpet.

It was the metal scabbard. Precisely cut in half by something sharp…

It was a clean cut that would make even regular knights stick out their tongues, but Kardiel merely lowered his eyes indifferently.

“…3 years.”

Only 3 years remained until Kardiel came of age and inherited the duke’s position.

Since the time of becoming an adult is based on one’s birthday, it’s actually 2 years and some months left.

However, that period is not short.

He cannot be at ease. During that time, he must protect his stepmother and siblings.

“I hope Lord Joseph’s swordsmanship is not just frustratingly useless etiquette.”

They say to strike while the iron is hot.

The next day when I opened my eyes, I checked my itinerary, excited about the outing with the children that I had planned before going to bed.

There’s an advantage to the point right after the period of confinement ends. The schedule is relaxed.

It would be nice to take in the outside air I couldn’t breathe while being cooped up with the children, and see how the streets might have changed in a month.

I should also buy new clothes in preparation for winter. They’re growing rapidly every day at this age.

‘Today will be busy too.’

…Or so I thought.

I didn’t expect to be busy with a problem I couldn’t have anticipated.

No, this is a bit too much, isn’t it?

“Did I see it wrong?”

“Well, my lady…”

The maid, with dark circles under her eyes from staying up late last night, laughed helplessly.

Judging by her reaction, it seems I didn’t see it wrong.

Hmm, I just opened the curtains as soon as I woke up to start a refreshing day, but.

However, the scene unfolding outside the mansion made me reflexively close the curtains again. This was more like a nightmare.

“…How strange. Perhaps I’ve regressed? Maybe instead of waking up to the next day after sleeping, it’s become yesterday again.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What’s today’s date?”

Knock knock. Before I could hear the maid’s answer, there was a knock at the door.

The butler who entered after receiving permission had dark circles under his eyes just like the maid.

“My lady. Well… Today again, there are people lined up in front of the mansion to propose marriage.”

“…I see you said ‘again today’. So it seems I haven’t regressed after all.”

“Pardon?”

“Just a jest.”

Though I spoke with a light laugh, the situation was quite serious.

If this continues today like yesterday, all the work in the mansion will be paralyzed.

How so, you ask?

I was able to see the state of the main hall while greeting the tutors, having been in the study all morning.

At that moment, I felt like fainting from shock.

Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one surprised; Baron Baden and his wife, along with the other two tutors who had entered the mansion, also froze.

The main hall with barely enough room to step…

To the point where one might wonder if this was truly the entrance designed to boast the grandeur of the Daiern mansion…

‘It had become a vast warehouse.’

Frankly, I was a bit ashamed. To think I had shown guests a house in such a state.

In the end, we gathered the servants late into the night yesterday to organize the main hall.

Of course, I didn’t forget to promise overtime pay and vacation time.

Even then, it ended early because the butler had meticulously recorded the list of gifts when receiving the marriage proposals.

If not for that, we would have had to start with the sorting process and would have been up all night.

Anyway, after going through such chaos for a day, my conclusion was that it wasn’t something we could do twice.

Yet to have this situation unfold again as soon as day broke…

“Since you have an outing scheduled today, my lady, shall we receive the suitors as we did yesterday?”

The eyes of the butler and maid were half-dead. They were undoubtedly prepared to accept the fate of terrible overwork.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Seeing their eyes, I made a decision. I couldn’t let my servants work themselves to death.

“From now on, don’t receive any marriage proposals when I’m not here.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not a person of leisure. As the proxy for the Duke of Daiern, I can’t just be receiving marriage proposals during this important social season.”

To put it more bluntly, I had no intention of remarrying anyway, and I didn’t want to waste time on such fruitless endeavors.

Even settling the lodging issues for the two nobles moving in this week and the tutors who unpacked in the guest rooms yesterday would take more than a day.

And I couldn’t very well explain to those tactless suitors how valuable my time was.

“But my lady. It’s not polite to refuse to receive suitors entirely. If your reputation in society were to fall because of this, it could have a significant impact on running the duchy next year.”

There’s a way for that too.

“Why don’t we tell them that I wish to meet the suitors in person?”

“…!”

The butler’s eyes widened. I met his gaze and stretched my lips into a long smile.

“Tell them I want to meet the suitors themselves, not just see the portraits they’ve brought. Then they’ll have to make appointments in advance from now on.”

Above all, this way, no matter how many suitors there are, I won’t be able to meet more than one or two a day.

This way, I won’t be ignoring the suitors while also not overburdening my schedule.

The servants won’t have to suffer from overtime work either.