Isn’t it obvious?

No matter how smart the young marquis is, he’s still just a fifteen-year-old child.

It’s unrealistic to believe that such a boy would already have the ability to immediately pursue an academic course at the Academy.

Moreover, this was even before Kardiel had received proper education from Zepetto.

However, the fact confirmed by Teacher Zepetto far exceeded her common sense.

“I, I thought it was just nonsense.”

“No, it’s not. The young marquis received a B+ score on last year’s entrance exam. He’s truly a genius among geniuses.”

Teacher Zepetto’s face was full of expectation as a scholar who had discovered an exceptional pupil.

‘This isn’t right.’

Meanwhile, the smile gradually faded from the face of the Baroness Baden.

Of course, sending the young marquis to the Academy was a necessary step in the plan to take over the duchy.

But that stage was supposed to happen at least next year or later.

Because until then, Teacher Zepetto needed to be kept by the baron’s side.

Ugh.

‘If his level was insufficient, I was planning to bribe the Academy heavily.’

Who would have thought he’d be so unnecessarily intelligent?

It was impossible not to compare him to someone who couldn’t graduate from the Academy for over a decade.

“Anyway, even the young marquis seemed to have little interest in entering the Academy until yesterday, but today he willingly agreed to prepare for the exam.”

“Is, is that so?”

“Yes. So, Baroness Baden, you must keep your promise to me.”

“I didn’t say I would definitely do that…”

But at that moment.

“…?”

“…!”

They both felt a strange sensation simultaneously.

Without knowing who was first, they raised their heads and looked around warily for any sign of presence.

Surely all the servants had been dismissed…

Then what was that small sound they had just heard?

Since they heard it at the same time, it couldn’t be an illusion. Baroness Baden eventually got up and even opened the door to check.

There was no one.

“…”

“…”

For some reason, both of them suddenly fell silent.

They quietly closed the door again, quietly sat down, and quietly maintained their tension.

The first to speak was Teacher Zepetto, who had been frozen, unable to do anything.

“It, it’s almost ten o’clock, may I take my leave now?”

“No, no! My story isn’t finished yet?”

“Even so, considering what the Duchess said…”

“That, that can’t possibly be true, can it?”

“Re, regardless of whether we believe it or not… it’s best to follow the rules of the mansion. If, if we were to upset the Duchess’s nerves…”

“So, so what if we do? Really, teacher, you’re too timid.”

“Anyway, if, if you have nothing more to say, I’ll be go, going now.”

Teacher Zepetto hurriedly rose to his feet.

Though it wasn’t ten o’clock yet, yesterday’s experience was too vivid to feel at ease.

Really, how have those four people lived in such a frightening mansion?

Unless the Duchess is really a witch, as Baron Baden said…

“Ju, just a moment. Before you go, please listen to my request.”

Teacher Zepetto, who was about to flee… no, about to leave the room, flinched.

“That gargoyle statue. I’d like to cover it, but I can’t reach it.”

“Pardon?”

“Since you’re here, would you mind covering it for me?”

Where Baroness Baden pointed, there was a gargoyle statue protruding, which could be seen all over the Daiern mansion.

With its hideous face contorted, it looked as if it might emit a cold light in the middle of the night.

Of course, such unpleasant decorations weren’t unusual.

This kind of decoration exists in every room of the Daiern mansion.

However, Teacher Zepetto couldn’t nod readily to Baroness Baden’s request.

The figure was positioned very close to the ceiling, making it difficult to reach, and its protruding angle made it awkward to cover with anything.

But even without those reasons, Teacher Zepetto shook his head.

“Such decorations are meant to ward off bad luck, so covering them would be even worse. If you really want to cover it, please call the servants. I don’t want to be cursed.”

“Kar hyung, you’re back?”

“Brother, I’m sleepy. Why are you so late?”

As soon as Kardiel returned to his room, he was greeted by his two younger siblings.

It was just past ten o’clock, a time when not only the servants but even the nanny would be resting.

Normally, his siblings would also be in bed by now, preparing for tomorrow. Not visiting Kardiel’s room without notice like this.

“But why are you coming out from there? Didn’t you say the teachers would be too scared to wander around today?”

“I thought so too.”

Kardiel calmly replied as he quietly closed the door and carefully covered the entrance with a curtain.

Only after taking off the hood he had been wearing could he finally feel the air clearing.

“Baroness Baden called Teacher Zepetto separately. I found out before going to evening training, so I listened to what they were talking about.”

“Really? What did they say?”

“They mentioned something about a promise.”

“A promise?”

“They didn’t say more than that.”

To tell the truth, Kardiel had accidentally touched something while changing his position to hear the two people’s conversation better.

It was nothing major, just a tiny stimulus of his fingernail scratching the stone wall.

But it was enough to stimulate the extremely sensitive senses of Baroness Baden and Teacher Zepetto.

‘It’s good that they’re scared, but I didn’t expect them to become this sensitive.’

He would need to move more carefully from now on.

Yes, in fact, the sound that had startled Baroness Baden and Teacher Zepetto earlier was none other than Kardiel’s presence.

Not only that, but the identity of the ghost that had scared the two tutors at dawn was also Kardiel.

The trick was simple. It was the old secret passage existing in the mansion.

Most large mansions have secret passages built in case of emergencies.

However, even though nobles are a breed that’s nothing without their pretensions, they couldn’t create secret passages in their mansions in the imperial capital.

Due to the limited size of the imperial capital, not every noble could have their own mansion.

Eventually, hundreds of years ago, a decree was issued prohibiting secret passages in mansions in the imperial capital.

As a result, nowadays, such building restrictions have become common sense for nobles.

However, the Daiern mansion in the imperial capital had to deviate slightly from these restrictions.

Being an old house built a thousand years ago, there was no need to apply building laws unless it was demolished and rebuilt.

Moreover, it seems there were no decrees limiting the size of mansions in the imperial capital at that time.

Otherwise, a mansion of this size with gardens and a private training ground wouldn’t have been granted a building permit.

It was young Chersion who first discovered this secret passage.

On the day he was locked in a closet by the tutor, the child struggled desperately to escape from that narrow, dark place.

And those desperate hand and foot movements ended up awakening the entrance to the long-dormant secret passage.

Chersion kept this passage a secret for a very long time.

Naturally, he was afraid to recall the incident that had even left him with trauma.

However, recently.

While plotting a plan to drive away the tutors, Chersion decided to dredge up that frightening childhood memory.

Thus, Kardiel was able to use the secret passages that spread like a spider’s web throughout the corners of the mansion.

Kardiel could peer inside through the eyes of the gargoyle statues attached to the ceiling corners of each room, and could also hear conversations exchanged secretly.

“By the way. Why are you in my room without saying anything?”

“Ah, that.”

Euphemina’s head turned towards Chersion.

“Chelsi said he has something to tell brother.”

“Chersion?”

“Brother, well…”

Chersion’s expression, hesitating and mumbling, was quite dark.

He was such a tender-hearted younger brother. Therefore, Kardiel, who was already paying a lot of attention, postponed his plan to change clothes and sat opposite his siblings.

Chersion finally opened his mouth.

“You know, brother. Do we really have to drive the teachers away?”

“…What?”

However, the words that came out of his younger brother’s mouth irritated Kardiel.

Forcibly suppressing the annoyance that was about to surge up suddenly, Kardiel asked.

“What are you suddenly saying?”

“Well. Teacher El is like that, and Teacher Zep seems nice too…”

“Where do they seem so nice?”

“You know, they teach really fun and well? Today we wrote lyrics and heard about the end of the magic era.”

“That’s just doing what a teacher should naturally do.”

“But, the teachers are really nice, I’m telling you. Maybe they’re being deceived by Uncle Baden. You said it earlier too, brother. That Teacher Zep made a ‘promise’ with Baroness Baden.”