“Hmm.”

Even after that, my older brother took his time. However, he did not hide his unpleasant gaze as he looked me over.

If it weren’t for Lord Joseph’s warning, I probably wouldn’t have known my brother’s intentions until now.

I decided to speak first.

“If you’re thinking of suggesting remarriage to me, don’t say a word, Brother.”

“What?”

“Of course, even though you’re the brother who sold your younger sister to that violent man for your own gain, I assume you know the minimum courtesy to keep. I don’t think you’d bring up the topic of my remarriage just three days after my husband’s death, in front of his coffin.”

“No, that’s… I didn’t know Duke Daiern was that kind of man back then. How could I have intentionally married you off to such a man…”

“That doesn’t matter now. I’m talking about the present, not the past, Brother.”

The face of the man who resembled me slowly but surely turned pale.

And seeing that reaction, I couldn’t help but inwardly spit out a sigh.

I had hoped it wouldn’t be so, but it seems Lord Joseph was right after all.

“Let me be clear, Brother. Whether it’s your close business partner or a newly knighted junior baron, you had your way with my marriage only once, ten years ago. That’s enough.”

“Wait, Lieselotte. Did you already know who I had arranged as your partner?”

That reaction just confirmed it.

“Unlike then, I am now the Duchess and acting Duke, while you are merely Baron Landgritz. Do you understand what I mean?”

“B-but Lieselotte. Think about it carefully. Your remarriage partner should be a nobleman with a very low title, so that later the Daiern duchy can be succeeded by our Landgritz bloodline…”

“The point is, Brother, you have no right to interfere in my marriage matters.”

Brother probably intended to naturally take the lead while provoking my temper.

Naturally, having anticipated his reaction in advance, I had no intention of allowing that attempt.

“I believe you understand what I’m saying, Baron Landgritz.”

“…”

With that, I finished what I had to say.

Brother, seemingly unprepared for my cold attitude, stammered for a while, his lips quivering.

The truth is, if I had heard about remarriage from Brother without any prior information, I probably wouldn’t have been able to control the anger rising to the top of my head.

Getting so excited would be as good as losing. It was fortunate that I was able to prepare for Brother’s nonsense in advance.

I deliberately raised my lips to show a deep smile as I continued speaking.

“…But surely you didn’t call me separately to talk about such an inappropriate matter? Come now, tell me. What did you want to say to me so secretly?”

Ha, is there a kinder sister than me anywhere? I’m even creating an escape route for Brother so he won’t be embarrassed in the end.

In the end, Brother had no choice but to offer an awkward excuse that anyone could see through.

“…Just. I was going to tell you to stop by home after this social season ends. Even though you’re married, the Landgritz barony is still your hometown, isn’t it?”

“Hehe, you’re still as timid as ever, Brother. Even though it’s a personal matter, there was no need to call me separately to say it.”

It was my victory.

“Well, I’ll try to make time, but as you know, I’ll have to focus on managing the Daiern duchy until the firstborn inherits the title, so it’s difficult to give a definite answer.”

“Ah, right. Let’s talk about that matter next time.”

What next time?

At that moment, I vowed not to meet Brother again until I had fully passed on the duke’s title to Kardiel.

Meanwhile, Kardiel was sitting in the adjacent reception room with the Viscount of Baden.

To be honest, Kardiel found this situation of being alone in the same space with the Viscount of Baden extremely unpleasant.

‘He said he wanted to talk to me separately?’

He didn’t understand why that was necessary. It’s not like they were that close.

If it weren’t for his stepmother’s prior warning, Kardiel would have surely issued an order to leave.

“Ahem, so you’re Kardiel. Though it’s our first meeting, seeing how you’re the spitting image of your father, Duke Daiern, you must be very smart. I’m the representative of the Daiern ducal family’s collateral line and your father’s most trusted cousin when he was alive. Just call me Uncle comfortably.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Viscount Baden.”

“If Uncle seems too distant, how about just calling me Uncle?”

“Would you prefer Viscount Baden, or Chairman of the Privy Council?”

“Ahem. That’s quite formal for family.”

Faced with this merciless boundary-setting, Viscount Baden repeatedly cleared his throat and stroked his long mustache.

It was an action to hide his embarrassment.

Indeed, this was actually the first time Kardiel had met Viscount Baden face to face.

Until now, Viscount Baden had never once visited Daiern. Neither the duchy nor the duke’s residence.

‘It seems he had quite a bit of interaction with my late father, so I’ve heard his name occasionally.’

But that’s that.

Even so, he was someone who didn’t show his face when Kardiel and his siblings were born.

He didn’t even pay his respects when the siblings’ birth mother passed away.

‘The reason such a person has come to pay condolences now is obvious.’

He’s trying to take advantage of the vacant duke’s position. Of course, he probably thinks he can occupy that position himself.

‘Moreover, he seems to think he can easily manipulate a young child like me.’

Kardiel is, of course, a minor at only 15 years old.

However, children who have experienced unfortunate childhoods grow up quickly.

Kardiel was the eldest who had carved out his childish heart early on to protect himself and his younger siblings.

As a result, the child was unusually mature for his age, thoughtful, and distrustful of adults.

He was also quite knowledgeable about the logic of how the world works.

Above all, he was quick-witted. It was closer to survival instinct-honed social skills.

Such a Kardiel was already not someone who would fall for clumsy tactics.

“There’s something I’m curious about, Ka… Ahem. Anyway, child.”

“It’s Kardiel Diark Daiern.”

“Right, Kardiel.”

He couldn’t even remember his nephew’s name.

“I heard that the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Daiern wasn’t good normally. Am I right?”

Kardiel immediately noticed Viscount Baden’s intention as soon as he received that first question.

As he didn’t want to have a long conversation, Kardiel decided to provide the answer to the question he would eventually ask after beating around the bush.

“It seems you’re reconsidering the possibility that my stepmother murdered my father, but you’re completely mistaken. Father slipped and fell while rampaging alone in a drunken state, and my stepmother was at least several meters away from Father at the time, so it was absolutely impossible for her to push him. Moreover, as you’ve seen, she has an ankle injury.”

“Hmm. I-I see… Well, that’s fortunate. Hahaha. I-I was just asking because I was worried that the Duchess might get caught up in rumors later!”

“Yes, I’m sure you were.”

When Kardiel responded appropriately, Viscount Baden, seemingly embarrassed, started rambling on with unsolicited explanations.

“You must know too, but the person who benefits the most from this incident is your stepmother. To an outsider, it’s entirely possible to raise suspicions of murder.”

“I’ve heard that baseless rumors in high society tend to die down after a while anyway. As an elder of the collateral family, you shouldn’t pay attention to such talk. Aren’t you supposed to be protecting Daiern?”

“Th-that’s right. Of course, that’s true… Ahem, cough!”

Viscount Baden soon brought up the next topic.

“But no matter what, there’s one thing you should know for certain. Your stepmother is now a complete stranger not only to you but also to the Daiern ducal family.”

This seemed to be the main point now.

A dark shadow fell over Kardiel’s expressionless face and deep blue eyes.

“Think about it. Your stepmother didn’t bear a child of the ducal family. You might have had a mother-son relationship until now, but that was when your father was alive. In other words…”

Viscount Baden adjusted his posture and continued in a serious tone.

“That woman has no reason to treat you well anymore. Far from treating you well, she probably considers you a thorn in her side. She might even be plotting some vicious scheme to harm you right now.”

“You’re going too far.”

“Going too far? See that? You don’t realize how serious the situation is. Do you know what kind of conspiracy that woman is plotting with your maternal uncle, Baron Landgritz, right now?”

Kardiel’s rebuttal seemed to act like a fuse.

Viscount Baden’s face flushed red as he spoke faster.

“They’re trying to remarry your stepmother to a man from an insignificant family, and then have a child born between those bastards inherit the duke’s title, swallowing up all of Daiern!”