It felt as if a dream had become reality.

No, perhaps this moment itself might be a dream, I thought.

Only after barely regaining his senses and turning his body away from him did Kardiel regain his reason.

‘Calm down. That person is not Father.’

Father was dead. Hit by Euphemina’s flowerpot. So that person is not Father.

I know.

Even so, the instinctive discomfort was unavoidable.

“Prepare to receive a guest.”

The siblings’ reactions to the news that their uncle had come were varied.

Chersion said “Ah, Uncle Sergei?” as if he knew him.

It seemed he too had heard about Father’s brother once or twice from Father.

Euphemina tilted her head. Her reaction was as if asking since when did we have an uncle.

A calm explanation was needed for the siblings. That Father’s brother, who was driven out before Father became duke, had appeared as a sage.

“Listen carefully.”

It was nearing the end of the day’s schedule.

As the servants happened to be absent nearby, Kardiel began the second strategy meeting after the tutor issue was resolved.

“I can’t think that the reason this person called uncle has come here now would be any different from Baron Baden, no, Wilhelm York Baden.”

So it would be better not to think of him as familiar just because he’s called uncle, but to be wary. Kardiel added that.

It was then that Euphemina raised one hand and asked a question.

“Then how about having this person called Uncle Sergei stay in the green room like Madam Baden?”

Her large amber eyes narrowed slightly.

Though her expression was innocent, Kardiel knew what she meant.

It was Kardiel who had originally suggested bringing arsenic-dyed bedding to Madam Baden’s room.

On the day Chersion said he couldn’t bear to torment the tutors anymore.

Kardiel had held a strategy meeting with just Euphemina.

At that time, he heard shocking words from Euphemina.

At that time, preparations were in full swing to bring in Madam Baden to the 4th floor guest room, when Euphemina picked up a green ribbon dropped by a maid.

It was a narrow fabric used to tighten curtains.

The vivid green of the ribbon reminded her of plant leaves and she liked it, but she soon discovered her palms covered in green powder and frowned.

Something dirty and filthy had gotten on her hands.

She wanted to wash her hands immediately. But she didn’t want to throw away the ribbon.

In the midst of this, she thought of the water in Chersion’s fish tank closest to her.

Without hesitation, she washed her hands, and while at it, soaked the ribbon in the water as well.

She would have to wash it again later, but she couldn’t bear to have her freshly washed hands dirtied again by the ribbon right away.

She said nonchalantly.

Kardiel got goosebumps but knew she was different from ordinary people, so he told her to keep it a secret, saying ‘If Chersion finds out, he might break your things too.’

Although Chersion was certainly not that kind of child, he knew this kind of speech worked on Euphemina.

As expected, she easily accepted it.

Anyway, Kardiel, who had confiscated that dangerous ribbon from Euphemina, began searching through books from that day on.

When he couldn’t find any meaningful information, Teacher Saul Rogier hurriedly picked up the ribbon he discovered and threw it into the fireplace.

At that question, Kardiel sensed something. When he answered ‘It belongs to Madam Baden’, Teacher Rogier’s eyes narrowed.

So Kardiel decided to use his birth mother’s belongings. Madam Baden easily fell into the death trap.

But I swear, Kardiel had no intention of killing her.

Her health might deteriorate a little, but he thought that level of retaliation was acceptable since the other party came to harm the Daierns anyway.

Moreover, as Teacher Rogier said, it usually doesn’t rain in the imperial capital during this season. If it rained despite that, it was truly divine punishment.

“We can no longer use that method. I agreed with our new mother’s opinion to burn all the furniture and every item in the room on my way here.”

“Ah…”

Euphemina was disappointed, but in fact, Kardiel thought it was a good thing since he didn’t want to harm people even by accident.

Around that time, Chersion, who had been quietly listening until now, opened his mouth.

“But, how can we tell if Uncle Sergei is someone with bad intentions like Baron Baden or not?”

Kardiel answered calmly.

“If he came targeting the Daierns, he could immediately claim succession rights to our new mother today.”

Of course, Lieselotte would not accept that claim.

However, if the other party asks the emperor to resolve this issue, things would be different.

From the emperor’s perspective, there’s a high possibility he would side with someone who can safely maintain the bloodline, even if their succession order is a bit lower, rather than a stepmother who cannot bear children of Daiern blood.

But if it goes all the way to the emperor like this, the situation becomes chaotic.

Perhaps the dirty succession dispute could continue until Kardiel comes of age and inherits the duke’s position.

So, in fact, the easiest, fastest, and surest method is this.

Marriage.

“If not that, he could propose to our new mother.”

“Propose…?”

“You mean Mom and Uncle would get married?”

“Yes. That way, there’s no need to worry about the lineage of children born between our new mother and the person she remarries. Above all, the worry of Daiern passing to a completely unexpected person disappears.”

Just hearing this, there would be no reason to oppose the union of the two people.

But the children’s thoughts are different.

The children who had been abused by their father for a very long time could not help but shudder at everything that reminded them of him now.

Naturally, that abhorrent feeling extended even to the person called uncle whom they had never seen once since birth.

So that, at least, must not happen.

The children could not bear to have the hateful father’s bloodline associated with Lieselotte again.

“I don’t like it.”

Euphemina said.

“I, I don’t like uncle either. No, it’s not that I don’t like uncle, I just don’t want uncle to marry Mother.”

Following that, even Chersion’s face, who usually didn’t express his dislikes well, darkened.

“You know, Kar brother. How about this?”

Chersion, who had been chewing his lips, said.

“Rather, if Mother marries someone else, wouldn’t there be no more people to torment us?”

“What?”

“…Chelsie. Do you want to die?”

As Kardiel asked back in surprise, Euphemina’s expression instantly turned vicious.

Chersion, startled by his sister’s intensity, shook his head frantically with a pale face.

“Ma, marriage announcement! Just an announcement!”

“Are you saying we should find someone to make a contract engagement with?”

“No, no. It doesn’t have to be an engagement, but maybe someone who could pretend to be the person marrying Mother until Kar brother receives the duke’s position…”

Who?

Where could such a person be found?

‘Of course, if we could really find such a person, it would be good…’

Even if someone volunteered to do so, not just anyone would do. The conditions are strict.

First, they must be eligible for marriage.

They must also have a status befitting a ducal family, so they should at least hold the rank of count.

If they have a bad reputation, other nobles might talk, so they should have a fairly good reputation.

It would be even better if they had an overwhelming status that would prevent talk from elsewhere entirely.

Above all, they must be trustworthy.

If not, it would be useless even if they met all these conditions.

In other words, someone who won’t betray us.

‘…Prince Raphael?’

Kardiel suddenly thought of that man.

He certainly fits the conditions. But there was a fatal flaw.

‘It can’t be someone who has feelings for our new mother.’

Such a person might rather seize this opportunity to try not to leave Lieselotte’s side even after three years.

‘Rather, a business partner who would have something to give and take from each other thoroughly would be better.’

Yes, someone like Lord Joseph.

‘…Wait.’

The moment that name came to mind, Kardiel felt as if struck by lightning.

Count or higher, with a good reputation, a business partner who wouldn’t betray Lieselotte after receiving a life-saving favor from her.

Ah, one thing was an issue.

Lord Joseph is ineligible for marriage. Because he’s not single.

…Or is he?

Come to think of it, I’ve never heard such a thing. I just vaguely thought a man like that couldn’t be single.