Merche.

His voice calling her name seemed to come from right beside her.

Rude moved his lips without making a sound, but only Merche knew he was calling for her.

“My son! You are truly my son!”

Genovefa exclaimed in a loud voice and embraced Rude tightly.

He seemed like any other father, unable to control his emotions out of joy, but Merche read the hidden intention behind it.

Rude possesses power.

A power that cannot even be compared to Merche’s, perhaps one that may bloom even greater than Genovefa’s.

The moment he confirmed this, Genovefa made a decision very much like himself.

To abandon Merche and thoroughly isolate her position in this castle.

That moving outcry was clearly meant for everyone in the castle to hear.

That Rude is his flesh and blood, his rightful heir, and Merche, a mere branch family member, cannot dare threaten that position.

So no one in the castle should support Merche. Beneath the mask of a father overwhelmed with joy at finding his son, Genovefa declared it.

‘My true son’. In fact, that alone was enough. To bring down the useless branch family member.

Merche closed her eyes tightly then opened them.

“Karin. Please inform the Lord that I request a private audience with him.”

Genovefa would try to dispose of her.

Before that, she must finish her deal with him. Even if it means revealing all the cards she holds.

As night approached, a light drizzle began falling from the sky.

By the time the thin raindrops turned into a rather fierce downpour, Genovefa accepted Merche’s request for a private meeting.

Seated deep in his study, Genovefa was drinking a strong southern Letusian wine.

“Would you like a glass?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“The grapes of Letus are the sweetest this season. It’s a pity we can’t enjoy the same taste. Then have a seat.”

Despite saying that, his hand firmly pushed away the overturned wine glass. As if he knew from the start that she would refuse.

As Merche sat across from him, Genovefa set down the half-empty wine glass and leaned forward.

“I presume you are aware of what happened in the castle today. But there’s no need to worry hastily. I won’t dismiss you right away. No matter if he’s my son, I can’t make him my successor if he’s not more capable than you.”

Is that so?

Immediately after Rude appeared in the castle, knights lined up in front of Merche’s room.

They claimed it was for protection, but it was obvious to Merche and even the passing maids why.

Because the Lord ordered them to watch over Merche.

If Merche had not requested a private meeting with him and simply waited quietly, Genovefa would have kept her locked up, brought her out to secretly turn her into a corpse.

And thrown her deep into the sea. So that no one could find her.

“Lord Rude was imprisoned as a slave in the arena.

I rescued, protected, and treated him when he was confined behind bars, just waiting for the day he would die.”

To prevent such an ending from devouring her, she got straight to the point.

At the same time, Genovefa’s bright purple eyes darkened.

“You did?”

“Yes.”

“Are you telling me to believe that now?”

“If it’s hard to believe, you can send people to verify it. Or you can ask Lord Rude directly.”

“…That you rescued Rude. My son.”

Wondering how to verify the truth of this absurd claim, Merche spoke again to Genovefa, who had closed his mouth to calculate.

“Do you remember what you told me when I first set foot in this castle?”

−Merche. This is a deal. If you faithfully attend the education to become the successor and ultimately pass through that gate, I will let your younger sibling live out their natural lifespan. And if you reach the position of Lord in the future, you’ll be able to cure your sibling’s eyes then.

Those were the words he had spoken while grabbing the arm of a very young Merche in the past.

Genovefa, who easily recalled that old memory, gestured with his eyes, asking what she was trying to say.

“This time, I would like to propose a deal to you, Lord. Since I saved your son from the brink of death, please guarantee the lives of me and my younger sibling.”

“…And what do I gain from that deal?”

“Have you not already gained it? An excellent successor comparable even to you.”

“You bestowed it upon me of your own accord. I never demanded that you save my son’s life.”

“Even so, the fact that I fulfilled your deepest wish remains unchanged. Are you not someone who values the revival of Lupinus more than your own life?”

Genovefa closed his mouth, unable to refute any further.

He cannot lie in the name of the family.

That immature girl has grasped it and stabbed at his weakness.

How dare she. The young thing he had fed and raised all this time.

He was well aware that Merche was exceptionally intelligent compared to the others.

Merche had a meticulous side to her that even he acknowledged.

Hadn’t she already hidden her younger sibling from him before?

When he killed Merche’s parents, he deliberately let Merche’s young sibling live.

To use as a hostage to properly control Merche.

−I apologize, Lord. We failed to locate the target.

But before he could find them, Merche made her move first. It was an admirable thing.

To hide her sibling in a way that even the master of Lupinus couldn’t find.

At least she wouldn’t disappoint him by being stupid, he had thought with satisfaction at the time.

The brilliant mind that had once pleased him now gave him a headache.

Clicking his tongue, Genovefa rested his chin on his hand and narrowed his eyes.

“Fine. If everything you said is true, I will agree to that deal. But if there is even a shred of falsehood in your words, I will throw you to the wolves alive.”

“Thank you.”

“Until the verification is complete, I will issue an order for you to remain in seclusion. Wait for my command and do not leave the main castle.”

Merche stood up without adding more.

She bowed respectfully once again, but Genovefa, having already finished his business, didn’t even glance her way as he picked up his wine.

After Merche left, a loyal subordinate hidden in the shadows approached Genovefa at his gesture.

“Investigate the midwives and maids who were in the birthing room when Elizabeth gave birth. You may render them unable to use their limbs, but bring them to me alive.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“And… find and bring Greta Martin to me.”

For a living child to be passed off as a dead one, the cooperation of those who assisted with the birth is essential.

Especially the midwife and the maid. These two are inseparable in that secret fraudulent act.

“Find Greta Martin’s family as well, without exception. Kill them all in front of Greta Martin.”

Merche’s merit in finding the most precious successor candidate for him cannot be ignored. But it’s a different story for the other sinners.

Genovefa, who decided the mass death of a whole family with a single word, smiled with only the corners of his mouth, his eyes not laughing.

For the time being, the smell of blood will reverberate in the castle’s dungeon. Along with agonizing screams begging to be killed instead.

A few days had passed since Rude was dragged unconscious to some splendid castle and unexpectedly met his biological parents.

Rude woke up restlessly before the break of dawn.

“Y-Young Master. You must wash up and attend your education.”

“……”

Rude silently glared at the servant who brought the wash basin.

Leaning against the headboard with his head tilted, he looked very displeased at a glance.

“Young Master… The tutor who will teach you logic will arrive soon…”

“Hey.”

“Y-Yes?”

“If you have eyes, look at the sky. The sun hasn’t even risen yet, damn it. But what? Education? Are you blabbering nonsense with that loose mouth of yours?”

It was the Lord who ordered the education… The poor servant muttered with teary eyes after being scolded for no reason, but Rude grabbed a pillow and threw it at the wall.

At the sound of the thud, the servant quickly lowered his head.

It was a feat that he didn’t drop the wash basin in the process.

As the servant timidly tried to approach again after confirming the pillow had fallen to the floor, Rude said, glaring fiercely.

“If you want to bathe with that water, come here. I’ll pour it over your head for a nice refreshing experience.”

As if to show that he meant it, his violet eyes flickered with malice. Finally, the servant closed his eyes tightly and cried out.

“The Lord has ordered that if you are uncooperative again today, you are not to be given meals…! This is really troublesome, Young Master…”

“…Ah. So you’re saying if I don’t obediently listen, you’ll starve me?”

That’s right. That’s what I’m saying. Rude smiled and tilted his chin up.

His clearly visible Adam’s apple twitched once, twice, and soon a snickering sound filled the room.

Indeed, he had asserted himself quite a lot in the days since he arrived here.

If told to wake up early, he would stubbornly stay in bed until the sun was high. When tutors came, he would spew out a barrage of curses and chase them away. He even wandered around the castle wearing only a gown, not properly dressed.

Now, whenever Rude passed by, the servants and maids would all whisper among themselves.

How can such a person be a noble? Is he really the Lord’s son?

They trembled in fear that he might cause a scene in front of them, but even the servants referred to as lowly beings had recently come to look down on him.

Sometimes, he had seen a few knights openly muttering “vulgar fellow” as if intentionally letting him hear it.

As he became like that, it reached a point where one could not pretend to be unaware.

Finally, the Lord made a decision.

It was something he shouldn’t do to his son, whom he had difficulty finding, but he had no choice but to reluctantly impose somewhat forceful discipline.