Did the Duke want to lose…?

Charles frowned. The Young Lady’s guess was quite plausible, but there were many parts Charles couldn’t understand.

To launch such an operation to raid an empty Duke’s mansion meant there was something that had to be stolen from the mansion.

Of course, there would be many rare items in the Duke’s mansion.

From all kinds of expensive things to heirloom jewels… It must be amazing.

But they wouldn’t have caused such a big incident just to steal such valuable items.

“…Indeed, it’s as you said, no ordinary gamble.”

The hooded figure who had come out first opened his mouth for the first time, looking down at Lucy. It seemed he was thinking of stopping the attack due to the Young Lady’s words.

Then now is the time. Quickly find an escape route…!

Charles pressed hard on the wound in his side and surveyed the people around.

If the Duke’s mansion was the target, it meant that the Young Lady and Charles here were not targets.

However, that didn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t kill them. There were enough people to kill both of them.

Thanks to the Young Lady speaking, they were buying quite a bit of time, but it was unclear when the Duke would arrive. Moreover, the Duke wouldn’t have time to arm himself.

Just one brush with their blades would result in at least a minor injury like Charles now, or severe injury in the worst case.

So before the Duke arrived, they had to retreat by seizing an opening while the Young Lady bought time.

The capital’s guards should arrive…! Damn it!

“You seem quite impatient.”

Lucy grinned and spoke to the hooded figure.

The remaining hooded figures with swords glanced at the one talking to Lucy, as if unsure what to do.

However, the hooded figure engaged in conversation seemed quite interested in Lucy’s words.

“I thought some impossible things were happening little by little, but I didn’t expect a little strategist to be hidden. And in a completely unexpected person at that.”

“I didn’t know there were more idiots targeting the Genova ducal family besides Uncle Bruno.”

“…Hahaha!”

The hooded figure burst into laughter.

“That’s right. Then how would you feel about dying at the hands of such idiots, Young Lady?”

“I think I’d be too resentful to leave this world.”

“…It’s been fun, but now I must stop playing along with this cute time-buying of yours, Young Lady.”

As soon as the figure finished speaking, Charles immediately grabbed the Young Lady’s waist. And that’s when it happened.

“…Papa!!”

Lucy, who had been fidgeting her fingers, called out to the Duke with tremendous volume.

Simultaneously, with the neigh of a horse, one horse appeared in mid-air from behind the cathedral’s ramparts.

Charles couldn’t hide his surprise as he looked at the Duke floating in the sky.

As the Duke’s horse landed on the ground, the necks of two enemy soldiers were cut off by his blade.

Contrary to Charles’ worry that the guards would arrive first, the Duke began slaughtering the enemies in an instant.

Only then did Charles recall the image of the Duke leading troops and commanding at the forefront even in front of dozens of enemy soldiers.

To forget just because he came to the Empire…! The Duke is someone who survived even that harsh battlefield!

“Charles, take Lucy and go quickly!”

“Papa, that guy’s hand in the center!”

Lucy, clinging to Charles’ shoulder, pointed precisely at the hooded figure and shouted loudly.

That’s when it started. The hooded figures began to flee in all directions. Especially the one Lucy pointed at was the first to distance himself from the Duke.

“…Retreat!”

*

“My child… My child…”

It was the moment Eriel reached out towards her daughter before her eyes. Then her mind suddenly cleared.

At the same time, as she frowned at the bright sunlight, she heard the voices of the servants.

“…The Madam has woken up!”

“Madam, are you feeling better?”

Eriel blinked her eyes and suddenly sat up as memories rushed in.

She quickly threw off the blanket and tried to walk out with staggering steps, but the butler supported her.

“Madam, you still need more rest. And Madam, right now…”

“Lucy?”

Eriel shouted at the butler, asking about Lucy’s whereabouts with a face that looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

“Lucy!!”

Eriel’s cracked voice rang out desperately. The butler swallowed hard and slowly answered Eriel’s question.

“The Young Lady is sleeping in her room now. After a tiring day yesterday… Madam!”

As soon as she heard that Lucy was in her room, Eriel rushed out immediately.

The maids didn’t know what to do with her staggering movements and several of them clung to her, but no one could stop Eriel.

The butler also quietly followed behind such an Eriel.

“…Lucy.”

Entering the room, Eriel collapsed on the spot only after seeing Lucy sleeping soundly in bed.

“…Madam. The floor is cold.”

“Is… the child alright?”

Eriel asked, scanning Lucy’s body thoroughly with her eyes.

“Yes. The doctor came by but said there was nothing seriously wrong. I’ve arranged for another examination when she wakes up.”

“I see… I see. Really, really… thank goodness.”

Eriel gently stroked the child’s forehead and nodded repeatedly at the butler’s words.

Fortunately, only peace remained on the face of the child sleeping without knowing anything.

“Eriel.”

Eriel, who had been looking at Lucy, turned her head at Damian’s voice.

“Damian…”

As soon as she saw Damian, tears fell from Eriel’s eyes.

Between relief and guilt, Eriel needed her husband to confess her feelings to.

“Damian… Our Lucy… Our Lucy… Even as a mother, I couldn’t notice… I…”

As Eriel cried, blaming herself, Damian strode over to her.

Damian gently grabbed Eriel’s face, which had grown thin in a short time, and wiped away the tears flowing down her cheeks.

“It’s okay. Don’t blame yourself. More importantly, you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Lucy is sleeping, so you should eat something in the meantime.”

Eriel nodded at Damian’s words and leaned on his support.

Then, suddenly remembering the tutor’s words, Eriel began to voice her doubts while leaning on Damian’s arm.

“Oh, Damian. Did you hear from the tutor? Sir Charles also came because of Lucy’s words, right? Lucy asked Sir Charles to… No, more than that, Bruno… You didn’t know either, right?”

The story that Bruno had arranged the tutor job.

Since things were happening so urgently at the time, she didn’t hear the details, but the tutor clearly said that Bruno had arranged for her to enter the Duke’s mansion.

Of course, it seemed Lucy knew and agreed to the kidnapping, but for some reason Eriel wanted to confirm with him.

The story that Sir Charles had infiltrated as a knight strangely made Eriel uneasy.

“First… eat something. Eat, regain some strength, and then we’ll talk.”

Eriel stopped walking, staring intently at Damian’s face.

“…Damian. Tell me.”

Eriel grabbed Damian’s arm.

“After you eat… I’ll tell you after you eat.”

Eriel looked up into his eyes, unable to let go of Damian’s arm she had grabbed.

“You… Don’t tell me… Don’t tell me, you knew? Did you know Lucy would do this? No, more than that, Bruno… Did you know Bruno was trying to do something?”

Along with her trembling voice, Eriel’s eyes, all scrunched up, shed tears again.

Damian, unable to answer easily, met Eriel’s gaze and opened his lips.

“Yes… I had an inkling.”

Eriel slowly closed her eyes and let go of Damian’s arm she had been holding.

Eriel’s snow-white arm, which had slid down, swayed weakly in the air.

She couldn’t believe that Damian, as a father, had let Lucy handle this situation even though he had suspected such a thing would happen.

“Our Lucy… is 7 years old.”

Eriel was crying with her eyes closed, but she didn’t look up at Damian. She only moved her lips with closed eyes.

“You… How could… Don’t tell me… Is that why you also assigned Sir Charles, not for Lucy but for yourself?”

“…”

Eriel opened her eyes because of Damian’s lack of response. Her raised green eyes glared at Damian.

“You… Bruno and our Lucy now… that… Ha.”

“…”

However, Damian again had no answer to Eriel’s questions. Eriel hit his chest with her fist and cried out.

“Just how far are you planning to push our 7-year-old daughter!”

Eriel’s breathing became ragged.

“Eriel…”

Damian called her name and hurriedly grabbed her wrist, but Eriel brushed off his hand.

“She’s… our daughter. She really, really resembles you… she’s our daughter.”

Eriel’s bloodshot eyes continued to stream with tears that seemed like they would never end.

“Our daughter… How… How could you!!”

Eriel’s trembling lips couldn’t continue and closed again.

Eriel, full of anger and sorrow, nervously pushed her hair back.

Biting her lower lip slightly, Eriel glared at Damian.

“Now… she’s my daughter. Not your daughter… anymore. What kind of father in this world would send his daughter to her death?”