Damian, who had been staring at Lucy as she went up to her room, moved to the kitchen.

“Head chef.”

The kitchen was thrown into chaos at Damian’s sudden appearance.

Those who had been moving awkwardly bowed in greeting and hurriedly put down the ingredients they were holding.

Eventually, due to someone’s mistake, a bowl fell to the floor with a clatter.

The people who had been glancing at each other towards the fallen bowl tensed their shoulders and straightened their spines at the head chef’s voice.

“Your Grace. Why have you come to such a humble place… Is there something in particular you would like to eat?”

“It’s not that. I was wondering if there’s any food that Lucy particularly likes or eats well.”

Silence fell for a moment. The eyes of the servants who had been looking at Damian moved slowly, blinking.

The head chef, who had regained his senses the quickest, immediately answered Damian’s question.

“She likes c-cake, sir.”

“Good. Try making one.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The head chef glanced at Damian while picking up the bowl that had rolled on the floor.

He thought Damian would leave soon after telling him to make one, but His Grace stood beside the head chef and keenly observed his actions.

There were also questions in between.

“So this is how you put this in?”

“Pardon? Yes. That’s right.”

“Why do you put that in? Does it make a difference in taste with such a small amount?”

“Pardon? Yes… In baking, even the slightest difference can greatly affect the taste.”

The head chef made the cake batter while sweating profusely.

Those assisting nearby also trembled as they handed ingredients to the head chef.

“The kitchen utensils seem to be quite heavy.”

“Oh, no, that’s not it.”

Damian seemed to have misunderstood the servants’ trembling hands as he looked at their fingertips while speaking.

“Once you finish mixing the batter like this, it tastes even better if you let it rest for a while.”

“I see. While it’s resting, can I try making one too?”

“…Pardon?”

The head chef’s voice trembled.

For His Grace to personally cook…! If the previous Duchess were still alive, she would be furious.

The head chef quickly bowed his head.

“Are you not satisfied with what I made?”

At the head chef’s words, Damian tilted his head while unbuttoning his sleeves.

“It’s not that I don’t know your cooking skills. There’s no way that’s the case.”

“Then why all of a sudden…”

“Ah. I was told I have to do something myself.”

“Pardon?”

“When I apologized to Eriel, Lucy told me to pick the flowers myself.”

Damian gestured with his head as he rolled up his sleeves.

“I’ll give it a try.”

The head chef couldn’t guess what he meant, but he swallowed and nodded.

*

“I will escort you upstairs. The Marquis is currently out, and the young Marquis is in his room.”

Eriel, following the butler’s guidance, began ascending the familiar stairs.

The Marquis’ mansion, where she had lived until her marriage, hadn’t changed except for being a little more worn down.

Knock knock.

“Young Marquis, the Duchess of Zenova has arrived.”

With Blake’s brief permission from inside, the door opened. The room was also exactly the same as before.

Blake, who had been sitting alone at the table, raised his head.

“Sister, you’re here?”

As Eriel approached, Blake got up from the table. He walked slowly to the tea cabinet and picked up the only expensive teacup he offered exclusively to Eriel.

Blake’s skill in brewing tea with deft hand movements was also the same as ever.

One of the iron rules of the Marquis of Borges was that no one except Eriel could enter the young Marquis’ study and bedroom.

Thanks to that, Blake used to do everything from cleaning to brewing tea lightly on his own.

It was a diligence that started from distrust.

“Chamomile, is that okay?”

Blake glanced at Eriel and gestured. Eriel nodded and carefully took the tea from him.

As she wrapped her hands around the steaming teacup, Eriel’s hands quickly warmed up.

“You said you were leaving the empire, Rei, but are you planning to stay in the empire for good now?”

“Probably. My work in the empire has increased too. I have to start a new job soon. I think I’ll be staying in the empire.”

Blake also nodded, gripping the steaming teacup in his hand.

“By the way, what brings you here, sister? You never leave the mansion.”

Blake, dressed comfortably, brushed his hair back with his hand.

Eriel smiled awkwardly, twisting her fingers because Blake got straight to the point.

In fact, from Blake’s perspective, the notebook would have been something he did to help Lucy, and going up to the bedroom on the day of the heavy rain would have been because he was worried about Eriel and wanted to help her.

Even to the point of revealing himself to the servants of the ducal residence without disguise.

Blake rarely showed himself even to the servants of the Marquis of Borges’ household.

He probably went up in that state with the intention of taking Eriel and Lucy out of the ducal residence right away.

However, Eriel didn’t bother to beat around the bush at Blake’s words.

She knew her brother’s worries and intentions, but Blake would be too dangerous when it came to her daughter.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask because things were hectic, but why did you come to the mansion that night?”

Eriel asked Blake for the reason first, unconsciously aware of his notebook in her bosom.

“Because Lucy asked me to.”

“Lucy did?”

Eriel widened her eyes and leaned forward.

“To give her the analysis of Jarvis’ gloves.”

“Did you get money from Lucy?”

Eriel immediately asked about the compensation.

Letting out a deflated laugh, Blake shrugged.

“Well. Transactions with clients are confidential.”

Due to Blake’s playful remark, Eriel frowned.

“Rei.”

“I didn’t take any money. You don’t have to worry about that, sister. She’s my niece, do you think I’d be that stingy with her? More importantly, sister, didn’t you come to me because you found the notebook?”

Eriel, staring into Blake’s eyes, took out the notebook from her bosom.

“That’s right.”

Blake, who picked up the notebook placed on the table, opened the pages.

“Did you read it, sister?”

“Yeah… But Rei. About our Lucy. I’m grateful that you like her, but I hope you don’t give Lucy this kind of information. Don’t take anything in return either.”

Blake, who placed the notebook back on the table, sat cross-legged.

Eriel let out a short sigh at Blake’s slightly tilted head.

“I… I want Lucy to grow up safely. She keeps getting involved in these dangerous things…”

“Sister.”

Blake, who had firmly cut off Eriel’s words, put down the teacup he was holding on the table.

“Did you ask Lucy?”

It was a single sentence that hit the nail on the head.

“Rei, but…”

“You’re right. I know how you feel, sister. You want her to be safe, and since she’s still 7 years old, your decision as a parent should take precedence over the child’s choice and decision.”

Eriel blinked at Blake’s ordinary words.

“I don’t like my niece being in danger either. I’ll only do it within the bounds of safety. If I’m asked for information related to Count Scala, I’ll tell you right away, sister. How about that?”

“…Okay.”

Eriel nodded.

“Sister, and take this notebook with you.”

Blake handed over his notebook again.

“…Why?”

“Show it to your husband too, and you should also familiarize yourself with it, just in case.”

At Blake’s words, Eriel picked up the notebook placed on the table again. As she read the contents inside once more, Blake brought several gloves from the drawer.

“…Sister.”

Eriel, who had been familiarizing herself with the contents, looked up. Three pairs of gloves were neatly arranged on the table.

“Can you identify which one is Jarvis’ glove?”

As soon as Eriel saw the gloves, she looked at Blake with an oops expression.

“It’s the glove in the middle.”

Blake nodded at Eriel’s words.

“That’s right. But I checked the gloves of the nobles at the Crown Prince’s Birthday Banquet and asked around, but there’s not enough information to be sure with just one glove.”

“Still, if we can visually confirm it… We can narrow down the network of who Count Scala’s people are, right?”

Eriel took the notebook again and closed her eyes tightly.

“Then that means Lucy has already familiarized herself with it, doesn’t it?”

Blake turned his head.

“Rei!”

*

Knock knock.

Damian, who had knocked on Lucy’s door, stood in front of the door for a moment.

“Lucy.”

There was a rustling sound from inside, and as soon as she heard Damian’s voice, the sound stopped.

As the silence continued, Damian knocked and called for Lucy again.

“Wh-what is it?”

Lucy’s hesitant voice rang out, and Damian called for the child.

“Lucy, I heard you like cake.”

As soon as Damian finished speaking, the sound of plodding footsteps could be heard. Before long, Lucy’s voice rang out right in front of the door.

“Cake?”

“Yeah. Daddy made it himself.”

At Damian’s words, Lucy’s door clicked open.

The upward-looking green eyes immediately looked at the cake in Damian’s hand.

“Did Daddy make it himself?”

Damian nodded at Lucy’s words.

“Of course.”

The whipped cream decorating the cake was uneven.

Moreover, the fruits that should have been nicely decorated on top of the cake were half-buried in the whipped cream.

“It’s become a whipped cream graveyard.”

Lucy gave her evaluation of Damian’s cake. But a smile appeared on the child’s face.

“Okay. I’ll have to rescue the fruits buried in the whipped cream graveyard.”

Lucy opened the door wide.