“Father, is there anything good happening?”

Oliver, upon hearing Bentley’s question, closed the book with a cheerful smile.

“Yeah. Something good did happen.”

The boy seemed somewhat concerned, glancing at Oliver, but Oliver didn’t provide any additional explanations.

‘The lady collapsed.’

It was a good decision to have one of his subordinates waiting nearby the duke’s residence. Luke recalled the report from the subordinate who came rushing during lunchtime.

“Your Grace, it seems the lady has collapsed. Duke, who had left for the capital, returned almost lifeless in the early morning.”

‘It seems she’s holding up well.’

After all, regardless of the lady’s preferences, the doll given by his uncle wasn’t thrown into the trash.

‘It was worth the effort to make it.’

The black magic contained in that doll was a type of discreet curse, one of very secretive spellwork.

The magic contained in the doll couldn’t be discerned just by looking at the doll. Both triggers needed to be satisfied for it to activate, and without meeting both conditions, it wouldn’t even leave a trace.

The activation conditions were as follows:

The dark magician plants the seed of the curse through contact with a specific target.

Subsequently, the intermediary object stays in the same room for over an hour.

It wasn’t overly complex but was somewhat delicate, lacking precision in its effectiveness. Despite its complexity, the curse wasn’t that potent. It merely dulled the senses, caused headaches, or in severe cases, led to momentary loss of consciousness.

Even if the lady lost consciousness, she would recover fully within a day once separated from the doll.

At first glance, it might seem like the epitome of inefficiency, but Oliver didn’t use this method because he was foolish. Rather, he believed he was quite adept at using his brain.

‘If I get caught, it’s execution on the spot, or worse, immediate death.’

The principle was that dark magicians were summarily executed regardless of their status. This order applied not only within the Aleph Kingdom but across the entire continent.

Given this, rather than a powerful effect, it was necessary to focus on ‘not getting caught.’ The reason for the detour was precisely that.

There was also another reason: the issue of ‘perception.’

More precisely, the perception of those who believed the lady was frail.

It wasn’t surprising.

The former Duchess Elodie was naturally a very delicate woman. If a lady resembling such a woman suddenly fell ill, people would likely think, ‘Ah, she takes after her mother.’

Moreover, it was common for children who hadn’t reached the age of ten to suddenly die from an unexplained illness.

Though the noble family’s children were generally in better circumstances than commoners, the mortality rate for infants and young children was still high.

Oliver planned to use these probabilities and perceptions. It would be unwise to directly poison the lady.

“Bentley.”

“Yes, Father.”

He called his eldest son, who was doing homework in front of him. Unlike the second one who didn’t know how to raise him well, the first one resembled him and was very intelligent and quick-witted.
“Even if there is lust, it would be better.”

He licked his tongue inside his mind.

Bentley had a temperament that was excessively laid-back compared to his innate talent. Perhaps because he was still a child, he didn’t seem to have much interest in the duke’s position, which anyone would covet.

It didn’t matter.

Regardless of the eldest son’s thoughts, Luke intended to make his son, who inherited his bloodline, the successor to the dukedom. By any means necessary.

He gently stroked Bentley’s head, and the well-maintained hair felt soft in his hands.

“I will visit the dukedom again soon.”

“…The dukedom? Is something happening again?”

“Yes, my cousin is unwell.”

He said with a smile.

“My nephew is unwell, and as his uncle, I should pay a visit. It’s a matter of courtesy, isn’t it?”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Passing by the study, Luke felt a strange discomfort. However, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

“Your Grace?”

Ed called him again.

Luke turned his head immediately. It was better to pursue a more definite clue than a mere discomfort.

Thud!

Luke almost kicked open the door to Hildley’s room.

Hildley, who was chewing on a baguette spread with whipped cream on the table, was startled by the sudden appearance of the duke.

“Cough, kehe…”

“Speak.”

He didn’t wait for the coughing man. Hildley, who had been coughing while looking at the approaching duke, started to hiccup.

“Hic.”

“When Bonita collapsed, what happened?”

“Hic, that’s…”

“If you have anything to do with that incident even a bit…”

I’ll kill you right away.

Hildley, who had guessed the duke’s words, trembled. However, even for him, it was too unfair.

“I, I haven’t done anything! Bonita was studying fine, and suddenly she collapsed!”

“Was there no sign before that?”

“Yes, yes! That’s right!”

Hildley nodded desperately. Luke’s gaze became more fierce.

“How can I believe that?”

“What? No, that…”