“Just like I said. She’s the housekeeper of the mansion, overseeing the servants. When I empty the mansion, she also handles simple administration of the ducal estate. She’s been the housekeeper for generations, from her family.”

“To me, it seems like she’s aiming for more.”

Cedelloi laughed with a wind-like sound.

“Aiming for more. Is Jocelyn trying to become the Duchess or something?”

“Whether it’s a joke or a serious question, no. That’s not the problem. Judging by the way you’re acting, it seems I’m not the only one who thinks something is strange about that woman. So, let me tell you. That woman Jocelyn seems to have done something to your dear Swan, and what do you think about it?”

“Jocelyn?”

Cedelloi’s gaze became as sharp as a honed knife.

“To Swan?”

With narrowed eyes, Ash, who had been twirling his fingers on the edge of his thumb, turned. He filled the glass again with the bottle that had been hanging on Cedelloi’s desk. Then he returned to his original position.

“From my perspective, it’s quite clear, but Swan doesn’t seem willing to say anything, so I couldn’t dig deeper. How often do you talk to that girl?”

Cedelloi sighed briefly.

“We talk whenever there’s time. But, in my opinion… Swan seems to be more uncomfortable here than I expected. She wasn’t like that when she was in the royal palace. But then again, she had many noble children around her, and nobles living in the palace would not be kicked out unless they really offended the king. Knowing that, unlike us grown-ups waiting to die in our sick beds, they would have confidence just because their parents were alive, right?”

Ash, who spoke jokingly, emptied the glass in a mocking manner. He knew his words would be hurtful to Cedelloi, the one who experienced the awkwardness, but he did not restrain himself or spare his words. The reason was that the person affected by the embarrassment was Swan.
The reason he was greatly angered by Jocelyn’s rude and improper behavior was that she had done something akin to threatening to a helpless child.

Ash spoke.

“Regardless of how it happened, it’s your decision, isn’t it? Perhaps Her Majesty opposed your decision to take care of that child to the end. Still, Her Majesty has always favored you greatly. She had no choice but to comply when you insisted. Enduring the curses of the insolent hustler, as well as the grumbling of Dupree, who is filling his greed like a pig. So you have to endure, whatever it is.”

Cedelloi glanced at Ash as if irritated and soon chuckled.

“I know that. So, what’s the main point?”

“The main point is this.”

Putting down the empty glass with a thud on the desk, Ash bent forward, squinting at Cedelloi.

“How long are you going to tolerate that woman? If you don’t get rid of her, I might soon find myself squeezing the life out of her. Or she might spread rumors about a nightmare horse that she has never even imagined, making her fragile mind go haywire.”

Ash’s expression was overly aggressive. However, the real danger behind such harsh words was that they might not end as mere words.

Cedelloi, gazing at his friend as if he might strangle him if he didn’t give a convincing answer immediately, smiled a complicated smile. Although he was not the type to enjoy alcohol day or night, today he felt like having a drink following Ash.

He did just that. When Cedelloi, who had stood up from his seat, brought another glass from the shelf, Ash suddenly leaned back in his chair, as if he had suddenly lost strength.

“Sly move.”

Cedelloi, pouring the drink into the glass, nodded naturally.

“Why are you blaming me out of the blue?”

“While pretending to be calm after drinking, you intend to soothe my anger.”

“No one would misunderstand that you have such a smooth temperament, including me, of course.”

Cedelloi, who was taking a sip of the strongly scented drink and swirling it on his tongue for a moment, closed his eyes and swallowed slowly. Returning to his seat, he tapped the sturdy bottom of the glass against the armrest, lost in thought.

“Didn’t I tell you why I just let Jocelyn be someday? Haven’t I mentioned it to you before?”

“You did say it once. A long time ago. Didn’t you say something about an incident involving your younger brother and his wife?”

“Right. That was the first time I told you. It was when I had just started to suspect Jocelyn.”

Ash, frowning, brushed his forehead with his fingertips.

“Cedelloi, if my memory serves me right, you definitely told me something like this. That woman Jocelyn had murdered both your younger brother and his wife.”