The large grandfather clock placed between the two staircases leading up to the second floor chimed.

More tense than the hushed servants, I kept kneading Rublion’s hand.

“Auntie, what are you going to say?”

“Rublion.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t call me auntie anymore.”

“You’re telling me not to call auntie ‘auntie’?”

“Yes.”

It’s truly strange. Why am I on the verge of tears over this?

“I think meeting you was a chance given by heaven. I’ll listen to everything – what you were like as a baby, how many times you fell while perfecting your walking.”

“…”

“I’ll listen to the ten years of you that I don’t know. So…”

None of the words I had prepared came out. Just the words I wanted to say flowed out.

“From now on, call me mother, Rublion.”

Tears welled up in the child’s golden eyes. His face, all scrunched up on the verge of crying, was just like the expression of young Rublion in the portrait the butler had shown me when I first entered the mansion.

“Is it… really okay?”

The child’s shoulders trembled.

“Yes. I’d like it if you called me mother, Rublion.”

A sob burst out from between his tightly closed lips.

“…Mother.”

“Yes, Rublion.”

“…Mother.”

“Yes.”

Big tears fell drop by drop onto the marble floor.

How much must he have wanted to call out?

Feeling the emotion so vividly in that choked voice, I unconsciously pulled the child into an embrace.

Hoping to be the one to give wings to this small bird.

Hoping to become your peace.

Hoping to become the guardian of your world.

“Mother… My mother.”

I stroked the small back of the child’s head as he kept calling out ‘mother’.

Hugging me tightly with his not-so-strong, insignificant strength, the child clung to my neck as if he wouldn’t let go.

Rublion cried in my arms for a long time. Though I had been kneeling for a while to match the child’s eye level, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. If my discomfort could become a happy memory for Rublion, that alone was satisfying.

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Having finished our meal with puffy eyes, Rublion and I were busy teasing each other with desserts in front of us.

“Mother, open your eyes.”

“You open yours too.”

We started bickering with narrowed eyes but eventually burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.

The Duke, sitting at the head of the table, looked at the two of us and shook his head.

“The milk is getting cold.”

“That’s not the issue right now. Isn’t teasing mother more important?”

At Rublion’s bold declaration, he made an expression of disbelief. Then, deciding the calm atmosphere was already gone, he picked up his teacup with dignified solitude.

“Mother, when did you decide to have the wedding?”

“We haven’t made specific plans yet.”

“Really?”

Rublion narrowed his eyes. Then, glaring at the Duke, he said:

“Father, don’t make things difficult for mother during the wedding preparations.”

The Duke choked while holding his cup. Though he didn’t spit out his tea or drop the cup, his dignified posture crumbled.

“Why am I suddenly ‘father’? You’ve been calling me ‘Your Grace’ all this time.”

“Because you’re my mother’s husband, of course I should call you father.”

“It sounds like you’re saying being your mother’s husband is more important than being your uncle.”

“Exactly.”

Ah, suddenly it became an uncomfortable situation. I quietly picked up my cup, watching the two of them carefully.

“Well… whatever the reason, it’s something I wanted to hear.”

“Isn’t it?”

His face was indifferent for someone expressing his inner thoughts.

“Keep calling me that from now on.”

“Yes, father.”

“Ahem.”

The Duke cleared his throat unnecessarily and turned his head to the side. Seeing his eyebrows twitch, he seemed to be in a good mood.

“Come to think of it, I believe you haven’t had your debutante ball, have you? Is that right?”

“Unfortunately, it is.”

Rublion, holding my hand, looked at me as if feeling sorry.

He doesn’t even realize his own puffy eyes are cuter.

“If you wish, I can prepare a party for your social debut. If that’s too burdensome, you can start by attending light tea parties. If you don’t want to engage in social activities, that’s fine too.”

“I’ll do all the activities expected of the mistress of the Artenbach family. It’s also for Rublion and the Artenbach ducal family.”

“I’m not forcing you at all. Do as you wish.”

They are an imperial noble family. It was unthinkable for a duchess not to engage in social activities.

Yet I was grateful that he told me to do as I wished.

“I’ll think about what would be best to do first.”

“Do that. I can wait long enough.”

“Thank you.”

The Duke set down his empty teacup. Then he casually dropped a remark.

“In case you’re curious, I’ll tell you that Johnston has been exiled from the estate.”

“Exiled?”

I met eyes with him as he sat upright. There shouldn’t have been any justification to drive him out of Artenbach.

“H-how did you expel him?”

“Do you want to hear?”

The Duke fiddled with his shirt sleeve. It looked similar to adjusting white gloves, sending chills down my spine.

“It might not be… very wholesome for you to hear.”

Sensing I shouldn’t listen, I shook my head vigorously.

“Ah, I think I’d better not hear it!”

I swallowed hard. Cold sweat also broke out on my forehead.

Then suddenly I remembered.

“Johnston returned the invoice I sent…”

“You mean the furniture repair costs?”

“Yes, that.”

“I’ve already collected that in advance.”

The Duke gestured to the butler. Gaben placed a box about the size of two palms in front of me, saying it was here.

“35,000 tiga for repair costs. 65,000 tiga for mental damage compensation. A total of 100,000 tiga.”

The invoice I sent was for 20,000 tiga. How on earth did 20,000 tiga inflate to 100,000 tiga?

‘I want to know, but I don’t want to know.’

It’s been a while. I felt this way when I first saw the Duke too.

“My lady.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

I answered without taking my eyes off the box. While feeling the Duke’s power was impressive, I was afraid that similar power would soon come to me as well.

“This is also in case you’re curious.”

What else is left?

I took my gaze off the box and looked at him. The Duke stared back at me.

“You may call me by my name.”

I blinked my eyes to interpret the command input.

“Are you saying I should call you by your name?”

“I’m not particularly saying you should, but if you want to, you may.”

So are you telling me to do it or not?

“Father.”

Rublion, resting his chin on one hand, spoke to the Duke with a look of exasperation.

“Why don’t you just ask her to call you by name?”

“…”

“Stop acting like you’ve never held a woman’s wrist before.”

The Duke cleared his throat, hit right on the mark. Thinking his face was a waste, I said:

“If you wish, I’ll call you that, Askal.”

Ah, the Duke smiled like a moon bear!

[This is the timeline separator]

I thought it would be best to show my face in society before becoming a duchess. So I looked for someone who could help, but.

‘I don’t know any young ladies.’

Of course not. Having run Blackswan before becoming an adult, I had no time for social activities. I didn’t know any places either.

“My lady, here is the list of social gatherings you requested.”

The list given by Butler Gaben included the ages and families of the young ladies and noble ladies attending the gatherings.

There were small notes about what topics they gathered for, but since most were for socializing, they were just superficial descriptions to make it look good.

“Baron Dreith, I’m not sure if it would be better to attend gatherings with young ladies my age or to first go to the noble ladies’ gatherings.”

“My wife is older and hasn’t engaged in social activities for a long time… It’s difficult for me to help in this area. However, there is someone else who might be able to help.”

“Who would that be?”

Hope rose amidst despair.

“Do you know Baron Tirel?”

“Yes, I do.”

A vassal and secretary of the Artenbach ducal family. I know he’s a capable person with a lawyer’s license. I recalled him scanning the contract with intimidating eyes when I was signing the notarized document.

“I believe the Baroness has a social club she’s active in. Why don’t you ask the Baron for a favor?”

It was an enticing proposal.

“That sounds like a good idea. I think I should meet with the Baroness first.”

Looking at the list the butler gave me, there really was a social club of Baroness Tirel.

The theme was art appreciation, so I had hopes that we might converse well.

‘It might be good to gradually make Blackswan’s name known here.’

If word spreads through the noble ladies’ social gatherings, Ranson and Meurting’s sphere of activity might expand as well.

With luck, we might even discover musicians or composers.

[This is the timeline separator]

There were three families that made great contributions during the founding of the Tid Empire.

Artenbach in the north. Lumps in the east. And Teravita in the west.

Among these, the Teravita domain, the territory of Duke Teravita, had many westerners as well as imperials due to its proximity to the western country.

Duke Teravita is a westerner. Though he possessed as much wealth and power as Artenbach and Lumps, he was subtly disregarded for not being an imperial.

Unacknowledged, Duke Teravita preferred to rule his domain and play king within rather than fawning over the imperial family as a central noble.

There were rumors that the number of his illegitimate children born outside couldn’t be counted on two hands, and since he was such an unpleasant person, only the duke’s vassals were being ground down.

In front of such Duke Teravita’s mansion stood a man covered in a black robe. He was all dusty as if having traveled a long way.

The man beckoned to a gardener pruning beyond the iron gate. Noticing someone had arrived, the gardener recognized the man’s identity and exclaimed in surprise.

“Young master!”

The gardener stood close, afraid someone might see.

“Tell father I’ve come.”

“You can’t. Why are you trying to suffer again?”

The gardener shook his head. The man clenched his fist.

“My siblings haven’t received their monthly support for three months.”

“Young master…”

“Even if we’re illegitimate, we’re still his blood. If he’s telling us to die like this, I have no choice but to step up.”

“Please don’t. I’m afraid we might end up holding your funeral at this rate. Didn’t you almost die last time too?”

The man sighed deeply. Then, taking off his hood, he said:

“Open the gate. I must see father.”

The gardener opened the gate slowly with a pained expression. The steps heading towards the Teravita mansion were full of strength.

Brown hair fluttering in the wind.

Eyes usually dull, but now full of their original intelligence.

It was none other than Ranson.