Several days had passed since that day. Ranson had barely recovered, receiving treatment from the doctor sent by Schmidt.

At the same time, the letter he sent to his siblings in Terabita was returned. As if timing this, a person from the Lumps duchy secretly delivered a letter.

Ranson angrily threw the letter away. He was furious at having his weakness exploited by someone who knew it well.

“Damn it…”

Even if he became the Duke of Terabita with Lumps’ support, he thought it wouldn’t be easy to win over Schmidt.

She was resolute and not one to easily change her decisions. He had known from the start that there would be no chance unless Artenbach died and she became a widow.

Above all, he knew that if he ascended to the position of duke, he would surely become Lumps’ puppet.

Unless he built up his own power, he would end up being manipulated by her.

Ranson felt frustrated, caught in a situation where he could do neither this nor that. First, he headed to the post office to find out why the letter was returned.

“It was returned due to unknown recipient. They say there was no one to receive it.”

His heart sank. He never imagined Lumps would act so quickly.

Shocked, Ranson immediately hailed a carriage. He intended to go to the Lumps duchy.

“Elder sister Rita, is this really the right place?”

Three children standing in front of a house’s gate, looking up.

Among them, the oldest one looked about eighteen years old.

“Well… The address written here is correct, but the number at the end is different.”

“Hmm, Hering? Haring?”

“Rimon, that letter is read as ‘Helling’.”

Rita told Rimon in a gentle voice. The ten-year-old boy’s face reddened with embarrassment.

“I… I know how to read that much, you know?”

“You couldn’t read it. Stupid.”

“Shut up, Rina.”

The girl called Rina stuck out her tongue at Rimon. Then Rimon pushed Rina’s shoulder, starting a fight.

“Children. Shouldn’t you get along?”

Rita intervened between the children to stop the fight. When they showed no signs of stopping, she said with a scary face.

“I heard that in the city, if children fight, the security forces take them away.”

Just then, a patrolling security officer spotted the children and was approaching.

“Gasp.”

“It’s your fault!”

Rimon and Rina were surprised and shut their mouths tight. Then they hid behind Rita in a row.

“Hey kids, do you need any help?”

The security officer asked with a kind smile.

“We’re looking for our elder brother’s house. It should be somewhere around here, but we’re not sure.”

Rita carefully held out a note with the address written on it. The officer checked the contents and then gestured for them to follow.

“Here’s 12 Helling Street. See the number after the street? That’s the house number. Follow this street and look for the same number. That should be your elder brother’s house.”

“Thank you so much.”

Rita lifted one side of her dress and curtsied. The officer grinned at her polite yet cute greeting and pointed to a large building across the street.

“If you need help, come to the security office anytime and ask.”

Rimon and Rina bowed deeply. He waved goodbye with a fatherly smile.

“Elder sister, is it here?”

The three children’s gazes focused on one spot. It was the number written on the house.

“12 Helling Street 3-21.”

Rita murmured the address. Then her siblings softly repeated after her.

“Oh my? Who might you be?”

A lady who came out after hearing voices asked upon discovering the children. Rita answered with a gentle smile.

“Hello, we’re here to find our elder brother. The address seems to be here, but no one’s inside so we’re at a loss.”

The lady quietly observed Rita, who answered so clearly. Then she exclaimed, “Oh my.”

“Are you perhaps Ranson’s siblings?”

“Huh? You know our brother?”

Rimon asked with expectant eyes. The lady covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.

“You look just like him. You resemble him a lot.”

Rita’s expression stiffened. She hated being told she looked like her brother the most.

“Elder sister, they say so too.”

“Elder sister, it can’t be helped, I guess.”

Rita quietly replied through ventriloquism for them to be quiet.

The lady looked at the children and said.

“Your brother seems to have gone out for a bit, but come in and wait. I have freshly baked bread too, so eat some.”

“Wow, thank you!”

Rimon and Rina raised their hands high. Rita grabbed the clothes of the children who were about to rush in like young colts, calmed them down, then cleared her throat and said.

“Thank you, ma’am. We won’t forget this kindness.”

The lady smiled brightly, as if finding them admirable, and gestured for them to come in.

After riding in a carriage for a long time, Ranson arrived at the Lumps duchy mansion and knocked on the main gate without even looking back. A knight on sentry duty approached him and asked what business he had.

“I’m here to see Duke Lumps.”

The knight looked Ranson up and down. Then he smirked and said.

“If you beg here, you’ll die without anyone knowing. So get lost!”

It was a treatment he had received many times. Usually he would have let it go, but today was different.

“Tell Duke Lumps that Ranson Terabita is here to see him.”

“Do you think the duke is someone anyone can meet?”

The knight put his hand on his scabbard to threaten him. Then he blanked out a beat late.

“Wait, who did you say?”

He asked again, but Ranson didn’t answer. He just nodded for him to hurry and go.

“P-please wait a moment!”

The knight, who suddenly changed his attitude, hurriedly came down from the sentry tower and opened the door. Then he led the way, telling Ranson to follow.

As he was crossing the wide garden following his guidance.

“Oh my, you came earlier than I thought?”

Turning his head at the voice that pierced his ears, he saw Duke Lumps petting a rabbit.

“There was no reason to delay.”

Ranson answered, suppressing his rising emotions.

“Well, that’s good timing. I was just about to start tea time.”

Meybel ordered the maid beside her to bring one more cup.

“Follow me. Our talk will be long.”

Ranson followed her, conscious of the smell of blood mixed in the wind. His head was dominated by all kinds of terrible imaginations.

It was dizzying that the person in front of him would actually do things that would end up as delusions for ordinary people.

The place they arrived at following the duke was a small greenhouse for drinking tea and an area full of arch-shaped flowerpots.

The important thing was the animal cage right next to that greenhouse.

Inside the iron-barred cage, which didn’t fit at all with this place full of flowers and trees, stood a black panther with eyes as sharp as if it had been painted with black paint.

“Sit down.”

Ranson obediently followed Meybel’s words.

“Don’t be so tense. It makes me look like a bad person.”

She smiled bashfully. As she did so, she gently stroked the head of the rabbit in her arms.

“The maid will bring tea soon. Let’s start talking then.”

Saying that, she approached the panther’s cage and threw the rabbit inside. There was a crunching sound of bones being chewed.

“Ah, how’s your body?”

Meybel asked, brushing off the rabbit fur on her hands. Ranson answered, grinding his teeth.

“Get to the point. We’re not the kind of people to exchange greetings.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Meybel sat across from him and picked up a teacup. Unlike usual, her hair wasn’t braided, so her long silver hair swayed gently every time the wind blew.

“What did you do to my siblings?”

“Who knows?”

His heart sank. Ranson’s fist holding the cup tightened.

“I clearly warned you. I wouldn’t let it go if you touched my siblings.”

“What can you possibly do?”

He jumped up from his seat. Then knights who had been hiding somewhere sprang out and pointed their swords at him.

“Threats should be made by those who have the power to back them up.”

Meybel wiggled her fingers. Then the knights stood firmly behind her.

“You said to get to the point, so I will.”

She sat with one leg crossed. Then she placed her interlocked hands on her knee.

“You’ll receive an obituary soon.”

“Whose… Don’t tell me?”

Ranson’s eyes shook wildly, unable to grasp the situation.

“That ‘don’t tell me’ is correct. The obituary of the Duke and Duchess of Terabita.”

“…Do you really intend to put me in the duke’s position?”

“I want Artenbach and you want Deli. I think our interests align. Don’t you?”

Ranson couldn’t say anything. It was because his own desire was hidden behind the pretext of having no choice due to his siblings being used as a weakness.

“The vassals of Terabita who see a three-year-old child sitting in the duke’s position as an opportunity will try to put their own puppet in that seat.”

Meybel continued speaking as she poured tea into Ranson’s empty cup.

“That’s when you appear like a miracle and it’s over. No one will be able to stop you from ascending to the duke’s position.”

“Promise me one thing. No matter what happens, you won’t touch my siblings.”

Meybel smiled with satisfaction at Ranson’s words and replied.

“That depends on how you do.”

Left alone after sending Ranson away, Meybel stared at the cup with serious eyes. The flower petal that had fallen inside spinning round and round as it touched the water before sinking was quite unpleasant.

She wiggled her finger. A knight waiting behind her approached and bowed his waist.

“Find out where Terabita’s illegitimate children are right now.”

“Shall we kill them when we find them?”

Meybel inhaled deeply and exhaled while pondering.

“For now, don’t kill them but bring them here. Let’s think about that slowly.”

“Yes, I will obey your command.”

She muttered, supporting her chin with the back of her hand.

“I should have captured the siblings first… I made a mistake.”