Turning beloved ones into monsters to manage the border territory…

Although no crucial information had come out yet, there were a few things to pick up. Someone became a monster because their magic power was excessive at the age of 18. So, a ring was made to seal the magic power and put on. Whether the recipient of the magic and the one who became the monster were the same person or different, it was certain that at least one of the monsters created by Kuran Duke wore a ring.

Moreover, considering the fact that all the keys obtained from Vincent and Horyna were rings, the probability that all the monsters created by the Duke had rings could not be ignored.
Of course, it would be difficult to identify who among the nobles is the creation of Kuran Duke since most of them wear rings, but nevertheless, focusing on the rings seemed like a good approach. In fact, without much consideration, the king is the most likely candidate. The problem is whether a ring is worn on his hand.

As Ruela was trying to recall whether Lord Galt, whom she saw yesterday, had a ring on his hand, the carriage door opened, and Kite and Tienne boarded.

“Have you been waiting long? Sorry, people just wouldn’t let go.”

“It’s okay. In the current situation where we don’t know who is important or not among the nobles, it’s necessary to maintain a friendly relationship with all of them. Did you receive all the invitations?”

Ruela accepted the invitations presented by Kite and Tienne and smiled brightly.

“Well done.”

“To achieve such a feat in just 20 minutes. Seems like you have excellent skills in cleaning?”

Ruela praised the neatly organized reception room and office.

“It was really hard. When the aides were carrying piles of documents like summoning creatures floating in the air, you have no idea how scared I was.”

To Hagen’s exaggeration, Rafarel wiped his forehead pretending to be sweating.

“Where did you move the documents to?”

Mitchell pointed upward with his finger in response to Kite’s question.

“There was one empty room next to the third-floor dressing room, so we turned it into the aides’ office altogether. So they can focus on their work.”

“Well done. Thank you, everyone.”

As soon as Kite finished speaking, the sound of a carriage was heard from the entrance.

Ruela quickly opened the front door and welcomed the carriage that had just arrived with a smiling face.

“It’s great that you came out yourself. Thank you for welcoming us.”

In fact, she had already opened the door and was waiting, as the guest was not registered in the housing system. Nevertheless, Ruela smiled widely and generously laid out words to make the other person feel good.

“It’s the first time you’ve come to Peroz Mansion, and it’s none other than the Lord and Lady Line.”

After guiding the two inside, Ruela closed the door herself and watched Kite introducing his colleagues.

“Thank you for inviting us. It was a bit regrettable that we only had a brief conversation earlier. Today, meeting such important people, it seems like a very delightful occasion.”

“Then shall we move to the office?”

In response to Kite’s words, Lord Line burst into laughter.

“It seems that even the ladies would enjoy the conversation more if we disappeared. Let’s do that. Now, Lady Romine, excuse us. We’ll see you later, my lady.”

With a slight nod to Ruela, Lord Line greeted his wife and headed to the office with Kite.

Lady Line, who entered the office with Ruela, sat on the sofa and asked as if she was curious.
“There was no gatekeeper. I wondered if I could just come in.”

Ruela smiled deliberately, thinking about the main entrance that she had intentionally left open.

“Recently, Commander Valder of the Valder Guild wanted to meet me and pounded on our gate as if he were a fan. I thought if we’re going to let people in like that without permission, there shouldn’t be anyone around to get hurt. So, we decided not to have security guards.”

“To resist against Master Valder means you rebelled to prevent him from entering. That’s surprising. Then, have the guards quit their jobs? We were actually considering increasing the number of guards at our mansion.”

Just then, Shuna brought some refreshments.

Ruela waited for Shuna to place the tea cups and snacks on the table before speaking.

“Shuna, you can go out now since I’ll take care of the rest.”

As Shuna left, Ruela poured tea into the Countess’s and her own cups and answered the earlier question.

“You can’t easily dismiss loyal guards like that. Besides, we don’t have a steward at our mansion right now, so he works inside.”

“You seem confident in trusting the common people. They all seem remarkably loyal.”

“People tend to reciprocate what they receive. If you treat them well and give them trust, they’ll make an effort to reciprocate on their part.”

The Countess, realizing that Ruela was speaking about herself, chuckled.

“Not everything is as I wish. Because of that, I can’t relax, knowing that even those who are treated well might betray you.”

Looking at the Countess, who seemed to be talking about the need for trust, Ruela said, “Perhaps only those capable of betrayal do so?”