“Holding her stomach, she’s saying she’ll die if the lady doesn’t meet her, so no one can approach.”

At Rusa’s words, the end of Riona’s eyebrow raised.

“Such impudence…!”

But she couldn’t forcibly drag her out.

If something went wrong by meddling with Yuri, who was pregnant with Callian’s child, all responsibility would fall on her.

“Let her in.”

In the end, Riona allowed Yuri’s entry with an angry expression.

Yuri, who came in holding her slightly protruding belly, knelt before Riona.

“After giving me that disgrace, what do you dare to say by appearing before me?”

Yuri’s appearance was utterly disheveled.

She was wearing a dress more worn than the ones she used to wear as head maid, her skin had become rough from staying in a freezing room, and her complexion was unsightly.

Amidst that, only her bloodshot red eyes were strikingly prominent, to the point of being jarring.

“Leave before I have you locked in the storehouse.”

She only wanted to drive out Esika, Yuri, and all the rabble from Frihatz province.

“My lady. There’s a Klaus child in this belly!”

Yuri pleaded to Riona as if screaming, while hugging her own belly.

“No matter how much you hate me, it’s the Duke’s child!”

Riona snorted.

Of course, she couldn’t carelessly kill her. Imperial law forbade killing pregnant women, even if they were criminals.

But there was no need to humor and treat Yuri well when even Callian was indifferent to her.

“Do you think the child in your belly will be the last? Callian will have many offspring in the future.”

“……”

Yuri’s eyes trembled as she clenched her fists.

Unless Yuri became the official Duchess, that was as good as a fait accompli.

“Callian has no interest in the likes of you, and above all, you betrayed me by seducing Callian with your vile body.”

“But… you don’t want to see the Duke’s descendants from Esika either, do you?”

Riona’s eyebrow twitched at Yuri’s words.

“Even less from you.”

At her words, Yuri’s fists trembled, but without backing down, she began to provoke Riona.

“These days, the Duke is completely infatuated with Esika, isn’t he? But I know you, my lady. You may be preventing the divorce for now, but…”

Yuri’s red eyes gleamed shrewdly.

“You’ll eventually drive Esika out of Klaus, won’t you?”

“……”

Riona looked at Yuri with furrowed brows.

“But now that the Duke has fallen for Esika like this, it won’t be easy to drive her out. Moreover, the current Duke no longer trusts you like before.”

“How dare you……”

“How about the person who used to visit every morning? Now he barely gives a disinterested greeting once a week.”

Since Yuri was stating facts, Riona couldn’t refute.

But she spoke to Yuri with a cold expression.

“I am the mother who gave birth to Callian. Callian will ultimately choose me.”

Riona’s words were irrefutable. No matter how poor their current relationship was, Callian was deeply filial and mentally relied on Riona a lot.

“That may have been true until now. Because Esika hasn’t driven a wedge between the Duke and you.”

“Do you think our relationship will be strained by mere meddling?”

“The previous Esika would never have been able to do that. But the current Esika is different!”

Yuri looked at Riona, screaming as if wailing.

Looking at Yuri’s red eyes, Riona also felt the suspicion she had been suppressing rise up.

“For some reason, Esika is not the Esika of before. As if she’s become a different person. That child……”

Yuri’s wrist, touching the floor, was trembling.

“…seems possessed by a demon. She’s become something else entirely.”

Riona was looking down at Yuri without saying a word.

Riona too had been feeling strange about Esika for some time.

How could that thoughtless, stupid, and timid girl go beyond just arguing back to playing above her head? It didn’t make sense.

“The Duke must also be bewitched by a demon!”

Yuri cried out as if in anguish, with hollow eyes.

“Even if that thing is really possessed by a demon, there’s no way to prove it.”

Riona coldly rebuked.

Yuri bit her lip.

Esika Klaus, who was just a stupid and easily manipulated girl, how did she end up sitting above everyone’s heads?

“How… how about seeking help from Her Majesty the Empress? She’s a strong believer in the state religion, isn’t she?”

Mariela Lucein, mother of the Second Prince and Empress of the Empire, sister of the previous Duke Klaus, revered Tameron, the monotheistic god of the Turesian Empire’s state religion.

Although most of the imperial family and nobles were followers of the state religion, few truly believed and it was mostly for political reasons, but Mariela was different.

She believed in God to an irrational degree, and once faced backlash for insulting Crown Prince Resban Deon Lucein as a ‘demon opposing God’s will’.

“Foolish words.”

The end of Riona’s eyebrow was raised.

“Do you think Her Majesty the Empress is so idle as to concern herself with the internal affairs of the Duke’s household? This is why a girl without roots can’t discern front from back.”

“…But!”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything more to say. Now I’d like you to leave, hugging that lifeline in your belly.”

Yuri’s eyes wavered at Riona’s cold gaze.

She could sense it intuitively.

That once she gives birth to the child, she would be as good as dead to Riona.

“……”

Yuri bit her lip hard, bowed her head once to Riona, and turned around.

The situation was still a dilemma. If only Callian would take her side, she wouldn’t have to suffer like this, and she resented him even more.

**

Hemos asked her.

“You’re saying not to serve the elixir?”

“Yes. It still doesn’t suit my body, so I’ll have to stop taking it for a while. Let’s discontinue it until we find a new method.”

The side effect of internal energy regressing meant that the body could no longer accept the elixir.

“A new method… you mean the Celik’s elixir, don’t you?”

She thought for a moment about the incident in the black market.

‘Come to think of it, it’s about time for Panic to contact me…’

“Yes.”

After nodding a moment later, she said to Hemos.

“The reason I called you today is to give you a hint about the food for tomorrow’s party.”

Hemos tensed a bit at Esika’s words.

The tea time incident from before was still vivid.

How could there be such a meticulous war.

The lady ordering cookies with allergens to gain sympathy for her son and blame the daughter-in-law.

And the Duchess who already knew everything and switched them!

Tomorrow, the lady had decided to hold her birthday party, and many nobles would attend.

“…Please just tell me.”

Hemos spoke to Esika with a solemn look.

But Esika delivered the obvious words with a relaxed smile.

“Prepare the food to be of the highest quality. The more rare and expensive, the better. You should demonstrate your best skills even if you have to rack up a lot of debt.”

Hemos flinched at Esika’s words.

“Y-Yes?”

Esika raised the corner of her mouth.

“It’s the last party of House Klaus. Tomorrow’s party should be the best party that guests will never forget for the rest of their lives.”

“…Did you just say the last party…”

The announcement of the western stronghold was right around the corner.

“Because they will no longer be the hosts of the next party.”

Hemos flinched again at Esika’s words.

And doubted his own ears.

“Do you really intend to bring down Klaus, my lady?”

“Yes. I need this land and honor they possess.”

In order to execute her third plan.

Esika’s blue eyes were chillingly cold.

“Well, whether the owner of this mansion is Klaus or Brigitte.”

Esika said with a snicker.

“You will be the chef of my mansion.”

Hemos, who had been listening to Esika’s words with a stiff expression, opened his mouth.

“I will be loyal to you, my lady, but……”

Hemos spoke to Esika seriously.

“Please just don’t delay my monthly salary.”

Esika laughed loudly at Hemos’s words.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you receive twice as much as now.”

**

The next day, while Esika was being dressed by maids in preparation for the party, she turned her head towards the door that burst open.

Sela, who had run so hard her face had turned pale, was panting while holding an envelope.

Soon after meeting Esika’s gaze, Sela smiled a definite smile, though with difficulty.

“Leave us for a moment.”

At Esika’s order, the maids went outside, and Sela approached Esika and handed her the envelope.

Inside that envelope was a newspaper that would be distributed tomorrow morning.

A satisfied smile appeared on Esika’s lips as she read the article on the front page.

It was a collaboration of the information investigated from the imperial library and what was learned through Hans.

“My lady……”

When Esika breathed life into the newspaper she was holding, it quickly burned to ashes.

Sela flinched at Esika’s ability that she still wasn’t used to, but looked expectant.

“Now it’s over for the lady.”