Chapter 15
“Is that the young lady, Tulia?”
“Her hair… it actually looks quite lovely styled that way.”
“It appears the mistreatment from the inner keep has finally ceased.”
“It was truly appalling, to be quite honest.”
The council hadn’t officially adjourned, yet the officials already trickling out were huddled together, casting glances in my direction and murmuring. While their observations were blunt, I didn’t detect the usual venom. It was a clear sign that Viscountess Aubrey’s social standing had hit rock bottom.
I stood there, dressed in a reserved, clean outfit with a basket in hand. Before long, Ruk emerged and offered a greeting.
“It has been some time since your last delivery of jam,” he noted.
“Finding jars that met my standards was difficult,” I explained. “It took a while to source a new set.”
The truth was far less professional; Adel had made it nearly impossible to work. Every time I stepped into the kitchen or so much as touched a knife, she would react with such dramatic horror that I couldn’t get anything done. Consequently, my jam production and my coin collection had both stalled. In fact, Adel had prepared almost this entire batch herself. The vibrant color alone gave it away.
I couldn’t exactly tell Ruk that I was making my younger sister do my work for no reason, so I stuck to my rehearsed story. It seemed to satisfy him.
“This looks exceptionally well-made,” Ruk remarked, peering at the jars.
“I did put a great deal of heart into it,” I replied, playing along.
Ruk was surprisingly easy to convince. He even went so far as to suggest I meet the master glassblower the next time the artisan visited the estate.
I found myself marveling at his kindness. The Kelfosher name was becoming a godsend for me. Between Ruk’s initial warmth and Adel’s angelic devotion, that family was single-handedly making my life easier.
“Tell me, Lady Tulia,” Ruk said, shifting the topic. “Are you heading home immediately?”
“No,” I said, offering a practiced smile. “I hoped to pay my respects to Grandfather if he has a moment to spare.”
It was a complete performance. In reality, I wanted to be anywhere else. Avoiding him for the rest of my life would have been my first choice. I knew he was a vital piece of the puzzle for my survival, but the Grand Duke’s presence was suffocating. There was a reason his other grandchildren lived in perpetual terror of him.
Compared to the original Tulia—the so-called ‘wild filly’ of the family—I was far more fragile and lacked her fire. Facing the Grand Duke felt like an insurmountable burden. However, I needed the departing officials to see me as a devoted granddaughter. It was a calculated move for my reputation.
Ruk beamed at me, clearly impressed by my supposed piety. “By the way, where did you learn to preserve fruit like this? It’s quite an unusual skill for a lady.”
I had been waiting for this. A typical noblewoman wouldn’t know the first thing about a kitchen. My answer was ready.
“I have faint memories of my father teaching me when I was a small child,” I said softly.
The mention of Marquis Frazier caught Ruk off guard. I could see the surrounding retainers slowing their pace, their ears practically twitching with interest. They likely suspected I was spinning a tale.
And I was. It was a total fabrication. I was simply trying to forge even the thinnest link between Tulia and the Marquis. Whether I was truly his daughter or not, I needed the world to believe I was. My social survival depended on it.
“Is that so? I find that hard to believe.”
I turned toward the voice.
“Did I hear that correctly?” Viscount Lilius asked, approaching with Viscountess Aubrey and a trail of servants. “Are you claiming my brother, Aster, taught you how to make jam?”
I maintained a pleasant expression as I greeted them. “It has been a while, Uncle.”
“Indeed. But about your claim—is it actually true?”
“Yes,” I insisted. “I remember him showing me when I was very young. I’m still practicing to get the flavor right, since I was just a child then.”
“My, that’s a story I’ve never heard before,” Lilius said, stepping closer with a warm, fatherly smile.
It was almost impressive. His eyes looked genuinely kind, hiding the coldness I knew lived beneath. Back when I was just a player in the game, I actually thought he was a decent man. It turned out he was a manipulative scoundrel who had bled his niece dry while making her look like a fool.
Lilius reached out and patted my head affectionately. “Well, well. My brother is a busy commander now, but he did dote on you when you were little, haha!”
The moment was brief. Viscountess Aubrey stepped forward, leaning in with a voice like silk.
“Oh, Tulia. Surely a man of the Marquis’s stature wouldn’t spend his time on such trivialities?” She gave me a pointed, mocking smile. “You shouldn’t tell tall tales, dear. Lying is a nasty habit.”
“Pardon me?” I asked, my brow twitching.
Aubrey ignored my reaction, maintaining her facade of refined grace. “I understand, of course. A girl of fifteen is a sensitive creature, often desperate for any scrap of attention.”
I had certainly used the Marquis’s name for my own ends, but her attempt to publicly brand me a liar was a step too far. She was trying to strip away my dignity in front of an audience. For a noble, honor was everything—it was life itself. But then, these were the same people who would have let a girl freeze in a warehouse, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
We were standing right outside the Grand Duke’s office. The meeting was ending, and the hallway was filling with influential people. These two were truly bottom-feeders.
I suppressed my anger and adopted a look of distressed confusion.
“Aunt Aubrey,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. “A lie?”
I clasped my hands together as if I were reeling from a shock. Aubrey reached out and gave my forehead a condescending tap.
“There’s no need to be flustered just because you were caught, you little thing.”
“But Aunt, I haven’t lied about anything,” I said, keeping my tone impeccably polite and cautious. “I saw how Grandfather treated Tedrick for his dishonesty. He was scolded so severely right in front of me, after all.”
Aubrey’s expression froze.
“How could I possibly risk lying right outside Grandfather’s door?”
The color drained from Aubrey’s face instantly. Beside her, Lilius’s practiced, kindly mask began to crack.
“Wait, Young Master Tedrick was in trouble for lying?”
“Not just trouble—it sounds like it was serious. What happened?”
“Does this have something to do with the Grand Duke taking away his Direct Lineage Necklace?”
The whispers of the retainers behind us grew louder. If we had been alone with the servants, they might have buried this, but in this hallway, every word was being cataloged by the most powerful people in the duchy.
Go ahead, I thought, keep calling me a liar. I would make sure Tedrick couldn’t show his face in public for a year.
I looked up at Aubrey with wide, fearful eyes. She glanced at her husband, panic finally setting in.
“Ahem! Yes, well!” Lilius coughed, quickly grabbing my hand to change the narrative. “Our Tulia has always been such a well-behaved girl.”
His praise was just as dangerous. The original Tulia had a reputation for being a public nuisance. I had to remain the picture of a reformed, dignified lady.
“My dear, you really shouldn’t tease the girl so much,” Lilius said to his wife, his voice strained.
Aubrey’s face was crimson, but she forced a tight smile. Lilius patted my shoulder with exaggerated affection. “Come, Tulia. Since you’re here, you must go in and see the Grand Duke.”
“What? Now?” I stammered.
“Yes, right this second. Let’s go.”
He was clearly terrified I would say something else to the crowd if he didn’t get me out of the hallway. I panicked internally; I wasn’t at all prepared to face the old man.
Fortunately, Ruk stepped in, blocking the path to the door. “Viscount Lilius, the Grand Duke did not request an audience with Lady Tulia.”
It was a perfectly professional intervention.
“Now, now,” Lilius said, trying to push past. “She’s his granddaughter. He won’t be angry with us for bringing her to say hello. I’ll take the blame if there’s any trouble!”
“If that is your wish,” Ruk replied with surprising ease.
Before I could blink, Ruk’s hands were on my back, gently guiding me forward.
“Please, go right in, Lady Tulia.”
“Wait…”
“And be sure to hand this to His Grace personally,” Ruk added.
The man who had just been a brick wall was now ushering me through the door. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had played Lilius like a fiddle just to get me inside.
Suddenly, I found myself standing in the office of Assis Grand Duke Frazier.
