Chapter 38
My throat tickled, and as a coughing fit took hold, Adel was instantly at my side to rub my back.
“It seems your romantic escapade into the downpour has been rewarded with a fever, my Lady,” she remarked.
Naturally, I kept the details of my encounter with the Crown Prince to myself. I had offered her a flimsy cover story instead—some nonsense about wanting a peek at the royalty and getting turned around in the palace grounds. Adel, thankfully, didn’t seem to find the tale suspicious.
“I suppose I’ve discovered that every bit of drama comes with a bill,” I managed to say between coughs.
Adel let out a soft chuckle. “You will be restricted to a diet of broth for the time being. Hot stew is the quickest way to burn off a chill.”
“I understand,” I rasped.
Despite the persistent hacking in my chest, I was in high spirits.
’Ninety percent.’
The figure was staggering. Just thinking about it brought a sense of profound security. Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s favor toward me had climbed to a monumental ninety percent. I was dying to shout the news from the rooftops, but since that would surely result in me being hauled off to an asylum, I kept the triumph locked inside.
Ruk had also delivered a secondary victory earlier that day.
“Lady Tulia,” he had informed me, “your monthly stipend for personal upkeep will be doubled effective immediately.”
“Doubled? For what reason?” I had asked, stunned.
“You are now the bearer of Glory, the Frazier Necklace. Family statutes dictate that the budget for the direct line must be matched to that status.”
It was the equivalent of a salary jumping from two million to four million overnight. The sheer thrill of it kept a permanent smirk on my face all day, to the point where Adel actually started to look concerned for my sanity.
“When is my grandfather expected back?” I asked.
“The Grand Duke should return in time for the festivities. He will likely be away for about a month.”
“I see.”
I caught myself. I shouldn’t think of him so distantly as Assis Grand Duke Frazier anymore. Not when his affection for me sat at ninety percent. I needed to adjust my internal monologue to match the reality of our bond.
Grandfather.
I practiced the word in my mind, over and over.
“Grandfather…” I whispered aloud.
“Pardon, my Lady? Did you need something?”
“No, it was nothing.”
I gave Adel a dismissive shake of my head and sank deeper into my pillows.
Grandfather. It was a title I had used as a performance to gain his favor, but now that the sentiment was real, it felt different. It was a warm, comforting sensation, like the brush of soft down against my skin.
He had departed the main fortress several days prior. It wasn’t unusual; he was rarely stationary. The Frazier domain was massive, encompassing a third of the empire’s land. A routine inspection of the territories could easily swallow four weeks of travel. It sounded exhausting, yet he never skipped these annual tours unless a crisis demanded his presence. It was that dedication that earned him the unwavering loyalty of men like Ruk Kelfosher and the elite knights.
Deep down, he possessed a nurturing streak that wasn’t immediately obvious.
He had left for the circuit without coming back to the castle first. When we parted ways, I had made sure to see him off properly.
“I am grateful you allowed me to visit the White Tower,” I had told him. “I promise to be a diligent student once the new Pneuma arrives. Thank you, Grandfather.”
At the time, the news of my doubled allowance had my heart soaring, so my gratitude was bolstered by genuine excitement. Yet, my grandfather had only offered a stern look in return.
“Focus on your health before you worry about books,” he had barked. “You can’t study while you’re hacking up a lung!”
Consequently, the arrival of my new tutor was pushed back. In a house where the Grand Duke’s commands were absolute, I was now enjoying a period of sanctioned laziness.
“It was a wise move for His Grace to appoint a personal steward for you before he left,” Adel said, entering with a tray of silver-domed dishes. “It ensures the head chefs won’t try to mess with your meals.”
She was being polite, but I knew she was referring to the subtle sabotage of Viscount Lilius and Aubrey. Not long ago, my pantry was a graveyard of bruised fruit, wilting greens, and meat that smelled of decay. It was a pathetic state for a noblewoman, but those days were over.
“With Ruk personally overseeing the appointment, the kitchen staff won’t dare step out of line,” she added.
That much was certain. I decided to probe a bit further, curious about Adel’s feelings toward Ruk.
“Ruk really did choose well,” I noted.
For a fleeting second, Adel’s warm expression faltered, a shadow crossing her face. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by her usual kind smile.
“The Chief Advisor is very attentive to your needs, my Lady. We have everything we require now, from medicine to the finest ingredients.”
With Aubrey stripped of her household management powers, the castle was in a state of flux. Without a high-ranking lady to sign off on daily operations, the staff was likely reeling.
And since many of them were loyal to Viscount Lilius, the Grand Duke had been clever to install an influential steward under Ruk’s authority to protect my interests. He couldn’t simply exile his own son without cause, but he could certainly clip his wings.
Aubrey had lost half of the household’s domestic power—specifically the half that controlled the flow of food, luxury goods, and daily essentials. That was the core of a lady’s influence, and it was gone. However, Viscount Lilius still held the other half: the ‘external’ management of the castle walls, the stables, and the payroll.
His influence was shrinking, but if he were smart, he would lower his head and live quietly on what remained of his status.
But I knew better.
In the original game, playing as Coriko made everyone in House Frazier seem malleable. A few kind words and the right choices would turn even the coldest enemy into a staunch ally. But as Tulia, the world didn’t work that way. Instead of melting for me, they wanted to melt me down in a vat of fire.
Viscount Lilius wasn’t the type to accept defeat gracefully.
‘I just hope this cold breaks before the next disaster hits,’ I thought.
I lacked the supernatural endurance of the male protagonists. Tulia had a sharp mind and a volatile temperament, but her physical form was fragile. Years of freezing in that miserable Randel Castle warehouse had likely ruined her constitution.
Now, at least, it was Tedrick’s turn to shiver in the dark.
“Shall I serve you here in bed, my Lady?” Adel asked.
“Please.”
She set the tray down and lifted the cover. A rich, creamy scent filled the air, instantly making my stomach growl. Adel watched with a satisfied look as I took my first bite.
“Is it to your liking?”
“It’s wonderful.”
“I’m relieved your appetite is returning,” Adel said, tidying the tray. “The kitchen tried to send up a stew made of thigh meat earlier. I had to bring the Assistant Butler down there to ensure they used the proper breast meat instead.”
“I actually prefer the dark meat,” I admitted, swallowing a spoonful of broth.
Adel laughed. “You’re only saying that because you know I’m from the Borderlands.”
“I’m serious. I’ve always liked the wings and thighs better.”
“Truly? But surely a noble would never…” Adel trailed off, looking baffled.
It made sense. In this world—specifically within the lore of the game—nobles considered breast meat the only acceptable cut. Dark meat was viewed as trash, fit only for the lower classes of the Borderlands. It was a social stigma so deeply ingrained that even commoners looked down on it.
Eventually, a certain member of the royal family would change that trend, but that was a long way off.
Once I finished the meal and took my medicine, I drifted back against the pillows. I stared up at the intricate carvings on the ceiling, tracing the gilded patterns until a specific memory began to surface.
