2 - Not Your Son, But Your Father
Chapter 2
I sat on the sofa, leisurely enjoying my sherbet.
At the Morgana mansion, ice was so plentiful that even the maids could eat frozen treats.
It was a luxury that was impossible in the novel.
In the novel, the Morgana family was on a path to ruin due to successive investment failures. They couldn't even dare to break the marriage contract.
Firstly, the magic woven into the contract was no ordinary magic.
Therefore, to break the contract, they would have to hire a Wizard called a Sage, which would cost an astronomical amount of money.
The Morgana family, unable to find a way to raise that money, had to do as Gilbert wanted.
Well, Gilbert is the 'eul' and I am the 'gap' now.
I, not the Maybia in the novel, had leeway. I could break the contract, or I could change the party to fulfill the contract.
So, I chose Grand Duke Calakis.
Gilbert treated the Grand Duke like a toothless wolf. He firmly believed that if he covered his eyes and ears, he wouldn't be able to do anything in the isolated North.
But Grand Duke Calakis was still a formidable King of beasts.
He had simply been too lazy to step forward, and indifferent because it wasn't interesting anyway.
By now, he would have already heard the news, and even finished investigating me.
I was certain that the Grand Duke knew more about what kind of life Maybia Morgana had lived than my own parents.
I wonder how he will try to contact me.
Living as Maybia, I deliberately caused a few incidents that would make people call me crazy, so I hope he at least chuckles when he sees the records.
* * *
That evening, using the excuse that I was stressed because of Gilbert, I indulged in fine dining by inviting the head chef of a restaurant that even ordinary nobles had difficulty booking.
My mood melted away as I filled my stomach with truffle creamed eggs, asparagus soup, scallops with trout roe, oyster gratin, and filet mignon steak, and then ate chocolate ice cream for dessert.
Money is the best. Delicious food is the best.
Humming, I opened the door. There was a sound of tapping on the window from inside.
"Huh?"
Turning my head, I saw a bird hovering outside the window.
A crow? But why is it so small?
The unidentified bird was as small as a wren, but its feathers were puffed up.
The small bird pecked at the window, but when it wouldn't open, it crashed into it as if trying to force its way in.
But the window didn't budge, and only the poor bird faltered.
Sera, who had followed me in and discovered the small black bird, was flustered.
"Oh, my, why is the bird doing that? Does it not know it's glass?"
"You stay here."
Leaving Sera behind, I approached the window and opened it.
It wasn't difficult to catch the bird, which was flapping its wings weakly as if it were about to fall.
It's really small. It fits right in my hand.
I spread my palm flat. In the meantime, the jet-black bird struggled to right its overturned body.
Just now, when it crashed into the window, there was a definite thud, but the bird was fine.
If it had been an ordinary bird, it would have been seriously injured.
Looking at the window, there were scratches in the shape of the bird's impact.
Hmph, he sent a Familiar.
But it was a Familiar that had never appeared in the novel.
The only Familiars of the Grand Duke that I knew about were a Magical Beast in the form of a snake and a Magical Beast in the form of a tiger. Both were optimized for combat.
The fact that he didn't send a Familiar with extremely high aggression meant that he liked me at least a little.
What could it be because of?
Was it because I rejected his son and said I wanted him?
Or was it because I tore the hair of the prince, whose name I've already forgotten, for asking about my chest size?
And then, not satisfied, I pretended to be sorry and advised him to shave his head completely?
But I didn't know the prince would actually shave his head.
Well, all the better.
Smiling brightly, I looked at the crow.
"Hello."
"Caw! Caw!"
The fluffy down was soft.
I spoke kindly to the Grand Duke, who was probably seeing my face and hearing my voice through the Familiar.
"All the windows in the rooms I use in the Marquess Morgana's mansion have special treatment. It's hard to break through them normally. I'll teach you how to undo the latch, so be careful next time you come in. Okay?"
"...Caw?"
The crow tilted its head.
Of course, I'll keep this debt in mind.
"Caw, caw!"
The Grand Duke's Familiar flapped its small wings incessantly on my palm. But it didn't fly away.
I placed the Familiar on the table.
The small bird scurried around the table, eagerly looking around the room. Tiny footprints were imprinted on the clean tablecloth.
"Caw!"
Sera, who had brought a bowl of water, watched the baby bird with sparkling eyes.
"I never knew baby crows could be so cute. It doesn't seem to be a common species in the Empire, and it must have come from quite far away. Are you going to raise it?"
"Would it be possible for me to tame it?"
It was a question for Sera, and at the same time, a question for the Grand Duke.
Hmm, it doesn't seem to be a Magical Beast, though.
Magical Beasts were few in number, but generally large. Even the smallest Magical Beast was known to be about the size of an adult male.
Sera grinned.
"Of course! Our young lady is good at everything! You dance well, play instruments well, and cause trouble well!"
"Sera, if you bring something for this child to eat, I'll pretend I didn't hear the last part."
"I'll be right back!"
Sera disappeared as if she had been shot out. The small Familiar looked back and forth between the tightly closed door and me.
"Caw? Caw?!"
As if greatly shocked, its bright blue eyes were filled with astonishment.
It was reacting as if it knew it was a Familiar, but wasn't afraid to be left alone with me.
People feared Familiars. Because they didn't know what they would do.
Even this seemingly adorable baby bird could kill a person without any trouble if its master sent it Magic power.
On the other hand, even if a Familiar was killed, the master wouldn't suffer any particular damage. It was nothing more than a one-sided contract of obedience.
Of course, not just any Wizard could create a Familiar.
And not just any animal could become a Familiar.
In the novel, the Calakis Grand Duke's Familiars that were mentioned even briefly numbered about eight. Most of them were said to be Magical Beasts with powerful Supernatural power, and the Calakis Grand Duke was the only one who could have Magical Beasts as Familiars.
As expected of the strongest person in the world.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
The crow hopped around as if demanding an explanation. Just then, Sera knocked and came in.
I wondered why she was back so quickly, but she had a look on her face as if she had eaten a bug.
"Young lady, the Young Master has sent a servant. He says he won't go back until he gets a reply from you."
That was just like Gilbert. How much was he underestimating me?
Gilbert Calakis doesn't love me. He just needs the power and influence of the Morgana family.
Even in the novel, when the family's assets had been depleted due to investment failures, the Morgana family's reputation alone remained for a long time.
Even if I hadn't seized the unexpected good fortune of the marriage contract, Gilbert would have planned to use his marriage for his own advancement.
I, and the Maybia in the novel, would have been the perfect marriage partner in Gilbert's eyes.
<That woman? Perhaps because I obtained her too easily, I don't find her interesting. Aside from her face, there's nothing to look at. This is the first time I've grown tired of a woman before even getting my hands on her.>
In the novel, Gilbert was kind to Maybia for a very short time.
Maybia opened her heart to that, but as soon as the wedding was over, Gilbert changed completely.
He treated Maybia like a burden and never treated her as his partner.
If the Morgana family in the novel had been as strong as it was now, things might have been different, but that was just a waste of time.
Due to a complex set of reasons, the imperial authority is at its lowest point, and the most prestigious families in the capital are the Morgana, Elaine, and Morgoz families.
Of course, that was only true in the capital, and in reality, they couldn't surpass the Calakis Grand Duke's family.
The fact that the entire North was the Grand Duke's territory already said it all.
Also, the Calakis Grand Duke's family had so much money that they treated the imperial treasury like a piggy bank.
Nevertheless, the Calakis Grand Duke's family was only vaguely remembered by the central nobles.
That was because the head of the family didn't engage in social activities. He didn't interfere in the affairs of the country either.
Most of the nobles didn't even know the Calakis Grand Duke's face or exact age.
It was Gilbert who re-engraved the Calakis family, whose presence had been fading along with the Grand Duke, in the minds of the nobles.
A few months ago, Gilbert came up to the capital, showing off his appearance, which seemed more noble than the prince, and his excellent swordsmanship skills.
Of course, he hid his true nature and pretended to be quite innocent.
Thanks to that, he once had many followers even in the novel.
The rose-colored glasses didn't come off easily, and no matter how rude Gilbert was, people often packaged it as if it wasn't also charming.
That was until Rigen, the real male protagonist, Awakened.
But I couldn't wait until then.
"Sera, I need to write a letter."
Sera, misunderstanding my words, looked like she was about to cry.
"You don't have to if you don't want to, young lady. What are you lacking compared to the Young Master that you have to do something you don't like! I'll join forces with the other maids and chase him away!"
"Chasing him away is good, but the letter first."
When I casually waved my hand, Sera, who was about to run out, stopped.
"Oh... are you perhaps sending it to someone else?"
"Yeah. I'm going to ask him to go shopping."
"Caw?"
The crow opened its beak at my smiling words.
I have to be just as annoying to make him realize how much of a nuisance he was being.
