27 - Not Your Son, But Your Father
Chapter 27
I was so shocked that my mouth formed a triangular shape as I scanned my surroundings.
The Grand Ducal Palace, which looked like an ink prison attacked by a giant octopus on the outside but was filled with cheese-colored decorations on the inside, seemed to be well-maintained, at least internally.
There was no particularly old furniture, and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, as if it were cleaned every day. But still, it was too much.
Where's the Head Butler? I need to find the guy in charge of managing the castle first.
That was the moment the first thing I had to do as Grand Duchess was decided.
Just then, a pretty boy approached with an elderly man.
The boy, with his pale silver hair and sparkling cherry-colored eyes, bowed.
"Welcome back, Father."
Rigen had his buttons fastened all the way up to his neck. The well-tailored new clothes gave Rigen a mature and neat image.
But he's still just an eight-year-old kid. Well, he's cute, so whatever.
Soon, Rigen greeted me as well.
"Nice to meet you for the first time, Grand Duchess. My name is Rigen Callakis. I've been looking forward to the day I would meet you. I... I have many shortcomings, but I will work hard, so please be lenient with me."
Huh.
He's not usually like this, is he?
Rigen at this age, as far as I knew, loved to be playful and was a rambunctious, lively kid who would end up with bruises on his body without even realizing it after running around.
If the events unfold according to the novel, his personality will completely change in a month.
But for now, Rigen was just a kid who wasn't interested in or curious about the world and just enjoyed playing.
I gave Rigen, who was trying so hard to act innocent, a bright smile.
"Nice to meet you, Young Master. I look forward to working with you too."
After that, the Head Maid, ordinary butlers, and maids began to greet me in order.
I was especially keeping an eye on the Head Butler when Gilbert made his presence known as he walked in from behind.
He had the same silver hair and the same reddish eyes as Rigen.
His face was somewhat gaunt, but the look in his eyes as he glared at me was still sharp.
Aha. So, he's decided to just resent me now.
He didn't even glance at Edith.
Gilbert, who had walked over with large strides, opened his mouth.
"Rigen."
Rigen's eyes widened.
"B, Brother?"
There was a mix of embarrassment and joy in Rigen's trembling voice.
I could guess how much this sibling relationship would drive me crazy in the future.
"Are you calling me now?"
"The Grand Duchess is an enemy of our family. Don't you ever trust her."
Look at what that bastard's doing. Did he just grimace like he was about to throw up when he said 'Grand Duchess'?
It was nothing short of petty and childish revenge. Well, he had been too quiet all this time. It was surprising that he had been patient until now.
The servants all froze at Gilbert's sudden outburst.
They were too busy trying to read my and Edith's expressions, so I tried to reassure Rigen with a kind smile.
"No, Young Master. If I were really an enemy of the Callakis family, wouldn't I have folded Gilbert up nicely and brought him here?"
Rigen swallowed hard at the convincing explanation. Besides, he was slowly backing away.
What's wrong, why are you doing that? I really want to get along with you.
I sent Edith a look asking for an explanation. He was laughing his head off and asked.
"Eve, the kids don't like you very much, do they?"
I was about to retort, 'What about you?' when Rigen scurried behind Edith's back.
"Wow, traitor..."
For the record, I had never been close to children in either my past life or this one.
* * *
Generally, children are defined as people under the age of 13.
It's a time when they have many questions and many fears, and if I'm not careful, I might fall into the category of 'scary things.' Of course, that would be a problem.
My goal in life is, of course, to live comfortably and happily, spending money like water.
Although throwing a wild party on top of Gilbert's corpse is tempting.
Anyway, I also had a wish that Rigen, the male protagonist of the novel, would suffer a little less.
In the novel, Rigen suffered all kinds of hardships from a very young age. And since I hadn't read the novel to the end, I didn't even know if Rigen would have a happy ending.
Steam rose from the bathtub. I entrusted my body to the hot water and called Sera.
"Sera, did you pack the gift well?"
My voice echoed.
The bathroom, which I had found to relax and leave Rigen behind for a while, was huge.
Shining jewels replaced the lights, and a cat statue poured hot water into the bathtub.
More cats...
The image I had of the 'great Callakis family, fighting Magical Beasts and ruling the barren lands' had already been shattered.
Edith would stand by and watch, and the person in charge of managing the Grand Ducal Palace had decorated the entire interior with cats.
Could the rumors have already spread to the nearby nobles?
Of course, just being in the same space as Edith once would prevent them from trying to take advantage...
But it was a little sad that the solemn and absolute image of the Callakis Grand Duchy, which was forgotten in the capital but still strong in the North, was collapsing in an instant because of cats.
I felt the urge to bury my head in my hands when Sera cautiously answered.
"You mean the bribe, no, the gift for the Young Master?"
"Yeah, that. I'll give it to him at dinner."
"Is it okay to give it to him as is...?"
Sera's reaction was somehow unsettling.
"Everyone likes it, right?"
"Well, yes... Hmm, well, it's the thought that counts!"
"Sera, your expression is suspicious."
"Ahaha... Anyway, it's a gift that the Grand Duchess prepared with all her heart, so I don't think he'll hate it. Anyway, you wrote a handwritten letter because you really wanted to get along with the Young Master, right? The Young Master will understand the Grand Duchess's sincerity."
Sera, who was saying 'anyway' too many times, quickly reached out before I could open my mouth.
"I'll wash your hair. I'm glad your hair isn't damaged."
"Because someone brushes it all the time."
I thought of Edith, who had rolled up my hair into a bun and was satisfied.
Why does Rigen follow Edith so well? Should I ask him for the secret?
Rigen's childhood in the novel passed by in a way that only recalled specific scenes when necessary. Therefore, I didn't even know what Rigen's tastes were when he was young.
The incident that was supposed to happen in a month was quite large, but it was difficult to know the details.
The starting point of the incident was Rigen's running away from home.
In <Esmeralda's Crescent Moon>, Rigen was running away from home when Maybia first arrived in the North.
The two first meet in the market, but Maybia doesn't suspect that the boy who is deliberately hiding his identity is Rigen Callakis.
So she just lets Rigen, who bumped into her, go and regrets it later.
As time passed helplessly and dawn approached, the incident occurred.
While the Grand Duke's knights were busily searching for Rigen all night, a Magical Beast awakened in the forest.
The novel simply stated, 'Rigen woke it up.'
The knights succeeded in subduing the Magical Beast, but most of them were seriously injured.
Also, the villagers had to evacuate far away, and the only forest was covered in flames and did not recover for a long time.
Due to this incident, Rigen became extremely quiet for a while.
He had nightmares every night, and his personality changed drastically.
It was so hard to see him smile that there were even jokes that he was wearing a mask.
It was only because Maybia tried to talk to him and comfort him every day that he got better.
But the novel has already gone wrong, hasn't it?
I married a month earlier than Maybia in the novel. There was plenty of time.
I know the things that will happen in the future, even if only roughly, so is there a need for Rigen to go through such an experience and have to deal with it?
Rigen is still an eight-year-old kid before he is the male protagonist.
Edith doesn't seem like he's going to live in seclusion like in the novel anymore either.
-Gilbert and Rigen will be deeply grateful to me for keeping them alive until now.
However, what Edith said was a bit concerning...
"I will dry you off, Your Highness."
When I came out of my thoughts, Sera had stepped back and was pouting.
I stared blankly at the towel that the Head Maid had brought. An adorable cat picture was embroidered on it.
It seems like there are more cats than people in this castle.
"Are there any other towels?"
The Head Maid brought several towels at once.
They were all the same except for the color, and they all had cats on them.
Yeah, this is the limit now.
"Who's the culprit?"
The Head Maid realized the meaning of my question and answered politely.
"Count Elliot is in charge of managing the castle."
So it's you, the guy who forced his taste into his superior's house.
I responded with a devilish smile.
"Tell him I have something important to discuss with him and want to meet him as soon as it's light tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I dried my hair and changed into an indoor dress.
The Head Maid recommended a light cloak.
Although a cold wind was blowing outside, the power of capital kept the inside of the Grand Ducal Palace warm at all times.
Even though the image of the dignified Callakis Grand Duchy was shattered, the enormous wealth remained the same.
After finishing my preparations, I held the gift box for Rigen in my arms and went down to the banquet hall.
