Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Swish, swish. I checked the hallway, and when there was no one around, I dashed into the greenhouse.
Then, I dug up the soil under the newly planted arborvitae sapling.
Digging quite deep, I could see a cloth slightly soaked in the soil.
I rubbed the cloth with my fingertip and felt something blunt.
"Good, good."
This was the reward money pouch I received from Seria.
Seria's friend, disguised as someone who came to plant saplings from outside, buried the money here.
Squatting down, I wore a satisfied expression.
'With this, I can not only forge an identity but also take a very good ship when crossing the continent.'
But that wasn't my only goal.
'I need to make it grow.'
Money makes money, after all.
I'll use this as seed money and roll it around to make it snowball.
'And then I'll defect and live in luxury…!'
My cheeks flushed with happy imagination, and I chuckled.
'Now, all that's left is for Seria to return safely.'
There's a lot to make her do.
Of course, I also have to help Seria track down the 'guest,' but that won't be too difficult.
The Duke is thoroughly digging around Jacob and even the dead nobleman.
All I have to do is subtly pass on the Duke's information to Seria.
I carefully covered the soil again and left the greenhouse, humming.
I was walking down the hallway to return to my room when I heard a voice from the opposite side, "Young Miss!"
"You were here. We've been looking for you."
It was the maids. In their hands were shoes and dresses.
"You must attend the Grand Assembly."
The Grand Assembly was Dubled's largest meeting, where even vassals with jurisdictions gathered.
'Why would I go there?'
As I tilted my head, the maids giggled and exchanged glances.
"Today is the day you are introduced to the vassals, Young Miss."
Ah.
So that's why Leah had been frantically trying on clothes and accessories since yesterday.
The maids, who took me to my room, helped Leah decorate me.
I wore more extravagant clothes than usual, combed my hair well, and put a ribbon on the crown of my head.
I became a quite cute little lady, and I followed Leah out of the room.
When I arrived at the Grand Assembly Hall, the soldiers opened the door for me.
I looked around at the vassals and swallowed hard.
There were some familiar faces, but there were far more people I had never seen before.
'Amazing.'
There were many of them, but all the vassals exuded tremendous pressure.
As expected, they were people who exerted influence in the center of a prominent powerful family.
But the one who boasted the most distinct presence there was, of course, Duke Dubled.
'Wow…'
It was the first time I had seen him in full dress.
A shirt with delicate embroidery in gold thread, a luxurious jacket with several medals of merit.
On top of that, he wore a robe with the black lion emblem symbolizing the head of Dubled.
'Really, his appearance is second to none.'
Even such extravagant clothes could not completely hide his tightly cinched chest and firm shoulders.
In addition, the quiet but cool and threatening aura that emanated from his entire body.
I understand why he receives the attention of ladies despite his fearsome personality.
Henri and Isaac were on either side of the Duke.
Henri with his flamboyant and sweet appearance, and Isaac with his slightly wild feel.
Both of them boasted a presence that was not like that of young children.
"LeBlaine."
At the Duke's voice, everyone's attention focused on me.
I carefully walked towards the Duke so as not to fall, and he suddenly picked me up and sat me on his lap.
"Gasp!"
"Hoo."
"Really on His Excellency's lap…"
The nobles who saw me for the first time looked as if they were about to faint.
"LeBlaine Lisette Dubled."
Lisette?
It's natural to become a Dubled since I was adopted, but they're giving me a middle name too?
As I blinked, the vassals began to buzz loudly.
"What…!"
"Lisette, Your Excellency!"
"Isn't that the name of the late Duchess?"
I flinched and looked at the Duke.
'Duke, are you crazy?!'
Usually, the names of parents, grandparents, or honorable ancestors are attached to the middle name.
But that only applies to biological children who will inherit the family!
No wonder the idiomatic expression when entrusting the family to a son-in-law is 'You can put my name in your middle name.'
So this was a declaration that I would enjoy the same rights as a biological child.
The right to access all information and to control the Territory of Dubled when the Duke vacated the castle.
Even the vassals of the pro-Duke faction, who were friendly to me, hardened their faces.
The vassals raised their voices.
"Please reconsider!"
"The rights of the Dubled family to a child belonging to the Temple!"
"Your Excellency!"
It was a complete mess.
I was incredibly flustered.
'No, I'm just going to eat and live quietly, okay?'
Of course, I have to build up my strength so that the Temple can't touch me when I defect, but this is too much power.
'The attention will be focused on me!'
"G, Gongzhanmi…"
I called him to ask him to cancel it, but I was so embarrassed that my voice trembled.
The Duke's eyes turned fierce.
"Who dares to scare my daughter?"
Huh?
"Point out the one who frightens you. I will twist their limbs off."
At those words, Henri and Isaac rose from their seats and prostrated themselves.
"If you order it, I will cut off their heads."
"Leave it to me."
Why are these kids like this!
The vassals flinched and closed their mouths. The face of the vassal who had been almost screaming turned pale.
'Oh, God.'
Now I realized.
What to do.
I think I flirted too hard.
After the meeting broke up, I returned to my room and sprawled on the sofa with a blank face.
Why did things turn out this way?
"It's ruined, it's ruined."
While I was scrubbing my dry face, the door opened.
It was the management-level employees of the main castle.
That is, people much higher than Leah.
"Young Miss, are you tired?"
"We brought you some sweet milk."
"Oh my, the carpet is all worn out. What was Leah doing not reporting this?"
Leah and my maids, who were entering behind them, wore dumbfounded expressions.
Leah had reported that the carpet was too worn out, but it was this head maid who told her to leave it alone because it was still usable.
I was usually loved by the employees.
Thanks to being noticed by the pro-Duke faction nobles, the employees took an interest in me.
But that was for employees working near the guest quarters, and these high-ranking employees never came to me and flattered me.
At best, the butler of the East Wing was the only high-ranking employee who treated me well.
This was the aftermath of my middle name becoming 'Lisette'.
"Now that you'll have external schedules, we'll have to buy clothes and accessories."
"I'll take your measurements."
"What kind of food do you like the most?"
The senior employees leaned in with burdensome faces.
I was going crazy.
Of course, it's good to be loved by your father.
But it's a different story if that father is 'Duke Dubled'.
The empire's attention will surely be focused on me.
'No, I don't know yet.'
I tried to calm myself.
One of the ways a monarch maintains strong power is to pit his successors against each other.
The previous generation had done that to seize power alone.
'That could be it! …I wish.'
But that was unlikely.
The deed to the biggest toy store in the shopping district that the Duke handed over cut off the buds of hope.
"Now all the furniture has been moved into Young Miss's library room. If you go to the library room, we will serve you."
The maids who were attending to me now flinched.
"It is our role to serve the Young Miss!"
Dahlia, the most impatient of the maids, shouted, and the library maids frowned.
"Isn't your job to serve guests in the East Wing?"
"Now the Young Miss is not a guest but a member of the Dubled family. It is natural for us to serve her."
At those words, my maids argued.
"But we have always served the Young Miss."
"His Excellency has never said that he would replace the maids."
"Yes. If the serving employees suddenly change, the Young Miss will be confused too…!"
The library maid crossed her arms as if she was dumbfounded.
"Raising your voice in front of the Young Miss. Where did you learn such manners?"
I stared at the fighting maids with hollow eyes.
'Can't you just leave me alone?'
I grabbed my head with both hands and groaned.
The Duke's office.
Viscount Dubois, who followed the Duke in, said with a subdued expression.
"Wasn't today's event a hasty measure? All eyes will be on the Young Miss."
The Duke handed his jacket to the butler and replied calmly.
"That's why I acted hastily."
"Yes?"
Duke Dubled, who was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, looked at the Viscount.
"It has not yet been revealed whether the 'guest' is from inside or outside."
"That's right."
"If it's an outsider, they will be careful when attention is focused on LeBlaine."
"But if it's an insider, they will resist even more. Rather, it would be better to set up guards with the Iris (Dubled's elite knight order)…"
"What was the reason Lisette died?"
At those words, Viscount Dubois flinched.
The Duchess Lisette was an unknown noble with no parents or relatives.
The Duke had kept her thoroughly hidden to protect her.
She had hardly ever shown her face to the outside, not only at social parties in The Capital, but even in the territory.
The escort was also thorough. He attached the current commander of the Iris, who was the most powerful Magi Knight at the time except for the Duke, and guarded her flawlessly.
But she died.
Her death, which everyone knows as childbirth, was actually a murder.
'Was giving the Young Miss Lisette's name a vow not to be defeated twice?'
No, that wouldn't be all.
There was no place in Dubled that the Duke's eyes did not reach.
The same was true on the day the wanted criminal Seria escaped from the castle. The Duke knew that LeBlaine had secretly entered the underground prison.
Theodore Dubled hated the fact that his territory was not controlled the most.
However, there was no sanction against LeBlaine, who was presumed to have entered the prison without his knowledge and released the wanted criminal.
Far from sanctions,
[It's amazing that a young child sneaked into the prison. What athletic ability, just like my daughter.]
-He even forced himself to praise her.
He had already fallen for her completely.
'Is this a boon or a bane for Dubled?'
Of course, the Young Miss is cute, lovely, has excellent athletic ability, has determination, knows how to pity others, and knows how to give.
Another fool for his daughter thought of going to see the Young Miss and smiled broadly.
