Chapter 56
56
Inside were the seals of the successors.
There was a small jewel in the center: Henri's was a ruby, Isaac's was an emerald, and mine was a diamond.
'I think Yohan, the eldest son, has a sapphire.'
The seals were fascinating. They looked like adult sizes, but the circumference shrank when worn.
Henri put the ruby seal on his finger and said,
"I didn't expect to receive it so soon."
Isaac grinned and grabbed his ring.
"The eldest brother received it around this time too. Although LeBlaine is quite early."
At that, Noth looked at us.
"Now that you have received the seals, you will receive an annual allowance and be able to form your own exclusive advisory group."
"Is there anyone you have been eyeing?"
At Dad's words, Henri replied,
"Give me Viscount Orlando, Shugon, the Deputy Head of Accounting, Laufner from the Iri, and the Wizard Mikel."
Isaac then opened his mouth.
"I'll take Baron Marceau and the 3rd Company."
Finally, it was my turn.
"Umm, Nhea and Dania, Linda, Uni, and... Baron Nuanok!"
At my words, the Duke, Henri, Isaac, and Noth were all taken aback.
"Are you sure you didn't say it wrong? Baron Nuanok is the Chairman of the Senate. Ah, you must have misspoken and meant Baron Ruike!"
Isaac denied reality.
"How about Baron Leschle? She is a wise person and will be of great help to you."
Henri tried to appease me.
"A, A, Little Miss...!"
Noth stuttered in embarrassment.
'Is it because we've been at odds with the Senate all this time? There's a lot of opposition.'
But Dad was silent.
As people began to know that I had been saved by the Chairman, I often appeared with him.
So he might have expected it...
"Not me?"
Huh?
"Why Baron Nuanok and not me?"
"...Dad is Gongzhanmi."
"Even a Duke is an aide. Strictly speaking, I'm the Emperor's aide."
'No, I'm not the Emperor...'
Isaac, standing next to me, pointed at himself and said, "What about me? Don't you need me as an aide?" Henri was smiling gently, probably wanting to say something similar.
I take back what I thought earlier about us being a normal family.
Our family is a bit unique.
When I didn't say anything, the Duke muttered,
"Nuanok, that guy..."
His voice was ominous.
The Chairman of the Senate, Jean-Marc Nuanok, was an outstanding man.
Not only was he blessed with a great family and intellect, but he had also lived for well over half a century without ever being pushed out of power.
From a young age, he had followers. Countless people wanted to form close relationships with him, and numerous nobles wanted him to take them under his wing.
The same was true now. His mailbox was always full of letters.
From love letters from elderly noblewomen to letters of respect from young officials, the types were diverse.
Therefore, he could say with certainty.
This was the first time in his life that he had been subjected to such hostile and accusatory gazes.
The Chairman, walking down the Dubled Castle corridor, glanced back.
Then, the people who had been gnawing on their handkerchiefs and glaring at his back quickly turned their heads away.
'What's going on now?'
Viscount Dubois's faction was walking towards him from the opposite side.
They were always on lukewarm terms, as they were the pro-Duke faction and the head of the Senate, which was a force checking the Duke.
However, Viscount Dubois had never glared at him with such a face as if he wanted to tear him apart and kill him.
"This is absurd."
The Chairman frowned at Viscount Dubois's words.
"Don't cut off the beginning and end, and speak."
"What have you done?"
"I haven't done anything special recently."
It was the Duke who was doing strange things. He suddenly piled up work like crazy and entrusted all of Teramore and Roman's jurisdictions to him.
As if he was trying to kill him with overwork because he was displeased with him.
In fact, the Chairman had a nosebleed this morning.
Viscount Dubois slammed his hand on the window frame and vented his frustration.
"Why! Why! Did the Little Miss choose you as her aide! Not me!"
"...What?"
"I was the one the Little Miss liked originally. Do you know that? Huh?"
"..."
"The Little Miss even gave me candy with her tiny hands, saying, 'Harabuji, eat this sweet.' I treasured it so much that I had it preserved!"
"..."
"So don't, don't be so smug!"
Kuh-huh!
As Viscount Dubois trembled with rage, the vassals of the pro-Duke faction next to him added their voices.
"We won't give up."
"Don't mistake the Little Miss's affection as yours, Chairman."
"We were the ones who recognized the Little Miss's loveliness first."
The Chairman looked at the vassals, who seemed to have half lost their minds, with a sullen expression.
"...Get out of the way."
He waved his hand and escaped from the vassals of the pro-Duke faction.
Behind him, he heard Viscount Dubois's tearful cry, "Just you wait! I will regain the Little Miss's attention!"
All the way to the greenhouse where LeBlaine was, he felt like his body was being torn to shreds by the jealous gazes of the vassals in the corridor.
In front of the greenhouse, Baron Misaengke, who belonged to the Senate, approached with envious eyes, saying, "Chairman!"
"What is it now with you?"
"You have been chosen by the Little Miss!"
"..."
"All the vassals were aiming for the aide position. Keu, please give me guidance too."
"...Get out of the way."
He pushed Baron Misaengke away and entered the greenhouse.
Seeing LeBlaine sitting in a chair, the Chairman said,
"What on earth is going on?"
When he asked, LeBlaine turned her gaze away with a tired expression.
Where the child's gaze reached, the maids of the West Wing and the maids who originally served the child, including Leah, were fighting.
"It can't be! Why were you the ones chosen by the Little Miss!"
"Because the Little Miss likes us."
"This is wrong. Something is seriously wrong. Why you, who have less ability and less experience serving the family than us!"
Seeing the maids who were about to hit and fight, LeBlaine said with a gloomy face.
"I didn't know it would turn out like this."
"...I'm sure you didn't."
The two looked at each other and sighed.
And a week later. Contrary to the surrounding expectations, the Chairman joined LeBlaine's advisory group without any problems.
It was because the Duke was completely smitten by LeBlaine's shame-defying 'I like Dad the most in the world!' attack.
The room change that had been put off due to various events was over.
I thought the guest room was a really good room, but the room in the West Wing that Dad made for me was on a different level.
It's big, pretty, and safe, like a princess's room in a fairy tale.
What I like most is the bed that you won't fall off even if you roll ten times to the right or left, and the duvet that is as soft as a kitten's fur.
'Fluffy, soft...'
With this bed and duvet, I could sleep in and still fall back asleep in 5 minutes.
Just as I was smiling, Leah came to pick me up.
"It's snack time."
"Okay."
I got out of bed, put on my coat, and left the room.
Recently, my snack time has been changed to a simple tea party with my family.
I really enjoyed having drinks and tea food spread out in the garden or greenhouse and having small conversations with my family.
If there is a very small problem, it is that-
"I'm going to feed her the blueberry cake I prepared today."
"It's peanut butter cookies. LeBlaine likes these the most."
"It's a chocolate scone."
Dad and my brothers often bicker.
It's better than before when they didn't have any personal conversations with each other, but I'm a little worried because they often have a war of nerves.
I feel like it will be difficult for my family to get close or get along.
'Hmm, what should I do?'
As I sat down, Henri asked,
"What do you want to eat, LeBlaine?"
"Ummm..."
As I pondered, I smiled brightly and said, "Everything!" and cakes, cookies, and scones were placed on the table.
Just as I was about to reach for the peanut butter cookie that Isaac had prepared, the butler came in with the mail.
Henri looked at the dark blue envelope with the imperial seal that had been delivered to Dad and asked,
"Is it the Empress Dowager?"
"Yes. It's a reply saying that she will not interfere with LeBlaine's education."
The Empress Dowager?
I was startled and widened my eyes.
Deeply devout, she wanted me to be educated at the Temple and fulfill the oracle of sealing the evil god as the Child of Destiny.
So, from the first life to the second life, she interfered excessively in my daily life.
Even when Duke Amitié bluntly said it was excessive interest, she didn't care at all.
'But why is she being so compliant in this life?'
Just as I was thinking that, Isaac stirred his drink and said,
"Last time when you went to see LeBlaine's puppy, you said that the person who followed you was the Empress Dowager's person, right?"
At those words, Henri nodded.
"Yes. The people she sent were caught by us and spilled everything, so she must have been anxious that it would be known to the Emperor."
"Because it would be considered that the Empress Dowager was investigating the Dukedom?"
"She's already spending a lot of imperial property because of the Temple, and if it becomes known that she was even spying on noble families, the imperial family's reputation will plummet."
I nodded. The Empress Dowager was really reckless.
Her faith was always a headache for the Emperor.
The Emperor wanted to reduce the power of the Temple, which was comparable to the imperial family, but the Empress Dowager stepped in to help the Temple's affairs and caused accidents every time.
So, instead of reducing the power of the Temple, the imperial family's reputation was damaged every time.
It was also the Empress Dowager who decided to adopt me into the Dukedom without permission.
But after adopting me, she even spied on me, so originally, Dubled would have been furious.
'If she gets caught this time, the Emperor won't stand still anymore.'
So, she must have sent a letter to the Duke, begging him not to tell the Emperor, saying that she would not interfere with my education.
Anyway, it was good for me if I could get out of the Empress Dowager's sight.
At that time, the butler looked at Isaac and said,
"A strange letter has arrived."
"It came to me?"
"Well... I'm not sure if it came to you... Your name was written on it, but..."
"What do you mean?"
"It says, <To Squire Isaac of the Knights>."
Isaac narrowed his brows.
"Squire? Is there someone with the same name as me?"
"I looked it up, but there wasn't. What's even stranger is..."
The butler tilted his head and put down a box containing an Elsa tree bouquet and pink shoes for a girl.
"I heard that the bouquet has preservation magic on it."
'Gasp!'
I covered my mouth.
I knew as soon as I heard it. Who sent that.
'Adrian!'
