***

Thanks to Astrid, who poured out admiration and praise even when she simply lifted a spoon, Leticia finished her meal without even realizing what she had eaten.

At that moment, the dining room door opened, and Hilda entered with the brightest expression in the world.
“Your Grace!”
Hilda, who usually appeared so neat and proper that she could seem a bit strict, now looked as radiant as a girl experiencing her first love.

Leticia stared blankly with her mouth slightly open as she watched Hilda’s face.
“May I guide you to the workshop?”
“Yes. Did you properly retrieve the items from the tower?”
“We stored the damaged ones in a warehouse after the tower collapsed, and the intact ones were moved to the workshop.”
“We’ll need to reorganize them.”

As Leticia continued to watch Astrid, who was carrying her in her arms, she thought about how much she wanted to walk on her own. It was convenient, but at this rate, she worried she might forget how to walk altogether.
“Where is the workshop located?”
“It’s in the leftmost room on the top floor. We combined two rooms into one. His Grace originally intended to set up the workshop in the room next to the one the Prince is using, to make it more convenient for Your Grace, but it was too small, so he compromised with the same floor.”
“Oh, I’ll have to move, then.”

Astrid asked Leticia.

“Baby, the room you’re using right now is actually the best one in this castle. That’s why I had you sleep there yesterday. But, well, a good room can just be made, right? It doesn’t have to be that one.”

Instead of heading to the workshop Hilda had mentioned, Astrid started walking toward the warehouse and gave Hilda an order.
“I don’t plan to use the newly made workshop, so move the things there to the annex. Bring over most of the furniture, too. The third floor of the annex seems the best, so we’ll remodel that area.”
“Yes.”

Hilda noted Astrid’s words without raising any questions.

Leticia wondered if this was really okay, observing Hilda’s attitude, which seemed more submissive than loyal.
To put it bluntly, Hilda didn’t seem like the capable head maid of the Basilinte family but rather Astrid’s devoted slave.

“Make it so there are only three rooms: the baby’s room, my room, and the workshop. Oh, and make sure the workshop is the largest.”
“Do we not need a playroom for the Prince?”
“That can go on the first floor of the annex. If the baby is going to practice walking, the second floor would be dangerous.”

Wouldn’t it be a bit strange for someone her age to be practicing walking?

If Astrid would just put her down, Leticia could show her not just walking but even a backflip.

The role of a baby angel was one Leticia had played many times before, and to perfect the mystical entrance of a baby angel, she had even learned tightrope walking.

But why would she need to practice walking on solid ground, not a thin rope?

Did these people see her as an 8-month-old baby instead of an 8-year-old child?

“Should we use the second floor as a storage area? Now that I think about it, why does this castle even need guest rooms? I’ve never seen any guests here.”

There were no balls, no tea parties, and not even guests at weddings. Only the retainers attended.

And those retainers stayed in a separate area of the outer castle.

The guest rooms in the annex of the inner castle were meant for individuals of similar status to the Grand Duke or those with special relationships, but…

There were hardly any individuals on the continent with a status similar to the Grand Duke of Basilinte, and even if there were, most of them had bad relationships with him.

The nickname “Mad Dog of the Continent” wasn’t given for nothing.

And the members of the Basilinte family naturally had no friends. Forget special relationships; they didn’t even have personal connections.

Occasionally, the spouses of the Basilinte family would invite guests, but the emotionless members of the Basilinte family often ended up burying those whom their spouses had “special relationships” with.

The members of the Basilinte family were, by nature, utterly friendless. Special relationships were out of the question; they lacked even basic personal connections.
On rare occasions, the spouses of the Basilinte family would invite guests, only for the emotionless family members to end up burying those with whom their spouses shared “special relationships.”
After experiencing several such incidents, the spouses eventually grew wise enough to arrange accommodations for their guests in the outer castle.
Whenever these incidents occurred, Astrid would simply crack Ferik’s head open, but most spouses, unlike Astrid, lacked her unshakable mental fortitude.
The previous Grand Duchess was a prime example.

“Astrid.”

At some point, the Grand Duke, who had been quietly following them since they left the dining room, called out to her. Without even turning her head, Astrid responded curtly.
“Give the blood you brought to Hilda. Why did you come here yourself?”
“I came to tell you that it might be difficult to obtain Father’s blood for a while.”
“Why?”

Astrid finally stopped walking toward the warehouse.

Thanks to Astrid’s sudden turn, Leticia, who was still in her arms, could finally see the Grand Duke’s face.

His silver hair shimmered under the sunlight, looking particularly divine today. In other words, he looked slightly more handsome than usual.

Having worked in an industry where appearances mattered, Leticia, upon seeing the Grand Duke’s radiant face, didn’t think, He looks more handsome today, but instead wondered, What did he put on his face today?

Surely, the Grand Duke hadn’t spent his morning grooming himself in front of a mirror, had he?

“He’s not in the castle. According to the servants, he left last night to meet Mother. Since she’s quite far away, it’ll take some time for him to return.”
“That’s unusual. Did Lady Isana go on a solo trip or something? And Gaien allowed it?”

The Grand Duke fell silent for a moment.

After all, Gaien’s divorce had been due to the events of five years ago.

When his daughter-in-law died, Gaien immediately urged his son to remarry, prompting Lady Isana Basilinte to finally acknowledge that her husband wasn’t human and to kick him out.

“…The two of them are divorced.”
“Oh.”

Astrid let out a small exclamation and nodded.

Not surprised at all, she supported her mother-in-law’s remarriage, even without knowing the nonsense her father-in-law had said.

“She should’ve done it sooner. I hope Lady Isana meets someone as kind as herself this time.”

Astrid didn’t like Gaien either.

Among the Basilinte family members, Gaien, the eldest, was the epitome of the “annoying Basilinte scoundrels” Astrid cursed daily.

Of course, Gaien didn’t like Astrid either.

His wife, the only normal person in this dysfunctional family, had relied heavily on Astrid.

Although he wouldn’t admit it, Gaien was even more possessive of his spouse than Ferik.

Once, he tried to bury Astrid in a cornfield, only to end up buried himself.

Ferik praised Astrid for “winning,” and Astrid, who had considered using Gaien as an experiment subject, let him go because Lady Isana cried.

However, Leticia, who didn’t know the chaotic history of the Basilinte family, was startled by Astrid’s shocking words, her eyes darting around in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Hilda, unfazed by the familiar conversation from five years ago, smiled warmly at Leticia.

Realizing that Hilda’s cheeks flushed just as much when looking at her as they did when looking at Astrid, Leticia instinctively clung to Astrid’s clothes.

Those submissive eyes were a little frightening.

“Hmm? Baby, do you want to go back inside? Are your legs tired?”
“No, it’s not that…”

How could her legs hurt when she hadn’t even walked? Leticia shook her head vigorously.

However, Astrid, without hesitation, turned away from Ferik, leaving him behind mid-conversation.