Chapter 43

Demian, awakened from his sleep, confirmed the arrival of the Duke’s party and sent the other servants back to their quarters. He judged that there was no need to stir up unnecessary commotion by revealing the presence of the Princess to everyone at this moment.  

‘How much hardship must he have endured.’  

It was rare for the Duke, who seldom showed signs of fatigue, to appear so utterly drained.  

Eric sat on the sofa, his eyes now completely closed. The old butler looked at him with a sympathetic expression.  

Eric was truly exhausted—not physically, but mentally. His energy had been entirely depleted.  

‘That wretched brat!’  

The sly child had clung to Euphrasia the entire journey to the Herrington Estate, chattering incessantly.  

Eric, following at a slight distance, had inadvertently overheard every word of their conversation.  

It was nothing but trivial, meaningless talk. Half of it was whining about how difficult life had been for the child and Sylvia, while the other half consisted of unrestrained praise for Euphrasia.  

The child’s voice was loud and piercing, to the point that even now, when Eric closed his eyes, the echo of the child’s chatter haunted him like a phantom.  

Already troubled, the incessant noise from the brat had worn him down effectively.  

As soon as they arrived at the estate, Eric separated Euphrasia from the insolent child.  

When he mentioned checking on Louis’s sleeping arrangements, Euphrasia went upstairs to her room, and the brat finally returned to the Princess’s side, silencing herself at last.  

“Your Grace, what shall we do with that child?”  

The old butler cautiously asked, and Sylvia, who had been silent until now, spoke in a soft voice.  

“If possible, I’d like to keep her with me. Would that be… alright?”  

However, Eric waved his hand dismissively and responded firmly.  

“Princess, you seem to be mistaken. That child is a criminal who was brought here for stealing from the Duchess. Since my wife decided to take her in, Princess, you have no authority over her whatsoever.”  

Before Sylvia could respond, Eric turned to the old butler.  

“Either mix her in with the knight trainees or hand her over to the servants for menial tasks.”  

“Understood.”  

“I’m tired. I’ll go rest now. Handle the rest as you see fit, butler.”  

Eric rose from the sofa, his body sagging like soaked cotton, and left the reception room without hesitation.  

He judged that leaving the remaining matters to Demian would pose no issues. After all, Demian was a capable butler who had managed the estate’s affairs, both big and small, for many years.  

Outside the reception room, the hallway was filled with a breeze slipping through slightly open windows. The weather had grown noticeably cooler, the temperature refreshing enough to feel the chill.  

Thanks to this, his muddled mind seemed to clear slightly. After a moment of deliberation, Eric changed course and headed toward the bedroom.  

***

Inside the reception room, the initial confusion caused by the sudden appearance of the Princess soon subsided.  

Demian, as an experienced butler, began to methodically carry out Eric’s orders.  

Turning his head, Demian looked at Leopold, who stood in one corner of the reception room.  

Leopold, who had returned with Eric, was clinging closely to the Princess, expressing his affection for his sister with his entire body. The earlier awkwardness he had shown upon first discovering Sylvia had long since disappeared.  

Demian interpreted their behavior as the tender bond between siblings meeting for the first time.  

“Should the Princess be assigned to the room next to you, Prince Leopold?”  

“That’s not a bad idea, but…”  

To Demian’s surprise, Leopold offered an unexpected response.  

“Although we share blood, meeting for the first time makes things a little awkward. It seems my sister still feels uncomfortable around me, so if possible, could you assign her a room closer to Lady Euphrasia’s quarters?”  

Leopold spoke with an uneasy smile.  

“I believe she would feel most at ease with Lady Euphrasia, given they are of the same gender and similar age. Isn’t that right, Sister?”  

At Leopold’s remark, Jizel puffed out her cheeks and glanced at him, while the Princess flinched and nodded repeatedly.  

The butler felt a fleeting sense of unease at the disparity between Leopold’s affectionate demeanor and the Princess’s hesitant response.  

Nevertheless, as a competent butler, he quickly accepted the Prince’s request positively. Upon reflection, it seemed reasonable enough.  

With the Princess’s accommodations decided, the butler’s gaze shifted to the scruffy child.  

Clearly intimidated by the grandeur of the Herrington Estate, the child was deliberately glaring around the room, trying to hide her unease.  

Leopold cast a cold glance at the child.  

“Honestly, I cannot understand Lady Euphrasia’s actions.”  

At the same time, a sarcastic tone slipped through his teeth.  

“Forgiving a petty thief and bringing her into the household? She’ll eventually grow into a bigger thief and betray us.”  

“Madam must have her reasons.”  

The butler’s curt response to Leopold’s dismissive remark was automatic.  

Even the butler didn’t know much about the child. Judging by the Prince’s words, it seemed she had survived by stealing in the slums.  

She appeared to have some connection to the Princess, but as far as the butler was concerned, that wasn’t relevant to his duties at the estate.  

‘It’s a principle not to hire servants with sticky fingers.’  

Still, since the child was brought in by Madame, it wasn’t a matter for the Prince of Kettlin to interfere with.  

Feeling a slight rebelliousness toward Leopold, the butler deliberately softened his tone and addressed the child.  

“What’s your name?”  

“Jizel… It’s Jizel.”  

“Alright, Jizel. Unfortunately, we have more than enough servants for menial tasks at the estate. The only work available for you now is as a knight trainee. It might be much harder than you expect. Are you okay with that?”  

Before the butler could finish speaking, Jizel nodded desperately. Her eyes burned with unhidden determination.  

“I can do it!”  

Jizel thought it was actually for the best. Serving her sister would have been ideal, but that option seemed impossible now.  

Rather than doing replaceable chores, learning a skill in the knight order seemed far more advantageous.  

“You’re brave.”  

Seeing the fire in her eyes, the butler found her promising. He patted her head once and clapped his hands lightly.  

“Then it’s decided. I’ll guide the Princess to her room. Jizel, wait here for a moment. I’ll take you to the trainee quarters shortly.”  

Normally, this task would have been delegated to the servants. However, since he had sent them all away earlier, he had no choice but to handle it himself.  

Though his lingering drowsiness weighed heavily on his eyelids, Demian decided to take care of the remaining tasks while he was awake.  

At that moment, Eric’s furious voice echoed from upstairs.  

“Madame!”  

The butler felt the remnants of fatigue vanish instantly. A chill ran down his spine.  

***

At that moment, Eric, who had initially planned to head to his bedroom, changed his course and ascended the staircase located in the center of the living room. He felt the need to have a belated conversation with Euphrasia.

Warnings concerning the Count Olden family, as well as Prince Leopold, were matters that needed to be addressed.

Strangely enough, her fondness for Leopold was considerable. While Euphrasia often seemed cautious, there was an undeniable clumsiness to her demeanor. If Leopold, the cunning Prince of Kettlin, had noticed this trait of hers, he would have exploited it thoroughly.

‘If the Prince decides to, he could manipulate Euphrasia entirely to suit his own desires.’

He never imagined they would grow close enough to go out together alone.  

The incident involving the Princess earlier today had heightened Eric’s wariness of Leopold to its peak. Leopold acted as though he knew nothing about the Princess, but Eric couldn’t easily let go of his suspicions.  

‘Even if we start with the poisoning incident.’  

While it was true that Leopold had saved Eric’s life, the poison that had endangered him had come from Kettlin.  

As a member of Kettlin’s royal family, Leopold could not be entirely absolved of responsibility.  

And frankly, Eric found it difficult to be certain that Leopold had no involvement in the poisoning incident.  

If Leopold had orchestrated the poisoning attempt, failed, and then shifted the blame onto his half-sister in the kingdom, there would be no way to uncover the truth while in the distant empire.  

‘There is a way to know for sure.’  

Using the Elixir of Truth would resolve the issue easily. However, Eric preferred to reserve that option as a last resort.  

It was because of Euphrasia.  

If Euphrasia truly turned out to be the Princess of Kettlin, and Leopold was already aware of this fact, then…  

The truth would inevitably spill from the Prince’s lips after drinking the Elixir of Truth.  

Should that happen, the consequences would be severe.  

In the lesser scenario, the Emperor would become obsessed with possessing her, and in the worst-case scenario, she might choose to leave for Kettlin.  

Although their relationship had softened compared to before, Eric wasn’t entirely confident that she wouldn’t leave.  

Much of Euphrasia’s interest in Leopold stemmed from the fact that he held information about her parents.  

Euphrasia had a strong attachment to the concept of ‘family.’ If she learned of her father’s existence, Eric was certain she would decide to return to his embrace without hesitation.  

‘In any case, I should tell her to avoid getting involved as much as possible.’  

Though he had reluctantly allowed the Prince and the suspicious woman claiming to be a Princess to stay at the Herrington Estate, Eric did not want them growing closer to Euphrasia.  

This was the instinct of a Sword Master. They were undoubtedly ominous.  

‘Not that the conversation needs to be entirely serious.’  

While the conversation was necessary, Eric didn’t want to weigh her down with heavy topics that might disturb her sleep.  

In truth, he was excited by the thought of using this conversation as an excuse to wish Euphrasia a good night before she went to bed.  

As Eric walked down the hallway, a faint smile unknowingly appeared on his face.