Chapter 24

Johann returned to the Ducal estate after wrapping up an unusually sluggish noble meeting today. The constant shouting of some nobles during the meeting had left him irritated.

‘I still feel like my head is ringing.’  

He rubbed his temples as he stepped into the entrance of the mansion’s main building.  

“…Neither you nor your daughter ever sat well with me. Johann foolishly took in people with no background!”    

As he entered the central hall, Carolina’s sharp voice pierced through his ears. His eyebrows furrowed fiercely.  

With his long legs, he strode toward the source of the commotion.  

“Aunt, what did you just say?”  

His cold, frosty voice echoed low in the central hall.  

Startled by Johann’s sudden appearance, everyone in the hall froze as if they had turned to ice.  

“…Hic.”  

A young servant, too shocked, let out a hiccup. Another servant hurriedly covered his mouth.  

Even Carolina, who had been ranting without restraint, was no exception. Her eyes shook violently.  

“Why aren’t you answering?”  

“T-that is…”  

Carolina flinched at the low, chilling voice. Despite him being much younger, her nephew seemed terrifying.  

“What is going on here?”  

Johann’s gaze shifted to Lia, who was being held by the maids. At his piercing stare, the maids quickly released their grip on her.  

Fearful of catching Johann’s ire, the servants quietly stepped back a few paces.  

Carolina, on the other hand, waved her hands frantically and approached him.  

“Johann, this might seem like a misunderstanding, but there’s a reason for this.”  

He crossed his arms and looked down at Carolina with an imposing demeanor.  

‘…Why is he staring at me so menacingly?’  

She felt wronged. After all, it wasn’t her fault but that of “that woman.”  

“Your cousin, your sweet and adorable cousin Marco, was—!”  

Carolina tried to appeal to her nephew in a voice full of grievance.  

“Aunt, I’m tired, so please get to the point.”  

But Johann had no intention of listening to her unnecessary chatter.  

“What I’m saying is, Rafaella violently hit my son Marco, leaving him bedridden! I was so shocked….”  

She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears.  

“Marco was beaten by a mere seven-year-old and ended up bedridden?”  

His voice was filled with disbelief.  

“T-that’s right.”  

Carolina stammered, flustered by her nephew’s unexpected reaction.  

“Hah.”  

He let out a scoff.  

“Johann, look at these shoes! That wretched little mouse—no, Rafaella—even left her shoes behind and ran away!”  

Carolina snatched Rafaella’s shoes from the head maid and held them out to her nephew.  

“……”  

Johann stared intently at the ruined shoes.  

“How infuriating!”  

“…They’re quite small.”  

He muttered under his breath.  

“Johann, the size isn’t the issue here—”  

Johann raised a hand to cut her off.  

“Where is the child?”  

“What? If you mean Marco…”  

“Do I look like I’m asking about Marco right now?”  

“…R-Rafaella is…”  

His voice grew even colder, causing not only Carolina but also the servants to tremble in fear.  

“I ordered the servants to search everywhere, but she’s nowhere to be found.”  

Carolina, who had never stammered before her nephew, found herself stumbling over her words today.  

“So you decided to corner this woman like a rat instead?”  

He gestured toward Lia with his chin. She was still trembling.  

“…Johann, corner her like a rat?!”  

“Robert, as the butler of this estate, what were you doing while things escalated to this point?”  

Ignoring Carolina, Johann turned to the butler. His voice dripped with ice.  

“……”  

“Why aren’t you answering?”  

“Your Grace, in my judgment—”  

“Who asked for your judgment?”  

“…My apologies.”  

The butler bowed his head.  

“Hah, apologizing for not answering my question….”  

His crimson eyes burned with anger. Everyone lowered their heads even further, trying to escape his gaze.  

“Johann, that’s not the point. Your cousin’s face is—”  

Carolina, still oblivious, continued to babble. The head maid silently tried to stop her.  

“You there.”  

Johann called out to the nearest servant.  

“…Y-yes?” 

The servant, not expecting to be addressed, widened his eyes in surprise.  

“Bring Marco here immediately.”  

“…Yes, Sir!”  

The servant responded and rushed up to the second floor.  

“Johann, why are you asking for Marco? He’s resting in his room right now.”  

Carolina shook off the head maid and approached Johann to ask.  

He didn’t reply and turned his body away.  

“Johann, are you ignoring your aunt now?”  

Carolina was flustered by her nephew’s continued disregard.  

‘If only my brother were alive, I wouldn’t be treated like this by my nephew!’  

Even in this situation, she thought of her late eldest brother, the former Duke, not because she missed him but because she needed someone who would unconditionally side with her.  

Samuel approached Johann.  

“The servants searched twice, but they truly couldn’t find the young lady anywhere.”  

“…She’s nowhere to be found?”  

“Yes, they even checked the annex just in case.”  

Where could such a small child have gone?  

As his expression hardened, his gaze landed on Lia, who was trembling alone. She was biting her lip hard, as if holding back tears.  

For some reason, an uncomfortable feeling stirred in his chest.  

“Search again—”  

Just as Johann was ordering Samuel to have the servants search again and was about to approach Lia…  

“I’m sick! Why are you dragging me around when I’m sick? You’ll get in big trouble with my mom!”  

A servant descended from the second floor, carrying Marco.  

“Put me down!”  

The servant skillfully handled the struggling Marco and brought him before Johann.  

“Put me down right now—”  

Marco, who had been throwing a tantrum, clamped his mouth shut when he saw Johann in front of him.  

He rolled his eyes nervously, gauging the situation.  

“You seem perfectly fine.”  

Up close, Marco’s nose was only slightly swollen.  

“Aunt.”  

After a moment of silence, Johann called out to Carolina.  

Only then did she come to her senses.  

‘If I’d known Johann would come, I should’ve handled this more moderately.’  

No, she should’ve just dismissed it as nothing and gone back to her room.  

But the situation had already spiraled out of her control.  

“Johann, don’t misunderstand. Marco has only just started to recover.”  

She decided to stubbornly stick to her story.  

“It would be best if you said no more.”  

Though his tone was polite, it was effectively an order.  

Frightened by her nephew’s intense aura, she shut her mouth.  

“Samuel, instruct the servants to search for Rafaella properly this time.”  

Johann turned his back on Carolina and gave orders to Samuel.  

“…Johann, there’s no need for that.”  

Before Samuel could respond to Johann’s command, the Duchess Dowager appeared on the first floor.  

“Isabella!”  

Carolina, as if meeting her savior, approached the Duchess Dowager with Marco in tow.  

The Duchess Dowager coldly swatted away Carolina’s hand as if brushing off something filthy.  

Startled by the gesture, Carolina froze in place with her son.  

“Johann, bring Lia and come to the fourth floor.”  

The Duchess Dowager spoke to her son as if Carolina didn’t exist, then ascended the stairs.  

Curious, Johann followed his mother with Lia in tow.  

***

“Rafaella is in Penelope’s room on the fourth floor.”  

Lia’s eyes widened in surprise at the Duchess Dowager’s words.  

“Why is Raffy there…?”  

“It seems she has been meeting Penelope in that room all along.”  

“…Lady Penelope and Rafaella?”  

“I don’t know the details either, but it seems Rafaella went to Penelope after being bullied by Marco.”  

Isabella had only found out earlier when she visited her daughter’s room. The specifics would likely be better known by Penelope, who seemed closer to Rafaella than expected.  

“Is Raffy okay?”  

Lia asked, trying her best to steady her trembling voice. She felt as though she might go mad with worry for her daughter. If she could, she would have run straight to the fourth floor.  

“…She seems to be slightly injured, but it looks like Penelope applied some ointment for her.”  

There was no way she could have been unscathed.  

‘She fought a boy larger than herself—there’s no way she came out unhurt….’  

As Lia swayed slightly in shock, Johann supported her.  

“She isn’t seriously hurt, so don’t worry too much.”  

The Duchess Dowager reassured Lia, who was unsteady on her feet.  

“…Yes.”  

“The child is asleep right now, so we need to be quiet when we go in.”  

The three of them soon arrived at the door to Penelope’s room on the fourth floor.  

Knock, knock, knock.  

The Duchess Dowager knocked on the door but hesitated to open it immediately. It seemed she was concerned that Penelope, who was unwell, might catch another illness from contact with others.  

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Duchess Dowager made up her mind and opened the door.