She claimed to act in the marquis’s estate’s best interests, but she coveted the estate’s wealth more than anyone. She was always scheming to drag her younger brother Dertosse down, and she was the one who had tormented me the most when I became pregnant.

‘Because she needed to be the one to take the marquis’s estate.’

Under the filthy laws of this empire, if Dertosse died without an heir, the estate would pass to her husband. That was why Illia kept showing up at the marquis’s estate without fail.

Blessed with quite striking looks, she had been picking and choosing men since she was young, and after much deliberation, she got engaged to the son of the Defel marquisate, which held a large trading house.

But old habits die hard, and even after the engagement she was seen with other men, which led to her getting with child by the unremarkable Baron Nolrn. The engagement was broken off, and Illia ended up marrying the Nolrn man.

She gave birth to a daughter in the meantime, but Baron Nolrn was still a man who lived and breathed for women. Illia tried to divorce him, but when that too failed, she began scheming with her greedy husband to get their hands on the marquis’s estate. What a perfectly matched pair. The saying that like finds like was not without reason.

“I’m sorry. I…”

“You…?”

“…I tried to persuade Dertosse, but it didn’t work…”

“Didn’t work? Aren’t you pregnant? I heard you used that to cry and make a scene in front of Dertosse over a little thing Mother said to you?”

I watched her sneer and only my lips trembled.

“No. That’s not what happened…”

“Pregnant, she says. I don’t believe for a second that what’s in there is my brother’s blood. Someone like you must have been rolling around somewhere.”

Nothing about her was any different from before. In the past, she had been the one who raged and flew into a fury over my pregnancy more than anyone.

If I gave birth to a child, and especially a son, she would lose her chance at the marquis’s estate. Even if it were a daughter, she would be pushed down in the order of those who could claim the estate, so Illia was angrier than she had ever been.

“But it’s the truth.”

“What?”

“It really is his child. No matter how much you deny it, it’s the truth.”

“I don’t believe it! And Mother is right, isn’t she? The very idea that a child of our family would be born from someone like you, someone who’s been who knows where! Only someone of noble blood can carry on our family line!”

I gave a small smile and leaned toward her.

“By that logic, what about your daughter, Merez?”

“Wh, what??”

“Wasn’t that always what you said? That the Nolrn baron’s bloodline was worthless. So Merez, who carries the blood of such a man…”

I let my words trail off. She had been screaming at me just moments before, and now she opened and closed her mouth like a fish.

“You, you… you just… my daughter… my daughter…”

“That’s why I’m telling you to watch your mouth. If your own child is precious to you, you should treat other people’s children with the same care.”

Just then, unable to contain her fury, Illia raised her hand to strike my cheek. I saw my chance and grabbed her wrist hard.

“Were you going to hit me?”

“Let go! Let go of me!”

“I know you’ll hit me if I let go, so why would I?”

“Hey!”

“It’s not hey, it’s Evian. And more importantly, I am the marchioness of this household.”

“Are you completely out of your mind?”

The one saving grace was that Illia was smaller than I expected. Thanks to that, I managed not to lose my grip on her arm as she thrashed around like a madwoman.

“Out of my mind? Watch your words. You could end up losing everything you enjoy. What do you think Dertosse would say if he found out that your mother-in-law has been secretly passing you quite a lot of money, that you use the marquisate’s carriage and charge purchases to shops under the Chenples marquisate’s name without a second thought?”

“What?”

“And what a disappointment it would be for Dertosse to find out that you’ve been going around carelessly telling people you’ll soon be the marchioness, that Baron Nolrn will inherit the marquisate?”

I smiled pleasantly and shoved her arm away. The impact nearly sent the small-framed Illia stumbling backward.

“Hey!”

“How many times have I said my name is Evian? If you truly can’t bring yourself to say it, you may call me Marchioness.”

“Ha, ha, does Dertosse know you’re like this? You’re absolutely rotten. Ha, are you threatening me? You lunatic!”

“Are you introducing yourself? The rotten one is you.”

“Ha…? Hey!”

But what a fool she was, unlike any other. She seemed to know nothing but how to rage at me. Illia stood there trembling, her hands balled into tight fists.

“You, you. Ha…”

“Dertosse’s love won’t last forever, it’ll fade in the end. When that happens, you’ll know what becomes of you. I never liked you from the moment I laid eyes on you. Were you going to say something like that?”

“What…?”

“My mother-in-law has already said all of that. So why not try something a little more original? Without any originality, there’s nothing to actually land a blow.”

Unable to hold back any longer, she let out a shriek.

I covered my ears.

“Good grief, the noise. This isn’t good for the baby.”

“What? Not good for the baby, so what! Is there even a baby in there? Is that child actually from our family?”

“You won’t believe anything I say anyway, will you? So there’s no point in asking. And you asked what I’d do if it wasn’t good for the baby, didn’t you? I’d have you removed.”

“You would throw me out?”

“Oh! So you haven’t heard. That from now on, Dertosse has handed everything in the marquis’s estate over to me. Including everything Mother was handling, and even the matter of what becomes of Mother going forward.”

The unexpected words made Illia’s body sway.

“Wh, wha, that doesn’t make any sense. There’s no way he’d hand everything over to you!”

“Why do you think he wouldn’t?”

“Why, why! Because he… he doesn’t love you.”

“Unfortunately for you, he loves me deeply. That’s why he handed it all over. Why? Did Mother tell you nothing would happen?”

“…Dertosse would never do that. He was just a little angry about Mother, that’s all!”

I walked toward her slowly. Perhaps because of everything she had done up to now, Illia, who had been shouting at me with such an overbearing attitude just moments before, took a small step back.

“My. Why are you backing away?”

“I, I’m not backing away. I’m just being careful because you’re such a lunatic.”

“Is that so? Don’t back away. I’m not the kind of person who tries to hit someone out of nowhere, like some people.”

I smiled so brightly my eyes nearly disappeared.

“Ha, you, you right now… oh…!”

“Even a dog you’ve raised will bite its owner if you hit it. So you should have known when to stop. The dog has finally started biting back.”

Illia blinked, seeming not to follow what I was saying.

“Is my meaning unclear?”

“It, it’s not unclear. Ha. It seems you know your own place quite well. Calling yourself a dog.”

She didn’t understand irony. I’d heard that nobles used this kind of language to put each other down, but Illia took my words at face value.

“…Fine. Think whatever you like, Illia.”

“You, you fool.”

“That’s enough self-introduction. It’s not even amusing.”

I let the corners of my eyes curve just slightly.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? That a beating is what it takes to knock some sense into people?”

“Are you going to hit me? Go ahead. I won’t stop you this time, so try it. What do you think Dertosse will do when he finds out you hit me, the woman carrying his child? Dertosse, who loves that child so much he gave me everything in this family?”

“…Ha. I’ll prove it. That the child isn’t Dertosse’s.”

“Do as you like. But Illia, what are you going to do now? Are you going to keep wagging your tail at a mother who could be thrown out at any moment? If you do, you’ll end up losing everything.”

I circled around her slowly as I continued.

“Or how about taking my side? You might get something out of it.”

“H, have I lost my mind?”

“Right. I understand how you feel. I only hope you won’t come to regret what you just said.”

Not that I had any intention of changing my mind even if she did regret it.

“I could tear you to pieces and it still wouldn’t be enough!”

“You must feel it yourself. That no matter how much you scream and carry on at me, there’s no way out of this situation.”

“…You, this…”

“Scream all you want. I don’t think I’ll so much as blink.”

I watched her quietly for a moment, then settled into the sofa nearby.

“I suppose I’ll have your screaming as background music while I drink my tea. Though it doesn’t seem good for the baby.”

“……”

Having apparently run out of things to say, Illia mumbled something and spun around.

She must have realized it herself. That getting on her brother’s bad side would do her no good. That there was nothing to be gained from provoking me now. Still, she seemed worried enough about losing her share that she left the room immediately.

In the middle of it all, she seemed to want to make it known that she was furious, so she stomped out noisily and even picked a fight with the maids waiting outside for no reason.

She was a pathetic person in every way.

“Get out of my way! Do you know who I am!”

“I, I’m so sorry!”

She made such a racket that her voice rang out all the way down the corridor.