The Duchess’s poisonous plant greenhouse.

Unlike my last visit, it seemed there were many new plants I hadn’t seen before. As I was observing the new plant friends, the Duchess gently warned me.

“Elodie. Don’t get close to that one. It bewitches people and makes them see ugly hallucinations.”

“Ah, yes.”

I stopped exploring the greenhouse and returned to sit at the tea table. Carlot sat right next to me, sticking close.

“Sister. Did you miss me?”

“Well…”

“It doesn’t matter. I missed you terribly!”

“I-I see.”

Carlot, as always, expressed his joy with his whole body, wagging an invisible transparent tail.

“Drink it before it gets cold, Lili.”

“Thank you, Brother.”

Jansi personally brewed tea and pushed it towards me. I took a sip of the sweet and fragrant tea, which seemed to have been chosen with my taste in mind, while glancing at the three people seated around me.

It felt new.

Who would have thought there would come a day when we’d gather cozily for teatime like this, apart from the obligatory regular dinners?

But I thought that this wasn’t bad once in a while.

The Duchess placed a plate of cookies in front of me.

“Try these cookies too. I heard the chef put in extra effort because you were coming.”

“Mr. Cook! Is he doing well?”

“He seems to have been lacking energy lately. I think he’s feeling down because you’re not there to eat well.”

Remembering my past self who was happy saying the Severes mansion’s chef’s cooking skills were the best, my conscience pricked me.

“By the way, where did Father go?”

Originally, having teatime on weekends was a promise between Duke Perdia and me. But only the Duchess and her two sons were there to greet me.

Jansi answered my question.

“He suddenly had urgent business and went out.”

“He said it might take a while.”

Carlot added a comment.

“He must be very busy.”

For some reason, I felt a wave of disappointment.

He said he wanted to spend time together on weekends, but when I actually came, he went out.

‘Maybe the urgent business isn’t even true.’

Sometimes, when I don’t want to get hurt, I assume the worst situation.

It was a habit, like a defense mechanism to protect myself.

I forced a smile, trying to push away the negative assumptions flooding in.

“But I was surprised that the carriage arrived at dawn.”

“We didn’t expect you to get in the carriage right away either. We had sent it early so you could prepare leisurely and come whenever you were ready.”

I was dumbfounded at the Duchess’s answer. I had unnecessarily prepared and come early from dawn.

The Duchess replaced the cold tea with fresh tea and asked.

“So, how is Severes? Is it bearable?”

“Yes. I’ve adapted a lot.”

“If anyone gives you a hard time, just tell me. Giving away a few of my children is nothing.”

“Hahaha…”

I laughed awkwardly.

That’s because the ‘children’ the Duchess was referring to weren’t Jansi or Carlot. They were the ‘poisons’ in the greenhouse laboratory here.

If I carelessly said the wrong thing, all the vassals of Severes might end up poisoned without anyone knowing.

But I’m a bit tempted.

“Do you perhaps have a poison that makes people laugh all day?”

“You mean a poison that causes mania?”

“Not such a scary poison. Just something that makes people laugh. I’d prefer if there were no after-effects.”

“Hmm. That’s a difficult order. I don’t have such a poison among the ones I’ve made.”

“Then how about a poison that makes people unable to speak for a few hours?”

“I could quickly make a poison that paralyzes the vocal cords.”

“Then please prepare a few bottles of that for me.”

I’ve acquired a fresh poison!

It would be perfect to shut up the vassals when they make nasty comments.

Seeing me like this, the Duchess smiled as if pleased.

“Fortunately, you haven’t been completely tainted by the rigid Severes, Lili.”

“Ahaha…”

I wondered how Severes and Perdia really thought of each other.

***

The weekend flew by in an instant.

Eating, walking, talking, sleeping, and waking up, and suddenly it was time to leave.

“Sister Lili. Can’t you stay just one more day? Huh? Huuh? Huuuh?”

Even though he had skipped all his favorite training and stuck by my side for two whole days, Carlot clung to me, begging me not to go.

But the sun was already setting. If I stayed any longer, Dad would worry.

I roughly patted Carlot’s head and said.

“I’ll come again next week, you know.”

“Next week is too far away!”

He really was like a dog whining at its owner not to go to work. Finally, Jansi, who couldn’t bear to watch anymore, stepped in.

“Carl. That’s enough. You’re making Lili uncomfortable.”

“What? Aren’t you sad, Brother?”

“Of course I’m sad. But if we wait, she’ll come back. Right, Lili?”

I nodded at Jansi’s gentle question. Carlot pouted and let go of my arm.

“Tch. You could stay just one more day…”

It seemed he hadn’t completely given up his lingering attachment.

I pretended not to hear Carlot’s words and let them go in one ear and out the other. The Duchess saw me off, saying,

“It’s a shame the weekend passes by so quickly, Lili.”

“It really is.”

“Of course, there’s a way we could be together every day.”

At the Duchess’s words, Carlot’s ears perked up.

“What is it!”

“How about making her my daughter-in-law?”

The reactions of the two Perdia brothers were quite a sight.

“Ugh! Mother!”

Carlot shouted, recoiling in horror.

“What nonsense are you saying…”

Jansi, unable to even laugh, was flustered.

“Can’t I even joke?”

The Duchess smiled nonchalantly.

I, who knew it was a joke as soon as I heard it, laughed at the two flustered brothers.

To be flustered by such a joke, somehow the two of them seemed innocent.

I turned to the still-flustered Jansi and called out to him.

“Brother.”

“Yes?”

“Can I see your hand?”

Jansi hesitated uncharacteristically before extending his hand to me. As always, he was wearing black gloves.

I firmly grasped the gloved hand. Then, just like when I woke Dad up in the dream, I began to infuse power.

‘Since I’m directly transferring the power, there’s no need for skin-to-skin contact.’

My prediction was immediately proven correct.

If I infuse power like this, there shouldn’t be any worry about going berserk for a while. Looking at Jansi’s complexion, his expression seemed much more relaxed.

“How is it?”

“Yes, it’s good.”

As I continued to infuse power, I added one more thing.

“They say it’s not good to hold back too much.”

It might be meddling, but it was something I wanted to say to Jansi.

Jansi always pushed himself too hard.

As the eldest son and heir of the Perdia family, he always wanted to show a perfect image.

But sometimes it was okay to let go and relax. After all, no one can be perfect in everything all the time.

“…Thank you, Lili.”

“It’s nothing.”

I let go of Jansi’s hand and faced the three of them. It was time to leave now. The Duchess bid me farewell.

“Take care, Lili.”

“I’ll be back.”

Only one thing slowed my steps as I headed towards the carriage.

Throughout the weekend I spent at Perdia, Duke Perdia never came.

‘He’ll probably contact me later.’

Martha urged me as I walked slowly.

“Let’s go, young lady.”

“Alright.”

It was just as I was about to board the carriage.

Neigh-!

With the horse’s cry, a large warhorse stopped right in front of me.

“…!”

The person who swiftly dismounted was none other than Duke Perdia.

His hair was disheveled from riding the horse in a hurry.

“I’m sorry, Elodie. The work just wouldn’t end…”

His somewhat incoherent apology was unlike the usual Duke Perdia.

Seeing that, I realized.

‘He did rush back after dealing with urgent business.’

To meet me even if it was just before I left.

Did he worry that I might have already gone?

In fact, as soon as I saw his disheveled hair, any feelings of disappointment had long since washed away.

Somehow, it seemed like the Duke was trying to gauge my mood, and it probably wasn’t just my imagination.

After pondering for a moment what to say, I spoke somewhat coolly.

“I guess we’ll have to have tea next week.”

“…Right.”

“You must be at the mansion next week.”

I took a breath before adding.

“-Dad.”

That’s what I said.

Although the Duke had told me to call him Dad, this was the first time I had actually done so.

The Duke’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. A moment later, his smiling face looked terrifyingly villainous, but I could tell he was pleased.

“Yes. I’ll be at the mansion no matter what happens.”

The Duke answered resolutely as if he intended to eliminate any obstacle that might arise.

With the setting sun at his back, Dad asked me.

“I heard you received the vassals’ recognition.”

“Yes.”

“And the Emperor’s approval too.”

“Yes.”

It was decided that this fact would be announced at the upcoming imperial banquet. He must have heard about it from somewhere.

When it’s announced that I’m the heir to Severes, I will no longer be called ‘Elodie Perdia’.

Now, I’ll become Elodie Severes.

No matter how much the Perdia family treats me like family, we can’t have the same relationship externally as before.

Perhaps the Duke had the same thought. His expression darkened for a moment.

But shortly after, the Duke called me in a low voice.

“Remember this, Elodie.”

His large hand touched my shoulder and then fell away.

“No matter what your surname is, Perdia will always be behind you.”

[sc name=”add_image” image_url=” https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczM0qbB5LuGGzAmEaCRsBOahYxKnlc2aXmhctDFXhYQVjX3Av-RHpVMFLlRkiOariSJ7hz2DZN1M3PEPtKplETFfsk3I7h6tQijA5Pl5fG5BmzxkBE8=w2400″][/sc]

At that moment, the sunlight disappeared and darkness suddenly fell.

“…Yes, Dad.”

But the pitch-black night was no longer daunting.

***

I received the recognition of the Severes vassals. And even the Emperor’s approval.

Now all that remained was to officially announce this fact so that all other families would know.

With the banquet just around the corner, I found myself in an unexpected predicament.

It was the question of ‘which family to enter with at the banquet, Perdia or Severes’.

I was withering away between the real Severes Dad and the Perdia Dad in the communication magic tool…

“This isn’t even worth discussing, Elodie. You should enter together with Severes now that you’re the heir.”

[No. It’s still before the announcement, so this time you should enter with Perdia.]

“Elodie. Those words aren’t even worth considering.”

[Since it’s the last time, wouldn’t it be better to do it that way, Elodie.]

They could just talk directly, but the two of them insisting on communicating through me was about to give me a neurosis.

It was like an elderly couple talking through their child after a marital dispute…

Especially Duke Perdia, uncharacteristically appealing to emotions. Saying ‘it would be good to do it that way since it’s the last time’, it didn’t suit him.

After more fruitless arguments, Dad, unable to bear it anymore, picked up the communication magic tool.

“How do you disconnect this thing?”

[Put down the communication magic tool, Richard Severes. I might just come over there.]

“Come if you dare.”

[Wait.]

Duke Perdia replied with the momentum of someone ready to rush over and have it out.

Finally, unable to stand it anymore, I stepped in to mediate.

“You two. Are you fighting right now?”

Didn’t I tell you not to fight?

“……”

[……]

Fortunately, both Dads quickly fell silent.

It’s troublesome when dads are immature.