Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Normalizing the Broken Ducal Family (1)
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Sometime ago, I had asked Head Maid Glaya.
"What family is the Duchess from?"
"Why would an exclusive attendant like you ask such a thing?"
"To be honest, the Duchess doesn't get along well with the Lady, does she? I want to help ease that tension, even if just a little."
"Oh-ho, tell me more."
Fortunately, Glaya reacted positively. She had always pitied Elena for losing her birth mother.
Thanks to that, I was able to gather a lot of information.
Duchess Rose Frozenheart. She originally hailed from the Bendelin Earldom.
The Bendelin Earldom held territory in the northwest of the empire, not far from the Frozenheart Duchy.
"The western lands are notorious for their barrenness. And being close to the north? Well, you can imagine. Crop failures must have repeated every year. Then, in that situation, the barbarians invaded..."
Glaya slowly shook her head. As if she couldn't bear to say more.
Annual crop failures and barbarian raids. I didn't need to hear the results to know what they were.
It must have been horrific. The kind where you'd type GG and quit if it were a game.
'Was the marriage a choice for the family?'
Whether by her will or not, one thing was clear: her marriage had been for the Bendelin Earldom's sake.
In fact, the Bendelin Earldom was slowly recovering under the Frozenheart Ducal Family's patronage.
'So what does the Duchess want?'
There was no way she'd order Elena's assassination just because Elena didn't see her as a mother.
The risks if that plan failed were unimaginable. Not only would she herself face death, but the Bendelin Earldom could fall as well.
Such thoughts swirled endlessly in my mind until I reached one conclusion.
'What if she's afraid of Elena becoming the family head?'
In the original story, there was never any mention of Elena having a sibling.
It wasn't just that the author overlooked it—if there truly were no children between the Duke and Duchess...
'If the Duke dies, Elena would naturally take over as head.'
Because her birth mother had been frail, Elena had no siblings. If the Duke died in that situation, she'd inherit the position naturally.
They could search distant relatives for a male heir, but in this world, succession typically went to the children regardless of gender.
In the end, the Duchess feared Elena becoming head and cutting off support to the Bendelin Earldom.
Back to the present, I was gently patting Elena's back.
"Lady, as your secret friend, may I ask one thing?"
"Yeah..."
"Could you accept the Duchess as your mother?"
"That's..."
I felt her arms around my waist tighten. She seemed unable to decide easily.
Of course, I could have sweet-talked her into it. That would be easier for me.
But I didn't want to. At least when it came to her feelings about her mother, I wanted her to decide for herself.
It was ironic coming from someone who'd gaslit her plenty with empty words up to now...
But family was off-limits. Call it basic conscience.
"My stepmother hates me..."
"Lady, do you remember when we first met?"
"Yeah, but why...?"
"It wasn't a great meeting. But now we're inseparable secret friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah, true..."
"So surely, you can become close with the Duchess too. I'll always be by your side to help, so don't worry."
"You'll really help me, Luke...? You'll stay by my side every day?"
"Yes, always. Anytime."
Not like I could go anywhere as her exclusive slave anyway.
Not that I wanted to.
Exclusive attendant to the Lady? This was perfect for me.
"Okay, I'll do it. I want to get close to my stepmother..."
"Yes, that's it. I'll help you."
"Mom won't hate me...? She won't hate me for forgetting...?"
"Of course not. She'll definitely be happy. Absolutely."
If I were Elena's birth mother, that's how I'd feel.
"Luuuke-."
Ugh-!
My clothes aren't tissues...
Time passed, and the next morning, I headed to the main building with Elena.
After arriving and walking down the long corridor for a bit, we ran into the Duchess heading to the dining hall.
As always, she looked at Elena with cold eyes. Like she was staring at a stranger, not her daughter.
Just as she averted her gaze and stepped forward, Elena clenched her fists.
"Good morning, Mo... Mother..."
The Duchess froze in place. She slowly turned her head to look at Elena.
The icy gaze was gone, replaced by bewilderment.
"I'm sorry about yesterday. I ruined the painting you cherished..."
"I-It's fine. I was a bit sensitive too."
"Thank you for forgiving me, Mother."
The Duchess flinched again as Elena said "Mother" once more.
Twice now—she couldn't chalk it up to hearing wrong.
Everything was going according to plan.
"L-Let's go in first."
The Duchess hurried into the dining hall like she was fleeing.
Left alone in the corridor, Elena looked at me. Her eyes trembled faintly.
"Did I... do well...?"
"Yes, you did great."
I hadn't shown it, but I'd been worried inside. Approaching someone who hated you wasn't easy.
But Elena executed the plan flawlessly, making my worries unfounded. I wanted to scoop her up and spin her around.
After that, we entered the dining hall without further talk.
"Good morning, Father."
Elena greeted the Duke and sat. She'd already greeted the Duchess, so no need again.
But that might have caused a misunderstanding. The Duke sighed.
"Elena, family or not, you should greet everyone."
"I-I did greet her earlier," the Duchess said, her eyes on Elena.
I hadn't expected the Duchess to defend Elena herself...
Perplexed, but taking it in stride?
I watched, hoping my guess was right.
"Yes, I greeted Mother first."
"I misunderstood. Sorry."
The Duke gave an awkward smile.
But it was brief. Soon, his brows furrowed. He was probably mulling over Elena's words.
"Elena, what did you just—"
As the Duke started to ask, servants wheeled in carts and entered.
They set dishes on the table and left quickly.
The Duke stared blankly at the plates, then smiled.
"No, never mind. Let's eat."
With that, the Frozenheart Family's traditional breakfast began.
The Duke and Elena ate as usual, but the Duchess couldn't. She kept glancing at Elena.
'Dodged the worst path, thankfully...'
My biggest worry in planning was the Duchess not reacting to being called "Mother."
Relationships need both sides to change.
Fortunately, that didn't happen, and her response was positive enough. Half of my 1,529 contingency plans could be scrapped.
'Maintain this stance for now.'
No need to rush closeness. It would poison both sides.
Just call her "Mother" clearly when they meet. That was enough for now.
Soon after, breakfast ended.
I returned to the annex with Elena.
"Luke, if we keep doing this, I'll really get close to my stepmother...?"
"Lady, secret friends never lie."
"Okay, got it. I'll do my best."
"I'll help with all I've got."
Yes, give it our all. For Elena, and for me.
Time passed—about three months.
In that time, Elena proved her words by working hard to bond with the Duchess.
"Mother, I baked cookies."
"H-Huh? You did it yourself...?"
"The servants helped a bit... But I worked hard..."
"I see. I'll enjoy them."
Calling her "Mother," baking cookies to give, making flower vases from garden blooms. She did what any normal daughter would.
And the Duchess changed bit by bit. At first awkward with "Mother," now she seemed to take it as natural—expected, even.
All thanks to Elena's efforts.
'I'll hate cookies for a while...'
Truth was, I was running behind the scenes too. Planning, asking servants for help, staying with Elena till success.
This time, I ate all the failed cookie batches till they were perfect.
Of course, the Duchess didn't know, but it didn't matter.
"Luke-! Mother ate the cookies-!"
"Well done!"
At least Elena appreciated my efforts.
Anyway, at this rate, the plan would succeed smoothly, and Elena and the Duchess would live as normal mother and daughter.
But I wasn't satisfied. One lingering issue remained.
'Time to execute that plan.'
A plan to resolve the Duchess's final worry. None other than...
"Lady, have you ever wanted a sibling...?"
Operation: Make Elena a Little Sister.
I wanted the Duchess to integrate more into the Frozenheart Ducal Family.