Chapter 40 — Elizabeth's Room
Chapter 40 — Elizabeth's Room
Translation: Godtl
Duke Superion led Lelia to the room where Elizabeth had stayed before her marriage.
Though the maids had just tidied the room, it seemed it had always been kept in pristine condition.
Lelia gazed at the cozily decorated room.
She had felt this at the cottage as well, but this place bore her mother's taste even more strongly.
And that was why she liked it.
'Besides, Cedric and Damian won't be able to take this away from me.'
Her mother's room was divided into a large living room, bedroom, bathroom, dressing room, and study by arched doorways without doors.
It was so spacious that the fact she could now stay here felt like a dream. It seemed even better than the solitary cell she had lived in at the temple.
Lelia wandered through every corner of the room, tracing her mother's traces.
And Duke Superion followed closely behind her, watching her every move.
"Oh right, there's something I need to give you."
"...Yes?"
Duke Superion led Lelia to what looked like a living room within the quarters.
On the table sat a mysterious box.
"Open it."
At the duke's words, Lelia carefully opened the box.
Inside the box sat a golden, glittering craft item. When she carefully picked it up and opened it, clear and pretty music played.
"It's a music box."
Lelia said with a joyful expression.
"Yes, it was a gift I intended to give Elizabeth. She loved music boxes ever since she was young."
"Ah..."
At those words, Lelia felt her chest fill with something warm. So she held it preciously against her chest.
"This is me giving you your mother's gift in her stead, and from now on I will give you many things of your own. You must not refuse and must accept everything. Understand?"
"...Yes."
When Lelia answered, the duke patted her head as if pleased.
That was when it happened.
Knock knock knock—no, it was closer to bang bang bang.
Duke Superion's brow furrowed. Soon, someone opened the door and entered with angry strides.
"...Gasp!"
Lelia was startled and unconsciously hid behind Duke Superion's back.
"...Father!"
The one who opened the door and entered was a young man with a furious face.
He was one of her mother's brothers whom Lelia had seen at her mother's cottage.
"Wait..."
Karius, who had entered in anger, hesitated when he spotted Lelia's face before she hid behind the duke.
He had come to see what was going on, having heard his father had brought some child... but to think it would be that child.
He blinked in disbelief.
Then his face turned completely red and he fumed, shouting loudly.
He had never once dared to show anger before his father, but right now he couldn't hold back.
"Father! That child the imperial palace is searching for... why is she here?! What do you think you're doing! Damn it, do you even know whose daughter that child is?"
When the duke didn't answer, he continued shouting.
"And how could you...! How could you bring her to this room! Can you still call yourself a father after this?!"
Karius was practically roaring. Tears streamed from his eyes, red with rage.
"How, how...! To bring Iris's daughter of all people to this place!"
Karius glared at Lelia with gritted teeth. If it were up to him, he wanted to drag that child out immediately and chase her away.
Not only had she invaded his sister's cottage, but now her room in the main residence too! He was dumbfounded and suffocated.
Seeing her hiding snugly behind his father's back made the back of his neck burn with anger.
"...Pathetic fool."
Duke Superion clicked his tongue as he looked at his seething son.
"Father! Don't you know the Emperor is looking for that child right now?! Come out here! Who do you think you're hiding behind!"
Karius shouted at Lelia who was hiding behind the duke.
Lelia became extremely tense at his appearance, even more enraged than when they had met at the cottage.
That was when it happened.
"Argh!"
The duke, who had been watching, suddenly pinched Karius's cheek hard.
Karius, with one cheek caught, looked at his father with bewildered, incredulous eyes.
"How dare you show anger in front of me! And failing to even recognize your own niece... you pathetic fool. Are you not sorry to Elizabeth?"
"Det go! (Let go!)"
With his cheek pinched, Karius shouted. The duke narrowed his eyes and released the cheek with a push.
One of Karius's cheeks had turned bright red.
"N-niece, what do you mean..."
Karius gripped his reddened cheek and furrowed his brow.
Just then, Lelia, who had been hiding behind the duke, slightly peeked her head out and looked up at him.
'He seems really angry. Well, he has reason to be...'
He had been that angry when they met at the cottage, so it made sense he'd be furious thinking his space had been invaded too.
Karius looked at Lelia with confused eyes. Then, seeming to regain his senses, he looked at his father.
"...Have you gone senile... Argh!"
This time the other cheek was pinched hard.
Superion Castle.
Inner conference room within the Duke's office.
Around the round table, typically used for meetings with high-ranking vassals, sat the three children of the Superion family.
And at the head seat sat the Duke, his brow deeply furrowed.
Though a man approaching sixty, his presence was even more formidable than in his youth. It was the dignity befitting a family head who had shouldered the Superion family for nearly forty years.
The faces of the three siblings seated at the round table all shared one thing in common—dissatisfaction.
The eldest, Zenon, was thirty-five years old and Elizabeth's older brother. He was a knight who oversaw the Superion family's knight order, and a father to two sons.
Beside him sat Karius, twenty-eight, who had been closest to Elizabeth before she died.
Among them, he wore the most aggrieved and indignant expression.
Finally, Atias was Elizabeth's younger sister, at twenty-seven.
Having spent her childhood in the capital and returned to the territory when Elizabeth became Crown Princess, she wasn't particularly close to Elizabeth.
However, traces of sorrow and longing for her deceased sister remained.
Even she wore an expression full of dissatisfaction.
"Father, do you believe that child's words at face value?"
The reason for the siblings' dissatisfied faces was what their father had said moments ago.
That girl brought from the capital was Elizabeth's daughter.
They had heard the entire story, but the siblings couldn't easily believe it. However, Zenon seemed to think it might be possible.
"Well, she certainly did resemble Elizabeth's childhood appearance somewhat."
"Resemble? What resembles her! Besides her eye color, what else looks similar!"
Karius retorted to his older brother Zenon's words.
"I remember Elizabeth's childhood better than anyone. We should keep the possibility open. If it's really true...."
"...."
If that fact were really true...?
Karius's vision went dark. If that little brat was really his deceased sister's daughter...
"If it's real, Karius, you're in big trouble. Why don't you just die?"
"...Shut up, Atias."
Karius and Atias began bickering, exchanging hostile glares. Whether such sibling squabbles were familiar, Zenon sighed as he watched them.
"Enough."
The Duke, who had been silent all along, spoke.
"I have no intention of seeking your permission anyway. There will be even less chance of sending that child to the capital."
Those words meant they should keep silent about Lelia's existence, which the Imperial Castle was searching for.
The Superion territory was already quite far from the capital. And the Emperor wouldn't suspect Superion either.
Officially, Princess Iris, Lelia's mother, was practically an enemy to the Superion family.
He would think they killed her, not that they were protecting her.
The Emperor didn't seem to be searching for the child out of concern for her safety either.
"But Father, shouldn't we at least verify whether she's really Elizabeth's daughter?"
"I will handle it."
At Zenon's words, the Duke answered firmly. Hearing the answer, Zenon pondered for a moment before asking again.
"What will you do about the vassals?"
"For now, we will announce that we brought a child resembling Elizabeth for the madam's illness."
"I understand."
"This matter must be kept strictly secret."
At the Duke's words, the three siblings nodded in understanding.
The Duke, hearing his children's confirmation, left the conference room as if he had no further business with them.
The three remaining siblings exchanged glances.
It was a silent question—did they believe their father's words?
"For now, I believe it. Do you know what Mother did as soon as she saw that child?"
"What did she do?"
At Atias's words, Zenon asked. Atias spoke as if she had been itching to say it.