Chapter 130
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130
My meeting with the Duke was scheduled for after lunch. Had time flown by so quickly? I checked the clock and saw it was already past two. It felt a bit later than usual; for once, I must have slept so soundly that I overslept.
After announcing I would get ready at once, I began to change. Rico helped me dress.
"Are you skipping your meal again today?" she asked.
"Yes. I don't have much of an appetite."
That was a lie. I was so famished I could have devoured anything put in front of me in a single bite. Rico probably knew by now that it was just an excuse.
"...I worry you might collapse if you keep refusing to eat."
"I won't collapse, so don't worry," I added, hoping to ease her anxiety.
With Pudding acting as my personal delivery cat, sneaking me food from the Rohanson mansion, there was no chance of me collapsing. Of course, Rico didn't know I was secretly sourcing my meals, so it was only natural for her to worry when I rejected everything offered to me. But I refused to eat anything prepared in a kitchen crawling with those 'rats'!
"If you say so, my lady..."
Though clearly skeptical, Rico couldn't argue with my insistence and conceded.
"However, my lady, you must not forget that ordinary people eat every single day."
"You mean the others will think I'm strange."
I wondered why Rico was suddenly so insistent about my eating habits, and then it hit me. The servants must be gossiping, whispering that I was being overly fastidious. After all, while everyone was worried about the rat infestation, no one else was going so far as to fast over it. They must think I'm squeamish.
To them, I probably looked like a complete germaphobe. I'm only being this careful because holy water doesn't work on them, I thought. But I couldn't exactly reveal that.
"I don't need to concern myself with their idle gossip."
"...You are correct, Lady Rohanson."
It seemed that once Rico grew close to someone, she agreed with them wholeheartedly. Saving Mavka had definitely been the right call. Ah, speaking of which, how is Mavka?
"How is Mavka? Have the 'rats' been staying away from her?"
"Yes, my lady. Thanks to your cat."
Since we were low on holy water, Pudding had scaled back his hunting, so I'd asked him to protect Mavka in his spare time instead. It seemed he was doing his job well.
Once dressed, I sat at the vanity as Rico guided me. She began to brush out my hair, which had tangled in my sleep. Her touch was incredibly gentle, but the smooth, rhythmic strokes suddenly halted.
I looked in the mirror and saw Rico was lost in thought. She only snapped out of it when our eyes met in the reflection.
"Ah, my apologies. I was just wondering about something."
"What is it?"
At my question, Rico hesitated. "It is not a matter of great importance, my lady."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"..."
"Rico."
Only when I called her name firmly did she relent. Honestly, when someone acted this sheepish, it was usually nothing major. If it were a real, serious concern, she would have kept agonizing over it in silence.
Rico hesitated before speaking. "I was just wondering... why did the 'rats' target Mavka in the first place?"
"Mavka?"
...Come to think of it, why did they? I had never considered it.
It was an unexpected question, but one well worth pondering.
Just as Rico said, we had caught and disposed of numerous 'rats', but the only other person they'd ever actively sought out was their summoner, Lady Agera—whom they called "Mother." Yet, they had shown an immense and unnatural obsession with Mavka.
"Even though she is my daughter... Mavka is only six years old. There shouldn't be any reason for them to be so obsessed with her..." Rico trailed off, swallowing the rest of her words.
Since I had only coaxed it out of her, and she wasn't expecting an answer, our conversation drifted to an end.
While Rico finished styling my hair, I mentally reviewed everything I knew about Mavka. What made her different? What made her special? No matter how I looked at it, Mavka was just an ordinary, innocent child. Her only defining traits were being one of the few children in the mansion and being Rico's daughter. Still, there had to be a reason the 'rats' had gone out of their way to hunt her down.
"I am finished, Lady Rohanson."
"Thank you."
I pushed my thoughts aside at Rico's words and stood up. Racking my brain now wouldn't yield an answer. The reason would surely reveal itself once I learned more about the 'rats'.
"Let's go. I've kept my grandfather waiting long enough."
I said the words, but I didn't actually believe the Duke was waiting. He probably wouldn't care if I didn't show up for a full day.
I headed to the office, Rico at my side. When we arrived, she knocked twice on the heavy wooden door.
"Your Grace, it is Rico. I have brought Lady Rohanson."
"Enter."
The Duke was buried in paperwork, as usual. I suppose being a duke of the empire meant he was too busy to ever rest. Count Rohanson had also been so consumed by his duties that I'd barely ever seen him.
They should spend less time on paperwork and more time paying attention to their own households, I grumbled internally, before my generous self decided to let it slide.
I sat on the sofa before he could even invite me to. From what I'd gathered during my stay, Duke Hosaquin despised passive people who sought his permission for every little thing. It was why Rico handled matters within her authority so autonomously. The same seemed to apply to me; even when I acted a bit cheeky, he surprisingly didn't scold me.
Has he softened up a bit?
It felt like a lifetime ago that he'd thrown a wine glass at me for needling him during our first meeting. Then again, considering I was playing the part of an exorcist—a job I never asked for—and racking my brain to solve his pest problem, it would be disappointing if there were no rewards.
"Do you have nothing to ask today either? If not, stop wasting my time and get out," the Duke sneered.
So much for him softening up. It was just my imagination.
Of course, I had plenty of questions. It just wasn't the right time to ask them. There were so many things I could only bring up once the Duke finally opened up. I hadn't asked him about Amaranth yet. Whenever her name was mentioned, he would react with such disgust and fury that it was impossible to press the matter. So, during our brief chats, we stuck to constructive topics, like how to drive the 'rats' out of the Hosaquin estate.
The look on the Duke's face when he heard Nigella had eaten one of the 'rats' had been priceless. I still chuckled just thinking about it.
"I have many things to ask. I was merely choosing my words carefully so as not to cause you any unnecessary worry, Grandfather."
The Duke snorted at my smooth reply.
As I considered what to ask, I decided to push the envelope. If the Duke maintained this lukewarm attitude, we would get nowhere. Bishop Marik might be lying low for now, but there was no telling when she would extend her claws.
"When do you think Bishop Marik will exploit the weakness she holds over you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you have any idea when she plans to bring judgment upon House Hosaquin?"
"Didn't you say you would stop it? What, are you planning to give up now?"
"If we make no progress, then yes, I might. This isn't my home. I can easily abandon it and return to the Rohanson mansion."
The Duke didn't even spare me a glance, likely assuming I was bluffing. I needed to push harder.
"Bishop Marik will declare Lady Agera a heretic. Under the guise of purification, she will slaughter the entire Hosaquin family alongside Lady Agera, burning you all to ashes. And my mother's name, Amaranth, will forever be remembered as the demon Lady Agera summoned."
It was no exaggeration. If we failed to eradicate the 'rats' and Bishop Marik struck first, that was exactly what would happen.
"But look on the bright side," I added coolly. "At least it won't be a false accusation, will it?"
Scratch, scratch.
The pen, which had been gliding smoothly across the paper, came to a sudden halt.
"Why do you think Lady Agera dabbled in sorcery, Grandfather?"
For the first time since I began visiting his office, the Duke looked at me without a scowl.
"And why do you keep someone like that by your side?"
It was truly bizarre. He refused to treat me as family and had severed all ties with Amaranth simply because she had a child out of wedlock. Yet, even though his wife had succumbed to dementia and madness, dabbling in sorcery and putting the entire ducal house in jeopardy, he refused to let her go.
"Even though you abandoned my mother."
If looks could kill, my head would have just rolled off my shoulders. In the past, he would have thrown the pen in his hand like a dart. But he couldn't do that now.
Because he needed me.
"You venomous viper...!"
The Duke leaped to his feet, roaring as if he wanted to rip my tongue out.
Well, there goes all the favorability I've built up. My dream of a classic family regret story is drifting further away...
"The reason Agera dabbled in sorcery is because of you! The reason I cast Amaranth out was also because...!"
"Because of...?"
The Duke pointed a trembling finger at me, screaming at the top of his lungs. Then, as if he'd run out of air, he gasped for breath. The knights guarding the door knocked urgently.
"Your Grace? Is something the matter? Shall we enter?"
"Silence! It is nothing! Get lost!"
After barking at the guards, the Duke took a ragged breath and sank back into his seat. In that brief moment, he seemed to have aged ten years. He buried his face in his wrinkled hands. Though his tears had long since run dry, he was undoubtedly weeping.
"Yes... It is because of you..."
His voice was thick with regret, his pronunciation so slurred that the word "you" sounded almost like "me." The Duke was consumed by guilt.
It felt inappropriate to celebrate while watching my grandfather sink into a pit of despair, but I wanted to cheer. The Duke, who had been bristling like a hedgehog this entire time, was finally shedding a layer of his shell and revealing his true feelings. His aggression was merely a defense mechanism.
"Wasn't it because of you, Grandfather?"
"If you wag that insolent tongue of yours for one moment longer, I will have it cut out."
"My mother resented you, not me. Who was the one who so meticulously severed ties with her and cast her aside? And who was it that drove Lady Agera to yearn for her so desperately?"