Holding the Leash
Lefonya had suggested quietly sweeping the incident under the rug, but the Duke of Craitan had no intention of doing so.
She had explained that escalating the matter would only breed deeper malice among the vassals. Yet the Duke, perhaps still shaken by the sheer audacity of the attempt, had dug in his heels. He declared that if anyone in this house harbored ill will toward her, he would execute every last one of them.
Failing to find middle ground, Lefonya ultimately proposed an alternative to secure her own safety.
"Duke. In that case, assign the children of the vassals serving the estate as my personal attendants. Let that substitute for their punishment."
A dry, incredulous chuckle escaped the Duke of Craitan's lips.
"Ha, Ponya. How could serving as your attendant possibly be considered a punishment? That is a reward."
Has he no shame at all?! How can a grown man say such things with a straight face!
Mortified by the sheer unabashed doting, Lefonya buried her face in her small hands. Felence, who was sitting beside the Duke nodding along in solemn agreement, chimed in.
"Father's right. Serving the young lady directly is an honor their bloodlines will brag about for generations. It could never be a punishment, kid."
"That's not what I mean... If something happens to me or if I get hurt, the person charged with serving me is held accountable, aren't they?"
At her innocent words, both the Duke and Felence froze.
"In that case, there's no need for an investigation. They can be summarily punished for the crime of failing to properly protect their master."
In other words, if the vassals' children became her personal attendants—
"They won't dare attack me anymore. If I get hurt or endangered, their own flesh and blood will pay the price."
It was a ruthless, underhanded tactic: taking their children hostage.
"Yet outwardly, just as you two said, it will look like the great honor of serving the ducal daughter. They won't even be able to protest that it's unfair."
Especially since they were sworn vassal houses to House Craitan. Their heirs being placed in direct service to the Duke's cherished child could only be framed as an extraordinary favor.
Doing nothing would have been ideal, but if they absolutely refuse to let it slide, this is the next best move.
The Duke would be satisfied, having seized the vassals by the throat.
The vassals would be paralyzed, unable to do a thing about an outcome that blurred the line between reward and retribution.
Their children would work diligently, spurred by the hope of securing an influential position in the ducal house.
And right in the middle of it all, Lefonya would be completely safe.
"Well? What do you think?"
Lefonya asked, looking between the two men. Felence uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.
"Hey, kid. You're not actually five, are you?"
Lefonya flinched internally. Keeping her expression carefully composed, she lowered her eyelashes.
"You're telling me this is an answer a five-year-old comes up with? Huh? Father, didn't you say I couldn't even speak in full sentences when I was five?"
She had braced herself, thinking he had genuinely seen through her, but it turned out to be nothing more than his usual petty grievance.
Phew. Lefonya let out a quiet breath of relief.
"...It is indeed a sound strategy," the Duke murmured, stroking his chin in thought.
"Ponya."
"Yes?"
"Resolving matters through brute force is not always the best path, but this time, I fully intended to demonstrate absolute authority."
"Ah."
"Not merely because things unfolded as they did. I have planned this ever since they dared speak out of turn to you; I was simply waiting for the opportune moment."
All for your safety.
That was what the Duke's steady gaze conveyed. Lefonya slowly shook her head.
"I understand what you mean. But in situations like this, holding each other's leashes is always the most effective."
Yet here was a tiny girl who had resolved the entire standoff without shedding a single drop of blood.
"Holding each other's leashes, is it?"
Hardly words that belonged in the mouth of a five-year-old.
The Duke knew well that the world was unforgiving to a child left alone without a guardian. Even so, what kind of life had she lived to arrive at such instincts...?
"Ponya. Is this truly what you desire? If you wish it, I can bring every single one of them to their knees before you to beg for forgiveness."
The Duke spoke of it as though it were the simplest errand.
"I possess the power to do so, and for your sake, Ponya, I have every intention of using it."
"Father's right. Good thing he saved you in time. When you think about it, a murder almost took place inside this very—"
Thwack!
"Ow! Why hit me, Father! It's true! You said it yourself—if you'd been even a second later, the kid would've died!"
"Is that something to say in front of a five-year-old? What if your thoughtless tongue traumatizes her with the memory?"
"Gasp!"
Felence clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide as if the thought had genuinely never crossed his mind. He glanced around guiltily before softening his voice toward Lefonya.
"Hey, kid. Don't you worry. I've been setting up Mana Stones all throughout the mansion. Even if another fire breaks out, there's no way you'll get hurt this time. How dare anyone think they can challenge the authority of House Craitan?"
"Mana Stones?"
"Yeah. I swiped some Mana Stones from the Academy to use just in case something went wrong, and look how handy they turned out to be. There won't be any fires or collapsing buildings in this mansion ever again."
The moment Felence finished his proud confession, a heavy, weary sigh escaped the Duke beside him. From the faint mutterings under his breath, he seemed to be calculating the astronomical fee he would have to pay to reimburse the Academy.
No harm even if another fire breaks out? That means I won't be able to use the same trick next time. Setting fire to the mansion and slipping away in the chaos is off the table.
Lefonya nodded thoughtfully, reminding herself that once she located the family heirloom, she would need a brand-new escape plan.
"Duke. As I said before, I want this settled quietly."
Her voice was remarkably steady.
"Blowing this out of proportion will only cause rumors to spill beyond these walls. It'll just feed the gossip that I'm unwelcome here."
"Who would dare utter such nonsense...!"
"What matters more to you, Duke? My safety, or your personal anger at someone daring to lay a finger on what is yours?"
Beside them, Felence muttered under his breath, "No matter how I look at it, there's no way she's five..." Lefonya paid him no mind.
"Ha. Truly, they say no parent can ever best their child."
The Duke let out another sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Reaching across the low table, he lifted Lefonya effortlessly and brought her to the sofa beside him. Felence shifted sideways to make room for her between them.
"Ponya."
Finding herself suddenly wedged between Felence and the Duke, Lefonya raised her head with an awkward blink.
"Seeing how utterly helpless I am against you, it seems I truly am your parent, and you are undeniably my child."
The Duke gently stroked her hair.
"Very well. We shall do as you say."
Parent and child.
The unfamiliar terms left Lefonya tongue-tied. She could only nod aimlessly.
Seeing her flustered expression, the Duke smiled and rose to his feet. Summoning his aide, he ordered the vassals and their children to be brought to the study immediately.
...This feels strange.
Lefonya reached up to touch her tousled hair, her brow furrowing slightly just as the Duke's had moments ago.
Until now, she had lived her life keeping her emotions firmly suppressed. Feelings were entirely useless. Even more so now, on the brink of her final mission.
I need to steal the heirloom and get out of here as fast as possible.
If she stayed here any longer, something inside her felt like it would warp. Lefonya pressed her small palm firmly against her fluttering chest, willing whatever strange feelings were stirring within to die down and stay buried.
Hoping to change the subject, she turned her gaze toward Felence.
"Are you staying at the mansion?"
"Why? Would you like me to stick around?"
Like hell I would.
She wanted nothing more than to tell him to pack his bags and leave, but doing so would only inflame his suspicions. Instead, she kept her head lowered.
"Aren't you busy?" she asked, dropping a subtle hint.
"Hmm."
Felence leaned back against the plush cushions and crossed his long legs, pretending to ponder the question.
Because of Felence's lingering doubts, she hadn't even been able to get close to the Duke lately. She needed to observe the Duke's every move to uncover where the heirloom was hidden.
"I think I'll hang around here a bit longer."
Lefonya clicked her tongue in silent frustration.
As long as Felence was lurking about, shadowing the Duke was out of the question.
Parent and child, was it? Fine. Then I'll play the perfect little lady.
To ensure neither of them grew suspicious, she would act the part of a dutiful ducal daughter to perfection. She would pretend to study the family's history and casually, brazenly pry into the heirloom's whereabouts.
All right.
Lefonya clenched her tiny fists with determination. Just then, a heavy hand dropped squarely onto her head.
"What's this, kid? You had so much to say earlier, and now you're struck dumb? Are you really that thrilled I'm staying?"
With a sly smirk, Felence vigorously ruffled her hair until it was a bird's nest.
"S-Stop it!"
"Wasn't this what you wanted? You were sitting there touching your own head where Father patted it earlier."
Felence chuckled, clearly entertained.
Realizing he had seen her absentminded gesture, Lefonya felt a hot flush creep up her pale cheeks.
"And don't get the wrong idea. You're an invalid, so I'm only cutting you some slack until you've recovered. Once you're healed up, you're out of this mansion, and I'm heading right back to the Academy. Got that?" Felence warned with a playful grin.
Even if you begged me on your knees to stay, I'm gone the second I get my hands on that heirloom!
Clasping her messy hair with both hands, Lefonya glared at him and gave a sharp nod.
Seeing her nod so obediently even after being told she would be kicked out, Felence studied her with a surprisingly serious look before rising from the sofa.
"Well then, kid. Shall we go find a knight to escort you while you're staying here? Father seems to have gone senile in his old age, neglecting to assign you a personal guard. I'll pick one out for you myself."
In the distance, the Duke—still issuing orders to his aide—muttered under his breath, "I really must look into what on earth they are teaching at that Academy."
"...An escort?"
She had deliberately pushed to have the vassals' children assigned as her personal attendants because attendants could be sent away on petty errands whenever she needed to search for the heirloom.
An escort knight, however, was a completely different story. An escort's sole duty was to stick to their charge like a shadow and protect them. Shaking one off would be nearly impossible.
Searching for the heirloom was going to be a nightmare.
"How utterly useless."
Lefonya's brow furrowed, and the sharp complaint slipped past her lips before she could stop herself.
In an instant, the room fell dead silent.
Lefonya snapped to her senses and jerked her head up. Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed directly on her.
Oops.
Because everyone around her constantly coddled her like a helpless toddler, she had been letting her guard down far too often lately.
"I-I mean... a guard... Even without a guard, the Duke and Senior will protect me, so it's useless."
She beamed with an innocent, five-year-old's smile, desperately glossing over her slip of the tongue.
"Se... what? Pfft, hahaha!"
Hearing the five-year-old child stubbornly address him as "Senior" once again, Felence burst into uproarious laughter.
His loud guffaws drew everyone's attention, shifting the focus away from her blunder.
Phew. Looks like I squeaked by. Thank goodness.
Lefonya breathed a discreet sigh of relief.
"Hey, kid. Doing useless things happens to be my specialty. Didn't you know that?"
Still chuckling, Felence effortlessly scooped Lefonya into his arms. Despite his rough, sarcastic tone, the hands lifting her were remarkably gentle.
"If you're planning to keep the spawn of the bastards who set your room on fire as your attendants, you need at least one proper guard to keep you breathing. I'll personally make sure to find you a capable one, so let's go."
Carrying Lefonya in his arms, Felence strode out into the corridor.