Worse Than Strangers
‘I can just hire the Dark Guild mercenaries in sequence, exactly like last time. Those people won’t hesitate to kill if the money is right, will they? Aside from stirring up trouble within the system…’
Knowing that the only difference was the timing of the final blow eased her anxiety considerably.
She had succeeded once before. There was no reason she couldn’t do it again.
But the real problem lay afterward.
‘Not knowing Morgana’s whereabouts is what bothers me most. Dealing with her would remove the greatest threat, but what am I supposed to do?’
Back then, they had lived together in the ducal residence, making it easy to weave schemes. Now it seemed she had left the monastery, and finding her would not be simple.
‘Seeing her appear so openly at the imperial palace… Could she have become someone’s mistress? Her clothes weren’t particularly lavish, though. And now that I’ve become a noble daughter, openly searching for Morgana would only raise suspicion.’
After being carried off to the main temple, she had never gotten the infant silk robe back. The Klein Duchess had taken it, saying that seeing any of her baby’s belongings brought tears to her eyes and that she would keep it safe. Dot had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.
The unrecovered ruby pendant was another worry, but first she needed to discover where Morgana was and what she was doing.
That girl already suspects I took the silk robe! If she ever tells the Beril mother and daughter, things will become troublesome. Very well, then…!
‘First, I must closely monitor the monastery’s movements. At the same time, I need to make sure the people here keep their mouths firmly shut. It would be disastrous if rumors spread that the silk robe helped identify the noble daughter.’
Dot forced the most pitiful expression she could manage.
“Um… You know I lived at Grace Monastery, don’t you?”
“I was planning to send them some useful winter supplies anyway. Oh, Dorothea. No—Tiana. You won’t mind if I call you that, will you?”
“Of course not. Please call me that as often as you like from now on.”
The Klein Duchess smiled with delight at her long-lost daughter’s affectionate reply.
“How many days have passed since you disappeared? We must repay the monastery that sheltered you for so long. Ah, I feel ashamed for all the times I scolded His Grace whenever he traveled that far. I should have gone with him.”
“I wasn’t there very long… I wandered around a bit before the monastery finally took me in.”
“Oh, heavens!”
Dot carefully broached the subject while watching the duchess’s reaction. Tears welled in the older woman’s eyes.
To think my daughter had to live as a wanderer after losing her memories!
Seizing the moment, Dot piled lie upon lie without the slightest hesitation.
“That’s why… I’m afraid people will start openly wondering why no one searched for me even though I had the silk robe. I’m worried rumors like that will spread.”
The duchess’s expression darkened, yet she still defended the monastery.
“They must have been short-handed with so many children to care for.”
Of course, Dot had no intention of letting the matter rest there.
“More than that, I’m afraid someone will appear and claim I was a beggar when I first arrived at the monastery. I don’t mind if the outside world learns I am the Klein daughter, but please don’t let them interrogate me about every detail of what happened.”
“Who would dare do such a thing to you?”
Seeing the duchess’s face twist with anger, Dot pressed her advantage and began slandering the monastery.
“I was never a favored or beloved child there. I had to sweep the floors for three or four hours straight—even when no one asked—before the abbess would so much as look at me.”
“They actually mistreated you? The abbess only spoke to you after making your hands blister from cleaning? Have they all gone mad?”
The Klein Duchess’s thunderous voice made Dot flinch.
When she’s on my side, she’s endlessly reliable. But if she ever finds out the truth about everything… I’m finished.
“Th-that’s…”
“I cannot forgive them! I will not let this go! How dare they treat my precious daughter that way?! Prepare the carriage at once. I must go and teach them a lesson!”
“Please wait. I hold no grudge against the monastery, Your Grace. After all, they did take in someone with nowhere else to go. Please calm yourself and do not question them or hold them responsible.”
“Call me Mother now. Very well… I understand. However, I will cancel the delivery of winter supplies immediately.”
“I only hope no unnecessary rumors spread. As long as we keep our distance like this, everything should be fine—no matter what happens from now on.”
Dot’s half-false, half-genuine display of distress finally allowed the duchess to regain her composure.
“I must tell His Grace never to visit that place again. Once their funding is cut off, they will finally repent and kneel before you! Even then, I will never forgive them. The insolent wretches…”
Before that, I’ll have their heads rolling on the ground, Mother. Dot sniffled and buried herself in the duchess’s embrace, her thoughts turning wicked.
It was time to deliver the finishing blow.
“Um… Mother.”
“Yes, my dear. Oh… To think the child I sent to the temple right after birth has grown so much and finally returned to me. You have nothing to worry about anymore.”
“Thank you for finding me, Mother…”
“When you came as an eina, those who looked down on you will soon be punished as well. You will live peacefully in my arms and one day become a noble lady of high standing.”
At last, I am drawing closer to the brilliant past that should have been mine.
Encouraged, Dot grew even more coquettish.
“Marriage? I don’t want to think about such things. I’m simply overjoyed to have finally found the parents and loving family I’ve dreamed of for so long.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
Having secured her position as the ducal daughter through sheer luck, Dot began living in splendor. With her eina studies abruptly halted, she had little to do. Perhaps because it was winter, few invitation cards arrived at the residence, and the duchess seemed determined to refuse them all.
The Orleans ducal house and the Huiante marquisate had also remained quiet since their visit. Perhaps they were under pressure to attend the winter ball being held at the imperial palace. There, they would officially announce the discovery of Tiana Marietta Klein, wouldn’t they?
Come if you dare.
There were still a few things that bothered her. Morris Klein, for one, showed none of the affection or satisfaction toward the “Klein daughter” that he once had.
The duke was not as warm as his wife, yet guilt over the daughter he had lost in childhood made him lavish her with dresses, ribbons, sweets, and jewels. Dot, however, pushed the dark, musty cocoa far away—she hated the smell.
Morris’s attitude, meanwhile, was far worse than his father’s. Even before she had tried to speak with him about Cassel, their relationship had never been good. Now he barely reacted when he saw her.
Unable to bear the sight of the siblings treating each other like strangers, the duchess scolded Morris openly.
“Morris, Tiana is your sister. If you keep looking at her with that sullen face, you’ll frighten her!”
“Yes.”
His reply was cold and perfunctory.
“‘Yes’? Our Tiana has endured every hardship imaginable and miraculously returned to us. If His Grace hadn’t received the oracle at the temple, if he hadn’t suggested raising an eina first, we would never have been reunited.”
“……”
“Why won’t you cherish our Tiana? Tell me—is it because you have no interest in family affairs?”
“Mother, I’m fine. Please stop…”
Dot felt a secret satisfaction. If Morris ended up cast aside like a fallen kite, it would be truly amusing. Pushed aside by the suddenly returned eldest son, the second son’s only remaining advantage would be stolen by the returning younger sister.
Should she stop this?
Dot hesitated briefly, but letting the duchess grow too agitated was dangerous. If the sparks flew toward Grace Monastery…
‘If she starts shouting and the silk robe comes up in conversation, it will be disastrous. What if the Beril mother and daughter claim it belongs to Morgana? Heavens, I’m showing them far too much mercy.’
Another inconvenience had arisen now that her circumstances had changed. Previously, she had climbed from the very bottom, carefully planning and preparing her schemes with plenty of time. She had even saved the allowance given by the duke and duchess to commission the Dark Guild in advance, burning down the old country house.
Now she had more than enough money, yet she could not leave the residence. The duchess was constantly tearful, lamenting about “our daughter” at every opportunity. Even when the duchess was absent, servants hovered nearby, making it impossible to go out without being watched.
Before, she had already established contact with the Dark Guild and completed one request, so she could communicate with them using codes. Now…
‘I desperately need time to move freely. I can’t even say I’m going to the monastery for a short while after speaking ill of it. What am I supposed to do? Building my own people will take time.’
She had been caught in her own trap, and there was no clever solution. Just as Dot’s thoughts drifted toward the back alleys, the duchess flew into a rage.
“That’s enough! Morris, you truly cannot come to your senses. If you insist on straying, then leave the family! You’re long past the age of majority—go do whatever you want with your own strength!”
“Understood.”
Morris gave her a frigid look, then turned and walked out of the main building. It was an unexpected, penniless departure.
“M-Morris, Brother!”
Dot stretched out her hand as if to stop him, but Morris did not hesitate. He simply walked away. The Klein Duchess let out a heavy sigh.
“Honestly! Cassel is busy with his new appointment as knight commander and can’t come home, but you—you live here day and night yet neglect your only sister!”
“Mother, please don’t be too hard on him. I’ve been so focused on my eina studies that I haven’t had time to grow close to Brother Morris. When he returns later, I’ll try harder.”
He’ll come back by nightfall anyway. Where else would he go? Dot sneered inwardly. Morris Klein had always been a coward; his future actions were obvious.
“Oh, my sweet daughter. How can your heart be so kind? You’re an angel, truly.”
The duchess’s hand, soft as a bird’s wing, gently stroked Dot’s cheek.