The Eldest Son's Keen Eye
The young lady was sent to the temple of the main god where Saintess Capia resided, and she had no choice but to focus solely on her recovery for a long time. She lacked even the strength to have a portrait painted of her appearance.
Being such a small and fragile child, she was cared for by her nursemaid and four maids who remained shut away in the temple. It was only when she turned six that she finally gained enough strength to return to the ducal estate. It was a tremendous relief.
Cassel had never even heard her first cries, so he had secretly been looking forward to his adorable little sister's first appearance.
However… there was still the carriage attack, and no one knew who had carried it out.
The bodies of the nursemaid and the four maids who had been following in the carriage were found, but poor Tiana had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a small red stain on the ground where blood must have flowed from her head.
The investigation team concluded that after jumping from the carriage, her small body had been dragged across the ground as she tried to crawl away on all fours.
At the time, the duchess had fainted upon merely hearing the horrific news—she had not even seen the bloodstained ground with her own eyes.
Why had something like this happened?
What sin had our Tiana committed to be torn from her parents' arms right after birth, sent away for treatment, and then kidnapped?
They had hoped and prayed that someone would eventually demand a ransom, that Tiana was still alive.
Yet no threatening letter ever arrived, no matter how long they waited.
Time flowed mercilessly, cruelly tearing at young Cassel's heart.
Finally, after he became a knight and departed for the borderlands, the Klein Duke received a strange oracle. It stated that Tiana would appear before them within a few years.
It would be wonderful if the oracle were true.
But what if it never came to pass, or if Tiana was found dead, nothing but bones?
Unable to bear even imagining the disappointment and despair, Cassel had lived on, pretending not to know about the matter. Tiana's existence would forever remain a painful memory buried somewhere in his heart.
Why on earth would Father mention such a sensitive matter in front of an outsider?
"Oh, it's all right, Cassel. Dorothea knows everything."
"Is she perhaps the next saintess?"
Though his words carried a clear edge of sarcasm, the duke's expression remained gentle.
"When our Tiana returns, she'll be at an age where she'll need to make her debutante entrance right away. That's why we must first train Dorothea as her Eina and establish her as a central figure."
"……."
"Since they're close in age, they'll become friends later on, and Tiana will easily learn etiquette, dancing, and conversation from her…"
"If that's the case, there's no need to rush. We can do it after we truly find Tiana. Rather than comforting a child who must have suffered greatly, do you intend to thrust her straight into the treacherous social world? Into that storm?"
Cassel openly expressed his anger.
Was this the reason? The premonition that had pulled him all the way from the distant Logia border to the capital.
It would be good if Tiana returned, but Cassel felt a twinge of resentment toward the duke, who clung so firmly to a dubious oracle yet made no effort to actually search for her.
No matter what anyone said, the duke was the head of the family. Therefore, Cassel found it difficult to act alone regarding the family's long-cherished wish, and his duties as vice-captain left him with no time either.
Did Father truly believe that Tiana, after suffering such misfortune as a child, would somehow find her way to the ducal estate on her own? That she would even remember her own name clearly?
'He wasn't like this before… Haah, calm down. Even I get sensitive whenever Tiana's name comes up, so how much worse must it be for a father who lost his young daughter?'
The Klein Duke did not grow angry.
"Of course, if Tiana doesn't wish it, we'll have to delay. I also have thoughts of taking in a son-in-law. If you permit it, that is."
"What do you mean by 'permit'? Such matters should naturally follow Father's will."
"The family will eventually be led by you. I can no longer do anything you tell me not to."
The wrinkles at the corners of the duke's eyes, which Cassel had never seen before, were deeply etched as he spoke. Though still in his prime, the traces of hardship had aged him faster than time.
Even Cassel's upright heart softened slightly.
"I will do my best. Please believe in me, Lord Cassel. I will do everything in my power as an excellent Eina to the young lady."
However, before Cassel's mood could fully ease, the girl named Dorothea once again provoked his anger.
Regaining his composure, Cassel asked coldly, like the wind that had brushed his cheek at noon.
"What exactly are you learning here?"
"Pardon…?"
"Cassel, calm yourself. Dorothea has only been here for less than two weeks. We've hired a maid and tutor from the imperial palace to teach her dancing and etiquette, and she's been following along quite well. Her table manners are also acceptable."
"Even after receiving lessons from an imperial etiquette tutor, she addresses someone she's meeting for the first time by name without any introduction or revealing her own identity?"
The area around the Caris viscounty where Dot had lived was mostly populated by commoners, quasi-barons, and retired knights who had returned home after being injured. They were lower in status than Dot's family, so dealing with them had been easy.
That was why she had completely forgotten these basic etiquettes.
In noble society, it was an unspoken rule that one only acknowledged someone of higher status or rank after being properly introduced by another.
This held true even if one already knew the other person's identity beforehand. Though Dot had learned to mimic the outward forms of etiquette quite well, her lack of real experience in the treacherous social world had led to this obvious mistake.
"Dorothea has made a mistake. Hurry and apologize."
The girl, wearing a reluctant expression, quickly opened her mouth.
"I won't make the same mistake again, Lord Cassel…"
"Again!"
When Cassel let out a roar, though somewhat restrained, both Dot and the timid Morris flinched. The duchess, a noblewoman who had weathered many storms in high society, remained composed.
"That's enough. How can there be no mistakes on the first try?"
"I don't see the need to train someone to teach Tiana right here in the ducal estate. There's no reason she has to be the same age either."
When the duke saw his precious eldest son, who had finally returned after so long, repeatedly showing his displeasure, he waved his hand dismissively.
"Dorothea, you may leave now."
"Y-yes."
Dot deliberately sniffled as she withdrew, and Cassel did not even glance at her back or offer a single word of comfort.
Even after the unfamiliar girl had gone, his displeasure remained.
It was as if the household had merely gained one more servant, yet it no longer felt like home, and his stomach churned uncomfortably.
"Where did this child come from?"
"We selected a suitable girl from Grace Monastery."
Of all people, they had recommended such a cunning, ingratiating girl as an Eina who needed to keep her mouth shut? Had the abbess's eyes gone bad?
Though he had only spent less than five minutes with Dorothea, he had immediately seen through her true nature.
Perhaps because he had seen another sparkling girl from the monastery heading to the Magic Tower yesterday, his mood soured even further.
If Pay had made such a mistake today, he would have gently pointed it out and sent her away for now.
He would have even told her to send the plate of delicious desserts to the upper dimension. And still uneasy, he would have tried to reassure her the next day, wouldn't he?
'If she was brought from the monastery, she can't be a noble. Yet this child who's only been here less than two weeks has already picked up dancing and etiquette so well? She barely makes mistakes with the ducal estate's table manners either?'
Honestly, it was hard to believe.
Unless she had known in advance, how could anyone naturally master the countless plates, forks, spoons, their purposes, the order of eating, and the proper methods?
He remembered watching young Morris learn while shedding tears and snot, enduring slaps on the back of his hand.
She was quite good at noble etiquette, yet ignorant of basic, unspoken rules…
Suspicious.
'I suppose I'll have to deal with her before I return to Logia.'
Though his displeasure grew steadily, he did not wish to immediately point out his parents' efforts and create discord.
They were usually meticulous people, but perhaps their reason had clouded momentarily because of Tiana, whom they had lost as a child.
So Cassel employed a roundabout approach.
"If she's adapted well to dancing, daily etiquette, and table manners, then she's a child with potential as an Eina."
"Of course. When our Tiana returns, she'll make a good friend as well. The head maid and apprentice butlers also seem to think well of Dorothea. Her face and demeanor are gentle, so everyone likes her."
She was merely a guest, yet she had already won over the servants?
Seeing his mother's reaction, Cassel sensed something was amiss.
If Tiana truly returned, it seemed they intended to present this Dorothea girl as an adopted daughter of some suitable family as well.
After all, it would be more advantageous to remove the label of a commoner-born Eina.
Cassel deliberately spoke in a gentle tone.
"Then I suppose I should go to the imperial palace tomorrow and find one more suitable tutor. It would be good for her to learn literature, mathematics, and the latest trends and news circulating in the capital."
"Oh. I was planning to bring in a priest from the main temple who has trained in various fields of knowledge, but Dorothea asked me to delay it for a while. She said learning etiquette to properly present herself as an Eina should come first."
Cassel's deliberately maintained smile did not fade.
"Since she's doing well with the etiquette training, we should begin within two or three days at the latest. What if Tiana returns tomorrow morning? That would be troublesome, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm…"
"And I have something to say."
It was time to state his true purpose.
Cassel clenched his fists and stood up.
"Father, Mother, Morris. I have returned to the capital for a while under His Highness the Crown Prince's orders to handle some matters. I don't know when I'll return to Logia, but I wanted to inform you first."
"Oh, heavens."
"Even if I leave for the borderlands again overnight, please don't be sad. If matters become urgent, I may have to depart without proper farewells."
The duchess's eyes welled with tears as her expectations crumbled.
"You didn't come back for good?"
"If that were the case, an official document would have arrived first, my dear. I understand. I'll make sure you can rest comfortably at home."
"I must go to the imperial palace tomorrow. I'll demand they return you fully to our family. Sending you to that dangerous place for four years wasn't enough—they're truly going too far, even for the imperial family!"
The duchess's eyes glistened with tears.
"My dear!"
"…Please lower your voice. No matter when, I am someone who will eventually return here."
"Sob…"
"I'll take my leave. I brought something from the imperial palace, so I'll skip the meal."
Cassel deliberately softened his final words and quietly walked out of the dining room.
Then, he glared fiercely at Dorothea, who stood behind the door with wide eyes, having not yet left.
As expected.
"Ah…!"
Thud.
After the servant closed the door, Cassel deliberately growled.
"Were you eavesdropping on someone else's conversation like a stray cat? How ill-mannered."
Dot, unable to even swallow the saliva that had gathered in her mouth from tension, quickly made an excuse.
"I wasn't… I was just trying to bid good night to the duke and duchess…!"
"As a mere employee, there's no need for you to personally check on their well-being. Stop with the nonsense and get out of my sight."