Chapter 31: A Suspicious Existence, My Younger Sister
Chapter 31: A Suspicious Existence, My Younger Sister
Yes, this is the way it should be. Calling myself a self-made noble while barely managing housework with a single maid? I can’t go back to those days. The path I’ve taken has always led me here.
Dott’s eyes gleamed with unrestrained ambition, her sinister aura barely masked.
“Mother…”
“Yes, yes, I understand. From now on, I’ll dedicate the rest of my life to you. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
“Yes…”
Dott nestled into the Duchess’s arms and let out a languid sigh.
Prince Sillas, whom she could hardly glimpse at the harvest festival, not even a strand of his hair, was her only hope. All she wished for was news of his marriage to the elegant Lady Klein.
Surely, after being single for over three years, it was time for him to make a decision?
— — —
Even as night fell and dawn broke, Maurice had yet to return. But Dott had no reason to worry.
He’s a grown man, after all, the second son of a Duke, with no shortage of funds or credit. He’ll manage. The longer he defies us, the worse it’ll be for him. Fool. As for the matters of the Grand Temple… perhaps what the informants from the Dark Guild whispered was true.
In the past few decades, the divine powers of priests and even the Saintess have greatly diminished. Predictions, oracles, and high-level holy magic – none of it was reliable anymore.
It must be why they haphazardly assumed Lady Klein’s identity based on some rare artifact.
Well done, you idiots. You’ve grabbed the thickest rope you could find.
Dott gazed at her reflection in the ornate swan-patterned mirror, her lips curling into a sly smile.
* * *
“…”
“Commander.”
“Deliver this to the staff from the Klein duchy and send them on their way.”
“Yes, sir.”
Handing a letter to his aide, Kassel let out a deep sigh.
Since the Crown Prince entrusted the Blue Rose Knights to him upon their return to the capital, preparations for his inauguration and the upcoming winter ball were underway. But what mattered more than the ball was the Crown Prince’s resolve to finally emerge from isolation – a long-awaited decision.
Fay was deeply involved in these events, and Kassel’s focus was required elsewhere. Yet, his family had been struck with a major issue.
‘Dorothea… is Tiana?’
Duchess Klein had returned from the Grand Temple, claiming to have confirmed Dorothea’s identity as Tiana. Even after hearing this, Kassel felt no surge of emotion. It all felt so unreal, like grasping at clouds.
In fact, he felt more sorrow when his father’s voice trembled as he said, ‘Our Tiana…’
To be honest, Kassel didn’t fully believe that Dorothea was Tiana. It wasn’t disbelief; rather, he didn’t want to believe it.
Saintess Kaphia, who currently resided in the Grand Temple, had already been wrong about predictions and oracles multiple times. The noble-exclusive paternity tests using divine magic, once a costly privilege, were not without controversy.
Even the newly introduced Truth-Seeker’s Stone had its skeptics. Stories from those who had used it suggested that careful questioning could lead to evasive answers. There was even a scandal, known only to a few, where someone used it to deceive a spouse in poor health, registering a fake heir into the family, an incident quietly swept under the rug for the temple’s honor.
But what Kassel found most suspicious was the reason for suddenly doubting Dorothea’s identity.
‘According to Mother, a servant discovered an unusual item in Dorothea’s wardrobe and reported it. But why were they rummaging through her summer wardrobe in the middle of winter? And how could they trace the silk’s origins back to our Duchy so precisely? Silk doesn’t come with name tags.’
Kassel suspected the servant who found the silk robe. Investigating their background and how they entered the Klein estate seemed necessary.
Meanwhile, the Duchess firmly believed in Dorothea’s identity as Tiana and made a specific request: At the upcoming winter ball, coinciding with Kassel’s inauguration as the commander of the Blue Rose Knights, escort her and formally announce her return as Lady Klein.
‘Since this all happened while I was away, I can’t press for details via letters. If that servant has ulterior motives, we must tread carefully.’
Thus, Kassel refrained from detailing his doubts in the letter. Instead, he wrote a polite response suggesting that, since the ball was hosted by the royal family and focused on mending ties between the Orleans and Hwiante families, it would be better to introduce Tiana formally at the spring ball.
His original draft, which bluntly stated that private matters should not interfere with royal events, had been crumpled and discarded. He didn’t want to provoke his mother unnecessarily.
“Sigh…”
Looking out the window, Kassel noticed unseasonal dark clouds gathering in the sky, mirroring the weight on his chest.
As for Maurice…
His younger brother had left home after loudly arguing with the Duchess, shortly after Dorothea’s supposed identity was revealed. Now, he was training as a squire with the Crow Knights Order, residing in their lower-tier dormitory.
‘Do your best.’
For once, Kassel didn’t find Maurice pitiful. Considering Maurice’s age and the determination he had shown, Kassel genuinely hoped his brother would achieve something meaningful. Maurice’s decision to join the Crow Knights Order instead of the Blue Rose Knights Order wasn’t even bothersome.
With Raphael stationed there, Maurice wouldn’t face unfair treatment; Raphael could keep an eye on him from time to time.
‘I’m no more rational than our parents.’
Kassel was fully aware that he shouldn’t feel this way.
Tiana had grown up in hardship, gone missing, and returned only by a string of miraculous coincidences. Yet, instead of scolding Maurice for abandoning his only sister, Kassel found himself silently cheering him on.
Still, Kassel’s heart had always been distant from Tiana, the girl who had once lived as Dorothea.
The younger sister he vaguely imagined…
Would she have even managed to say a single word in front of us? Would she have trembled, overwhelmed by the grandeur of the Duchy she had only heard about? You were supposed to return when you were six, Tiana. You were said to have been ill often, so I can’t imagine you smiling brightly like sunshine.
You’d probably have been a frail little girl, with a pale face and awkward expression, looking around anxiously, wondering, ‘Is this really my home? Who are these people?’ You would’ve tightly clutched the nanny’s hand, buried your face in her skirt, and burst into tears. Suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar, intimidating environment, scared and overwhelmed.
If you cried out loud, we would have all scrambled, Mother, Maurice, Father, and I, to comfort you. We would’ve done anything we could. I might’ve flopped onto the ground, pretending to be a frog, or picked flowers from the garden to bring to you, or raided the kitchen to hand you sweet puddings and muffins. And still, you probably wouldn’t have smiled right away, instead pouting with a shy, reserved expression.
Poor thing.
Who do you take after? Father? Mother? Or do you bear the strong black hair of our ancestors, like me? No matter how you look, Tiana, you’re a precious, lovable existence. Even if you carry the scars of your long illness, that won’t change.
‘The Saintess used to terrify us, constantly warning that Tiana’s condition was often critical. That’s why your nanny and four maids stayed at the temple for almost five years.’
Looking back, no matter how dire your condition, we should’ve sent a painter to capture your portrait when you were three. Now, as I long for you, there isn’t a single item to help me picture you. Dwelling on the past only deepens my regret.
Everything about Tiana had been a source of painful remorse. Perhaps that’s why, despite the joy he should’ve felt now, it all seemed so unreal.
“Sigh…”
In the end, a heavy sigh escaped Kassel’s lips. The warmth he thought would come from finding Tiana still felt like a winter frozen solid.
— — —
On the day of the winter ball.
Kassel’s inauguration as commander of the Blue Rose Knights ended early, and the heads of the two feuding families confirmed their attendance without issue. However, Duchess Klein, disappointed by her eldest son’s response, appeared alone, with no sign of the Young Lady in question.
Kassel consoled himself with the thought that officially introducing her during the warm spring, when everything was clear, would be better anyway.
But then, something unexpected happened. One by one, people began gathering around him and the Duchess, offering congratulations on Lady Klein’s return.
“Congratulations, Commander Kassel. I heard you’ve finally found your sister?”
“How did you hear about this?”
Startled, Kassel asked, but the other simply shrugged.
“Good news travels fast. I look forward to seeing the charming Lady Klein soon.”
It wasn’t just one or two people. Several prominent families approached with similar congratulations, all assuming the Grand Temple’s verification had delayed the announcement.
This wasn’t ordinary.
Already suspicious, Kassel approached the Duchess.
“Mother, did you announce anything about Tiana?”
“Me? No. But I didn’t go out of my way to hide it, especially after what happened at the temple.”
“Any idea how word might have spread?”
“Well, a jeweler did recently craft several items meant for our Tiana. Perhaps people put two and two together?”
“….”
“In hindsight, perhaps it would’ve been better to bring Tiana to this ball,” the Duchess remarked, maintaining her composure as the socialite she was.
Still, she couldn’t help letting a hint of reproach seep into her tone toward Kassel. Even the Crown Prince, who made a brief appearance to mediate between the two families, Orleans Duchy and Marquisate of Hwiante, brought up the matter.
“They say you’ve found Lady Tiana Marietta Klein?”
“…Yes, for now.”
Sillas noticed the subtlety in Kassel’s response but refrained from pressing further.
“Understood. I look forward to meeting her next spring.”
With that, the official debut of Lady Klein was informally set for the spring ball, solidified by none other than the Crown Prince himself. This turn of events delighted the Duchess.
“Well, yes. Introducing Tiana in the warmth of spring is far better than this desolate winter. I should’ve thought of that. We’ll dress her magnificently, making everyone regret how they treated her. We’ll show the world what a true noblewoman of this country is!”
“…”
When Dorothea lived as an Eina, she was never well-loved, most of it being her own fault. Never being praised by Professor Pochette wasn’t something to be proud of.
While her initial dining etiquette, walking posture, and sitting manners were adequate, she never improved beyond that, a clear evidence of her lack of effort.
……
(T/N: It feels like the Grand Temple was the one responsible for what happened in Morgana’s previous life, and they used Dott’s greed to get rid of Morgana. It was said that the Saintess had been wrong with her oracles because the temple’s divine powers are declining. Is it possible that Morgana is the true Saintess after all?)
Zoveii
A little annoying that they said that Dott wasn’t beloved as an Eina due to her lack of effort and improvement, while Morgana had studied desperately and STILL wasn’t treated very well