22. It Was All an Act
Among the Klaus Duchy’s major investments, Chwihen held a special place.
If Chwihen had not been chosen as the western hub city but instead Elmyur, the duchy’s finances would have trembled on the brink of collapse.
Esika Klaus’s lips, as she gazed out the window, carried a faint, knowing smile.
“Knowing the future is quite a good thing. I can plan.”
She then turned her gaze to the drawer adorned with the emerald ring of the Crown Prince and continued her thoughts.
“Just a variable, then…”
Even in Brigate, such pure emerald was a rare commodity.
The ring was crafted with exquisite skill and used rare materials, so precious that it inspired genuine admiration.
Of course, to the Crown Prince who had returned with enormous spoils by reclaiming old territories through conquest wars, such a trinket might mean nothing at all.
“…Just one Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince, Lesban Deon Rusein. A beautiful and strong man with black hair and cold golden eyes.
He appeared to hold some interest in her.
The wasteland she had purchased—Elmyur—would bring tens of times the profit.
That wealth… would be more than enough to purchase the Klaus Duchy and was essential for the success of the second plan.
Yet what would the Crown Prince think of her once he discovered she had bought Elmyur first?
Suddenly, Esika recalled the words Lesban had spoken.
“Everything in the Empire belongs to the Emperor. The Klaus Duchy is no exception.”
She had been skeptical about the question of whether he would disregard his own orders.
Of course, she still did not know his true intentions.
After all, to him the Klaus Duchy was useless—a second prince’s faction that he might even choose to overlook.
“…”
Lesban’s impression was intense.
Cold, elegant, with a slightly languid gaze, noble charm and wild allure blended together.
In the books, the Crown Prince had been described only in actions; no one could know his heart.
“It is the mark of a master.”
The spirit from her past life had possessed that same quality.
Masters possessed fierce personalities, were tyrannical and sensitive, and one could never know their true thoughts.
Whether only monsters became masters or whether masters changed after attaining that status, she did not know.
Meanwhile, in the office, Kalian Klaus was immersed in his work.
Suddenly, he looked toward the open door.
Yuri Anesis approached, carrying tea.
With her bright golden hair tied back and dressed in her maid uniform, Yuri’s face appeared somewhat pale.
“Your Highness.”
Yuri set the tea and cookies down and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Rest while you can. I am worried about your health.”
“Well…”
Kalian briefly closed the documents and gazed at Yuri’s red eyes before saying,
“More than my health, it seems you are more concerned about the one who fell down the stairs.”
Kalian’s teasing words caused Yuri’s red pupils to tremble for a moment.
Then Yuri blushed slightly and shook her head.
“I am fine, Your Highness.”
She turned her body and began walking toward the door.
Watching Yuri’s retreating figure, Kalian’s eyebrows twitched.
“…Wait.”
Yuri stopped without turning back.
She had not noticed that the corner of her mouth was slightly upturned.
Kalian’s voice reached her.
“Why are you limping? It has been quite some time since the last injury…”
“Um… I just fell.”
Yuri turned hesitantly, avoiding Kalian’s gaze.
Kalian rose from his seat and approached Yuri with a stern expression.
He lowered his body.
“…Your Highness.”
The sight of Kalian looking up at her from below was so mesmerizing that Yuri’s mind went blank.
Yuri blushed but did not stop him from lifting her skirt.
Yuri knew exactly what he would see.
The wound had healed, yet a scar remained.
A scar that would make any viewer shudder.
“…This is…”
Kalian’s eyebrows furrowed.
Only after confirming his reaction did Yuri take a step back.
Kalian stood and asked,
“What happened?”
“The fall from the stairs last time…”
“A wound that is not merely a fall is something even a child can tell.”
Yuri deliberately avoided Kalian’s gaze and fluttered her eyes sadly.
Kalian, seeing her, thought,
Who could have inflicted such damage on Yuri’s legs?
Without a trace of malice, no one could beat a person so severely.
Yuri Anesis had been a delicate and fragile woman, like a flower.
Sometimes she was so kind it made one sigh…
“…Esika?”
Suddenly, Kalian spoke her name.
If there was anyone who possessed a conscience toward Yuri, it would be only one person.
Esika, who had felt betrayal between Yuri and himself before…
Kalian’s heart began to pound, thump thump.
“Could it be that you have developed some interest in me?”
Esika had spoken to Kalian in a tone that conveyed no interest at all.
“Yuri, tell me properly!”
Kalian suddenly grabbed Yuri’s shoulder, and she flinched.
Kalian’s dark purple pupils were veiled with an emotion that could be excitement or anger.
Yuri believed Kalian had fallen for her trap.
At first she had not wanted to show him this cruel scar because she feared he would dislike it.
But now, as he continued to show subtle favors toward Esika, it had become more important than ever to separate the two from Yuri’s perspective.
“I… I don’t want to hate Esika…”
Clear tears streamed from Yuri’s eyes.
The tears flowed down her chin and dropped with soft plops onto the floor.
Her appearance stirred a protective instinct.
Kalian reached out and pulled Yuri into his arms.
It had been a long time since the last embrace.
Yuri’s body trembled and was delicate and small.
“…Rest… It’s all right, Yuri.”
Kalian patted Yuri’s back where she was held in his arms.
He had been gentler to her than ever before.
This was not because she was pitiful or because he loved her.
Kalian’s eyes flashed.
“Yes, it was all an act. Esika.”
He had briefly mistaken her sudden change to cold indifference.
She no longer loved him.
Of course, looking at the sequence of events, Esika might have felt wronged.
Actually, it was not about luxury, but the clear situation in which her mother had excessively educated her.
However, the Esika Klaus that Kalian knew was not a woman who would easily let love fade.
“…That attitude was an attempt to draw my attention.”
The pieces of the puzzle fit together, and a sense of victory took hold in Kalian’s mind.
Yuri, hugged in Kalian’s arms, also smiled happily inside.
Kalian had guessed that Esika would become angry, but he had not expected her to feel so pitifully about being struck by her.
Yuri closed her eyes and fell into a happy dream for a moment.
“Ma’am… Big trouble!”
Sella came running urgently to Esika, who stood by the window gazing at the garden.
Out of breath from running so hard, Sella said to her with a pale face,
“The maids have collectively submitted resignation letters for the lady’s maid.”
Sella also knew that the rumor of Lady Maid Yuri Anesis having been severely abused by the Duchess had spread throughout the mansion and beyond.
“Th… I could not endure the abuse of the Duchess…”
She denied it by saying it was an unbelievable story, but one could not win against the many.
Probably all of them knew.
The one who had made Yuri’s legs like that was not Esika but Leona.
Esika, on the other hand, had been the one ignored by the maids for three years.
So, this collective resignation was a show implicitly agreed upon by the higher-ups.
It had been unbelievable from the start.
How dare the maids submit resignation letters claiming they could not endure the Duchess’s assault.
“And the Grand Duchess is probably comforting the maids.”
To Esika’s words, Sella nodded with a flinch.
Esika did not seem at all surprised by this unbelievable and absurd situation.
Rather, her gaze was nonchalant, as if she had anticipated such an event.
“…Ma’am.”
“Sella, what do you think?”
To Esika’s question, Sella spat out immediately.
“What do I think? It’s unbelievable. The maids who submitted the resignation letters would definitely think the same. The one abusing the maids is not the Duchess but the Grand Duchess!”
Sella also had a time when she had been like the other maids, flowing and elegant beside the Grand Duchess.
Those close to her knew her true nature.
Slapping was basic, kicking with feet was common. The anger had been boiling hot, but only after being thrown by her did she think she could live a little better.
Of course, the Grand Duchess’s direct maids had higher salaries than other maids, but still, only after being thrown by her did she think she could live a little better.
“Then, what is the reason the Grand Duchess planned this unbelievable thing?”
To Esika’s question, Sella flinches again.
“…Ma’am…”
Looking at Sella’s face full of anger toward the Grand Duchess, Esika smiled faintly and looked out the window again.
As expected, this Klaus mansion was not peaceful.
And the spirit was more familiar with and stronger in non-peaceful environments rather than peaceful ones.
“To make me kneel.”
Esika’s lips twitched.
Daring, those people.
“The problem is that I clearly know their inner workings.”