TVBS 07

Episode 7

The nanny and a servant were plotting something together.

This was something that never appeared in the original story.

Of course it didn’t.

The original story relentlessly focused only on the story of the male lead, Crown Prince Alex, and the female lead, Bianca. There was no way it would bother to include the private affairs of the mastermind family.

As I hurried toward the bedroom, I happened to run into Shevert.

He must have just finished training, because the smells of sweat and dirt clung to him.

I hurriedly gathered the hem of my dress in my hands and gave him a quick greeting.

Hey, move it. I’m busy right now.

The fact that I’d run into my fiancé wasn’t important.

My mind was a mess. I desperately needed some time alone to sort things out.

But contrary to my wishes, Shevert stood completely still, blocking my path.

“…Is there something you wanted to say to me?”

Even at my question, he simply glared at me, his red eyes burning fiercely.

Hmph. What are you going to do if I don’t move?

I snorted inwardly and walked past him, taking the path beside him.

But then—

“I heard you squeezed money out of Father.”

My feet, which had been heading toward the stairs, stopped dead at Shevert’s provocation.

Completely dumbfounded, I turned around and looked up at him as he glared at me.

“You mean I squeezed money out of him?”

“Yeah. I heard you went to every boutique in town not long ago. Apparently, your room is overflowing with dresses?”

Oh no. How did he know?

I felt a little guilty inside, but quickly steeled myself.

All I’d done was say I was going into town, and since the duke gave me pocket money of his own accord, all I’d done was go shopping.

So how had that somehow turned into a rumor that I’d extorted money from him?

This was exactly why life became difficult once people decided they didn’t like you.

Ah, my reputation is hitting rock bottom by the day.

I sighed, feeling like the road ahead was pitch-black.

But there was no way I was going to lose an argument to some seventeen-year-old boy.

“What are you scheming?”

Shevert’s red eyes narrowed.

He had the kind of look that said he didn’t want to deal with me, but I annoyed him so much that he wanted to stomp me into the ground.

Ugh, this is so unfair! What does he mean, scheming?!

Was that really something I should have to hear from my fiancé?

My lips naturally pushed into a pout from sheer indignation.

“Scheming…? And I didn’t squeeze any money out of him. The duke gave it to me first.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying. If you really find it so hard to believe, you can ask the duke yourself.”

“What?”

“Lord Shevert, you’re not treating me like this just because you’ve heard some rumors whispered by the maids, are you?”

Judging by how surprised he looked, you’re still just a kid too.

If you were going to let your emotions show that easily, you couldn’t possibly compete with me.

I chuckled inwardly and gave him a subtle look of victory.

“The girl is telling the truth. I gave her the money.”

“F-Father!”

Looking at Shevert’s startled eyes, I jumped in surprise and turned my head.

I hadn’t noticed when he’d arrived, but the duke was leaning against the wall. He unfolded his arms and approached us before speaking in a dry tone.

“I have something to discuss with you. Come to my room for a moment.”

“Me, Father?”

“No. I mean Marianne.”

The icy red eyes of Duke Kereis flashed as he looked at me.

By the time evening had passed, it was pitch-black outside the window.

Only the lamps illuminating the study shone brightly.

After calling me here, the duke spent quite some time silently sipping from the glass of liquor in front of him before finally speaking.

“I intend to assign you a tutor.”

“A tutor?”

It was completely unexpected.

“As you know, now that you’ve entered the Kereis family, I have a duty to educate you. So I’ll find a tutor suitable for you.”

I blinked my black eyes, trying to figure out the duke’s intentions.

Then I remembered a line from the original story.

—She’s completely useless! Change her tutor immediately!

I remembered the duke in the original story being absolutely furious, as if his anger might burst through the web page.

He must have wanted to test Marianne’s magical abilities as soon as possible.

But from the age of thirteen until she became an adult, Marianne never showed any abilities.

In the meantime, it was only the magicians who taught Marianne who were constantly replaced.

She was subjected to all kinds of abuse and mistreatment from that point on.

Some magicians went so far as to physically punish Marianne when scolding her, while another was caught trying to tie her up in the forest and was subsequently dismissed.

It happened year after year, so whenever the servants and maids saw Marianne, they would whisper behind her back.

There’s no way I’m going through that.

Of course, Marianne eventually grew into a true villainess after suffering through all that pain, but I didn’t want that.

Why bother becoming a villainess when I could just awaken my magical abilities instead?

I could sense that the time had come.

I soothed my dry throat with the honey tea sitting in front of me before speaking.

“Duke, have you decided on a tutor yet?”

It might have been a somewhat audacious question, but I didn’t back down.

“If you haven’t decided on one…”

“If I haven’t?”

Duke Kereis’s face, with its furrowed brow, was as beautiful as a statue.

For a moment, I almost got distracted by his looks, but I quickly came to my senses.

Depending on what I did now, Marianne’s future could change.

“Could I choose my own tutor?”

The duke’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly.

It was understandable that he would be caught off guard.

A thirteen-year-old girl had dared to make a suggestion in front of the Duke of Kereis.

For a moment, the duke looked as though he’d been struck by a small rock, but he gave no outward indication of his surprise.

“Is there someone you have in mind?”

“Yes. I think you’ll like him when you meet him later, too. He’s the most talented magician in the Empire.”

“……!”

The duke’s bright red eyes widened.

On the surface, he had merely been looking for a private tutor suitable for a thirteen-year-old girl.

But before he could even do that, the girl herself had seen right through his intentions.

And on top of that, she claimed he was the most talented magician.

The duke unconsciously let out a sharp breath and looked away from the girl sitting before him.

The child named Marianne was staring at him with an innocent expression, but it seemed there was more to her than met the eye.

“A magician? I distinctly remember saying I wanted a tutor.”

“My parents told me when I was little. They said I shouldn’t meet an ordinary tutor, but a very talented magician.”

“…Are you saying you knew that you were born with magical abilities?”

“Yes.”

The duke’s expression was colored with bewilderment, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Since things have come to this, I’ll be honest with you. While you’re staying here, you must develop your magical abilities.”

On the outside, I listened intently, but inwardly, I was impressed.

Look at how quickly he changed his approach after hearing what I had to say. Is it because he’s the mastermind? His ability to assess a situation is incredible.

“But how do you know such a talented magician?”

“My late mother told me about him as well. She said I needed to meet him if I wanted to grow.”

Of course, that was a lie. When I possessed Marianne’s body, her parents had already passed away.

But since there was no one in this world who could actually ask my dead parents for confirmation, I lied quite naturally.

After hearing everything, the duke’s lips seemed slightly dry.

“All right. For now, let’s consider this matter from several different angles.”

“Yes, Duke.”

Watching the duke raise his glass to his lips, I smiled triumphantly inwardly.

There was no way the duke would refuse when I said I wanted to find the most capable magician in the Empire.

He wanted to get this Empire into his grasp as quickly as possible, after all.

Well, it would benefit me too if I could develop my magical abilities early and leave this place.

Isn’t that what you call a win-win?

It was when I had left the duke’s room and was walking down a long corridor.

Perhaps because my mind was completely occupied with thoughts of magicians, I somehow wandered into a spacious room before I knew it.

“…Huh? Where am I?”

I looked around, turning my head this way and that, and soon realized it was a reception room.

So there was a place like this.

I’d never seen it before.

The Kereis residence was so enormous that whenever I accidentally got lost, I seemed to discover new places like this.

The reception room had neatly arranged sofas, and the open doorway on the opposite side appeared to lead to the rear garden.

“…Huh?”

Then, suddenly, my gaze fell upon a large framed painting.

It depicted four brothers who looked alike, with an elderly man sitting in the middle.

It was so exquisitely detailed that it looked as though it had been painted by a master.

“That man is the duke.”

A man standing straight with an expressionless face.

He looked younger than the duke did now, so the painting must have been from the past.

I stared at the figures in the frame for quite some time, completely captivated.

“Wow, they’re handsome! That man, this man, the man on the left, and the man standing in the back too…!”

I couldn’t help but admire them.

“But… is this really a family portrait?”

Why did everyone look so displeased?

The chilliness radiating from the painting seemed to reach me through the canvas.

I met each person’s eyes one by one, then soon grew bored and turned my gaze away.

That was when—

“What are you looking at so intently?”

The moment I heard the unpleasant voice right next to my ear, my brows knitted together.

It was Shevert, the eldest son of the Kereis family.

I whipped my head around and glared at him.

Then I reluctantly gathered the hem of my dress and gave him a light greeting.

Of course, I didn’t bother smoothing out my frown.

“You’re here?”

“What is that expression on your face?”

I forced the corners of my lips upward awkwardly before continuing.

“Are you perhaps following me?”

“W-What?”

“Otherwise, there’s no way you’d keep appearing everywhere I happen to be. Right?”

“……!”

Shevert’s face turned red and then pale.

I’d only said it just in case.

He’s really following me.

Seeing Shevert trembling, I added another irritating remark.

“People might start rumors. That Lord Shevert is following me around. You are the eldest son of Kereis, after all.”

“……What? Hey, are you done talking?”

Shevert strode toward me with his long legs and stopped right in front of me.

“You little runt!”