Chapter 6

“This is quite a serious matter.”

At the same time that Iveline and Cassian were having their conversation, there were two people secretly listening in.

They were Sophia, the head maid, and Sebastian, the butler.

“It is my fault for being inadequate. Since everyone refused the position of the young lady’s personal maid, I had no choice but to leave it to the two girls.”

“It is all right. Did you not expect unpredictable incidents to occur from the moment the young lady came to the ducal estate?”

Sebastian, the butler who had served the Hethis Duke family for generations, comforted Sophia before turning his attention to the voices coming from beyond the artifact.

—By the way, dear. Where are the ledgers?

When Iveline sent Mary and Rose away, she had secretly instructed the two of them to leave the brooch behind, just in case…

And as expected! Something truly shocking was happening.

“Could it be that her memories have returned?”

“If she is putting on an act, then there is a good chance her memories have returned.”

To ask about the whereabouts of the ledgers in such an innocent voice.

If she intended to squeeze every last bit of information out of the Hethis ducal family, it was certainly possible.

Sensing the crisis, Sebastian pondered with a stiff expression over how he should deal with this situation.

Just as he became lost in deep thought, a calm voice came from beyond the artifact.

—The butler keeps the ledgers safely stored.

Cassian spoke in a gentle but firm tone.

He had given a polite refusal without offending the other party.

But almost immediately, Iveline’s voice could be heard.

—Really? Then I suppose I should call Sebastian.

Iveline seemed ready to pull the summoning cord and call him over immediately.

Fortunately, Cassian seemed to stop her, but the conversation between the two did not cease.

—Is that really necessary? Sebastian has been managing them in Mother’s stead for a long time.

—That may have been the case for Mother, but I’m different. The mistress of the house is supposed to manage the ledgers, isn’t she?

Their conversation remained calm, but it was obvious that a furious outburst would come any moment.

If she was truly the Witch of the North, surely she would shout, ‘Are you saying you don’t trust me?’

But something unexpected happened.

—Cassian, I know you don’t trust me, but can’t you give me a chance? I am the Duchess of Hethis. I neglected the ducal family because I was bedridden, but from now on, I want to faithfully fulfill my duties as the duchess.

Contrary to their expectation that Iveline would become furious and throw a tantrum, she was trying to persuade him in a soft voice.

And at the same time, she proposed a new solution.

—I haven’t looked over the ledgers yet, so I don’t know for certain, but I have a short-term solution to overcome the financial difficulties.

—A short-term solution?

—Yes. Raise the taxes. More precisely, apply different rates depending on the category.

Since there were unreasonable factors in applying the same rate to everyone, she said that the most effective method would be to collect taxes by considering various factors, such as income, production volume, and types of goods.

She also did not forget to mention other regions.

—Even compared to other regions, the South collects relatively little in taxes, so I think it would be fine to raise the tax rate on certain items.

It was a reasonable argument.

Cassian himself was attempting to adjust the revenue by imposing special levies on luxury goods and unethical businesses, taking similar factors into consideration.

Iveline presented such sound arguments and conveyed her opinions so clearly that it was almost as if she had entered Cassian’s mind and come back out.

“Could we have been mistaken about her?”

“That may be the case.”

According to the rumors, Iveline was a wicked woman who constantly caused trouble and was utterly vicious.

It was said that if there was something she wanted, she would make a scene until she got it.

But now…

“She is a model for all noble ladies.”

Just as Sophia said, she was the very embodiment of a virtuous mistress of the house.

“Come to think of it, we have never actually witnessed the young lady doing anything evil.”

“She did interrogate the maids, but for a duchess, understanding the situation within the household comes first. It was only natural that she would do so.”

Sometimes compassionate, sometimes strict.

A gentle disposition was important, but dignified authority was also an essential quality for a duchess.

If only one aspect was emphasized, she might be looked down upon or provoke resentment, so it was important to possess a well-rounded set of qualities.

It was ironic that Iveline seemed to possess precisely those qualities, but perhaps Cassian had gained a reliable ally.

Thinking so, Sebastian inadvertently let his true feelings slip.

“It would have been nice if she weren’t the viscount’s lover.”

Although he had been listening in order to find fault with her somehow, he was being persuaded without even realizing it.

“You never know what goes on between a man and a woman. If you think about it, there are only a handful of accounts of the viscount and the young lady being together.”

“Still, weren’t there many people who said they saw them together here and there?”

“Have you forgotten that the people who witnessed those scenes were factions friendly toward the North?”

Sophia’s remark struck the nail on the head, and Sebastian jumped in surprise as though he had suddenly realized something.

At the same time, a new suspicion flashed through his mind.

Could it be that her marriage to Viscount Hethyus was a choice to avoid marrying the current emperor?

Of course, his lord’s feelings were the most important thing, but what if the label attached to Iveline wasn’t true?

Ahem. I’m letting my imagination run too wild. I can’t carelessly open my heart to a witch of the North—no, to someone under surveillance.

As a retainer who had served the ducal family faithfully for a long time, he had to judge the situation coldly.

“Ahem. Judging by the savory smell reaching all the way here, it seems the meal is almost ready. I shall take my leave first.”

Sebastian hurried away, quickening his pace and taking longer strides than usual.

I must hurry. I can’t let His Grace stay in the study with the person under surveillance for too long!

As the butler responsible for the Hethis ducal family, I must help my lord!

Therefore—

“Lunch is ready. Please come down to the second floor.”

Let’s have the married couple’s quarrel in the dining room!

Swish, swish. Chop, chop.

A series of strange, wordless sounds rang through the dining room.

At the steady, rhythmic noise, Cassian, who had remained silent until then, turned his gaze toward one side.

Following the source of the sound, he found Iveline personally slicing the meat.

“Dear, how about this thickness?”

“It’s good.”

More precisely, she was preparing ham so that it would be easy to eat.

Normally, this would have been the cook’s job, but—

“Whoa!”

“Chef!”

The chef, who had been carrying a massive hind leg, lost his footing and injured his hand and back.

Fortunately, Sophia, the head maid, swiftly caught the meat.

“Phew. The Black Label ham is safe.”

“Could you at least ask if I’m safe too? Ngh!”

The wailing chef tried to get back up and somehow carry out his duties, but he complained of pain whenever he moved, making it clear that he would be unable to carve the ham himself.

In the end, unable to stand by any longer, Iveline stepped forward herself.

She could have simply called someone else to perform the hand carving.

“No! I can’t entrust something this precious to someone else.”

Because she warned them with such an eerie look not to take the ham away from her, Cassian and the servants had no choice but to quietly watch.

Isn’t this something a professional should be doing?

But then, something astonishing unfolded.

Swish, swish. Chop, chop.

Her skill with the knife was anything but ordinary.

Even though she was surely holding a long carving knife for the first time, Iveline demonstrated fluid and nimble technique, as though the knife had become one with her.

“My goodness! The marbling is still alive!”

“And look how thin and almost transparent it becomes whenever it catches the light!”

Not only did she slice the ham into pieces small enough to fit in one bite, she also adjusted the amount of fat from section to section. With her sharp eyes, she sliced the Black Label ham extraordinarily thin.

Her appearance brought to mind a knight slaughtering enemies on the battlefield.

He knew it was rude to think so, but it felt as though powerful aura was emanating from her body.

After finishing the hand carving, Iveline placed an appropriate amount of ham onto Cassian’s plate.

She also distributed small portions of ham to the servants and encouraged them to taste it.

“Everyone, hurry and try some.”

“Yes, my lady!”

At Iveline’s urging, the servants eagerly put the ham into their mouths.

Judging by the exclamations of admiration that escaped them the moment they tasted it, the carving had to be perfect.

“How is it, dear?”

“It’s delicious.”

It wasn’t merely a polite compliment.

It really was delicious.

Her skill was more than sufficient for someone who enjoyed fine food.

The only thing that bothered him was—

Why does she have such presence?

He could sense a knight’s aura from Iveline.

At the strange question, Cassian’s gaze sharpened.

She was clearly an innocent woman who knew nothing.

So why could he sense the aura of a knight who had reached a high level?

For an instant, he even had the illusion that someone’s swordsmanship overlapped with hers.

Watching Iveline’s movements, Cassian unconsciously reached out and took her hand.

“Dear?”