The trip was still far away, but Eciel’s teachers had already begun the evaluations, considering the possibility of retests.

Eciel had certainly made quite an effort.

However, the relentless schedule of evaluations was harsh on her… she struggled with the never-ending assessments and asked me for a favor.

– “I actually picked out a gift for Mom secretly when we went to Galamad Department Store. The tailors there will have it ready when they come to do fittings, but I don’t have the time to go get it.”

– “So, you want me to go instead?”

– “Yes. Then I’ll owe you one.”

For someone like me, who was pushing through the rigorous schedule with her, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I immediately accepted, got permission from Dad, and with Louis as my chaperone, we smoothly arrived at Galamad.

As soon as we got off the carriage, Leah Fawcett and her attendants came out to greet us.

… I should have sensed the impending misfortune when things were going so smoothly.

“It’s an honor to have you visit again, Miss. We have prepared a room in the private suite you saw last time. This way, please…”

Bang!

A sharp noise interrupted Leah Fawcett’s words. Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn to the source of the sound.

I was no exception.

My dull senses were immediately heightened, scanning for the disturbance.

The source of the commotion was an elderly woman adorned extravagantly. She wore the latest fashion with a flared skirt, jewels covering her body, and a lace-fringed parasol.

… and a person collapsed in front of her.

It seemed the old woman had struck the employee with her parasol.

“How dare you ask me to pay before entering! Is this how Galamad does business now?”

The old woman’s shrill voice grated on the ears.

“I’m sorry if you were offended, Lady Declamen, but…”

‘… seems like she’s accumulated a lot of debt.’

Galamad was famous for its advertisement of having gathered all the luxuries of the world, making it a prime spot for greedy people to flaunt their power and then fall from grace.

Seeing the argument dragging on, Leah quickly signaled to the nearby staff. She likely meant for them to handle the woman somehow.

Following the social etiquette for such awkward situations, I turned my head away, pretending not to notice.

Unexpectedly, Louis was still watching.

‘… does he know her?’

But rather than knowing her… his expression was closer to disdain.

Narrowed, focused eyes, a tense mouth, a face rigid with coldness.

Before I could get a good look at his face, Leah urgently whispered.

“Miss, this way, please.”

I resumed walking, having paused inadvertently.

People surrounded the old woman in a circle, trying to soothe her with scattered words carried on the wind.

“Lady Declamen. We apologize for today’s incident. If you would just…”

“We are sincerely sorry if you were displeased…”

Empty words covered in a thin layer of courtesy, essentially telling her to quiet down and leave.

The interest of the onlookers was gradually waning and dispersing.

Perhaps realizing she was about to be driven out, the old woman suddenly screamed.

“How dare you treat me like this! Do you know who I am?”

No idea.

Just as I was about to step onto the private staircase leading to the exclusive suite.

She screamed, as if in a final act of defiance.

“I raised Duke Chelsiers! If the Duke finds out, he won’t let you get away with this!”

What?

I froze mid-step. Louis quickly whispered.

“Miss, please ignore her. She is just a senile old woman.”

The voice was almost gritted, the tone more desperate than intimidating.

The urgency in his words pushed me forward.

I walked on in a daze.

A loud voice echoed behind me.

“Bring the manager! Where is Leah Fawcett, Leah Fawcett!”

Then, perhaps by chance, one of the employees glanced this way.

Thwack!

The sound of a parasol striking someone. It was brutal. The old woman was heading this way.

My steps quickened.

Hurry, up the stairs, quickly. Disappear before she saw me…

“Leah Fawcett, your department store is… Louis Rezena?”

I felt her gaze climbing up my back. I could sense it even without looking.

We had nearly reached the top of the stairs when her voice, like metal being scraped, rang out with glee.

“You, you’re Ashel’s daughter.”

A chill ran down my spine.

 

* * *

 

Her name was Heather.

But throughout her life, she was more known as Ethel’s sister.

Ethel, the most beautiful lady in society who became the Duchess of Chelsiers, was elegant and compassionate.

And Heather, the sister who was far inferior to Ethel.

It was unbearable. She wanted to escape. Why didn’t people see Ethel’s ugly side?

She once tried to reveal the truth, but it only tarnished her own reputation.

So, when she heard of her sister’s death, her first emotion wasn’t grief.

It was an opportunity. An opportunity had come!

 

* * *

 

“Of course, I can’t replace Ethel, but I’ll try to be like your mother.”

Heather blurted out as soon as she faced her young nephew.

The young boy who had just lost his parents stared at her with cold, quiet eyes.

“Like how my mother did.”

“Yes, Ashel. You are still young, and I am your aunt after all… I would be better than a stranger.”

Other children might have shown some sign of wavering, but Ashel’s face remained calm.

It was chillingly cold.

Heather tried her best not to let her expression twist.

When Ethel was alive, everything in the world revolved around her.

Ethel was wrapped in the goodwill and good reputation of everyone and ultimately became the Duchess of Chelsiers.

… although she and her husband died suddenly.

Anyway, with her sister’s death, the most honorable and powerful nephew in the country came under Heather’s guardianship.

It was a perfect opportunity.

A chance to escape the mediocre marriage prospects and her utterly inferior situation.

No one could ignore this chance.

Moreover, that child was an Astariol.

He was only young in body, but more rational and detached than most adults, dismissing human emotions and understanding as worthless.

Therefore, Heather felt justified.

So, what if she said she would take care of the child like his mother? He never needed that from the start.

She did nothing wrong.

 

* * *

 

“Aunt.”

Heather was startled and looked up.

She hadn’t heard a sound, but Ashel was very close. His cold eyes curved slightly, forming a subtle, icy smile.

“You must have been busy.”

Despite knowing he was looking at the Duchess’s ring on her finger.

He didn’t understand emotions or affection, but his cynical words were surprisingly adept.

A cold voice came out naturally.

“Why are you here?”

“I heard you’re planning to expel Louis Rezena.”

“Yes. I’m your guardian, and I have the right to manage the household. Deciding on sponsorship is my prerogative.”

Although still far from adulthood, the child who didn’t look like one at all stared at her.

A gaze distant and cold like the night sky.

A face imbued with serene, quiet mockery, eerily resembling the deceased, yet fundamentally different.

A low voice asked.

“Do you remember what you said to me when we first met?”

Of course, she remembered.

Like his mother… that she would try to be like Ethel.

A promise she had no intention of keeping from the start. It didn’t make her feel any better to bring it up now.

Heather retorted curtly.

“Whether I remember or not, what does it matter?”

The young Duke Chelsiers remained silent for a moment.

His almost perfect face flickered with a faint shadow, casting a strange light.

For reasons she didn’t understand, Heather held her breath.

But the inexplicable pressure subsided as soon as Ashel spoke.

“My mother would never have expelled Louis Rezena.”

In that regard, Heather had something to say. She scoffed loudly.

“It’s funny you say that. That child was your mother’s flaw.”

The child’s head tilted slightly. A smooth, calm rebuttal.

Every time she saw such a minor gesture, the child who bore no resemblance to her mother vaguely reminded her of Ethel.

Heather tried to shake off the unpleasant feeling, speaking sharply.

“Ethel raised that child because you made her uncomfortable. And then she died. So why should we continue to support him?”

The implication that his mother disliked him, using sponsorship as an excuse to bring in a new child.

Any other child would have been shaken.

But the great and distinguished Astariol responded in a tranquil tone.

“That’s incorrect.”

“What?”

“You are here to <try to be like Mother>.”

“……”

“Do not pretend to do something for me while doing something my mother would never have done.”

Heather blinked once.

“… Ethel is dead.”

A voice twisted with utter disarray.

But Ashel’s response was still composed and articulate.

“But she was the Duchess of Chelsiers. Therefore, her will must be respected even after her death.”

It was only then that Heather realized this wasn’t the <perfect opportunity> she had thought it was.