"Let’s sit down for now. I didn’t think to prepare seats since no woman stays for long." "Oh my. How kind of you."

With a beaming smile, the woman gracefully sat on the small sofa I had brought over. At first glance, she appeared to be a naive noble lady raised in a bright and harmonious household. However, I could see the calculative intentions hidden behind that smile.

I needed to stay on guard.

"Shall we skip the pleasantries and get to the point?" "What do you mean by 'the point'?" "It's about what benefits this marriage would bring to you, my lord." "Isn't that something usually brought up by the other party? This seems like a discussion for the elders of the family." "I apologize for taking up your precious time. I thought you would prefer getting straight to the core rather than wasting time on frivolous chatter... Was I wrong?" "No, you’re correct."

It seems she has thoroughly analyzed my character. Certainly, light conversations about flower arrangements, string games, or doll collections are typical topics for ladies of her age. For me, those would feel like torture.

Having to create common interests with a nearly grown lady to lead the conversation—if I had raised her from childhood, common interests would have naturally developed, and it wouldn’t be necessary.

"How does this marriage benefit me? I’m quite curious about that." "I understand that you must be cautious about marriage. Given that you enjoy the Emperor’s favor, it would be difficult to hastily ally with another family. Just yesterday, someone was dismissed from a high position in the palace without warning, so the political climate is very unstable. However, our family, the Tales, holds a small barony on an isolated island, so we don’t have significant political or military influence. No faction is interested in us, and we have no intention of getting involved with any."

"And what benefit would it bring me to ally with such a family?" "As I mentioned, the Tales’ homeland is a small and remote island. It’s the perfect place for conducting quiet and discreet experiments or research. I happened to notice your name on the list for the academic conference at the Imperial Academy of Magic, so I thought you might have an interest in research."

"…."

The woman bowed her head slightly.

Quietly and discreetly. Her words are quite clear and straightforward.

'She means that she can provide a place where I can conduct research on dark magic without it being discovered by the academic world or the imperial court.'

I have not lost my will to pursue dark magic research. It seems she has decided to stake her bet on that possibility. Irene also doesn't know how proactive I am about dark magic, so she made a gamble that is uncertain.

That assumption hit the nail on the head.

However, that ambitious gamble has failed. Because I have no intention of conducting dark magic research in hiding. Having boldly demanded that my imperial sister reveal the location of Neodymium, what could I possibly hide now?

'Irene has completely misstepped.'

I have confirmed the limits of Irene’s information network. It’s clear that she does not have access to information within the imperial palace.

I’m still afraid of facing Irene directly, but dealing with a spy like this feels much more manageable than I expected.

"I understand how this marriage would benefit me. Now I would like to hear how it benefits you; what are your demands?" "For our humble family, simply connecting with you would be a great honor and a step up in the world. I desire nothing more." "Really? Nothing at all?" "Yes. If I can become the wife of a wonderful man like you, I would want for nothing more."

"While that sounds pleasing, this is truly your last chance. If this moment passes, I will take it that you have no demands at all." "Well, if you insist, I do have one request…" "Let’s hear it." "Actually... I want to take revenge on Irene Vermont, your sister." "…."

With a fierce gaze, the woman stared straight at me. Her eyes shone like those of a demon sharpening its blade for revenge. If I hadn’t played through Chapter 1, I might have truly mistaken her for someone who wanted revenge.

But this too must be part of the script that Irene has prepared. I couldn’t fall for it.

"You may not know this, but our family lost all our shares in the trading company we operated due to Irene Vermont's scheming. As a result, my father suffered a stroke and passed away, and our family has fallen from being world-traveling merchants to a small farming family growing grapes on an island. Since then, I have never once forgotten my resolve to take revenge on that cruel woman. I believe you harbor negative feelings toward your sister as well..."

"What form do you envision this revenge taking?" "I want to take everything she has. Her wealth, her honor, her status... everything!"

"…."

The woman, consumed by greed, spoke passionately, occasionally choking up as if she were venting her frustrations.

A woman who has suffered greatly at the hands of Irene Vermont and has dreamed of revenge since childhood. And an earl who has been constantly nagged by his sister over succession issues.

Given the circumstances, it’s natural for the conversation to lead toward taking down Irene Vermont.

It seems she was trying to lure me into a trap by suggesting a plan to strike against Irene. However, I know that everything happening here will reach Irene’s ears.

So, I decided to turn the tables on this deception.

"That’s how I feel... but I will follow your lead, my lord. What do you wish for me to do?" "I think you’re misunderstanding something." "Yes?" "How could I possibly want revenge on my dear sister? Though we may have had conflicts in the past over succession issues, that’s something every family goes through. I have no intention of harming her in any way. Therefore, I cannot accept that proposal." "Ah!? I’m sorry! Please forgive me! I dared to speak out of turn! It was something I shouldn’t have said...!" "It’s alright. It’s a common misunderstanding. I will forget what I just heard, so don’t worry too much."

[The evil god, 'Kali,' is deeply moved by your benevolent nature.]

Startled, the woman jumped to her feet, repeatedly bowing her head. I tried my best to maintain a gentle smile. In this moment, I am a true younger brother who dearly loves his sister.

And I’m a magnanimous person who can forget and forgive the trivial disputes of childhood.

'I hope this makes them let their guard down...'

For now, Kali has been deceived. Will Irene also be deceived? ...I hope she will be.

"Then shall we change the topic? It seems there might be some eavesdroppers." "…?"

Clearing her throat, the woman whispered softly. I immediately checked the door. Sure enough, it was slightly ajar, and four small eyes gleamed through the crack.

These kids...

As I contemplated whether to scold them for peeking through the door, a voice suddenly interrupted.

"Excuse me!" "I brought some snacks because I thought you might be hungry..."

The door creaked open, revealing a mobile tray filled with pastries and tea. Behind it, Charlotte and Yulia peeked in, lifting their heads.

Their outfits... Are they dressed in maid uniforms? It seems they’ve pulled out the clothes tailored for when the Emperor's sister visited. Could it be they’re dressed as maids to sneak in here?

"Oh my. What adorable maidens. How old are you?" "I'm fourteen." "Actually, I'm thirteen, but I'm not a maid; I'm the uncle's slave!" "Ch-Charlotte...!" "It’s okay. It’s not really a secret."

The maid disguise was instantly blown. It seemed they had come in to eavesdrop as the conversation dragged on. Both of them were rather clumsy. Even the woman had noticed their intentions and covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"Snacks, huh? I’m not really hungry. How about you, um... uh..." "It’s Emilia." "How about you, Emilia?" "I’m not really hungry either." "Then you can eat this yourself." "It’s okay! We just brought it to serve you."

"But I am hungry..."

At that moment, a cute sound rumbled from Charlotte’s stomach. Yulia squinted her eyes, scolding her softly.

"Charlotte! You’re really...!" "You two should eat. The freshly baked cookies should be eaten quickly. Instead of letting them sit and go stale, someone should eat them." "Now that you mention it, I guess I have to eat them! You’re not going to eat, right, Yulia?" "I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat..."

With joy, Charlotte set the plate full of cookies down, and Yulia, seemingly anxious that Charlotte would eat them all, stepped closer and started picking up cookies one by one.

Here we had two maidens who had come in to offer snacks, now sitting amicably together, munching on cookies. Emilia also giggled at the cute scene.

"What adorable children. It’s evident that you’ve raised them with love and care, my lord."

Ah. She can tell? Really? Others often wonder how I raised these adorable children to become dark knights and necromancers. It seems she is the first to recognize it, which suddenly brightened my mood.

"Yes, well. My goal is to raise them to be excellent, independent women. Helping them study to develop their skills and earn money with those skills is all part of that." "Hehe. You really treat them like your own daughters. It’s admirable." "Whether I treat them like my own daughters, I’m thinking of raising them as proper brides. As they grow under my care, their speech changes, and the etiquette they once fumbled at becomes graceful. Watching the shifts in how they address me and their distance is deeply satisfying. You’ll see my influence in all aspects of the children’s growth. Just like a cobbler carefully crafting shoes that fit perfectly, I think it’s a man’s essential and fundamental quality to cultivate brides that suit his taste…"

"…."

Noticing the odd atmosphere, I quickly sealed my lips. Emilia’s expression turned sour, as if she had forgotten what to comment due to the shock.

Only then did it hit me. Damn it! This woman had made me elated, only to try and casually extract information from me! I fell for it!