“Um, Duchess?”
“What is it?”
I was sitting at the table sipping the cheap tea that had been served, with a young girl with an unusual hair color across from me. She addressed me hesitantly, and she never once met my sky blue eyes. The rumor that those blessed by the sacred beast always became gloomy seemed to be true after all.
The girl’s name was Mirandalinda Faltan. Compared to the household of Duke Robur, she was a count’s daughter of such low standing that she should have hesitated even to speak. Yet, for reasons of her own, she was now staying at the Faltan family’s modest villa. Unlike the Robur estate, this villa was only used occasionally and had no permanent servants.
Honestly, it was inconvenient. I was being forced to stay for several days, but it was quite unpleasant.
This was all my husband’s fault! It truly infuriated me! I was the lady of the Robur family, recognized by both the state and the church! I’d married him out of sheer necessity! Yet he never once showed me any consideration. Between the former fiancé, who’d been seduced by a commoner and eloped, and his brother—they’d all treated me like a fool!
I’d have that good-for-nothing caught and dragged before the church... No, before that, I’d use this ring’s power to unleash magic and make that good-for-nothing suffer!
Just as my rage was about to erupt, the ring suddenly felt hot around my finger. Instantly, my frustration turned to excitement.
Truly, they were useless tools. Useless tools should be destroyed. I had been far too lenient, just because he was my son and she was my daughter. Even then, I’d held back from killing that good-for-nothing.
That day, when that good-for-nothing got a wonderful fiancé—the second prince, a man far beyond her station——but couldn’t even manage the simple task of meeting him face-to-face for the first time, it confirmed once more what a failure she was. I’d ripped open that failure’s belly with my signature magic. But I didn’t kill her. I left my son, who was learning healing magic, by her worthless side.
That was right! I’d always been magnanimous!
Yet the next day, a small black magic circle had appeared right in the center of my face. I knew the incantation used was for criminals, but I couldn’t remove it myself. More circles appeared over time, covering my entire body in black within half a day. That hideous appearance and the criminal’s incantation—I was too ashamed to show myself to anyone.
Just as I was despairing that I could never attend tea parties or evening gatherings again, the magic circles vanished without warning.
But my joy was short-lived. To this day, I’d never forget the shock of realizing I could no longer use any magic at all.
I instinctively knew my husband was behind it. Disgusted by his thoroughly despicable character, I’d maintained my silent protest. Of course, I blamed everything on my own failure, boasting that I’d sealed it myself to protect my position.
“You really will arrange a meeting with Lady Robur, won’t you?” The girl’s childish voice snapped me out of my reverie. I’d forgotten she was still standing right in front of me.
“Yes. My daughter’s selfishness must have caused your young man trouble, yes? As her mother, I must set her straight.”
“Ah... Thank you so much!”
I was getting weary of her relentless questions, but the foolish little girl bowed her head happily at my answer.
Just because she’d received the sacred beast’s blessing, she thought she could overturn the Four Dukes’ decision? How presumptuous. Did she really think the decision to expel the young man had been made lightly? That useless girl couldn’t have achieved that merely by wishing. There had to be other factors at play. The other party was the head of the Asche family, after all. He was the most inflexible man among the Four Dukes. And she wanted him to restore the former young master’s status? Hah, it was laughable. It was impossible, no matter how that useless girl wished for it.
Glancing sideways, I saw the girl was still trembling nervously, avoiding my gaze entirely. That would be why she couldn’t determine who to trust.
“Girl.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Even someone like you, who’s been granted divine favor, can’t meet the sacred beast?” I wanted to ask why it couldn’t have been granted to me, if it had been granted to a girl like this.
“Um, yes. As I mentioned, I tried searching for the sacred beast to make a contract a little while ago. If I could make the contract, then, no matter who interfered, I could restore Heinz’s status on my own authority. And if not—” Miss Faltan suddenly cut herself off, her cheeks flushing bright red. What was that about? “If he’d just married me in name only, he could enter the nobility.”
“Well, it is true that a sacred beast pact-bearer might be free to choose their marriage partner.”
After the demise of that singular villainess, there had been no sacred beast pact-bearers. Becoming such a person’s spouse would draw all manner of conflicting interests. But a troublesome figure like a former noble who’d fallen to commoner status? Before any marriage registration could take place, some powerful figure would eliminate them. More people than when I’d tried to eliminate that runaway former fiancé and his elopement partner.
“Of course, Heinz would surely dislike someone like me as a spouse,” she said. “But it should be far better than a commoner’s life. That’s why I chased after the sacred beast when I sensed its presence intensifying. That’s when I met Lady Robur...but she was so...shocking...I couldn’t communicate with her at all. She was all bouncy-bouncy and showed zero interest in me...”
What did “bouncy-bouncy” mean? Her thought process had been bizarre since earlier. Was this girl all right?
“Well, that incident... Ahem.” I cleared my throat. “Since my daughter never listens to anyone, you made the right choice in relying on me. She does meet with the former young master outside sometimes, doesn’t she?”
“Yes. I’ve seen her enter a mansion nearby...”
“Use your abilities to ambush her. Take her by surprise and drag her into a carriage.”
That good-for-nothing could only use household magic. I’d smash her with every ounce of magic the ring’s power could muster.