Rachel had been planning to leave the family since then. Perhaps she might even give up her position as the Marquis’s daughter.
“Ha!”
“What should we do now, dear?”
“……We should try to persuade her. The Imperial Palace lockdown is almost over now. I will go to the palace myself and talk to her—”
It was too good a hand to let go just like this. So, after going to see her, if Rachel really had been trying to turn her back on them, as they now suspected.
A cold light flashed in Marquis Ingrave’s eyes.
“She dared to leave to live on her own. Should she not pay the price for turning her back on the family’s kindness?”
“She certainly needs to be made an example of.”
If they allowed something like this to happen, the family’s discipline would fall apart. Just as the Marchioness Ingrave slowly nodded.
“What do you mean? What do you mean by ‘made an example of’?”
“……!”
At the sudden voice, Marquis Ingrave and his wife stared at the office door. Standing in front of the slowly opening door was their son, Illya Ingrave.
Perhaps he had been on his way out to train, as he was dressed in his trainee knight uniform.
His trembling eyes were fixed on them. After exchanging a brief glance with her husband, the Marchioness Ingrave put on a gentle expression.
“It is nothing. You do not need to worry about it.”
“But clearly—”
“Go do what you need to do, Illya. This is not something you need to get involved in.”
“…….”
At the Marquis’s stern voice, Illya closed his mouth.
His mother was smiling, but she was firm.
After confirming even his father’s stiff expression, Illya slowly turned around. The Marquis watched him for a moment before warning him.
“From now on, do not stand outside your father’s office. Eavesdropping is not behavior befitting the heir. Do you understand?”
“…….”
“Answer me. How dare you just leave when your father is speaking to you? Did your sister teach you this, too?!”
Illya stopped walking and barely managed to bow his head.
“……I will be more careful with my behavior from now on.”
The Marchioness immediately scolded her husband.
“You, too. Illya is different from Rachel. He is such a gentle and good boy.”
“……Hoo.”
“…….”
Leaving the Marquis’s sigh behind, Illya walked away without direction. Only after reaching outside the entrance did Illya finally lean against the wall and let out the breath he had been holding.
Made an example of?
He knew that the atmosphere in the family had not been good lately. His parents pretended to be proud in public, but they were angry that they had not received a reply from his sister.
Of course, he could understand his parents’ sense of betrayal. Unlike him, they knew nothing……
But even so.
-……Once was enough.
“…….”
Illya buried his face in both hands.
His sister had already paid the price once. And if his prediction was correct, his sister would actually have been betrayed by the Ingrave family.
She would have married Paris Valencia, who had been the fake heir.
When the truth was revealed, his parents would have abandoned his sister without mercy.
And it was not difficult to realize that his future self had agreed with them.
At first, he could not believe that he had really done that.
……But his sister’s attitude proved it.
“Young Master…….”
His personal servant, Keen, who had followed him, carefully supported him. Illya stared at the closed entrance door.
“What about my parents?”
“They have moved to the inner chambers.”
Illya immediately grabbed his personal servant’s arm.
“Kin. Keep an eye on my parents for the time being. Find out who comes and goes and what they are planning, and report everything to me. Can you do that?”
“I think I can if I receive the under-butler’s help, Young Master. If the Marquis and Madam are planning something, surely it will have to go through the butler, will it not?”
“……!”
Illya had dismissed the butler, but his parents still trusted him. And the person who assisted and watched over the butler was the under-butler, Ton.
“……Go and bring the under-butler.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
He had not yet decided what he would do. But he wanted his sister to live peacefully.
Until now, perhaps it had been enough to simply keep his mouth shut and do nothing. But now that the word “example” had even been brought up, if his sister tried to become independent like this, would his parents really stay still?
His parents were not people to be taken lightly. They were more than capable of harming his sister for the sake of maintaining the family’s discipline.
If.
If, by some chance, his parents crossed the line again—
“I……”
Illya, finally standing at a crossroads, held his head in his hands.
His parents and his sister.
His parents, who were trying to harm his sister again, and his sister, who simply wanted to leave the family quietly.
……Perhaps the choice had already been decided.
This time, not betraying his sister seemed like the proper duty of a younger brother.
***
Easton.
The castle the Emperor had said he would give Rachel. Whether the Emperor had prepared it because he thought it would suit her, as she tried to escape Ingrave and make a new start, she did not know.
But for Rachel, who wanted to leave everything from before her Regression behind and start over, she could not think of a better castle herself.
A guest carriage bearing the Imperial Family’s flag passed through the slightly tall walls and stopped in front of the main gate sealed with chains.
The Fourth Knight of the Empire was guarding the gate.
After checking inside the carriage, a knight saw Rachel and showed her proper respect.
“Welcome, Lady Ingrave. We heard that you would begin repairing the residence today.”
It seemed the Emperor had made arrangements in advance. She had wondered whether it would really be all right when he left like that.
“May we go inside?”
“Yes. We will guard this place until the ceremony for your title. However, please remember that after that, the Easton Knight will have to guard this place.”
“Thank you.”
The seal was removed, and the gate opened. Since Viscount Burden’s family had used the residence until only a few weeks ago, it had been very well maintained.
The garden and backyard were also as spacious as she had expected.
“I think we chose well.”
Becky chattered happily.
“The residence is really pretty, my lady. We just need to remove the Burden family crest and change the structure however you want, my lady.”
“Exactly. The repairs should not take long.”
Would about two weeks be enough?
Rachel looked at Becky and the three maids, Anne, Rosie, and Berry, and said,
“Becky will be the head maid. And I plan to hire more servants, so you can recommend some of them if you want. You will be the senior servants, so make sure you manage the new servants well.”
“……!”
“Yes, my lady!”
“Yes!”
The senior maids who would handle the practical work under the head maid were already prepared. Rachel next looked at her guard captain, Sir Hoffman, and the three knights, Aaron, Dale, and Sir Parker.
“As you know, Sir Hoffman will become the Knight Commander, and the three of you will need to handle the Knight affairs. The vice commander, adjutant, defense of the territory, and so on.”
The support behind them might be weaker than that of the Marquis Ingrave family.
But considering the benefits they would receive as her first retainers, it would certainly be a worthwhile choice.
“I also plan to grant each of the four of you an estate, so it would be good for you to go down to the territory sometime and look around the villages you would like.”
At her words, delivered with a smile, the knights, including Sir Hoffman, brightened.
“Of course, my lady.”
“Do not worry. We will serve you with all our hearts.”
“You will not regret choosing us.”
Rachel walked around the residence with her retainers, who were full of enthusiasm.
She marked the places where the crest needed to be removed.
She planned to replace all the furniture, including the beds.
She also thought about how to decorate the garden. On the way back, they stopped by the craftsmen’s guild, where she found skilled architectural craftsmen and furniture craftsmen who specialized in noble residences and signed contracts with them.
“Ah, I need to prepare that, too.”
The most important thing was the clothes she would wear at the ceremony for her title. The dress was one thing, but she absolutely needed a cloak bearing the crest of the newly established Easton Baron family.
Rachel visited the dress shop she often went to. Madam Elaine checked the date for her.
“Do not worry, Lady. Five days will be enough.”
“Thank you, Madam.”
After handing over the crest of the Easton Baron family that she had personally designed, Rachel left, and the sun was already beginning to set.
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