The Grand Duke’s Little Lady - Chapter 108
Four years ago, when she found out about Lucian’s true identity, Lucian revealed to her who else knew about that secret.
“Allen and Berto. So, the housemaids of the Grand Duchy know about it, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And the direct male descendants of the imperial family like Prince Dietrich and the Empress also know?”
“Originally, that was it.”
To Ariel’s question about whether there were other people who knew besides the housemaids and the nobility, Lucian frowned coldly and mentioned Bruno’s name.
“And now, even that Bruno guy’s grandson knows.”
Ariel was taken aback.
Lucian had a tendency to regard human life very lightly!
What if he didn’t leave Hiss alone, now that he knew the secret?
Before Lucian could make plans to deal with Hiss, she quickly made a move.
“I’ll handle Hiss. You must never tell anyone else.”
Lucian cast a shadow with his long eyelashes and spoke in a menacing tone.
“…It feels like it’s not for my sake but for his.”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Lucian.”
Human lives must be preserved….
Anyway, Lucian didn’t get rid of Hiss.
She didn’t know when he might act capriciously, but perhaps he overlooked it because of Bruno.
Using the authority she had received from Hiss before, Ariel asked him to keep this matter a secret.
Since the authority granted among magicians had magical effects when used, he wouldn’t be able to break the promise lightly.
“…Fine.”
Hiss reluctantly accepted the authority with a discontented expression.
For a moment, Ariel wondered if Bruno had given her the authority in case of such a day.
‘By the way, it’s really surprising that Susan and Dalton, along with Hector from the Knights, don’t know.’
They had all been at the Grand Duchy for at least 14 years.
It was astonishing that meticulous people like Susan and Dalton hadn’t noticed, even if simple Hector didn’t.
Were the men of Lacartel so adept at hiding their identities?
…It didn’t seem like it.
It was just that their identities were so extraordinary that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.
If Ariel and Hiss hadn’t found wyvern bones in the estate’s forest, they would probably never have known.
When she mentioned the wyvern bones, Lucian casually replied, “Ah, that. Matthias’s father raised a wyvern cub for fun.”
Ariel widened her eyes.
Raising a wyvern as a pet?
What on earth were the men of Lacartel thinking from the beginning?!
In conclusion, the wyvern bones buried in the forest were discreetly disposed of by Allen.
* * *
After returning to the mansion in the capital city following that winter, Ariel asked Allen again.
“Allen. But… can you tell me the reason for the conflict between Sir Matthias and Lucian now?”
Currently, Allen, Matthias, and Bruno knew that she knew the secret.
So, she could muster up the courage to ask.
In response to Ariel’s cautious question, Allen smiled with wrinkles.
“Madam has always been more curious about the conflict between the two masters than the secrets of the Grand Duchy.”
Even Allen, who had dedicated his whole life to Lacartel, had grown accustomed to the conflict.
But the new young lady persisted in digging deeper, unlike her predecessors.
She was a warm presence.
“I knew it from back then. Someday, Madam, you’ll figure out the truth about Lacartel.”
So he was even more worried.
Among those who had uncovered the secret of the Grand Duchy, there was no one close.
Even the previous mistresses before Ariel hadn’t uncovered the identities of the men of the Grand Duchy.
They had only heard a profoundly chilling warning before coming in.
You won’t survive in this house.
But looking at Ariel, Allen felt hope for the first time.
Lucian, the young master, has kept her alive even though he knows who she is.
Loyal to the Grand Duchy, but deeply attached to the young mistress, Allen shed tears at this fact.
‘We finally have a real mistress,’
The solemn old butler, who had been silently gazing at Ariel with tenderness, quietly brought up the conversation.
“Dragons are creatures that prioritize their territories. Especially, males cannot coexist within the same territory.”
Ariel pursed her pink lips slightly.
“But… Sir Matthias and Lucian are relatives, aren’t they?”
“Even with blood relations, there are no exceptions. All the previous masters of Lacartel have been the same. The discomfort between the two is because of that.”
“…”
Ariel, who had been lost in thought with her head cocked uncertainly, spoke up.
“Is that really all, Allen?”
Her sweet crimson eyes stared directly at Allen.
Overwhelmed by it, Allen averted his gaze and muttered.
“There is one more reason, but that’s between the two masters…”
Feeling that Allen was being honest, Ariel nodded slightly.
Even though she couldn’t hear the details, just knowing that there was another reason was enough.
“Thank you.”
Since everyone has things they want to keep hidden, Ariel didn’t feel the need to know if Lucian and Matthias didn’t want her to.
After all, she hadn’t intended to uncover their identities.
And she was glad to know the fundamental reason behind the animosity between the two men.
“It’s sad that their relationship isn’t good, but I should also try to understand both sides.”
Still, Ariel couldn’t help but wish that Matthias and Lucian had a better relationship…
“Young mistress.”
Ariel was brought back from her thoughts by a voice from outside the door.
“Hurry in,” she said, and a maid entered, handing her a stack of letters on a silver tray.
As she turned fourteen, invitations from the social circle were pouring in daily, so Ariel looked at the pile of letters with familiarity.
But the maid hesitated.
“Um, young mistress.”
“Yes?”
“There’s a letter from your family among these, young mistress. What should we do?”
Ariel’s eyes widened.
Family?
If it’s family, could it be from the Marquis of Rucellion?
‘No way.’
The Marquis had never contacted her since she got married.
It was natural for the maid to hesitate with an awkward expression.
As time passed, everyone had seen the absence of interaction between the two families.
Even someone who didn’t know the circumstances well could tell that Ariel and the Marquis were not close.
When Ariel came to the Grand Duchy, she was barely ten years old, in need of her parents’ care.
But the Marquis sent off his young daughter without even sending a simple greeting letter.
Not only in ordinary times but even on her birthday, he never came to see her.
That the Marquis wasn’t a good family to Ariel was now an open secret in the Grand Duchy.
Even now, Sally, the maid, seemed eager to throw away the letter if Ariel commanded.
Ariel gave a slight smile to the maid, who looked thoroughly embarrassed.
“It’s okay. You can go out, Sally.”
After the maid left, Ariel picked up a thick letter from the top of the stack.
The letter was sealed with bronze-colored sealing wax.
The familiar seal stamped on the seal indicated that the letter came from the Lucellion House.
‘What on earth could it be…?’
Even after four years, receiving a letter from her family didn’t fill her with anticipation but with anxiety.
Ariel cautiously broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
“…”
After reading the letter in its entirety, she quietly placed it on the desk.
The Marquis hadn’t changed at all.
Most of the letter was about money.
It essentially asked her husband to provide some money since the Marquis needed it.
It seemed like Ariel’s biological father only saw her as a source of money.
Ariel wasn’t disappointed.
She had known this Marquis too well from the start.
But one part of the letter puzzled her.
‘He’s talking as if he’s sent multiple letters before.’
The Marquis was reproaching her for not replying to several letters he had supposedly sent.
It hinted that this wasn’t the first time he had sent a letter.
Ariel had never received any letters.
But she didn’t think the Marquis would blatantly lie.
So, there was only one answer.
‘Someone must have intercepted the letters meant for me.’
It was probably Matthias.
‘He’s out now, so it must have accidentally come to me.’
Ariel gently propped her chin with her delicate wrist.
Although she should feel upset about the interception of the letter, she didn’t feel bad at all.
Lucien had made it clear at their wedding.
From then on, she would be ‘Ariel of Lacatell’, completely part of the Grand Duchy.
He even made the Marquis sign a document relinquishing all rights over Ariel.
The relief she felt at that time was indescribable.
Thus, the connection between Ariel and the Marquis was severed four years ago.
‘But why would he do this now…?’
It’s probably about money.
Come to think of it, it was astonishing.
How could they be impoverished when they received an enormous sapphire mine as a wedding gift? Even with layers of extravagance, waste, and business failures, it didn’t make sense.
She knew the Marquis of Rucellion’s business wasn’t smooth sailing.
Even if she didn’t want to hear it, gossip in social circles made it inevitable.
Their situation must have become pitiful, so they turned to the Grand Duchy for help.
Under the pretext of family.
‘But…’
I no longer consider them family.
They severed ties with me first.
She had no obligation to help the Marquis.
Nor did she want to.
She already had a new family.
Matthias, who was cold and rough but affectionate.
Ruthless and unpredictable, yet always embracing her when she cried, Lucian.
Susanne, who always cared for her like a baby.
And the people of the mansion…
After organizing her thoughts, Ariel called for the butler Dalton and showed him the letter.
Confirming the sender of the letter, Dalton’s expression turned dizzy, “Why would it come to this extent…!”
Ariel smiled and said, “It’s okay, Dalton. Please handle it as Sir Matthias has done so far.”
“…”
Bowing slightly as if he were sorry for receiving the letter, he replied, “I will handle it as before. Please don’t worry, Young Madam.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Dalton bowed in acknowledgment and turned away.
“Oh, Dalton. Wait a moment.”
As Dalton was about to leave, he turned back.
Ariel hesitated, her cheeks flushed.
It was because of a few sentences written in the letter that came to mind.
“Um… please dispose of the letter so Lucian doesn’t see it.”
The Marquis had written vulgar things to her husband in the letter, telling her to act like a woman and get money from him.
She was no longer hurt by such words, but she didn’t want Lucian to see them.
For some reason, she just didn’t want him to see it at all.
Dalton nodded vigorously in response, “Of course. I will do so.”
Before leaving, he handed her a handful of snacks and left.
Taking the snacks with a pout, Ariel sighed in dissatisfaction.
Gosh, they still treat me like a baby.
Despite having grown up a lot, the people in the mansion still treated her like a child, even more overprotective than when she was young.
No matter how airy Ariel appeared, she could win any battle with magic, but they treated her like fragile glass.
As if she would break if she stayed awake or if she caught a cold.
“Sigh…”
Though being treated like a baby was frustrating, Ariel still found it endearing how the mansion’s family members couldn’t help but find her cute.
With a smile on her face, she reached for the other letters before her.
* * *