Perhaps it would be better if he didn’t show up at all…
Izuli shook her head at the thought that suddenly crossed her mind.
What caught her eye was Melaria’s dress, which had only just been finished this morning.
Since it had been mentioned a moment ago, if she didn’t bring it right away, there would surely be a commotion.
Today’s outing had been tough, but Izuli dragged her heavy body and headed to Evelon’s room with the dress.
“…What do you think, Aunt?”
As she approached the half-open room, Izuli instinctively moved carefully.
The closer she got, the clearer their conversation became.
“Think about it carefully. It’s already been a week since the Marquis hasn’t returned. At this point, he must have had some kind of accident. How about we just report him as dead?”
Izuli held her breath at the unexpected words.
As she said, it had already been a week since Kalyon left, claiming he was going to the gambling den. While it was common for him to stay out, it had never been this long before.
“And we’ll make Leo the sub-Marquis.”
‘Leo?’
The image of Viola’s son, a ten-year-old tyrant who looked just like Evelon, flashed through her mind.
“You’re something else. What will you do if Kalyon comes back?”
“What can that fool do? When he returns, Leo will be the heir, so he’ll just have to go down to the countryside. Aunt, you don’t want Leo to be the heir,?”
“It’s not that. But… as you know, Leo is also the heir of the Eden Count family.”
Their conversation was certainly not a light joke.
Izuli quickly grasped the situation.
Indeed, if Kalyon had truly gone missing, it would be an opportunity for them.
For the past five years, Izuli had watched closely how those two had used Kalyon.
They hated Kalyon and subtly encouraged him not to seize power, resulting in all matters of the household falling into their hands.
“Moreover, if we really make Leo the heir, that harlot’s son will inherit the Eden Count family. Are you just going to let that happen?”
The situation of the Eden Count family was not great.
It was a fairly decent family, and although Viola’s husband had not taken a second wife after her death, a mistress had been brought in. Four years ago, the mistress who came in with a two-year-old boy was still favored to this day.
Although Melaria was there, Viola, who would have supported Leo in the Count’s household, had long since passed away.
As Leo’s nurse, Melaria was trying to find the best path for him.
“Aunt, that’s why we must make Leo the Marquis of Dryton. The Marquis is ranked higher than the Count. If that happens, I’ll gain power and can properly control that harlot and her illegitimate child.”
“You really… Well, I’ll think about it.”
When Evelon didn’t make an immediate decision, Melaria’s expression darkened. But she quickly changed her face and feigned tears.
“Sniff, if my sister in heaven knew that Leo was being treated like this in the Count’s household, she would be heartbroken.”
At those words, Evelon’s heart sank.
The reason Evelon treated Melaria so well was precisely because Viola had passed away early.
She used to scold Melaria every day, saying that because Viola was not born as a son, the Marquisate had to be passed to an illegitimate child. After Viola’s death, she regretted it belatedly and poured all her unexpressed feelings onto Melaria.
“Melaria, I’ll think about it for now. Okay?”
Izuli finished her thoughts while listening to their conversation.
If, as they said, something had happened to Kalyon…
‘I need to make my move.’
She would bring in a younger child from the collateral line and nurture him as the heir.
By the time the child became an adult and inherited the title of Marquisate, Evelon would be of advanced age, so there would be no need to worry.
If that child grew up well, they would reward Izuli for raising them, and then she could finally be completely free.
‘It’s a plan that will take at least ten years, but…’
Izuli wanted to live well, and for that, she had no choice but to find a suitable method.
If Leo, who had a bad temperament like his grandmother, became the Marquis…
‘I might really die…’
A chill ran through her, clearing her weary mind.
‘I thought I would have to endure a lifetime of living with my in-laws, but it turns out that having my husband disappear is the solution.’
Her husband, who never did anything right, would give her such a significant gift.
Izuli felt joy and sincerely prayed for Kalyon.
It pricked her conscience that someone’s disappearance was her fortune, but it was an unavoidable part of the situation.
‘From now on, I will remember you forever.’
With her hands clasped together, Izuli spoke to Kalyon and exhaled lightly.
Without hesitation, she headed straight to the head of the household’s archives. Originally, this place was off-limits to outsiders due to family secrets.
However, because there was no money to pay the servants, and the number of staff had been minimized, it had been a long time since anyone had guarded the door. Thanks to this, Izuli was able to enter the head of the household’s archives easily.
Having no interest in confidentiality, Izuli immediately began searching for the genealogy of the Dryton Viscount family.
While examining the dusty archives, Izuli found the genealogy and hurried back to her room.
She carefully closed the door and scrutinized the genealogy.
No matter how much the Dryton family had declined, it was a lineage that had been maintained for a hundred years, so the number of collateral branches was enormous.
However, too distant a branch could lead to issues of legitimacy, so she needed to find a family that was suitably close.
The family needed to be respectable, not too old, and have some degree of interaction with the Marquis family.
Moreover, it would be even better if she had met them before, and she was nearly overwhelmed trying to recall hundreds of collateral branches.
“…Found it.”
As dawn broke, Izuli found a collateral child that perfectly matched her criteria.
She immediately stood up to send someone to that family.
At that moment,
“Ma, Madam!”
Selly burst through the door, extremely excited.
Izuli, hurriedly covering the genealogy, turned her head in surprise.
“Selly? What’s wrong?”
“It’s a, a big deal! No, that’s not it! So, um, well!”
Selly was panting so heavily that she couldn’t even finish her sentences.
“Calm down and tell me. Do you want some water?”
Izuli offered her water, but Selly waved her hands as if she didn’t have time for that.
“Ah, the, the. Marquis!”
At that moment, Izuli’s previously excited mood quickly began to fade.
Having been treated like a piece of luggage and living on the edge for over twenty years at the Mentoria Duke’s residence, Izuli trusted her instincts quite a lot.
This was definitely…
‘It sounds like bad news.’
And not just bad, but very, very terrible.
Finally managing to calm her breath, Selly shouted with a bright smile,
“The Viscount has returned!”
Crash—!
Izuli dropped the glass she was holding, blinking in shock.
“…What did you say?”
“I said the Viscount has returned! And he’s perfectly fine!”
Her husband, whom she thought was missing, had come back alive.
Without a single injury.
“Returned?”
That man?
“Quick, quick! The Marchioness and the nurse have already left!”
Izuli couldn’t believe the situation as she was dragged along by Selly’s hand.
What filled her mind was a very simple sentence.
“Ah! I have to live again with a man who looks good on the outside but is a complete fool!”
“I can’t believe this situation either! It’s really great, truly!”
As she half-listened to Selly’s words, she nearly rolled down the stairs.
When they finally arrived in the hall, despite the early dawn, everyone in the mansion had gathered.
Only when Selly, looking proud as if she had completed her mission, let go of her hand could Izuli stop in her tracks.
“Our son. Are you really not hurt anywhere? Huh?”
“Viscount, what on earth happened? Why did you disappear without a word? Do you know how worried Aunt and I were?”
At the center of it all, of course, were Evelon and Melaria, and in front of them stood a man who was a head taller than the others.
His black hair, as if it absorbed all the colors of the world, was wet from the rain and clung to his forehead. Yet, he didn’t look shabby at all; instead, he exuded an air of melancholy. Despite his unremarkable appearance, his inhumanly beautiful face showed no blemishes.
“Is he really okay? Why isn’t he answering…?”
As she murmured softly, the man seemed to notice her gaze and turned his head.
When their eyes met, Izuli unconsciously took a step back.
Perhaps due to the dim interior, his brown eyes appeared to be a deep crimson. At the same time, she felt a sense of fear as if she were facing a beast.
