"You came to the Viscountess to live. The Viscountess is the only person who can enter and leave the imperial palace without difficult formalities."
If the person who restores my status is the Emperor, and if a Viscountess with great influence in social circles confirms that fact. Not only will Count Brium not be able to touch me, but he will have to acknowledge me as his daughter.
I smiled in satisfaction as I listened to the conclusion he came to.
***
Alfred looked at me with an expressionless face for a long time and then quietly declared.
"The Viscountess will not be caught up in the affairs of other families."
"She already trusts me. And she cares a lot."
Even though I knew it was lacking, she was just disappointed in Aileen, whom she had given affection to.
She would be very heartbroken if she found out that I, who had comforted her in the meantime, had deceived her.
"I also cherish Madam, who has taken good care of me since I had no memory of it."
I meant It.
Although she was conservative, picky, and viewed everyone from her own perspective, she was, unusually for an aristocratic wife, honest, faithful, and treated people with all her heart.
"And you still plan to get him involved in this?"
There was strong emotion in Alfred's voice.
I waited for him to calm down and began to gently point things out.
"At least I'm going to tell her all about this. Whether or not the Viscountess steps up for me is up to her."
"In the first place! Isn't this a matter of no choice?"
"That's right. If it weren't for the Viscountess, It would take a lot more complicated and cumbersome processes for me to 'reinstate' my identity, and it wouldn't be a problem for my father to just take care of me in that long process."
She is put in a situation where she has to choose between only two options: save me or kill me.
We have worked hard for that to this day.
If you are a Viscountess who has lost someone precious, it is clear that you do not want to lose someone who was by your side and comforted you again.
There was murder in Alfred's eyes as he looked at me.
It was funny to me, who knows what 'living' really is and who really enjoys killing people as easily as eating a meal.
"Are you planning to kill me? Just like you came here to kill Marco?"
Instead of Alfred, who had no answer, Marco, who had been watching with rolling eyes, jumped up. It was something he hadn't even thought about. He thought Alfred would just save him and cover him like you always did.
"You have tolerated this man's atrocities all along. You think of the faces of the dead, at least for their rest."
He honored the dead to the point where he visited a shrine every day to pray.
He must have accepted the interest with as much affection and willingness as the Viscountess.
"But Marco crossed the 'line' that should not be touched."
Madam's honor.
The Viscount was protected by his wife until he was dying.
As she lives from now on, she will be revered and loved by people, and until the moment she dies, I hope that she will remain an example to nobles and that her name will continue along with the Viscount's family.
Alfred, who was standing motionless, opened his mouth softly.
"If the Viscountess gets involved in the lady's problem, she will have to break her isolation. She would have to face uncomfortable gazes from the head of the Count Brium family. The family of the Marquis Argento, who is now his second wife, will not sit still."
"The Viscountess has a royal family. As far as I know, the royal family invites the Viscountess every year. Because her authority' is needed by His Majesty's family, the current Emperor."
Among nobles who talk about legitimacy and spout old-fashioned language, the Viscountess is a person with a cause.
If she returns to society, the Empress, who is concerned about her son's succession to the throne, will gladly welcome her with open hands.
"Why should she have to go through that because of you?!"
"Then do the Viscountess have to stay in the cozy cage you made her like before?"
"..."
"Did she look that happy?"
Even her relatives who inquired about her well-being were wary of them, fearing that they might drag her into politics or approach her family to make a calculation.
After using the excuse of mourning for the dead to divert their steps, they gradually moved away.
Alfred brought in a moderately greedy child because he thought the Viscountess might want a noisy and active exchange.
Aileen was greedy and lacking, so she was not suitable for the Viscountess.
Although the Viscountess cared for her, she did not love her enough to risk the honor and name of the Viscount family for her.
Nevertheless, she remembered her dead daughter through Aileen.
Lovely companions who remind her of her dead child, perfect companions who make it possible for her to live her daily life comfortably without having to meet new things or people.
Even the general manager can stop her from receiving useless news.
This was a comfortable resting place and a cage.
What Alfred created for the Viscountess's 'safety' and 'peace' until the moment of death.
The Viscountess was just living in that cage without even flapping her wings.
I spoke to the man whose complexion turned white as if he had hit the nail on the head.
"I'm sorry, but that cage has already passed its expiration date."
Alfred, who had been frozen as stone, raised his head.
"The quarrel between the Crown Prince and His Highness the Third Prince is intensifying. Everyone pretends it's not the case, but the nerves behind the scenes are enormous."
"That also has nothing to do with the Viscountess."
"An academy is scheduled to be established in this territory next year. His Majesty cannot forcibly drag the Viscountess out of the estate and call her to the imperial capital..."
"..."
"You can send the children of the royal family down here."
Alfred's eyebrows rose at my words. He's not a person who can't understand what's being said, so he'll be able to at least read what the Emperor is aiming for. This was a matter that was being pursued in utmost secrecy.
If Eric had not been involved in the establishment of the Academy, It would have been difficult for me to know.
So I couldn't blame Alfred for not getting this information in advance.
'But if we hadn't blocked out all outsiders from the beginning and actively encouraged the Viscountess to stay away, we wouldn't have had to worry about finding out about it too late.'
The idea that the imperial family, which was indebted to the Viscount, would protect the Visc until the end was his biggest misjudgment. Time has already passed, and humans tend to forget the grace they have received more easily than the grace they have given.
I crossed my arms and continued speaking leisurely.
"What I am saying is that while you were working hard to organize the surroundings to create a comfortable cage for the Viscountess, further afield you were making all preparations to lure her in for your own gain."
Alfred, who was about to refute something, pursed his lips but then chose to remain silent.
He probably knows deep down that what I said was not wrong.
"Just by crouching down with thorns erected, you have set up a trap that can never be guarded."
His eyes stared at me again.
I could see the deathly glow in his eyes gradually fading away.
I continued speaking with a smile on my face.
"I came here to rely on the Viscountess to survive, but I'm not just trying to profit by ignoring the help I received from her."
"..."
"You already know that I will do my best to protect the Viscountess, even if it means living."
Even if the Commander-in-Chief is competent, he cannot protect her in the cruel world of the nobles.
Because subordinates are just subordinates.
With his humble family, he would not be able to enter the social world, and it would be difficult to shake off the hand reaching out from somewhere invisible.
I continued talking so that he had no time to think about anything else.
"If Aileen Vernon can do it, Isabella Brium can do it too. And I can do things that Aileen can't."
"As long as she is on my side, I will be the comfort in her heart and a shield to protect her."
"What do you want from the Viscountess?"
If we were to keep this deal going, we had to be able to help each other.
This means that even after my status is recognized, the Viscountess must be someone who can provide the least amount of help to me.
"Let us adopt a suitable child for the Viscountess. A man capable of protecting her, faithful to her, and capable of exalting the honor of the Viscountess. I will be his adopted child's godmother and guardian."
This is the so-called 'alliance'.
"The Viscount family was the Emperor's 'informant' from the beginning. With the Viscountess's wide feet, outstanding social skills, and the Viscount's connections and reputation."
The talented people who had been trained under the commander-in-chief were too poor to rot in this mansion like this.
Of course, it would be a shame for the director's ability to select and manage such outstanding talents to stop there.
"So you help me with that ability. Whenever I need it."
It was already bothersome to check the authenticity of the information obtained through Eric.
Now is the time to create my own person.
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