“Where’s Camilla?”

“Went out.”

“Again?”

At Butler Rube’s words, Ravi’s brow tightened. Lately, Camilla had been going out very often.

In the past, even if you begged her to step outside, she would hole up in the house; these days, she vanished at the drop of a hat.

‘Is it because of that girl?’

Ever since Rania came to the house, Camilla’s frequent outings had been gnawing at him.

Was that fool suffering alone again...?

“Shall I prepare a meal?”

“Yeah.”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten a proper meal all day. A glance out the window showed the sun already setting.

“By the way, did you come here on purpose?”

It was the first time Rube had come to his laboratory. Realizing that fact, Ravi looked at him with a surprised expression.

Butler Rube was not the sort who fussed over anyone except the house lord, the Duke of Sorpel.

“Young Lady Camilla asked me.”

“Camilla did?”

“She said if you didn’t come out by evening, I was to go fetch you. See that you eat, and get you out of the lab for a while.”

“What?”

“‘Go breathe some outside air, human! If mold starts growing all over you, that’s not on me!’”

“...!”

“She asked me to relay that, as well.”

...There was no need to do the voice, though.

Ravi stared at the butler in disbelief for a moment, then got to his feet with a small, helpless laugh.

“I’m not a kid...”

But it didn’t feel bad.

“Then I’ll have dinner prepared.”

“Please.”

Watching Rube head out first, Ravi tidied the books he’d been reading and started walking slowly.

“Hm?”

Working the stiffness out of his body as he walked, Ravi paused. Someone was coming from the opposite direction.

“Ah! Hello!”

It was Rania. Seeing him, she beamed and came toward him a little quickly.

But Ravi tried to pass her by. He didn’t feel like making conversation.

He had no particular reason to hate her, but neither did he feel any desire to get close.

Tuk.

Just then, something dropped to the floor, and his gaze naturally dipped down.

“...!”

Ravi’s eyes widened.

“That book...!”

He couldn’t pull his gaze off the volume Rania hurried to pick up.

“Is that yours?”

“Pardon? This? Ah, yes.”

Rania answered in a slightly flustered voice, nodding vigorously.

“Someone I know gave it to me.”

“A magic treatise?”

It was a book written by a mage who, long ago, had been renowned across the continent.

Ravi had tried to obtain it for some time, always failing—and now Rania was holding it right there in her hands!

“I’m quite interested in magic.”

“In magic?”

“Yes!”

“Do you know how to use it?”

“A little.”

Smiling brightly, Rania stirred her mana for an instant.

A small clump of ice formed in her palm, then shattered with a crisp crackle and vanished.

“Spells like that are still beginner level for me. My mana is specialized for healing.”

How had he missed it? The faint aura of mana he could feel from her body.

‘Well...’

He hadn’t really tried to look at her properly.

“Have you read this book?”

“...No.”

“Ah! Then shall I lend it to you?”

“You’d let me?”

“Of course!”

Rania clapped her hands as if genuinely delighted.

****

“Take this.”

“What is it?”

Having come back from the trading house and resting in her room, Camilla received a visit from the Duke of Sorpel.

He handed her a small box he had brought.

“I thought it would suit you.”

Camilla accepted the box and opened it at once.

“This is...”

Seeing what lay inside, Camilla could not help an awkward smile. It was the first time in a while her expression refused to stay under control.

“They say it’s in fashion.”

What he had brought was a necklace imbued with mana sold by the Ghost Trading House—her own trading house.

“They say everyone has one these days.”

“I’ve heard that.”

No one knew it better than she did. She had just checked the sales numbers.

Her smile grew even more strained.

“Why? You don’t like it?”

“No, I like it very much.”

Control your face. Control your face.

“It just feels too expensive to accept...”

“Expensive? Can a father not do at least this much for his daughter?”

Camilla fastened the necklace, its blue mana stone beautifully cut, around her neck. The moment she put it on, her already pale skin seemed to glow smooth and bright.

“Pretty.”

“Thank you.”

Warm satisfaction filled the Duke of Sorpel’s eyes as he looked at her. But only for a moment—his gaze slowly drooped at the corners.

“I’m sorry.”

Ever since he’d overheard that conversation in her room with Rania, he’d been quietly attentive to Camilla’s mood.

This necklace, no doubt, he had bought to soothe her feelings.

‘Well, that’s not bad.’

She did not know exactly what Rania was after, but judging by the girl’s actions thus far, she plainly wanted Camilla driven out.

‘And she wants to stay the good, pitiable one while turning me into the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} wicked woman who bullies the trueborn daughter and getting me thrown out...’

So far, nothing had gone her way. Because of Rania’s behavior, the Duke of Sorpel only pitied Camilla more.

Since they’d started this, shall she add one more touch?

“Father.”

“Yes.”

Camilla gently fingered the necklace at her throat. Then she wore a more pitiful, more bitter smile than ever.

“Shouldn’t Rania be the one to receive something like this?”

“What?”

As expected, the Duke’s expression softened at once into pity.

“With Rania here, how could I dare...”

“Camilla!”

The Duke of Sorpel cut in sharply.

“I bought this for you. ‘Dare’? Why are you using that word?”

“But...”

“I’ll buy that child her own later. So you won’t have to trouble yourself.”

“I’m sorry, Father.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because I feel so sorry toward Rania...”

The Duke patted her shoulder kindly, as if to comfort her. Camilla gave him a plaintive smile in return.

Once again: she had no attachment to this place.

‘But...’

That didn’t mean she intended to hand it over easily.

If Rania kept picking at her—then even if she fell, she would never fall alone.

‘I do tend to hold grudges.’

In other words, if it came to it, she would cling and drag the other down with her.

“By the way, that trading house name is odd.”

“Sir?”

Changing the mood, the Duke shifted the topic.

“Ghost Trading House... tch. Whoever he handed that trading house to must be a strange one.”

Camilla’s smile turned stiff.

‘Is the name that odd?’

Damn.

“And to hand off such a lucrative business to someone else.”

Watching her father wonder again and again at the Duke of Sephra’s decision, Camilla couldn’t bring herself to agree with a single word.

‘I’ll tell him as soon as I can.’

She couldn’t keep the fact that she owned the Ghost Trading House from the Duke of Sorpel much longer.

With mana-stone output steadily increasing, even the Duke of Sephra would have trouble deceiving the Duke of Sorpel and BLACK SHADOW indefinitely.

For now the Duke of Sephra was exerting all his strength to cover for her, but...

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, she realized something.

‘I’ve been getting a lot of help.’

He had set up new facilities for mana-stone purification, opened a new site, and was even preserving secrecy.

Thinking back through all the help she had received from the Duke of Sephra, Camilla clicked her tongue at her own shamelessness.

****

“What brings you?”

The Duke of Sephra looked at Camilla, who had come without notice, with a mildly curious gaze.

“To prove I at least have a pea-sized conscience.”

“...Conscience?”

“Take this.”

“...?”

“My conscience.”

Camilla unpacked the basket of snacks she had prepared and spread them across the table.

They were dishes she had made herself since morning. She had gotten help from Ferrol, the chef ghost, but they were all made by her own hand.

“This is...”

Looking at the table crowded with food, the Duke of Sephra wore an odd expression.

“Sweet things.”

In an instant, the office filled with sugary fragrance.

“I made them myself.”

“Yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Hm.”

The Duke’s gaze returned to the sweet desserts.

“Forgive me, but may I share them with others?”

“You don’t like desserts?”

“I don’t particularly enjoy them.”

“Ah, then give them to Arsian.”

“...Arsian?”

“Yes, he seems to like these.”

He had never touched what Laila brought, but he always finished everything Camilla brought, leaving not a crumb behind.

“He’s quietly picky, but he eats well when it’s from our house.”

The Duke of Sephra’s expression grew even more curious. As if he’d just heard something amusing, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“So the boy ate well.”

“...? Yes.”

Camilla, answering, tilted her head. Had she just said something strange?

“He dislikes them.”

“Pardon?”

“He absolutely detests sweets. More than I do.”

“...Who? Arsian?”

“He hardly eats fruit because it’s sweet.”

...He ate them well. Very, very well!

“Then why...?”

“Who knows.”

The Duke of Sephra looked as if he knew something, but he only held a faint smile for a moment.

“Not just Arsian—Petro and Ludville aren’t fond of sweets either. The three boys have similar tastes.”

“Ah, those two also don’t like...?”

Wait, wait!

“Brother Ludville doesn’t like sweets?”

“He’s been that way since he was small.” 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

That can’t be.

Then who was it that polished off every snack she brought, so clean the dishes hardly needed washing? Someone else?

Puddings, cakes—Ludville had always eaten them to the last bite, perfectly neat... hadn’t he?