“He actually made Varia start noticing Ferio, and Leonia sohow twisted that spark into admiration instead of romantic attraction.”
That damned idiot!
If she’d been alone right now, Leonia would’ve slapped herself across the face.
“You have to see this.”
Oblivious to the internal storm tearing through the young girl, Varia eagerly showed her a neatly written schedule.
“I drafted a new workout plan.”
“Workout...?”
Leonia’s soul-drained eyes stared down at the chart.
“I’ve mostly done running and walking up until now. But I asked the knights, and they said there are different kinds of exercises specifically for building muscle.”
“The knights?”
Leonia narrowed one eye suspiciously.
“Sir Levipes and so of the lady knights.”
“When did you get close with them?”
“I ran into them while I was doing laps around the estate.”
After leaving the Finance Ministry, this was the first ti Varia had chatted comfortably with won her age. It had been a fun experience—like talking to her old friend Les back in the palace.
“They even said they’d supervise my training next ti at the training grounds.”
“....”
“Um... is that not allowed?”
Varia looked at the silent Leonia with anxious eyes. Leonia quickly shook her head.
“No, I like the idea of you building muscle...”
Of course she liked it. She finally had a comrade to walk the path of muscle alongside her.
Still, if Varia was going to work out, she kind of wished it’d be with Dad.
“My dad’s really good at working out too, you know.”
Ferio had been overseeing Leonia’s training since she was small. These days, she trained on her own, but whenever he had ti, he still sparred with her personally.
“He’s a busy man. I can’t ask sothing like that of him.”
Varia shook her head firmly. Practical as always.
“I’ll build strength and stamina and beco soone who can help the Duke!”
“......”
“You gave hope, Young Miss.”
“No, I... I ruined everything...”
Leonia grabbed her head with both hands.
I should’ve stayed out of it!
She’d tried to ddle and help fate along, only to make a ss of everything.
The two were still as distant as ever, and now Varia didn’t even admire Ferio—she admired Ferio’s muscles.
“Ugh! Seriously!”
Leonia jumped up from her seat in frustration.
“Young Miss.”
Trà approached with a concerned look.
“Your father has returned.”
“Already?”
The frown on her face eased halfway—not out of joy, but surprise. She hadn’t expected ❀ ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) him back so soon.
It was also strange that Trà ca to fetch her directly.
Ferio had said earlier that he’d be attending a gathering with Carnis and wouldn’t be back until late.
He’d told Leonia not to wait up and just go to sleep.
But it wasn’t even close to bedti yet.
“Did he co ho covered in blood?”
Translation: Did Dad kill soone in a fit of rage again?
“No, nothing like that,” Trà replied. “But he doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.”
“Soone must’ve begged him to kill them again.”
Whoever that unlucky bastard was, if Trà had to co warn her, they might as well give up on having a peaceful life from here on.
“Perhaps you should go out and see him.”
That was the real reason Trà had co.
Ferio’s mood was so low, not even Trà—his milk-brother—dared to approach him carelessly.
“Well, I’m in a bad mood too.”
Leonia grumbled. She was still upset about the way she’d ssed up the whole Varia-Ferio situation.
“Sigh... fine, I’ll go.”
For the sake of peace in the household, she dragged herself to her feet.
“I’ll take my leave, then.”
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Varia bowed politely.
“Co on, just co with .”
Leonia pouted.
“I’ll only get in the way.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be less bored if you’re there.”
Leonia grabbed Varia’s hand and headed to the entrance hall.
Worried, Varia glanced at Trà.
He just shrugged with an awkward smile—clearly saying he wasn’t about to go against the Young Miss’s decision.
“Dad!”
Leonia waved when she spotted Ferio.
“Hey, Dad, welco—”
She cut herself off mid-greeting, her chin retracting sharply. Her jawline folded under the pressure.
Ferio looked even worse than she thought.
Leonia’s expression darkened.
“Who the hell turned my dad into a ‘berserk duke’?”
“That so kind of ?”
“It’s short for ‘mad duke.’ But seriously—who did this?”
Her face had grown deadly serious.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s definitely not nothing.”
Anyone could see Ferio was pissed. His usually sharp eyes looked like they could cut through stone.
Even the Rinne siblings, with their annoying puppy energy, would probably cry if they saw him like this.
His lips were pressed into a tight line, and his breath hissed between his teeth.
Then he scowled.
His black eyes landed on Varia, who was standing awkwardly nearby.
“Lady Varia?”
“G-Good evening, Duke...”
Varia bowed stiffly. She had never seen him this angry before.
“She was with just now,” Leonia said, placing Varia behind her protectively. But Ferio’s gaze didn’t leave her.
Varia began to panic. Had she done sothing terribly wrong?
Besides secretly worshipping his muscles, she couldn’t think of anything else.
Wait—did he find out about that?!
That she was into his muscles?
Just as she was about to stamr out an apology—
“Today.”
Ferio sighed deeply, trying to suppress his boiling rage.
“I ran into your father at the gathering.”
“M-my father?”
“Count Erbanu?”
Both Varia and Leonia exclaid in surprise.
“Wait, Dad doesn’t go to trashy events, does he?”
Leonia imdiately shook her head—of course he didn’t.
Any gathering Ferio attended with Carnis was a high-level political eting of influential nobles—those listed in the Empire’s Council of Nobles, the first branch of power.
Even when Ferio avoided imperial banquets, he always dragged himself to these etings.
Which ant... Ferio was furious for a reason.
Count Erbanu shouldn’t have been there.
He wasn’t on the noble council list.
“No way...”
But Varia already understood what was happening.
“Olor? Was it Olor?!”
Leonia caught on too, shouting.
It was the sa thought that had just turned Varia pale.
“Olor made the list?”
“Yes.”
Ferio nodded grimly.
Five years ago, he had annihilated the Tabanus family, erasing them from the noble council roster.
The Marquis of Hesperi had also purged several noble families in the West, leaving their seats empty.
For five years, those vacancies had remained unfilled.
And now, today—Olor appeared.
With Erbanu.
***
The three of them moved quickly to the office.
“W-what about the Marquis of ridio? The Duke of Aust?”
Varia blurted out the nas in panic, too tense to even sit down.
The beastly father and daughter took their seats on the sofa, but Varia stood awkwardly beside them.
“Unnie, sit down.”
“Your legs will hurt. Co on.”
Once they realized they’d forgotten her, they quickly made space and sat her down between them.
She nodded gratefully and asked urgently:
“To be listed in the noble council, you have to et all those conditions, right?”
The council wasn’t called the Empire’s First Power for nothing.
Candidates had to pass nurous qualifications.
Then they had to pay—a lot.
The entry fee alone equaled about three years’ profit from a decent estate.
And even after that, mbers had to donate annually for the Empire’s prosperity.
Then ca the hardest part—recomndation letters.
They needed one from their regional governor and existing mbers of the council from their region.
Because of these strict requirents, most nobles couldn’t even dream of joining.
That’s why the vacancies had remained open for years.
But now, Olor and Erbanu were in.
“I know Erbanu’s finances.”
Varia, who had worked in the Finance Ministry, had always monitored her family.
They were well-off, but not that well-off.
Her father had always wanted to join the council, but the money had never worked out.
“There’s no way they had enough for this.”
“Even if Olor covered the money...”
Leonia’s expression was just as troubled.
Everyone in the capital already knew that Erbanu had allied with Olor.
“But what about the recomndations, Dad?”
Even if Olor acted like he ruled the South, the real authorities there were ridio and Aust.
There was no way they would sign a letter for Olor and Erbanu.
“The Emperor wrote it.”
Ferio’s answer made both girls choke on air.
He didn’t look any less disgusted, either.
Technically, Emperor Subiteo was the central authority in the capital.
But out of respect for neutrality, the emperor didn’t get involved in political power plays.
The fact that he personally signed the letter?
That was huge.
It ant the Imperial Family was officially making its move.
“That’s not even the worst of it.”
What really pissed Ferio off was sothing else.
“Count Erbanu ca to with a request.”
“W-what kind of request?”
“To return his precious daughter.”
At those words, Varia’s chest flared with a hot, bitter rage.
You son of a bitch...
She nearly scread, but bit her tongue.
If she was really so precious, why give her a sword and send her to her death?
Since coming to the Voreoti estate, Varia had realized it with absolute clarity:
Her father had never loved her.
Not even once.
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