"I treat that bastard as if he doesn’t exist."
"Then you should treat his child like they don’t exist, too."
Leonia let out a soft laugh.
But she knew everything.
The Marquis of Pardus actually got along very well with his youngest son, Lupe, and adored his new daughter-in-law Inseréa. As for Rupi, the child born between them — he practically fawned over him like a man obsessed.
"Leo."
As Leonia traded barbs with the Marquis, a familiar voice called her.
"The gift we just ordered—"
Varia, calling to the child with a gentle voice, stopped mid-sentence.
"Ma-Marquis."
"Mom, don’t call him that."
Leonia nudged Varia’s side repeatedly, signaling her to be careful.
Only then did Varia realize her slip and corrected herself.
"It’s quite unexpected to et you here, Marquis."
"I greet the Duchess."
The Marquis of Pardus bowed respectfully. The respect and courtesy in that greeting were genuine.
"I am Rand Pardus."
After his greeting, the Marquis looked at Varia with slight curiosity.
"This is our first eting, isn’t it?"
The Marquis had no mory of ever eting Varia.
He had received reports in Ferio’s stead for surveillance purposes, but today was the first ti he was seeing her in person.
Varia realized the sa just a mont later.
"I caught a glimpse of you in passing while working in the Treasury."
Varia replied smoothly, unshaken.
The Marquis believed her easily enough. He had made several visits to the palace while staying in the capital — if she saw him then, it was plausible.
"I’ll look forward to working with you."
"And I with you, Marquis."
"It’s an honor to have such an exceptional lady join the ducal family."
"You flatter . I wouldn’t say I’m particularly skilled."
"No, no."
The Marquis firmly denied Varia’s humility.
"You truly are exceptional."
Otherwise, the capital wouldn’t be in chaos right now.
The Marquis had already been inford of the situation unfolding in the capital. And he was sure the Voreoti household had heard of it, too.
And the mastermind behind it all was right here, standing in front of him.
As expected—
Varia, catching the hidden aning in the Marquis’s words, widened her eyes slightly.
"...Thank you for the complint."
She rely smiled. In the past, she might’ve blushed in embarrassnt, unsure of what to do. But now she received it naturally, calmly.
As if to say: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
As if to say: What’s happening in the capital has nothing to do with .
Seeing her composure, the Marquis gave a satisfied nod. His eyes were filled with approval.
Leonia, who had been observing the conversation, felt the sa.
"Voreoti won are naturally capable and amazing."
The baby beast raised one eyebrow and smirked proudly.
The Marquis burst out laughing at that cocky attitude.
His laughter was so hearty it seed to make the dolls on the shelves around them flinch.
"You’ll rip my ears off at this rate."
At that mont, Ferio appeared.
He was holding two boxes — Leonia’s gifts — in his arms.
"My presents!"
Leonia dashed over at full speed.
Then, bouncing on her feet, she held out her hands to him.
"Presents! Presents!"
"We said you’d open them on your birthday."
Ferio placed a firm hand on her head to stop her from hopping.
"Can’t I open just this one now?"
Leonia blinked up at him with huge eyes and a pleading voice, full of charm.
The gift from the doll shop was a family set matching the lion doll Ferio had given her five years ago.
When struggling to choose a gift, Varia had spotted a black lion doll — and imdiately thought of it. If they added a mother and daughter lion beside the original, it would resemble their own little family.
Leonia was very excited about the idea Varia had co up with.
"Pleaaase, Daddy!"
Leonia even stomped her feet as she begged.
"...Fine, then we’ll open it when we get ho."
Soothing his mood thanks to his daughter’s rare show of affection, Ferio gave in slightly.
"Hmm, no. I’ll just open it on my birthday."
But after a brief pause, Leonia imdiately changed her mind.
"Are you ssing with ?"
"Yup."
"...Varia, let’s go."
Ferio handed the boxes to a servant who had accompanied them.
Now that both his hands were free, he naturally held one of Leonia’s and one of Varia’s. These days, it felt strange if one of them wasn’t there.
"Duke."
The Marquis of Pardus approached to say goodbye.
"It’s been a while."
"Would’ve preferred it stayed that way forever."
"You’re quite good at joking."
"I wasn’t joking."
"You seem very close as a family."
The Marquis spoke in mild surprise.
It was the first ti he had seen Ferio together with Varia.
According to Lupe, they had holed up together for five days straight — and the Voreoti couple certainly looked affectionate.
"Stop staring at my parents. You’ll wear out their muscles and prettiness."
Leonia, wedged between them, looked incredibly happy.
When Ferio had announced his engagent, the Marquis had been worried that Leonia might feel left out.
Everyone knew Ferio was an overzealous father, but you could never be too sure.
Especially when rumors about how much Ferio loved Varia were already widespread.
But it was all unfounded worry.
Varia and Leonia got along wonderfully, and Leonia looked just as lively and joyful as ever between her parents.
A noble lady indeed.
Such a remarkable woman becoming the mistress of House Voreoti...
"Interrupting such a sweet family mont would be a sha..."
The Marquis picked up a nearby doll.
It was a small one, stitched together from brightly colored patchwork fabric.
"Let offer this as a little gift."
He set the doll on the counter. The shop owner, who had been sneakily watching the Voreoti–Pardus interaction, fumbled to ring it up.
The paid-for doll was soon handed to Leonia.
"This is my birthday present to you."
"Marquis, what do you take for..."
Leonia picked up the doll between two fingers and muttered.
"Isn’t this the kind of thing dogs play with?"
Her face was full of dissatisfaction.
"My stuff, even when it’s cheap, starts at the price of a mansion."
"Use things like that too freely and you’ll go bankrupt."
"Voreoti doesn’t do bankruptcy."
We’re filthy rich.
Leonia examined the doll from every angle, then made a sulky face and tossed it toward Ferio.
"Here, Dad. You have it."
"Don’t give crap like this."
"Use it for practice. It’s great for stabbing."
Leonia mid stabbing the doll with a sword.
"Sothing your rat-sized body would go down in one hit."
"...Did you just call rat-sized?"
"Ah, sorry. ant to keep that one in my head..."
"How do I look rat-sized to you?!"
"Ugh, you two again."
Varia pulled the two apart with practiced ease, leading them out of the store.
"Don’t fight where everyone can see you. Save it for the carriage."
"If it weren’t for , you’d still be single forever!"
"I’d have married Varia even without you."
"Why are you shouting that out in public?!"
The three Voreoti beasts were loud all the way to the exit.
The Marquis of Pardus watched them go with a gentle smile.
"Now then, shopkeeper."
Only after the carriage had departed did the Marquis speak to the store owner about his real reason for visiting.
"Recomnd a doll fit for a toddling little boy to play with."
***
As soon as they got into the carriage, Leonia asked,
"What did Grandpa Marquis give you?"
"Calm down."
Ferio pulled the excited child to sit beside him.
"So that’s how he passes ssages..."
On the opposite bench, Varia gazed at the doll the Marquis had given them.
She had heard that Pardus served as Voreoti’s informant, but this was the first ti she’d seen such coordination firsthand. Her curiosity burned.
"......"
Wedged between his wife and daughter, Ferio felt oddly self-conscious.
"Mom, did you see that? Dad is so cool!"
"I already know Ferio is very cool."
"You need to know it more! Because my dad is the strongest in the world!"
"She’s right! I do need to know it more!"
Ferio was already well aware of how amazing and impressive he was.
"What’s the point of stating the obvious?"
Still, being praised from both sides by daughter and wife... his already high nose was threatening to pierce the carriage roof.
Ferio, barely keeping himself in check, fiddled with the doll.
"...Inside the clothes."
There was a slip of paper hidden in the doll’s shirt.
When he unfolded it, it contained details about the current state of the capital, the Imperial family’s reaction, and the imperialist nobles’ movents.
The three Voreoti beasts fell silent as they read.
"...So the Emperor is going with ‘I didn’t know anything.’"
It was Leonia who broke the silence.
"Well, I figured as much."
She hadn’t expected the Emperor to fall just from this incident.
Trying to bring him down over so charity front’s hidden cris was a stretch.
But for the nobles in his faction, it was a serious blow.
"The sponsorship group collapsed, and the Emperor lost part of his support base."
Ferio added.
The organization ant to promote the arts had beco a den of cri.
The sponsored artists were arrested at the scene for drug manufacturing, and the nobles who backed them were found to be using the foundation to evade taxes and launder slush funds.
It was too late to make excuses.
Soone had posted irrefutable evidence in public.
"The authorities have no choice but to arrest and punish them, and the Emperor doesn’t have many ways to protect them. The cris are too blatant."
"Serves those imperialist bastards right."
"Leo."
"...Those imperialist jerks."
Scolded by Ferio, Leonia sulkily rephrased her insult.
"Honestly, even calling them ‘bastards’ is too nice."
Bastards were at least cute.
Leonia wriggled out from between her parents and crossed to the open seat across from them.
Next to her sat her two unopened birthday presents.
"Mom."
She called out ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) to Varia.
Varia had been quietly reading the paper all this ti. She finally lifted her head.
Her lifted green eyes trembled just a little.
They were slightly unfocused — as though she was dreaming. As though she couldn’t fully process what the slip of paper revealed.
Seeing her like that made Leonia’s chest ache.
In her previous life, Mom...
She had endured so much.
Only to be betrayed and die in the end.
But not this ti.
"It was all thanks to you, Mom."
Leonia said.
"This all happened because of everything I’ve been—"
Varia’s voice trembled faintly, stumbling over the words.
She couldn’t quite believe that these results had co from her own efforts.
"It’s all because of you."
So Ferio said, clearly and with certainty.
At those words, Varia’s eyes quivered.
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