Though their father had called them fools, Ervin and Mira weren’t completely incompetent, objectively speaking.
Compared to the rest of the nobility rotting throughout the Birka Kingdom—who had nothing to offer beyond their bloodlines—these two at least knew how to manage their own territories properly. Both had made respectable nas for themselves—Ervin in swordsmanship, Mira in high society.
They had certainly made blunders out of impatience and arrogance, but they weren’t so stupid as to fail to realize that if they didn’t end Claudia now, they would be the ones to fall.
And so, they prepared thoroughly.
Four fourth-class fighters—each one strong enough to represent an entire territory elsewhere. Nearly thirty more at a third-class level to support them.
They provided scrolls—night vision, target tracking, sound suppression—each one imnsely useful.
They even strong-ard a major rchant guild with deep ties to Eched into cooperating, practically hurling gold at them until they gave in.
For the Redvell family as a whole, it was a small drop in the bucket. But for two siblings who had yet to inherit the family’s full power, this was the equivalent of chopping off an arm—an overwhelming investnt.
Yes.
They did everything they possibly could within their ans.
But.
The world sotis throws down catastrophes so absurd, so unfair, that human effort simply can’t stop them.
“Welco, everyone! We’ve prepared a place for you in the dungeon—please head on down!”
The assassins encountered a bright-eyed madman!
Their vision went dark!
***
Capital of the Eizern Empire. Calastia. Golden Cloud Palace.
“My, my. These are so pretty decent scrolls. Once you add in the stock we squeezed out of the rchant group that colluded with them, the domain finances should be fine for a while.”
The crown prince bead cheerfully as he examined the loot, while Lucidra looked at him with a complicated expression she couldn’t quite describe.
“Can I ask you sothing?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Didn’t you say you were going to fully imrse yourself in this role this ti?”
The crown prince raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Aren’t I? I haven’t slipped into my original speech pattern, and I haven’t used any abilities that wouldn’t make sense for the role.”
“No, no, no.”
Lucidra shook her head emphatically.
“Sure, your speech is fine—but your abilities are full of red flags.”
Seriously, what kind of servant singlehandedly takes down assassins wielding aura-infused blades, proposes developnt policies for a territory, and steps in to reform administrative efficiency?
This is a blatant violation of what it ans to be a servant.
To Lucidra’s extrely valid protest, the crown prince responded with an entirely serious expression:
“Precisely because he’s a servant.”
Silence.
Lucidra blinked once. Twice. Then asked again,
“...What?”
“Haha, seems you’re still not familiar with the ways of the world. Understandable, given how long you were sealed.”
With the tone of a teacher lecturing an ignorant student, the crown prince continued,
“If there’s anyone in the world who embodies the word ‘versatile,’ it’s the butler and the maid. Mastery of household chores is just the beginning—they’re skilled in cooking, tea ceremonies, driving, swordsmanship, magic, slicing through buildings with wires, and occasionally, they even stop ti. While Cedric has yet to earn the honorable title of butler, a butler is technically still a type of servant. Therefore, Cedric demonstrating a wide range of skills is entirely within character. It doesn’t violate the concept at all.”
“...?”
Lucidra tilted her head sideways.
She tried to parse whether there was so deep, philosophical aning behind what she’d just heard—and then gave up.
“That’s just bullshit.”
“Hoh, now, now. It’s not a good habit to cover your lack of understanding with crude language.”
“It is bullshit!! You think putting on that calm face and smooth voice makes nonsense true?!”
“Please don’t raise your voice. The room’s soundproofing is decent, but if anyone does hear you, don’t forget it’s your head that’ll roll.”
“AAAAAAAAAARGH!”
Lucidra grabbed her hair and let out a scream.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The frustration of having no one to share this suffocating madness with was agonizing.
Won who fell for this man had no idea what kind of ss they were stepping into!
After fuming for a good while, Lucidra narrowed her eyes and stared at the crown prince.
“Even if, say—ten thousand steps of tolerance later—I accept that nonsense... you do realize versatility isn’t free, right?”
The crown prince was a transcendent being.
Capable of turning even his ridiculous bullshit into reality.
But Cedric, his clone, was not.
If he had been specialized—like Bern the adventurer had been—maybe he could manage. But Cedric was spread too thin, his abilities diluted across multiple fields, lowering the peak of each.
And yet Cedric was currently performing above those limits.
“That clone won’t last long. It won’t suddenly shatter like the last one, but it is collapsing—just gradually. So there won’t be as much recoil... but Cedric will disappear.”
“I don’t mind.”
The crown prince answered without hesitation.
“Cedric has already fulfilled most of the role he was designed for. Claudia’s greatest weapon as ‘lord’ is public security—and the resulting support of her people. The stronger she becos, and the more her influence spreads, the more Birka’s nightmare of a kingdom will start to improve. The ‘gift’ I prepared is nearly finished, too.”
Of course, even with that “gift,” Claudia wouldn’t be able to change the entire kingdom alone.
Even if she reached the top of Redvell and unified its entire sphere of influence, there would still be vast regions of the kingdom untouched by Redvell’s reach.
And those areas—however brief his research had been—looked so hellish that they made Redvell seem mild by comparison.
The crown prince had plans to wipe those places clean—but that wouldn’t be Cedric’s job.
“Besides, Cedric was never ant to stay. Talented ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) people help an organization grow, but they also define its limits. If I don’t want Eched—or Claudia—to beco completely dependent on , then Cedric has to disappear.”
Though it may have looked like Cedric was involved in every aspect of territory managent, in truth, his direct involvent was steadily decreasing.
He wasn’t the one doing everything—he had focused on building systems and environnts that allowed others to work efficiently. He minimized taking over tasks himself. That way, once he was gone, the domain would still function smoothly.
“Hmph.”
Lucidra gave a lazy snort.
She understood the crown prince’s grand plan, sure—but would that bratty noble girl really keep playing lord once the servant she was so obsessed with was gone?
“Wanna make a bet, then?”
“A bet?”
“When ‘Servant Cedric’ ends the contract and leaves—will that wild girl still keep acting like a proper lord or not? I’m betting she won’t.”
“Then I’ll take the opposite side. She will. Very well, I accept.”
“Loser grants the winner a wish?”
“Then we’ll need a contract to define the terms of victory and the limits of the wish. Shall I prepare thirty copies to start?”
“You’re worse than a demon... No, you’re just like a crown prince...”
***
Claudia Redvell was in a rather excellent mood lately.
“Their trump card failed. I bet their hands are trembling in panic right now. Serves them right.”
They were the ones who had glared at her from afar while her mother was alive—and openly harassed her after her death.
When the assassins had spoken their nas, she hadn’t even been shocked. Her first thought had been “Of course it was them.” Whatever familial bond might’ve once existed was long gone—if it had ever been there at all.
So then, what to do next?
The old Claudia would’ve started planning her own assassination in retaliation. But the Claudia who had learned a thing or two from Cedric was different now.
“Going public with it would deal the biggest blow... but if the Redvell na takes too much damage, he might step in. Hmm... what if I threaten to go public and extort them...? No, wait. Maybe I should pretend to ransom them back instead? If they agree, I get funds and benefits. If they refuse, I can flip their abandoned dogs to my side. Yes, that sounds better.”
She was montarily lost in that happy daydream when a knock ca at the office door. At her call to enter, Head Butler Bestian stepped in with a grave face.
“My lord. The Marquess has invited you to the main house. He says it’s ti the family gathered again for a al. He sent the ssage through a courier. Here is the invitation.”
“What?”
Claudia’s beaming expression instantly crumbled into bewildernt.
A family dinner? Since when had the Redvells ever been a loving family?
She tore open the seal and read the letter inside.
Claudia, seeing you return to the proper path and gain renown fills with joy as your father. We wish to speak with you as a family. Please do attend, even if you’re busy.
Flowery noble phrases were kept to a minimum—it really did read like a letter from a father, proud of his daughter’s repentance.
And the mont she recognized the handwriting as her father’s own, Claudia felt a cold chill run down her spine and goosebumps rise on her skin.
Even a death threat from an assassin would’ve felt less gross than this.
“...I can’t skip this, can I?”
Claudia’s voice held a rare note of pleading. Bestian replied with a reluctant frown.
“You already know the answer, my lady.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
Claudia let out a deep sigh.
She’d been doing well lately, sure—but all of that depended on her holding the title of Lord of Eched.
Ultimately, it was still the Marquess of Redvell who ruled over Eched and the other Redvell lands in practice.
If he decided to revoke her title, everything she had built would crumble into the mud.
Technically, a liege lord couldn’t just revoke a vassal’s authority at will—but with enough power, the impossible beca possible.
Claudia forced herself to think positively.
Fine. If anything, this ans I’ve made enough waves for him to start paying attention. And if I want to be valued and not sold off easily, I need to face him sooner or later.
And besides, didn’t the very fact that he summoned her like this an he was finally interested in what she’d been doing?
She reflexively moved to call Cedric—but froze when she saw Bestian standing right beside her.
She rembered Cedric’s advice.
“You should consider how the other retainers and servants feel, too.”
He’d said that when she kept making him cook instead of using the head chef.
That day, Cedric had scolded her more seriously than ever before—and she’d spent the whole day sulking in guilt.
“Ahem. Bestian?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“I want you to take care of selecting the people who’ll go with to the main house. Can you handle that?”
Bestian’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Then, with a faint smile at the corners of his lips, he replied,
“Leave it to , my lady. I will prepare the perfect team—one that will ensure your safety and maintain the estate’s managent in your absence.”
“R-Right.”
Seeing how visibly fired up he was, Claudia suddenly felt a bit sheepish.
And once again, she found herself thinking—Cedric was never wrong.
***
“─Claudia. The royal family has expressed interest in arranging a marriage for you. What do you think?”
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