Chapter 71: A cup of poison for Earhart. (4)

As one could only expect, with how Alice was acting it was inevitable for someone to get annoyed and impatient. And in this case, that person ended up being Marion, shooting Alice a sharp glare.

"Alice De Vritara, you will show proper respect in front of the head of the family!"

Of her two remaining half-siblings, Marion was the most reasonable one. She rarely moved for her own interest and placed the duchy before herself, her own emotions and desires were simply secondary. But Alice wasn’t being subtly disrespectful to just anyone, she was doing it to the duke himself. In a situation like that, of course Marion would speak up. But unexpectedly, the one who responded wasn’t Alice.

"That’s enough. We’re dining, this is not a place to raise your voice."

Edward De Vritara had raised his hand to silence Marion, his placid gaze lingering on her until she lowered her head obediently. He retracted his gaze once she complied, a somewhat stuffy silence shrouding the room as he calmly and quietly placed his cutlery on the plate and used the napkin to wipe his mouth, folding it onto the plate before he spoke up again.

"Marion. Francis. You are excused, the desserts will be brought to your rooms so please enjoy our chefs hard work in peace."

He rang a silver bell that stood next to him, servants entering the room to clean away the empty plates. One of the servants brought two plates of food, desserts that looked like vanilla tarts topped with a type of chocolate or coffee cream. One was placed in front of Alice while the other was placed in front of the duke. The duke had given an order, and the children naturally did not dare to disobey.

"As you wish, Father. Please enjoy the rest of your meal.""It will be as you order, Father. Call upon me if you have need of it later."

They stood up and bowed politely, the latter of the two, Francis, casting a sharp sideways glare at Alice before he stepped past her. The servants naturally left right after them, even the butler, Barret, excused himself. The duke still didn’t look at Alice, simply picking up the newly delivered cutlery.

"We can speak more after we have eaten, it would be disrespectful to the chefs to not eat the food for which they toiled."

An order, a statement, a request, whatever it was considered, the duke did not open his mouth to speak again afterwards. He ate the small dessert with quiet movements and a calm demeanour, as if he hadn’t heard a single one of Alice’s earlier thinly veiled insults. Alice also sat there silently, forcing down all the dishes that remained, which gradually got easier to eat as they became fresher.

She was observing the duke, Edward. The number of times she had seen him could easily be counted on one hand, even half a hand was more than enough to count their meetings. As for conversations… This was actually their first one. Still, he didn’t even look at her. As such, honestly, she had no idea what to expect from him.

In the end, the duke finished his dessert and once again wiped his mouth, placing both the folded napkin and the used cutlery onto the plate. His gaze then rose again, but it still refused to linger on Alice.

"Child. I despise you. Loathe you, hate you even, if you wish to use such strong words. Your existence… I cannot stomach it, that is how much discomfort you fill me with."

On the list of things she expected him to say to her, declaring his loathing for her was actually rather high on the list. They hated each other, that was simply the nature of their relationship. But the duke wasn’t done just yet.

"I cannot bear to look at you because you bear both of their features so strongly, it is as if you wish to dig into my wounds with your appearance. I cannot bear to utter your name because it was the last thing to leave her lips, a gentle whisper dedicated to someone else."

She hadn’t inherited the golden eyes and blue hair of her mother, taking on the colours of her father instead. But her features… She was the spitting image of her mother, with only a few minor deviations. Every part of her roused the duke’s anger, both of them knew that well. But with that being the case…

"So tell me this, Child. Why do you still live? I cannot stomach your existence, yet you still live within my walls. Why do you think that is?"

His fingers intertwined as his chin came to rest on them. Alice felt her chest sink, as if a hand was slowly but surely pressing down on it, clutching at her lungs. Two striking green eyes, as placid as a windless lake, were now looking directly at her. She could see the veins within them move ever so slightly, their edges twitch quietly as the duke repressed the anger that built just from looking at her. Why she still lived? The answer to that was simple, if a bit depressing.

"Because it would bring shame to the ducal name."

Yeah, Alice didn’t allow herself any delusions. If they could kill her without staining the Vritara name then she would have been dead long ago. That was the kind of existence she was in this house. And indeed, the duke did not deny it.

"You are correct. The ducal family cannot publicly kill one of their own, no matter the circumstances of their birth. The ducal family also cannot allow one of their own to be assassinated within our own estate, we cannot bear the stigma of failing to protect someone in our own house. Thus, an accident is the only possible way. As the duke, it is my duty to remain impartial, so it fell to your half-siblings. But none of them were capable of, or willing, to orchestra a death for you that seemed like an accident of your own making. That held true until Leonardo met his end, thus you have survived."

Killing someone was easy for the ducal families, killing one of their own kin however… that was a lot trickier. Well, no, killing them was easy, doing so without harming the family name was the tricky part. Well, Alice and Gabriel didn’t care that much, which was why Leonardo ended the way he did. And judging from his words, it seemed as if the duke was at least aware that Leonardo’s death wasn’t something orchestrated by one of the other families. But he didn’t pursue it further now, nor had he brought it up once over the past years. And by his words, Alice understood why.

"You truly hold the ducal name in high esteem, foregoing even your own emotions in favour of it."

He hated her, but didn’t kill her because it would harm the family name. His son died, but he never brought it up because his actions harmed the family name when they came to light. For the family name, he was willing to bear it all. And he didn’t deny t hat.

"Once again, you are correct. Before I am a father, before I am a man, before I am a husband, I am Edward De Vritara, The Dragon Duke of the south. What I do, I must do for the duchy. What I do, I must do for the Vritara name. What I do, I must do for the people we shield with our name. Emotions have no home in that duty, so even my own hatred must be put aside."

The corners of his eyes were still twitching quietly as he spoke, staring straight at Alice. He married into this family, but he was still the Dragon Duke, the Duke of Vritara. Everything he did had to be for that name. And that, if Alice guessed correctly, included this right here.

"And may I assume that is why you have deigned to have a conversation with me?"

A single proper conversation after almost 16 years, the first time he ever properly looked at her. It wasn’t because his hate lessened, it wasn’t because he came to appreciate her, it wasn’t even to vent his hatred for her. It was simply for the duchy.

"You are correct."

He nodded his head, as she expected. The past Alice… She had nothing. She wasn’t helpful, she wasn’t a threat, she was simply an existence that unfortunately bore the name and blood of Vritara. But now… Now she had a move. And every move spurred a reaction somewhere.

"I do not know for how long, but you hid the capabilities of both yourself and your servants. You could have revealed them earlier to stop some of the pressure that Francis was putting on you, but you did not. You relented. You endured. And then you found a useful time to unveil it. By showing your abilities while helping the Barong duchy deal with their beast problem you have made it hard for others to publicly disparage you. You have made it so that they cannot try to undermine or call into question your powers, they simply have no choice but to lower their heads and accept it. For a while, due to public opinion, there will be no one in the empire that can make any moves against you."

The duke plainly spoke the facts. Alice had helped the Barong duchy, and she had saved lives doing so. It was a good deed, and said good deed would be reflected on the name she bore. And with the Imperial Family pushing it even higher, the public, especially in the north, would end up praising both her and the Vritara for weeks to come. To that, the Duke, despite his hatred, had only one thing to say.

"That was smart, Child. It was a good plan. And for that, you will be rewarded."

She had been patient. It would have been gratifying to reveal it earlier, to smack either Francis or someone else on the cheek while puffing out her chest proudly. But she waited. Even when Francis publicly humiliated her in the Barong duchy, she endured. That was smart. It was the best move. It was useful.

"…Where are you trying to go with this?"

Alice’s eyes narrowed unconsciously. The way the duke spoke, the way his twitching gaze pierced into her, it was… Unsettling. The hatred he felt for her, which resulted in her being isolated and mistreated for years… Could he really just ignore it that easily?

"Nowhere. It is simply as I stated earlier, what I do, I must do for the duchy. I will use the useful, no matter their origin, no matter my emotions for them. In the end, all that matters is how good someone is for the duchy."

The duke repeated himself, made his stance even clearer. Yeah… In the end it was all about the duchy. Perhaps that was why it felt unsettling, because he acted less like a man and more like an idea, a construct serving the duchy. Was that what it meant to be duke? There was no answer to that thought, the duke simply kept talking, filling Alice in on information that wasn’t yet public.

"The Imperial Family will soon send out invites to the investiture where they will reward those who took part in the beast subjugation. During that ceremony, they will raise you to the rank of Earl, granting you the title immediately rather than waiting for your coming of age. And I, as the Duke, will officially recognize you as a contender for the seat of inheritor and publicly hand over all the assets that Leonardo had before he was assassinated. Afterwards, you will have to go the Academy to learn what it takes to fight for the position of inheritor."

An ancient sealed beast had been unleashed and then killed, this was the perfect chance for the Imperial Family to give some good news to the public, even if they had to blow it out of proportions. After all, a happy populace was a lot easier to deal with. Thus, rewards were naturally required.

"I am eternally grateful to you, dear Duke Vritara. Truly, I am undeserving of such honour."

She spoke politely, her voice practically dripping as she lowered her head slightly. It didn’t sit quite right with her. Naturally, she wanted to be recognized, it was one of the ways she could ask Gabriel a question he had to answer truthfully. But the way the duke she despised accepted it so easily… The way he did it so casually… It left a somewhat bitter taste in her mouth. She expected that she would have to fight harder, struggle more, rub it in their faces more.

But even if she felt somewhat bitter, even if it felt somewhat underwhelming, she had no choice but to discard those thoughts as the duke started talking again.

"That servant of yours, Gabriel, was it? He will be officially knighted during the investiture. He will also be sent to the Academy to learn what it takes to be a noble."

Gabriel was the star of the beast subjugation, the one who showed the most talent, so it was only natural that he would be rewarded. The nature of his reward concerned her far more than her own. The duke slowly stood up from his seat as he kept talking.

"He will naturally receive the rank of Viscount before entering the Academy, but it will be with a special privilege due to his abilities. The Imperial Family has already spoken with Marquess Rutherford, he will publicly offer him the hand of his eldest daughter and seat of inheritor. The Imperial family will heavily push this alliance to tie your knight to someone loyal to them."

TapTapTap

Only the voice of the duke and the sounds of his steps could be heard in the dining hall, his fingers sliding along the smooth table as he walked. Alice felt her eyes narrow more with each word he spoke. A Marquess’ daughter and seat of inheritance… They were trying to steal him.

"Once you have been given the title of Earl, the Sorin family will offer the hand of their youngest son in marriage, but the Emperor will also let you choose anyone amongst his four sons should you so desire, he is quite eager to bring our families closer."

The duke did not stop talking, his voice still the same calm and quiet tone as his steps brought him closer. The Emperor had naturally spoken about all of this with him in advance to hear his thoughts, and he hadn’t rejected any of the ideas. And the reason was as simple as always.

"I am the duke of Vritara so I will remain impartial until an inheritor is found. I will not interfere in what you do, so show me that you are capable of doing what is best for the duchy, capable of bringing in those most useful for the duchy."

He stepped past Alice without looking at her, not once uttering her name during their conversation. He was the duke, and he only moved for the sake of the duchy. As such, his inheritor would be the one who could prove themselves most useful for the duchy. Now, what form this usefulness took on wasn’t set in stone, it didn’t even need to rely on the Imperial Family or the other ducal families, it just needed to be better than all the other options.

——

Alice quickly strode through the halls after she left the dining room, nibbling on the tip of her thumb. She swiftly reached Teresa’s room and pushed it open, Teresa currently in the process of helping her brothers sort all the souvenirs they got.

"Teresa, have you seen Gabriel?"

Teresa almost jumped out of fright and then quickly spun around. Alice generally knocked before entering, and she most certainly didn’t sound this rushed.

"No? We split up after he got to his room and I haven’t seen him since. Has he left?"

She quickly responded. Alice looked impatient, the tip of her thumb had become red due to how much she had nibbled on its skin and nail. Something had happened during the dinner.

"It seems like it…"

She switched thumb and nibbled even harder. She had naturally gone to Gabriel’s room first, but he wasn’t there. All his things were on the bed, but he himself was gone. It was extremely rare for him to leave without informing her first…

"My Lady, can I help you with something?"

Teresa sent her brothers to the adjacent room as she stood up. She could see Alice’s eyes racing, her thoughts were probably darting around.

"…"

There wasn’t an immediate response. She needed to think, needed to plan how to move. But no matter how her thoughts moved, she constantly came back to the same conclusion.

"Teresa, the situation has changed. I need you to get me something."

She didn’t want to do it like this, she really didn’t. She wanted to take it slow, wanted to spend more time on it. Slowly but surely she would infuse it, slowly but surely she would make it so that he could no longer slip out of her grasp. But if the Imperial Family moved…

"Anything."

Teresa was naturally willing to get her hands on whatever Alice desired, be it through legal or illegal means. That was especially the case when she was this impatient, almost panicked. And the thing Alice wanted…

"The Eye of Rostam. Or something similar if there isn’t enough time."

The Eye of Rostam. A ring, an extremely famous one at that. The current worth of the ring was about equal to half a small city. Getting their hands on it would… Take some work.

———

While the Vritara Estate and its people were busy with their own things, Gabriel was quickly making his way through the city around the estate. His brows were furrowed, his pupils flickering as his thoughts moved.

He quickly arrived in a familiar alley and cast a short spell, the darkness creeping along the walls forming a wolf-like mask that he used to cover his features. His hands were naturally still a mess so Nergal helped him activate the required formations to open the secret entrance he was looking for.

He descended down the stairs that revealed themselves and strode through the darkness, eventually reaching a familiar circular hall. When he first came here many years ago, this place was practically completely empty, save for a table and two couches at the centre. The headquarters of the Night Pack, the fifth largest information guild in this empire.

It still looked much the same despite the passage of years, but Gabriel had added several bookshelves and closets of varying type along the walls. The table and couches at the centre remained the same however, a man wearing a fox-like mask currently sitting there while organising some documents as he greeted Gabriel.

"Ah, you’ve returned, Boss?"

The fox mask. In the story, it was worn by the leader of the Night Pack, the Black Fox. He was the one who turned it into the largest information guild in the empire. The eyes that looked at Gabriel from behind the mask were the same cold blue colour as the previous leader of the Night Pack, the gorilla masked man Gabriel first met when he came here.

"Tell me the most recent information and rumours amongst the nobility."

Gabriel cut directly to the chase as he walked over, almost slumping down on the couch. The Black Fox, Solomon Giradin, was used to the boss’ direct nature, but something felt a bit off this time around.

"Hmm… Most of it is about the upcoming title ceremony, the various families can’t stop buzzing about it. Naturally, most of it is about the upcoming fates of Alice De Vritara and her servant."

He didn’t beat around the bush either, if the boss was this antsy then something was clearly going on. Luckily, their network was slowly spreading further so it was a lot easier to get information from the nobles so he had a fair bit of information he could hand out.

"I cannot guarantee the veracity of this, but the maid we got this information from is a bed-warmer for the Second Prince of the Imperial Family so odds are that at least 70% of it is true."

Of course, since information was their lifeblood, Solomon didn’t forget to leave himself a lifeline by stating that the information may not be entirely true. It was important to always leave yourself a way out, dealing with absolutes was the fastest way to cause your own downfall, the boss had taught him that. But with the formalities out of the way, he got straight to sharing what he had gathered while the boss was away.

"According to her, Alice De Vritara will be granted the title of Earl, receiving it early this time, and both the Sorin Family and the Imperial Family will extend offers of marriage to tie them together. From what the maid said it seemed like the Second Prince was fairly confident that the First or Fourth Prince would be the chosen in the end. As for the servant, she said that he’ll be knighted and granted a title, either Earl or Viscount. The Imperial Family will also have one of the Marquess’ offer both one of their daughters and the seat of inheritor to help him stabilise his new position. Lastly, both are to be sent to the academy to learn about their new positions while also getting closer to their future partners."

This information came from the Second Prince of the empire, who had been especially called back early for this title ceremony. Solomon said that it was only about 70% true, but he personally guessed that it was at least 90%, or more, true. The Second Prince was known to speak too much when he got frisky with people.

Gabriel fell silent after Solomon shared the news spreading among the higher nobles, his eyes closing. Marriage. True, it was the best way to tie both people and families together. Alice had shown her affinity for three of the newly-discovered magics, and she had two strong spirits, so it was only natural that they would upgrade her title while trying even harder to tie her to the empire.

And marriage really was the best way to do that, it really was. If she married one of the princes’ then she would belong to the Imperial Family, and if she married the one from the Sorin family then she would greatly strengthen the ties between the two ducal families. It was just logical, a step that anyone could see coming.

Sitting there, Gabriel was reminded of the time his Unique Magic activated. The thing, the souls, that took his appearance, hadn’t they shown him something similar? Alice marrying someone because it was the logical thing to do? Because it was the best action to take for her position? Yeah, he had already seen this outcome.

"…"

Solomon could only sit there in silence. It wasn’t that he wanted to remain silent, it was more that the words wouldn’t come out. It felt like a hand was reaching down his throat and slowly curling around his heart. A chill. Cold and terrible dread. It crept up his spine like it wanted to paralyse him. The boss… The boss was angry.

"…Right then."

The boss opened his eyes after several minutes, a dim light flashing in those violet irises. He looked… determined. Decisive.

"A new plan, boss?"

Solomon could finally let go of the breath t hat had been caught in his chest when Gabriel opened his eyes. That look… He had decided on something, something big probably judging by that sensation from earlier. And yet… He shook his head.

"No, same plan as always. Fox, do you remember the second and third tenet I taught you?"

Tenets. The boss had taught him many tenets, he said they were a guideline to living as a good person, to living a good life. They were a bit odd, but Solomon had still made sure to memorise them.

"If you have something you treasure, don’t let anyone else take it. If there’s something you want, then you must make sure to acquire it no matter what."

Solomon spoke the tenets as he had been taught them, and Gabriel nodded his head in turn.

"Correct."

Gabriel rose from his seat. Right, the tenets. He taught them to others, he showed them their meaning. But occasionally he forgot to follow them himself. But his recent trip to the northern duchy… The colours that Alice brought to his world, had they not reinvigorated him to follow them?

"Fox, get me a ring."

He spoke simply, strongly. This wasn’t a request as a customer, this wasn’t a suggestion to an aide. This was an order from the leader of the Night Pack. And when the boss gave an order, there would only ever be one outcome.

"Any specific value, or will any ring do?"

Solomon put aside his documents and rose from his seat. The boss gave an order so it would seem that he would have to move personally. After all, the boss never gave simple orders. And lo and behold…

"The Eye of Rostam, it has to be at least of that value."

Yeah, that was only to be expected. Normal things weren’t enough, the boss only wanted the best of the best when he first moved. But the Eye of Rostam… lord knows what he was going to do with it.

"That’ll kick up quite the fuss if we were to… ‘Acquire’ it."

The Eye of Rostam was currently up for sale, but the price… Officially, only the Marquess and Ducal families had the cash to buy it. Some Earls and Counts could probably also buy it, but they would have to liquidate a fair few assets. Whoever came out and bought it, or acquired it through other means, would attract a lot of attention. Even more so should the item disappear from the public eye afterwards. It would get noisy to say the least. But for once, it seemed as if the boss didn’t care.

"Then let’s kick up a fuss. We are strong, Fox, so let’s stop hiding it."