<Chapter 13>

Chester spoke coldly to the gasping Marlenda.

“You certainly embezzled quite diligently. When I told you to take charge of Kailas, did you take that as permission to steal the money meant for him too?”

“I-It’s a misunderstanding! I—!”

“Enough.”

With a snap of Chester’s fingers, Enzo who had been waiting beside him handed her a large document envelope.

“You’re fired, Marlenda Margot. There’s no letter of recommendation. Instead, take this.”

Marlenda instinctively took the envelope. Her pupils widened drastically as she looked at it.

Stamped on the brown envelope she held was the imperial court’s seal, labeled ‘Complaint of Prosecution.’

A harsh gaze fell upon her as she trembled uncontrollably. Then came Chester’s voice, cold as ice.

“Take your misunderstandings to the courtroom. All your assets will be seized. And even after you serve your sentence, don’t even think about setting foot in the capital again.”

With that, Chester glanced at his aide and gave an order.

“What are you waiting for? Drag her out.”

“Your Grace! Please, Your Grace!”

Marlenda cried out desperately as Enzo dragged her away. But her voice merely echoed in vain throughout the mansion.

“…I suppose I owe her something now.”

Chester muttered to himself as Marlenda’s distant screams faded into the background.

His once cold expression softened as the image of the bold and cheerful new tutor came to mind.

But the moment he thought of his nephew, Chester’s mouth tightened again.

All this time, out of guilt toward Mave and Lillian, he had turned a blind eye to Kailas.

He thought that by paying a fortune to a nanny to look after the boy, he’d fulfilled his duty.

But that was never enough.

“Uncle… you don’t hate me?”

The moment he heard his frightened nephew ask that question, his mouth had gone dry. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he nearly raised his voice without meaning to.

If the new tutor hadn’t been there, he might’ve made an unforgivable mistake.

If she hadn’t been there to calmly soothe Kailas and teach him how to speak up for himself who knows what might’ve happened.

“Please don’t forget your dinner appointment with Young Master Kail today. Promise me that.”

This new tutor was unlike any other who had come to House Valerio.

Even under Chester’s coaxing, she didn’t try to secure extra pay for herself. She didn’t show the slightest annoyance at being soaked in milk, nor did she take it out on the child.

‘Maybe I should observe her a bit longer.’

Lost in thought, Chester raised one eyebrow slowly.

Still, he couldn’t afford to trust someone he just met today. After all, hadn’t even the nanny, who’d looked after Kailas for years, betrayed them?

Considering what had happened, he had to be even more cautious.

‘First, I should let my sister-in-law know that I dismissed the nanny.’

Chester sat down at his desk, trying to shake the image of the new tutor from his mind.

As he reached for his stationery, his expression was noticeably softer.

* * *

“Teacher, how… do I look?”

Yurenia had been walking hand in hand with Kailas toward the dining room when she suddenly stopped.

They were on their way to have dinner with his uncle.

It was already the tenth time Kailas had asked the exact same question.

Yurenia smiled warmly at the nervous boy. She knelt down to his level and met his eyes.

“You look amazing.”

“Really?”

Relieved by her answer, Kailas beamed. His cheeks, flushed with nerves, had turned a soft peach-pink.

“Then… how amazing?”

He licked his lips nervously. Yurenia gently adjusted the bow tie at his neck and replied,

“Like a prince out of a fairy tale. No, even more amazing than that.”

“Like the prince from the story you read to me yesterday?”

“Yes.”

With a proud smile, Yurenia gazed at the child.

‘Even as a kid, Kail was already stunning.’

She’d thought he was beautiful when she first met him last week, but now that he was properly dressed up, his features practically glowed.

His tiny, perfectly proportioned face made him look like a doll.

‘Now all we need is a new wardrobe.’

Feeling a bit regretful, Yurenia tugged lightly at the short sleeve of his shirt.

Since he hadn’t gotten any new clothes yet, Kailas was still wearing the ones he brought when he first arrived at the mansion.

Children grow quickly.

It hadn’t been long since he came here, yet his sleeves were already too short.

‘The tailor’s schedule is full, so there’s nothing I can do.’

Hiding her disappointment, Yurenia tidied up the boy’s hair. Kailas stood still, letting her fix it obediently.

He was now every inch a young noble, nothing like the boy she’d first met just a few days ago.

Since their first meeting, many things had changed at House Valerio.

The Duke had kept every promise he made to Yurenia.

First, he dismissed Marlenda, the nanny. Yurenia didn’t know exactly what had happened to her since Enzo and the other staff were being unusually quiet about it.

But it was clear the Duke had handled it thoroughly.

To be honest, Yurenia wasn’t particularly interested in how the nanny was dealt with.

What mattered was how Kailas was treated.

The Duke had moved the boy’s room to the second floor of the east wing, right next to his own bedroom.

The furniture had all been replaced with custom pieces made by the empire’s finest craftsmen, designed especially for children.

Kailas was finally living in a proper nursery, fit for his status.

The Duke also relocated Yurenia’s room next to Kailas’s.

Although she was hired as a tutor, she had agreed to care for the boy more closely, taking the nanny’s place.

A generous raise had come with it.

But what surprised Yurenia most was the Duke’s personal involvement. To her astonishment, he had dinner with his nephew every single day.

‘I thought he’d only join for that one dinner Kail asked for…’

This was completely unexpected.

In noble households, it was rare for parents or guardians to eat with their children. Managing the estate and handling family affairs left them with little time.

Sharing meals with children regularly was practically impossible.

Yet the Duke hadn’t missed a single evening meal with Kailas since that night.

“Shall we go now, my prince? Your uncle’s probably waiting for you.”

“Yeah!”

“What were you doing, taking so long?”

Just as the two were about to walk down the hallway hand in hand, the Duke appeared, dressed casually in a comfortable shirt.

“Uncle!”

Kailas’s eyes lit up when he saw him. All the fear and avoidance from before had vanished without a trace.

“I was just on my way to see you!”

“Good. I was starting to think I’d been stood up.”

“Huh?”

The boy tilted his head at Chester’s joke, confused. He tugged at Yurenia’s hand and asked,

“Teacher, what does ‘stood up’ mean?”

“It means he was worried you wouldn’t come.”

“Ohh!”

Understanding dawned, and Kailas grinned brightly. Then he scampered over to his uncle and grabbed his waist with a cheeky smile.

“Don’t worry. I won’t stand you up.”

“…What?”

The Duke blinked in surprise at the boy’s innocent reply. Then, looking down at Kailas’s little head, he let out a laugh.

“Haha. Alright, thanks.”

Yurenia watched the warm scene between uncle and nephew with a pleased smile.

* * *

In a private palace within the Imperial Court, it stood as a massive residence even among the personal estates of nobles who served the imperial family.

In a pastel-toned bedroom, beautifully decorated, a small girl lay with her eyes closed.

“Lily…”

Mave gazed at her daughter with a face full of sorrow.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d heard the child’s laughter.

She might never hear it again.

“I’m sorry, Marquess Dalton. It would be best to start preparing yourself…”

Mave shut her eyes tightly as the physician’s hopeless words echoed in her mind.
 

<To be continued>

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