Chapter 16

I'm not even interested—why are these people so hung up on a conjugal night!

It was beyond her.

But Rotte and Pons were both fiercely loyal to Lecashe.

They'd do anything for the family's happiness. Pons especially—the Loyettis had served the Grand Duke's house for generations.

He knew far more than most.

"I want to see His Highness smile too, you know!"

Although his actual motive seemed less noble and more nosy.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Rotte had clearly been bragging—Pons looked downright tortured as he said it.

"And if we gave young Master Ether a sibling, wouldn't he be less lonely?"

"…Oh? Good point."

Iberin almost bit.

"There we go! So the conjugal night will be—"

"Wait, wait, hold on!"

Like it or not, the Iberin who'd given birth to Ether and the Iberin standing here now were two different people.

She had no idea what the old Iberin had been thinking, but the current one didn't love Lyssel.

Sure, bodies could just be bodies, but Iberin wasn't into it.

And there was one more problem.

"What if I die giving birth?"

"Pardon?"

"I'm already on borrowed time. I'd rather not wear my body down further."

For Ether to be happy, Iberin needed to be here right now.

Of course, their angel of a kid wouldn't reject a sibling just because his mother died, but he'd be hurt.

The implication seemed to land—Pons bowed his head.

She just looked so healthy in the face that no one would peg her as sick.

"Ah. I hadn't considered that. My apologies."

"It's fine."

"I'll have a tonic prepared immediately!"

Pons exclaimed.

"But isn't it weird? Why do I feel this healthy? Nothing hurts at all."

Did I maybe just heal? she wondered.

"…Uh, well."

Pons and Rotte, both still under the impression that Iberin had simply lost her memory, couldn't figure out how to explain and went quiet for a beat.

But they couldn't stay silent forever.

Eventually Rotte spoke.

"I'm not sure why, but every Grand Duchess Lecashe, generation after generation, has been on borrowed time."

"Huh? Really?"

This was news to her.

"And every one of them got their terminal diagnosis after giving birth."

Iberin blinked, dazed.

"Same incurable illness, same way of dying, every single time. Which is why the rumors of the Lecashe curse spiraled out of anyone's control."

"Hm… So how do they die?"

"…Their bodies rupture."

"Whoa."

"Because the holy power within them is contaminated by the Lecashe."

"Holy power?"

"Yes. Citizens of the Aleta Holy Empire are born with a certain amount of holy power. Depending on purity and quantity, some go on to become priests. Most commoners carry only a faint trace. Normally it's a pure, white energy—but in the Lecashe, that holy power runs black. Contaminated."

It wasn't really contamination—it was the Seed of Evil.

And the energy carried by the Seed of Evil must transfer when a Lecashe child was conceived.

Iberin understood now.

Pons stood there with a vaguely uncomfortable expression as Rotte spoke, but didn't deny any of it.

"But if the rumors are that widespread, who'd marry into this place? Oh, right. I did…"

"……"

"Okay, but even setting that aside—wouldn't you just refuse to have a child?"

This time Pons answered.

"The marriages are arranged by the imperial family. Having no heir isn't an option. The imperial family is, in fact, dogged about wanting a Lecashe heir. Someone has to guard the Forest of the World Tree."

"Hold on, you told me to sleep with him, knowing all that?"

"In truth, I was hoping, but I wasn't actually going to push the issue."

"Hmm, really?"

"Of course! I have no doubt that you'll become the light of our Lecashe, Lady Iberin!"

Rotte thumped her own chest as she said it.

"In any case, everything wrong with Lecashe traces back to those dog-shit imperials."

The bluntness clearly threw both of them, but their reactions diverged.

Pons burst out laughing like he'd just heard the best joke of his life.

"Hahaha, truly—the madam keeps getting better and better."

"Hehe."

Iberin grinned back at him.

Caught up in the mood, Rotte joined in with a soft chuckle of her own.

---

Some time later, Baron Pletanin finally arrived.

"It's an honor to meet you. Elvin Pletanin."

She'd been picturing a venerable old professor at the empire's top academy, but he was surprisingly young.

"It must've been a hard journey."

"Not at all."

He'd come to teach Ether, so she couldn't afford to skimp on the welcome.

She'd already prepared everything.

Thankfully, Elvin didn't seem as stiff-necked as she'd feared.

She'd been a little worried he'd come in looking down his nose and nitpicking everything.

"Ether, say hello."

A small nudge from behind, and Ether stepped forward, straightened his posture, and offered a greeting.

"H-hewwo."

"Elvin Pletanin. I'll be your tutor for the time being, young master. I look forward to working with you."

"Yes!"

Elvin's greeting was gentle enough that Ether seemed to relax and broke into a bright smile.

Elvin blinked, a little surprised, then smiled back warmly and turned to Iberin.

"He's a bright child."

"Yes, he is."

"He seems well-loved."

"Of course. He's my child—I love him."

"Hehe. Ether wuvs Mommy most in the whole world!"

"No way—I love Ether more than Ether loves Ether."

"No, Ether loves Ether more than Mom… ah, no!"

"You love Ether more than Mommy? My little Ether!"

"Noooo. That was a slip-up!"

A peal of laughter.

Even the servants standing by were smiling at the scene.

The Grand Ducal Estate was clearly overflowing with laughter these days.

But Elvin's expression as he watched it all was a little hard to read.

---

The accommodations for Elvin were flawless.

He was given a guest room as large and comfortable as the one Iberin herself was currently using, and three servants were assigned to him.

He'd brought one personal attendant of his own, but the estate's servants knew the layout best, so they wouldn't be much use.

Every top-grade item Pons had brought down from the capital was placed in Elvin's room.

After a good night's sleep and a shared breakfast, Elvin offered his thanks.

"I'm overwhelmed by your hospitality. Thank you."

"Not at all. He'll be Ether's tutor—it would be wrong to be anything less. Please make yourself at home during your stay."

The monocle perched over one eye marked him out as the scholar type.

Iberin smiled, satisfied.

Finally, Ether would get a proper education.

And since Ether loved learning, he was already practically vibrating with anticipation.

"Ether, isn't this exciting?"

"Yes! Vewy exciting!"

Ether neatly speared a piece of cut meat into his mouth as he answered.

"By the way, His Highness still hasn't come today?"

Elvin asked.

He'd offered his greetings yesterday before heading to his room, but Lyssel had already left for the Forest of the World Tree and hadn't come back.

"That's how it's gone."

He'd ridden out the moment they got back from the six nobles, which meant he'd been gone nearly a week now.

Pons and Rotte both said he'd never left for such a short stretch and then disappeared again like this.

She'd assumed he'd be back soon.

"When might he return?"

"I don't know either. I'll let you know when he does."

"Yes."

While they ate, Iberin debated with herself, then finally floated her question to Elvin.

"Would it be alright if I sat in on Ether's lessons?"

She knew it might come off as one of those overbearing moms.

Honestly, Iberin couldn't bring herself to trust a tutor handpicked by the imperial family.

She wanted to keep an eye on things, at least for a bit.

"No, you cannot."

But Elvin didn't even pause to consider—he shut it down on the spot.

Iberin smiled, a little embarrassed.

Then, as if explaining, Elvin added,

"I understand a parent's heart, but no noble parent sits in on their child's lessons."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. My apologies."

She couldn't quite hide the small wrinkle that formed between her brows.

Everything else is fine, but this baron's bowing a little too low.

The man had been personally selected and dispatched by the imperial family.

He was currently teaching at the academy, and his reputation was already at the top of the field.

For someone like that to be so polite to the wife of a Grand Duke in the boonies—a Lecashe at that, cursed and looked down on—didn't sit right.

"Very well."

"Thank you for understanding."

Even so, she decided she'd quietly watch him for a while, and nodded.

---

That afternoon, right after lunch, Ether went off to his first proper lesson.

He was still only five and didn't even know the full imperial language yet, so they'd be starting with that.

Maybe because of what Iberin had said during breakfast, Elvin emphasized—again and again—that no one was to enter during lessons.

Yeah, this was off.

"There's something weird here."

"What is?"

"Off. Definitely off."

Elvin had said that with the Grand Duke absent, Iberin should be the one to receive it, and handed over the imperial decree.

A tutor had been sent, but she'd assumed maybe half a year of teaching in this remote place, tops. Instead, the emperor had ordered Elvin to remain at Lecashe for about two years.

"Is that normally how long?"

"Yes. I haven't seen a tutor sent here either, but apparently they typically stay two to three years."

Since Iberin didn't really know, she'd asked the butler standing beside her.

"I see."

That was a longer stretch than she'd expected.

Did Baron Elvin not mind? Was the emperor paying him some absurd sum?

"Hmm…"

She really wanted to sneak in and eavesdrop on a lesson.

Her eyes narrowed.

Pons let out a small chuckle.

"Of all the Grand Duchesses, madam, you're the most peculiar."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

Well, considering the person inhabiting this body was a different person entirely, that tracked.

"Do you know much about the previous Grand Duchess, Pons? Or should I say, His Highness's mother?"

"I never met her, but I heard about her from my father."

Right—if every Grand Duchess Lecashe had a terminal diagnosis, the previous one must've died young too.

"What did he say?"

"A complete monster. Not someone you'd want any dealings with."

"…That's harsh."

"You may have lost your memory, madam, but… well, the way my father described you—you seem like a completely different person now."

The sense that her own former reputation hadn't been so different was probably not just in her head.

"Apparently she was especially cruel to His Highness, so my father couldn't stand her. He was loyal to Lecashe, after all. As am I."

Lyssel's childhood couldn't have been a smooth one.

"What about His Highness's father?"

"He had no interest in family matters whatsoever."

"Like His Highness now?"

"You could put it that way… Honestly, the previous Grand Duke wasn't much of a husband or a father either."

The butler smiled bitterly.

If that was the example Lyssel had grown up with, no wonder he had no idea how to give anything to his own son.

Whether it was love or hatred.