Chapter 10
“A-are you all right?!”
She was not all right.
There was no way she could be.
“So… you’re saying that the guardian is also acting as the full representative of the Duke’s household, or something like that?”
“Yes, yes… that’s the situation.”
It was absurd, but since she had even taken the ring, there wasn’t really a problem with it.
‘So the children… no, there’s no reason to personally take care of them.’
“When did they come last year?”
“They usually come once around the time of the annual Thanksgiving festival. And again after the New Year’s worship.”
“Only twice a year?”
“…Miss? Are you all right?”
“Haha, ha, hahaha.”
Hildegard’s laughter, which had been creaking like a broken doll, suddenly stopped.
Laughing didn’t make anything funny.
“How long is this going to go on? That guardian role…”
Hildegard asked coldly.
“Until next year, right? Isn’t that right?”
It had to be.
By next year, Mikhail would be seventeen.
Legally, he would reach adulthood and could inherit the dukedom.
That would make a guardian unnecessary.
But as if to betray Hildegard’s desperate hope, Robin shook her head.
“Well… Countess Solber is the guardian of ‘all three siblings.’”
She emphasized her words in a way that felt ominous.
“You’ve just turned twelve, so you’ll have to wait another five years before reaching adulthood.”
“….”
Snap!
Hildegard’s mind shattered like glass cracked by a storm.
So what does that mean?
That the guardian could continue her role until all three children reached adulthood?
‘Good heavens…’
Hildegard looked up at the ceiling of the glass greenhouse for a moment.
‘If the tiger’s not around, the fox becomes king.’
‘Some countess I’ve never even seen comes in claiming to be our guardian and has been running the household into the ground?!’
She would probably explode and die again if she had to reincarnate twice.
While Robin brought a fresh teacup, Hildegard decided in her cold eyes:
“I’m going to revoke the Countess’s guardian rights. Immediately.”
“Eh?”
Robin, just entering the greenhouse with the new teacup, flinched.
“Miss? To do that, we’ll need a new guardian.”
“Then we’ll find one.”
“But the Countess won’t just sit idly by, you know.”
“If I had been afraid of that, I wouldn’t even have brought it up.”
Robin couldn’t help but admire her.
“Miss has really changed. Elegant and resolute.”
She knew Hildegard had grown more mature since running away, but this was the first time she had seen her genuinely pondering the future of the household.
Hildegard’s violet eyes pierced Robin.
“Robin.”
“Yes, Miss?”
“I plan to revoke the Countess’s guardian rights and find a new guardian. I’ll need your help.”
Robin tensed without realizing it.
“It won’t be easy. If you make a mistake, you could even be kicked out.”
“Kicked out? Me?”
Hildegard laughed, showing her white teeth as if hearing such words for the first time.
“Not a chance.”
She wouldn’t stand by and watch a guardian exploit her rightful authority while doing nothing.
‘Not a single month will be wasted. Within half a month, the guardian will be replaced.’
Hildegard narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Robin.
“I understand. If it’s for the Duke’s household, I’ll gladly help.”
Hildegard looked at her with a curious expression for a moment.
“Are you all right? The Countess could retaliate.”
“I’ve already fallen out of her favor by staying in the household.”
Hildegard smiled as if she had been waiting for those words.
“Shall I prepare some stationery in case you want to write to the Countess?”
“No. First, I need you to prepare something else.”
To completely strip away her influence?
Gathering information came first.
“The ledgers and newspapers. Bring me everything you can find.”
No matter how much time had passed, the Duke’s household was where one spent a lifetime.
Hildegard could roughly estimate how much money went where.
As soon as she skimmed the living expense records Robin brought, she immediately saw how absurdly the Countess Solber had been controlling the household.
‘What is this…? How are four people supposed to live on this?’
The maintenance costs of the mansion were ridiculously low. They even gave credit at the butcher and fruit shops.
‘Robin’s salary is overdue by a month too.’
No matter what she expected, reality surpassed it.
It was a financial battlefield of rolling funds and tight budgets.
The only income came from Mikhail’s side income and money sent by the Countess.
‘It’s enough to make your head spin.’
But carefully examining the three ledgers Robin brought was worth it.
Hildegard quickly identified the gaps.
‘As I thought. The income statements are completely wrong.’
“Robin, we still manage the iron ore mines, right?”
“Of course. No Duke has ever touched the iron ore mines.”
It wasn’t that they hadn’t touched them—it was more accurate to say they were defended.
Iron ore was the primary material for weapons.
Because of this, the first emperor directly entrusted the Akalaxia family with iron ore management to prevent rebellion, even allowing them to control it for military production.
But the statements the Countess sent omitted the profits from supplying the royal family.
It was evidence that the guardian had been acting as treasurer and deceiving them.
‘Even the tax calculations are wrong.’
Hildegard was now certain.
‘She’s embezzling the estate.’
Even just the iron ore profits could cover Robin’s salary and support dozens of staff.
Examining the ledgers reinforced Hildegard’s resolve to remove the money-controlling Countess from the Duke’s household.
“Phew…”
“Miss, shall I prepare another cup of tea?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Just a moment.”
Robin left the greenhouse.
Hildegard leaned back in the plush chair.
The headache subsided for a moment.
‘I need to prepare for the trial to revoke the guardian’s rights. I also need to find a new guardian.’
She had enough grounds, but she wanted a stronger trump card.
‘There must be someone in a branch family who can act as guardian…’
She thought that but didn’t expect much.
The Akalaxia family was stingy, the branch relatives were distant, and if anyone suitable existed, they would have already been appointed.
Hildegard groaned and picked up the newspaper.
<Special Feature: Aqua Alta in Iberta. Is this acceptable?>
<Minister Muon dismisses rumors of the Emperor’s poor health.>
<Black clouds: The mysterious illness that has covered the Obron Duke’s family.>
The newspapers Robin had brought covered the past 14 days.
Hildegard read them all carefully.
She didn’t expect to find a solution in the newspaper.
But it was useful for bridging the 80-year gap in information to the present.
“Huh?”
Hildegard’s hand froze as she realized one topic had been repeatedly covered in the news for the past two weeks.
<Youngest granddaughter of the Obron Duke collapses.> <Mysterious illness ‘Black Clouds’: What’s happening to the Obron Duke’s family?>
“Black Clouds?”
Hildegard’s eyebrows twitched.
She read the article in more detail.
About a month ago, the Obron Duke’s youngest granddaughter, Ilia, collapsed on her birthday. Subsequently, her skin began darkening as if covered by clouds.
‘…Huh? This symptom…’
Just then, Robin returned to the greenhouse.
While placing the teapot and biscuits down, Hildegard kept her nose in the newspaper.
“Miss? Why are you reading the newspaper so intently?”
“Robin. Is this true? Rumors about the Obron Duke’s family?”
“Ah, you mean Lady Ilia. She did fall ill… It caused quite a stir. She probably hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
Robin poured tea into a cup.
“No treatment yet? Did they contact the Magic Tower? If so, they could have healed her quickly…”
“….”
Right.
Hildegard felt a twinge of unease.
‘I don’t want to treat someone else’s crisis as an opportunity… but if this is true…’
She recalled the aristocratic genealogy carefully.
‘Wait. This could be an unexpected opportunity to bring in a guardian.’
She touched her lips with her fingers.
“Robin, clear the small study. I need to write a letter.”
“A letter? To whom?”
“To the Obron Duke’s household.”
“Huh?”
“I just had a brilliant idea.”
Hildegard’s eyes glinted sharply, like a cat raising its head.
