Chapter 5
“Kiana is here? Right now?”
Scari Prellai, head of the Prellai household, looked startled at the butler’s report.
“Yes. She said she was tired and would rest first, and would pay her respects tomorrow.”
As the butler continued the report, Scari let out a sigh.
Scari Prellai—the Duke of Prellai—was a strikingly handsome old man with a tall, solid frame and a sharply chiseled face. As one of the few sword masters in the Empire, his strong build radiated an intimidating presence.
He was a man of few words, always exuding the presence of a mountain, and now he murmured, frowning:
“Coming suddenly, without any prior notice? What on earth is going on…?”
A flicker of concern crossed Scari’s icy expression.
He vividly remembered Kiana at sixteen: a little girl who spent her days locked in her room, tormenting only Melisa relentlessly. No matter how warmly one tried to approach, she would awkwardly evade any affection.
In truth, Scari had found the rebellious Kiana very difficult. So even when she left for the academy and didn’t return for years, he had been quite bewildered.
“Kiana… insisted on staying there all this time? Without even stopping by the manor? Was she really so hurt by that last scolding?”
His second grandson, Joshua, grumbled in response:
“Well… she admitted it was something she deserved, didn’t she?”
“In any case, she’s been holed up in that rural place for years. We need to bring her back…”
“Ah, leave her be. Forcing her would backfire, just like with me. I hated it, and she probably hates it here too. She even has things she wants to do over there.”
“What’s so bad about here, hmm?”
“A mother who abandoned her children, a father who ran off, a grandfather too old to handle moody teenagers, and then…”
“…….”
“An eldest brother, Alex, who constantly runs around wielding a sword; a handsome but clearly troublemaking second brother, Joshua; and cousin Melisa, who teases you gently with that angelic face of hers.”
Hearing that, Scari could only remain silent. By all accounts, the manor wasn’t a place one would be eager to return to. The environment had never been ideal for raising children—it offered little more than money, power, prestige, and status.
‘Still, the fact she returned suddenly… perhaps she’s matured a bit since her adolescence? Has she grown up?’
Scari and Kiana had never been particularly close—but that was not unusual. The Prellai family members rarely shared close bonds.
Still, Kiana had always been a painful reminder to him…
‘This time, I must try to speak with her as an adult, honestly and sincerely.’
Indeed, her sudden return was the most surprising event he had encountered recently—more so than the assassination attempt earlier.
“For now, as ordered, Lord Alex has already gone to track Helen’s relatives, and Lord Julius has been sent a letter. I thought it necessary to use ‘Insight’…”
Even as the butler continued his report, Scari merely nodded, seemingly indifferent, and then issued a quiet command:
“Assign a capable maid to Kiana. Someone sharp enough to report immediately if she behaves strangely. And make sure she’s strong enough not to cling too much to Prince Rodrigo.”
“Yes, understood. Shall I prepare her bed since it’s already late?”
“No.”
Scari shook his head.
“I’ll stop by the greenhouse for a moment.”
The butler bowed deeply and left.
Left alone, the elderly duke slowly rose and disappeared toward the greenhouse in the garden.
Returning home after so long, my dreams had been wild. They were the same kinds of dreams I used to have at the manor.
<Piyakie is Kiana’s familiar! Kiana has had Piyakie taken away by Melisa!>
After a string of nightmares, I woke at dawn.
‘I wanted to sleep in a bit, now that I’ve left the academy and don’t have the pressure of papers…’
“I’m so wronged… I’m just so wronged…”
In the dream, a young mother who looked just like me sobbed uncontrollably…
“Marquis Cesare Levin has just donated a massive research grant, specifically targeting Professor Kiana Prellai. Your position is at the academy, Lady. The academy can’t function without you, ha ha ha ha.”
The upgraded nightmare even showed the dean’s face at the end.
Anyway, upon waking, I already had a dedicated maid assigned. She was tall, muscular, and imposing. I glanced at her strong forearms and quietly asked:
“Has grandfather woken up yet?”
“The duke went to sleep around dawn. He won’t wake until the afternoon, I believe.”
“I see. I’ll pay my respects then, in the afternoon.”
“Yes, understood. Also, the eldest and second princes, and Lady Melisa… no, the saintess, are not present.”
Alex, my eldest brother, had left for the provinces yesterday on grandfather’s orders; Joshua had long since established his own household, and Melisa had gone to the convent not long ago. That left only my grandfather and me in the house.
“And a lot of letters arrived from the academy overnight.”
“Oh? Just throw them all away.”
The content of the letters was predictable: questions about ongoing research and such. There was almost no research at the academy that could proceed without me.
I was not only smart but also diligent, and even during my doctoral studies, research tasks piled up under my name. Sometimes, external parties specifically requested me for research projects.
‘Since I was a co-researcher on all kinds of projects, the academy must be in total chaos without me.’
By now, they probably realized I had canceled all patents I had previously approved with the academy, causing even more turmoil.
‘The dean hates being obsessed with money, so he must be in agony right now. Let him suffer—later, I’ll torment him on a more sophisticated level.’
I had not forgotten my grudge against the dean. I had taken my short-term revenge previously, and now it was time for the long-term plan. As I ground my teeth, the maid politely asked:
“Shall I prepare breakfast now, Lady?”
“No. I don’t feel well in the mornings, so just a cup of coffee. And I’ll be going out, so prepare for that.”
The maid looked shocked and cautiously asked:
“Um, Lady? You’re not feeling well… coffee?”
Before returning, I had been a professor. So I genuinely admired the novelty of the situation.
“Are you talking back to me now? I’ve never even imagined this scenario.”
The maid immediately shut her mouth. I added casually:
“I know you were assigned by grandfather, but you still have to follow my orders.”
“…Yes?”
“Don’t you see? You’re the spy grandfather assigned to watch over me.”
The maid had no choice but to bow awkwardly, looking defeated.
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. You wouldn’t have volunteered anyway. You’re doing it because you were ordered. I’ve been through graduate school, I know. Your insincere apology is enough—now go get the coffee.”
“W-won’t you replace the maid?”
“Why? Then another spy would come. It’s better to keep the one already here. It will also be experience for you.”
After all, this was an era of tough employment. I treated the maid like a student, thinking of her career while being detailed and considerate.
“If you want to proudly say later, ‘I have experience secretly observing the most powerful and clueless princess in the household,’ you need at least a month.”
“….”
“Appreciate my thoughtfulness? Now go get the coffee, spy. And remember, if I say once more that I want coffee, know this…”
I was also a balanced advisor, teaching the harshness of reality.
“I can cut you down as utterly useless in your main duties, even if you’re good at spying.”
“I-I’ll go immediately!”
