The Seventh Plan. Revenge Done Right. (7)
“I was quite puzzled when the Count said that he had to appoint an escort knight for Carl, but in reality, isn’t it quite useful indeed?”
“Amanda.”
“I never knew that someone who valued manners like Count Petrika, yourself, would call out the Duchess by only her name. But well, I’ll look the other way for old times’ sake, Count. For Merilyn, actually.”
I motioned towards the tea table where Carl had been hiding until earlier and invited the Count to have a seat.
“Do be seated.”
The Count tidied up his disheveled clothes and sat down. As he stood his ground, the Count looked around the room before he eventually spoke out.
“It has changed a lot since Merilyn used to write about it. Well, it’s only natural as the owner is now different, so everything’s different too… It’s just a pity that my daughter’s presence seems to be disappearing.”
“I can’t really help that. Still, I kept all the jewels that Merilyn had used. Since everything belongs to Carlos anyway. I’d also like to alter some of them into men’s accessories. As the Count already knows, Carl inherited those very pretty, sprout-like green eyes from Merilyn herself. And she has had a lot of jewelry that goes very well with the color of his eyes.”
“That’s a good idea too. In particular, the emerald earrings that I had given to Merilyn in celebration of her marriage would be very useful even if they were to be replaced as cufflinks. Still, during Carl’s coming-of-age ceremony, he will have to wear some new jewelry. Anyway, he is the Young Duke of DeMancier, so he will definitely have to adorn much better jewelry.”
Count Petrika quickly adopted the nickname that I had for Carl. Even so, it didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t even aware of his grandson’s nickname until he had heard it from me.
“I agree with the Count’s opinion to some extent, but I still think that it would be even more significant to wear Merilyn’s jewelry on a meaningful day like the coming-of-age ceremony. Well, it is the coming-of-age ceremony for the Young Duke Carlos Merilyn Von DeMancier himself. If Carl, who has safely reached adulthood, were to wear the jewelry of his mother that had given birth to him at the coming-of-age ceremony… it will definitely mean a whole lot more.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The conversation that was ongoing ceased abruptly. The Count, who had secretly tried to accuse me of trying to erase Merilyn’s traces from Carl at the Duchy, was taken aback when I said that I had no intention of denying the fact that Carl had been her child.
It wasn’t something to be so confused about anyway. It was just that he and I thought as well as looked at things very differently indeed.
I thought of adopting Carl, but I really had no intention of denying that the child had been born of a fairly good bloodline, Count Petrika, and the fact that he was the son of my friend, Merilyn, too.
All I wanted was to stop Count Petrika from taking over the power of the Duke of DeMancier through Carl himself. Up till now, he had done a lot of work behind the scenes—like that of buying a nanny—but it didn’t seem too difficult considering the actions of Count Petrika, who had never even met Carl properly.
“As Carl’s mother, I will take good care of it all. Therefore, the Count doesn’t have to worry too much about it. Just as the Count wants, I will be a very good nurturer for Carl and I have already raised him well up till now anyway. So, you’ll know it when you see it.”
“Yes.”
The Count reluctantly agreed. By now, he must have been regretting putting me in this seat. However, that was the case with me as well.
I thought that when Count Petrika asked me to be Carlos’s stepmother, he had requested me out of his sheer concern for the young grandson of his deceased daughter. There was also Merilyn’s earnest pleading right before her death and the fact that I had also accepted the Count’s offer because the young Carl was being trampled on in my eyes.
However, what he truly needed wasn’t a good stepmother at all. Rather, he actually wanted a Duchess, who would be a scarecrow that could be controlled by his own will as well as wasn’t able to manage the internal affairs of the Duchy of DeMancier on her own. That was the only role that Count Petrika had ever wanted from me.
*
The well-brewed, pale yellow tea water dripped down into the cup before the rich scent of chrysanthemum spread through it. The food which was suited to be served along with the tea had been tempting due to the sweet smell, but Count Petrika and I only sipped some tea and did not touch the food at all. The conversation, which had been interrupted once, did not resume and was eventually buried in silence. The Count scanned me through as he contemplated what to say and what kind of attitude he was to take on.
“I thought that you must have been thinking of Merilyn in that way. Well, you guys have been very close friends since childhood after all. And Merilyn used to say that she wouldn’t mind giving you anything too. Therefore, I’ll be entrusting you with Carl.”
The one who could no longer stand the silence was the Count, who had something to gain from me just by talking. At most, the story that was brought up once again appealed to Merilyn’s sense of sensibility… and it seemed that the Count had no other cards anymore. As I set down the teacup, I gave a nod.
“Indeed it was. I also liked Merilyn very much, so I’ll gladly take on her role as Carl’s mother. I was very happy to raise Carl, but as a Duchess, I was not that qualified. For me, the internal affairs of the Duchy of DeMancier were actually too difficult.”
I was determined to be a good mother to Carl right from the very beginning, but I had no intention of becoming a great Duchess in any way. When I asked if there was anyone who could help, Count Petrika straight away recommended Countess Blone to me as if he had already been waiting.
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