Upon arriving at the Grand Duke's castle, Iana was assigned a room in the tower where the wizards stayed.
It was a small room with a bed, a wardrobe, a vanity, and a sofa.
Iana immediately received treatment from the castle's healer, Karen, and had her right hand bandaged. She had suffered burns on the hand that threw the magic projectile, but the injury was not as deep as when she had first thrown the magic projectile.
By the time the treatment was finished, Charles and Muel came to her room to talk.
“So, you just petted Lu, and both of you increased your magical power?”
Muel muttered as he paced back and forth.
“Yes. I didn’t do anything special to Lu other than that.”
“Hm, magical power is something that grows through training, yet it increased just by touching Lu?”
Muel seemed to have thought of something and stopped in his tracks.
“If that’s the case, I think I might understand why the monsters’ magical power has increased as well…”
“What do you suspect the cause is?”
Charles asked.
“There’s a symbiotic relationship that allows monsters to grow their magical power. Just like Iana and Lu.”
As Muel finished speaking, his gaze shifted to Iana and Lu, who was eating hay on the floor.
“Are there beings that help monsters grow their magical power?”
Iana expressed her surprise.
Muel continued to explain with a thoughtful expression.
“Monsters have now grown strong enough to easily break through the defenses of high-ranking wizards.”
Charles, who had been quietly listening, asked with a serious expression.
“Then we can’t know how much the monsters’ magical power might grow?”
Muel ruffled his white hair roughly.
“Exactly, we need to find the cause quickly. If it exceeds what the wizards can handle, Ervin will become uncontrollable.”
Charles spoke with a firmness that sent chills down the spine.
“But above all, the safety of the wizards is the top priority. Do you understand?”
“Don’t worry about the wizards and take care of Grand Duke’s health first. That wound on Grand Duke’s neck was caused by that Emperor, wasn’t it?”
Muel pointed at Charles’s neck with his hand and questioned him.
“Great Wizard, what do you mean by that…?”
Iana gasped, covering her mouth with her bandaged hands, trailing off. She cautiously shifted her gaze to Charles, as if checking for his reaction.
“Muel, you might really get arrested for insulting the Emperor.”
Charles responded to Muel’s reaction as if he were used to it, jokingly.
Muel jumped up and pointed at the air, shouting.
“That damn Emperor! If he has no ability, at least he should have a good temper. Why does he look like he wants to eat his brother every time he sees him?!”
“……!”
Iana’s face turned pale.
Charles slowly stood up from the sofa and walked toward the door, speaking.
“Great Wizard Muel…”
“What? Am I wrong?”
Muel shouted even louder, looking as if he would die from frustration.
Charles opened the door and smiled gently.
“If you keep this up, I’ll tell the Emperor.”
“Go ahead! Just don’t get tormented by that crazy Emperor again.”
“Iana, you’ve worked hard today too. Please rest comfortably.”
As Charles greeted her with a smile, Iana stood up and bowed her head.
He left, and the door quietly closed.
Muel’s face, which had been blazing with anger, darkened. He then sat on the sofa and spoke with a serious expression.
“This is a big problem. The Emperor’s vigilance is growing stronger by the day. Do you know that the Emperor has his sword aimed at the Grand Duke’s neck?”
“Yes. I happened to overhear the knights talking about it.”
Iana replied as she sat back down on the sofa.
“Iana, you need to closely observe the complicated relationship between the royal family and Ervin. The relationship between the Emperor and the Grand Duke.”
“The relationship between His Majesty the Emperor and the Grand Duke?”
“If you become the Grand Wizard of Ervin, you and the Grand Duke will share the same fate.”
“……?”
Iana tilted her head, not understanding what he meant.
Muel continued in a grave tone.
“If the Emperor decides to strike at the Grand Duke, he will first eliminate the Grand Wizard with great power. Of course, if I’m still alive by then, he’ll come for me first.”
“The Emperor attacking the Grand Duke?”
She looked at Muel with wide eyes, shocked.
“No matter how crazy the Grand Duke is, even if he slanders and suppresses him, the upright and intelligent Grand Duke must be a fearful presence to the Emperor.”
“…….”
“So, you need to not only train your magical power but also read the political situation in Rubena well. For your sake, and for the Grand Duke’s. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Great Wizard.”
Iana replied with a confused expression.
Muel gazed out the window and muttered.
“It’s truly worrisome. The future of Ervin…”
The next morning, at the Count Dietrian’s residence.
Riel persuaded Karion to use the room that Iana had been using.
After taking a bath with the help of the maids, she entered the room wearing only a thin gown.
In front of the vanity, the head maid and other maids stood with their heads bowed, just like they had done for Iana before, to help her get ready.
Riel slowly scanned the maids and thought.
‘It must be frustrating for them, right? They were the same maids until recently. But now I have to show them that I’m someone they can’t dare to look down on.’
Bang-.
Karion entered the room without knocking.
“The audience has been scheduled. In three days…”
At that moment, a good idea struck Riel, and she sharply interrupted Karion’s words.
“Postpone it! As far away as possible!”
It was advantageous to meet after the scandal of Iana and the Grand Duke’s affair had spread uncontrollably.
However, Karion was taken aback by Riel’s commanding attitude.
“Riel, it seems you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not asking for your opinion…”
Riel approached Karion, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately.
“……!”
The maids lowered their heads, feeling embarrassed at the sight of the two.
But Riel didn’t care and continued the deep kiss for a while. She finally pulled away and playfully said.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
Karion chuckled in disbelief.
“I’m sorry for speaking out of turn. Please forgive me.”
“You may not have manners, but at least you’re quick to repent.”
“Count, please wait a moment. I’ll just change my clothes and head to the office. Or should I go to the bedroom?”
As she spoke in a languid voice, Karion walked toward the door and replied jokingly.
“Well, that’s fine too.”
After a moment, when Karion left, Riel sat down in the vanity chair and said.
“Everyone except the head maid, please leave.”
“Yes?”
The maids looked at each other and quietly exited.
Only Riel and the head maid remained in the room, and a brief silence fell.
Riel took something out of the vanity drawer.
It was a pair of scissors she had brought from Madame Marie’s tailor shop.
“Here, take this.”
Riel handed the scissors to the head maid.
“Why are you giving me scissors?”
“Please cut my hair. The head maid cut the maids’ hair, didn’t she?”
“…….”
The head maid seemed to be staring blankly, not understanding the situation.
“Why? Is it okay to cut the maids’ hair but not the mistress’s?”
“……No, that’s not it.”
The head maid replied as she took the scissors.
“Please cut it to just below my jawline.”
“Isn’t that too short? It’s rare to cut hair that short.”
“That’s exactly why I want it short. No one does it like that.”
The head maid seemed to want to say something but stopped and wrapped a long towel around Riel’s neck. Then she began to cut her hair.
Snip, snip.
Riel’s long black hair was cut away.
Riel felt the cold touch of the scissors against her cheek.
“What do you think of me, head maid?”
At Riel’s question, the head maid hesitated for a moment before continuing to cut her hair.
“I think Lady Riel is a beautiful and intelligent person.”
“You think I’m a cunning mistress with a pretty face, don’t you?”
At that moment, as the head maid placed the scissors against Riel’s jawline, Riel suddenly turned her head. As if she didn’t care about getting hurt.
The head maid was startled by the sudden movement and quickly lowered the scissors.
“If you move like that while cutting hair, you could get seriously hurt.”
“Well, if I get hurt, the head maid won’t be safe either, right?”
Riel twisted her lips into a crooked smile.
“…….”
The head maid seemed to be quite shaken, her hands trembling.
“What are you doing? Keep cutting.”
At Riel’s command, the head maid, trembling, began to cut her hair again.
“I’m not afraid of getting hurt.”
“…….”
“That’s why it’s not hard to slander someone. I can get hurt and pin it on someone else.”
“……!”
The head maid’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Now’s the time.’
People tend to speak the truth when their emotions are shaken.
“I heard you sent a letter to the Rachels family. What did you write?”
Riel probed the head maid as if she already knew the contents of the letter.
Riel was keeping a close watch on the head maid, who had been hostile toward her.
She had another maid observe the head maid’s movements, either to find a reason to expel her or to bring her to her side.
In fact, she had found out that the head maid had sent a letter, but she didn’t know the contents.
“I sent it to Vera. She was the one who was practically chased out to the Rachels family, wasn’t she? So as a senior maid, I sent her a letter to check if she’s adjusting well.”
The experienced head maid answered without a hint of hesitation.
A tense silence hung between them for a moment.
“Follow my orders well.”
“…….”
“This is both a final opportunity and a warning for you, head maid.”
Riel thought as she pressed the head maid with her gaze.
‘Soon, I will become the Countess.’