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IBP 102
A leisurely afternoon in Duke Ardos's office.
The Duke had been calmly listening to his aide's report before suddenly shouting in a fit of rage.
"The Melomande family says they will apologize to me? Not to Chloe?"
"Yes, and they've sent a message asking to borrow investment funds. Oh, and the Marquess Amadeus family has requested a private meeting with Lady Chloe..."
"Both those families are utterly shameless, wearing human skin but possessing no decency! Tell them all to get lost!"
Immediately after the aide hurriedly retreated, Duke Ardos clenched his teeth.
He had been absolutely livid after first confirming the incident with Dahlia and Gillen.
He could still vividly remember Gillen visiting the duchy, begging him to permit the engagement with Chloe...!
However, Chloe had calmed him down, asking him to leave it to her.
She claimed that they needed to capture them to determine the location of the spirit creature hunters.
'...I couldn't exactly interfere when Chloe spoke like that.'
Just as he was frowning with a blank expression, he heard someone knocking on the door from outside.
"Come in."
"Hello!"
Duke Ardos looked at Coco, who was bowing politely, with a puzzled expression.
"What is it? Do you... want me to make you some sweet potato cake?"
Duke Ardos assumed Coco would naturally nod.
He had seen her hurriedly wiping her mouth at the mention of 'sweet potato cake.'
'That was definitely drool.'
Strangely, however, Coco shook her head.
"I have a whole lot of things to say! Ah, as a member of the Ardos family!"
"...Is that so?"
A member of the family. She called Chloe 'sister' without hesitation, yet she refused to call him 'father' even if her life depended on it.
Unaware that he was subconsciously feeling slighted, Duke Ardos guided Coco to sit on the sofa.
"Let's hear it. What do you have to say as a family member?"
"Yes! I've come to very sneakily report someone who is doing bad things to our family!"
"Doing bad things? Who?"
With a popping sound of her mouth, Coco handed a small booklet to Duke Ardos.
"Here! I've gathered some materials!"
"I see."
Until that moment, the Duke intended to simply play along with the child's game.
As he took the booklet from Coco, Duke Ardos absentmindedly thought, 'Strange. The materials smell faintly of birds.'
Sniffing unconsciously, the Duke opened the booklet.
And...
Written in crooked handwriting were the wicked deeds Dahlia had committed against Chloe until now.
Not only the affair between Dahlia and Gillen that had been revealed to the world, but also all the scandals Dahlia had spread about Chloe and her inferiority-driven behavior.
'She's been acting like such trash all this time.'
When he closed the booklet, Duke Ardos was honestly a bit shocked.
"How did a little girl like you find all this out?"
"I followed sister around and listened carefully to what people were saying. The maid sisters all knew that a bad person was bullying sister!"
...So, everyone knew about Dahlia's harassment of Chloe.
'But I did not.'
The paper gripped in the Duke's hand crumpled with a loud noise.
"Coco, do you want me to punish these bad people?"
"Yes!"
"Chloe asked me to trust her and wait. I'm honestly not sure if it's right to go against her words."
"But it'll be hard for her alone... If you help sister this time, I think you two will become really close..."
This little child was strange.
It seemed she was trying her best to narrow the gap between him and Chloe.
"..."
"Sister looks strong, but her heart is actually soft, so she might find it hard to get through this on her own."
But Chloe had repeatedly stated she did not want his intervention.
He recalled the image of Chloe saying those words.
Come to think of it, had her tightly clenched fists been trembling...?
"And, they say family must join forces when needed. Even though it's cool for sister to bravely handle things alone!"
He remembered the dying wish of his late wife.
"Please raise our children to be strong so they can stand on their own even without me. Theo, the eldest; Ruth, the second; and Chloe, the third..."
"...I will."
"Honey, though it was short, I was happy to live as your wife and the mother of our children."
Following his wife's wish, he had tried to raise the children to be strong enough to stand alone.
Living that way, he suddenly realized upon reflection that the family relationships had become stiff.
He thought it was too late to correct those relationships now that the children had become adults.
However...
The small child before him was shouting bravely, sticking out her plump, soft belly.
"You worry about sister too, Duke! Helping because you worry isn't a bad thing! And if you ask sister, she'll probably say I'm right!"
A child who appeared one day and vigorously stirred everything up.
He had never experienced a misfortune by listening to the words of this little girl who flipped the situation on its head.
"Fine, as you say, Coco, I will no longer just watch. But tell me. In your opinion, specifically what do you think I should do?"
* * *
"Welcome, Lady. Have you come to play poker? Or is there someone you are waiting for?"
A small pub on the outskirts of the capital.
A woman wearing a hat with a deep veil whispered low to the employee guiding her.
"Let's go with poker."
"Shall I lead you to the bar table?"
"I hold a 'Royal Straight Flush'."
The employee's expression changed instantly.
"Understood, Lady. I shall guide you to the Master."
This place was actually an assassination guild disguised as a pub, and 'Royal Straight Flush' was the code to meet the guild master.
"What brings you here? It has been a long time."
Entering the secret room, the lady tilted her head and took off her hat.
"Yes. It has been a long time, Master."
The one who had entered the guild was none other than Dahlia.
She had come to find a man who had been introduced to her by Gillen long ago.
The master of the assassination guild was also one of the 'spirit creature hunters' who had enhanced their supernatural ability through beads.
If it were the original Dahlia, she would never have visited a mere pub for fear of giving someone a reason to criticize her.
But there was no other way for now.
Fortunately, recalling what she had heard from Gillen, the Master had never been caught committing an assassination until now.
It was certain that someone like Chloe Ardos, who was only just recovering her reputation in social circles, would never be able to catch a trace of him.
Dahlia whispered softly, thinking of his supernatural ability.
"Master. I wish to receive your help."
"The price."
"..."
The Master whispered with a twisted smile.
"Surely you didn't come without a price?"
Dahlia was so cornered that she couldn't even respond brazenly to his arrogant words.
She bit her trembling lip and spoke.
"The price... I shall pay it later."
"Post-payment is ten times the price."
Ten times meant that once everything was over, she might go bankrupt without a single silver spoon left.
But...
Dahlia clenched her teeth, recalling Chloe's brazen face.
"...Fine. To get straight to the point, I intend to write several letters."
"Letters... I assume you know what letters mean in this place."
"Of course. Does it not mean that all recipients will lose their lives?"
The Master's lips curled upward perfectly.
"You understand well. Then let us move to the next step."
"Set the sender of the letters as Chloe Ardos."
"And the recipients?"
"...I would like them to be noble ladies around Chloe."
After several names of noble ladies left Dahlia's lips, she added the final words in a low voice.
"You know why I'm specifying the sender, right? I trust you will frame Chloe cleanly."
"Understood."
"And, one more thing."
Recalling the girl Chloe had been coddling all this time, she pressed her veiled hat down deep again.
"...The last one shall be for Lady Coco Ardos."
She looked stupid, but her face was quite annoying.
The way she only followed Chloe reminded her of a little puppy.
Dahlia furrowed one eyebrow irritably.
'If I collapse and am ruined, you should also lose what is precious to you.'
Isn't that right, Chloe?
"I ask that the one sent to Lady Coco Ardos be the most powerful letter."
* * *
After finishing all the conversations with Duke Ardos.
"I understand. I shall do as you say."
Having received the Duke's confirmation, I ate sweet potato cake while waiting for sister, Caligo, and Amius to return home.
'Everyone pops up out of nowhere, so it's about time they arrive!'
Did they go far?
They're not coming...
Still, the maid sister gave me delicious orange juice.
'When sister comes, I'll tell her let's play with mud!'
I was nodding off on the sofa while sipping the orange juice...
From afar, the mailman delivering letters within the family approached.
"Ah, here you were. Lady Coco! An invitation has arrived for you."
"Eh? A sudden invitation...?"
The mailman handed over an invitation decorated with gold leaf with a simple smile.
The maid sister, who took the invitation instead of me, whispered softly.
"The letter has Lady Miru's name written on it?"
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