Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 91

Chapter 91

That was the first time Pereus felt anxious.

And he realized.

Perhaps the worst obstacle in his path wasn't his half-brother, but the noble bloodline of his dead mother.

Since that day, Pereus had been desperately trying to win favor with the Stria family.

Despite his efforts, the rift between Stria and the imperial family couldn't be easily mended.

'Foolish and stupid.'

Tch, Pereus clicked his tongue.

'They should support me all the more for it. Idiots who can't see true victory and value because they're buried in petty grudges.'

Swallowing his rising irritation, Pereus stepped out of the station and immediately looked for the carriage.

Fortunately, he found it quickly.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

A small girl, who had stepped out of the carriage, approached with light footsteps.

Silver hair shining like white clouds.

Pale skin and round cheeks.

And sparkling black eyes.

"Ah, it is you, Your Highness!"

"How did you know?"

"I recognized you at a glance. With your radiant golden hair and dignified appearance, you look exactly as I'd imagined His Highness the Crown Prince!"

With a cute, lovely smile, the girl greeted him with perfect manners.

"It's an honor to meet you. I came from the Deste mansion to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince and the Grand Duchess of Stria..."

The girl's straight gaze met the Crown Prince's.

"My name is Beni."

Hebenia smiled.

---

Molle Livus gathered all the employees in the entrance hall and lined them up on both sides, creating an impressive formation.

"Behold the second sun of the Empire. Welcome to the Deste mansion, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Beside him, greeting with exaggerated words and gestures, was a young and beautiful woman.

And the girl who had arrived with the Crown Prince's party, Beni, was also there.

Pereus extended his hand to Molle Livus.

Molle Livus clasped it respectfully with both hands.

"Pleasure to meet you, Viscount Deste."

"I may be lacking in many ways, but I will do my utmost to serve you during your fifteen-day stay."

"First, please show us to Grandmother's room so she can rest."

"Then I shall guide you."

The young woman beside Molle Livus stepped forward with a smile.

She introduced herself as 'Misa.'

Throughout the tour, Misa chattered incessantly.

"I work as the Viscount's secretary. Is there any other man as handsome and wonderful as him in the world? No, there isn't!"

"......"

"Eek, I'm honored to tell you this, Grand Duchess! Please take good care of our Viscount! He stayed up all night worrying about how to serve you and His Highness!"

"......"

"Oh my, how can you still be so beautiful and lovely, Grand Duchess? If you went outside, everyone would think you're my older sister! Such elegant fabrics are trending in the capital right now!"

"How dare you...!"

The Grand Duchess's personal maid finally couldn't hold back and tried to point out the rudeness.

"......"

But the Grand Duchess shook her head slightly, stopping her.

In the end, the maid pressed her lips shut and stepped back.

"Then rest well!"

Misa left as soon as the tour was over.

Only then did the maid vent her anger.

"How can she be so ill-mannered...!"

"Calm down."

"Milady! No matter what, such rude and presumptuous behavior..."

"There's still someone here."

"Pardon?"

Only then did the maid notice the Grand Duchess's gaze toward the door.

She quickly turned around to see the young girl, Beni, who had come to greet them at the station.

'Ah...'

The maid averted her eyes from Beni, who smiled bitterly at her.

"Please forgive my aunt's rudeness."

Beni bowed her head apologetically.

"She's simply a bright and healthy person. A wonderful woman who raised me alone."

"I thought you resembled her in hair color."

The Grand Duchess beckoned.

"So she's family."

Beni walked quietly to her side.

"It's a pretty hair color."

"Thank you. But I've heard my late mother's silver hair was even more radiant and beautiful."

"A woman raising a child alone is a difficult thing. Your aunt is a fine person, and I don't dislike her."

"Hehe."

"By the way, what's that you're holding?"

"A gift for the Grand Duchess."

Beni placed what she'd brought gently on the table.

The maid was inwardly surprised.

'She put it down without a sound.'

It wasn't the kind of manners a child would normally have.

'Despite her boisterous aunt, the niece has grown up well. Perhaps people aren't so bad after all?'

The maid revised her opinion of Misa slightly.

"It's a first-aid kit."

"A first-aid kit?"

"It's a new product from the trading company where my friend's parents work. It contains basic medicines in a small box."

Beni opened the kit to show the contents.

"If you feel nauseous at night, have indigestion, a fever, or bleed from sewing, you can use the medicine in this box."

"Oh my."

The Grand Duchess's eyes widened.

"And, you know."

Beni lowered her voice as if sharing a secret.

The Grand Duchess and the maid instinctively leaned in.

"The medicine..."

"Yes?"

"Tastes absolutely terrible!"

Wrinkling her face, Beni shook her head as if she'd just taken the medicine.

The Grand Duchess and the maid bit their lips to hold back laughter.

"So if you take the medicine, be sure to have this."

"And this is..."

"Candy. Apple flavor!"

The round candy rolled around in the old woman's palm.

"Thank you so much."

Her wrinkled hand gently stroked Beni's chubby cheek.

Beni grinned once more.

---

After leaving the Grand Duchess's room, I headed to the dungeon.

'Tch, this leaves a bitter taste.'

The Grand Duchess of Stria was a better person than I'd expected—a mother still clinging to her dead daughter's memory.

Aunt Prellia and I had dyed our hair silver to resemble the late Empress's.

'The plan was for Aunt Prellia to subtly provoke the Grand Duchess with her oblivious cheerfulness, then have me, a well-spoken and clever child, step in to stimulate her maternal instincts...'

Actually doing it felt like a terrible thing to do.

"My Lady."

Swallowing my bitterness, I descended into the dungeon. A hand popped out from the last cell.

It was Verity.

"You've worked hard."

He opened the cell door, and inside, a long desk was covered with various lines and machines.

"What's this...?"

"You've never seen this before, have you, Hebenia?"

Uncle Pex said.

His aptitude, 'Craftsman Who Liberates Forbidden Things,' had been a great help in this plan.

"It's the listening device Lord Verity installed before."

"That large machine?"

"If you input a specific voice into this magical device, it only activates when that voice is heard."

"Wow..."

That's scary.

'It looks like an electronic piano for composing...'

But in reality, it was a terrifying magical tool that completely disregarded privacy.

I asked.

"Where's Uncle Modi?"

"He's currently being wiretapped."

"Modi's doing well."

Uncle Pex handed me something like earplugs.

'Oh, headphones.'

When I put them on, I could clearly hear the conversation in the office. The sound quality was much better than before.

Someone suddenly apologized.

[...I apologize for my incompetence.]

Listening closely, it was Uncle Modi disguised as Molle Livus.

Verity explained.

"There are three people in the office: the Crown Prince and Knight Commander Rashid."

"The Crown Prince too?"

An unfortunate guess came to mind, and Verity nodded.

"That cunning nine-year-old seems to be involved too."

"Whoa, I knew it."

I thought so.

I accidentally let my thoughts slip.

Verity and Uncle Pex looked at me with wide eyes, as if asking how I knew, but I pretended not to notice and focused on the wiretap.

Just then, the Crown Prince spoke.

[It can't be helped. Even the Mage Tower Lord can't do anything about it.]

[Sir Livus. Any word from the Mage Tower?]

[A month ago, I received a unilateral report that all ten battle mages would be recalled to the Eastern Mage Tower.]

Wow.

'Uncle Modi is a great actor.'

Molle Livus is basically like this.

A pitiful wretch who thinks he's a truly great and capable talent, but the world just hasn't recognized it yet.

A schemer with both an overinflated ego and inferiority complex, who'll do anything to drag down someone he considers beneath him if they succeed.

Such people have a particular tone when speaking to those in power.

'They lower their voices unnecessarily, and relish authority as if it were their own.'

All while being humbly loyal to those above them.

Uncle Modi was perfectly mimicking this insufferable persona.

"Wow, Uncle Modi's quite something."

"Even knowing it's an act, he's so annoying I want to punch him."

"Imagine how hard it must be for him."

Uncle Pex and Verity exchanged words.

"By the way, a month ago..."

Verity and I exchanged glances.

I nodded.

'A month ago—that's the only thing it could be.'

The Antema Lab.

The demon and angel we'd captured along with Ian and Aunt Nema.

The fallout must have reached the Mage Tower Lord, who had made a contract with a demon.

'If so, hasn't something happened to the Saikeuf family, who were presumably contracted with an angel?'

At that moment, the Crown Prince continued the conversation.

[What about the search of the primeval forest? Is that Clavis girl even alive?]

[At least her last known whereabouts are clear.]

[But she's only seven. Wouldn't another Clavis be better...?]

Tch.

I couldn't help but let out an annoyed sound.

'Look at this bastard talking.'

"Girl" this, "she" that.

'You can say whatever you want, but it's also my choice to make you pay for it.'

I mentally counted every unpleasant word the Crown Prince uttered.

I vowed that if we ever fought, I'd sew his mouth shut for each one.

Just then, Knight Commander Rashid dismissed Uncle Modi.

[Contact the Deste Temple. The Count Saikeuf family is worried because they haven't heard from their youngest son.]

[...Understood.]

And.

[Your Highness the Crown Prince.]

Knight Commander Rashid said.

[What did you think of seeing the undead?]

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