“Enough is enough, Cornelia!”
Cornelia Alway merely cast an exasperated glance at the furious shout of her Older Brother, Linus Norland.
Just a few days prior, she had even hired an assassination organization to target Hannelore Alway and Olivier Alway, but their plans were all thwarted by a single magician.
Her daughter, who harbored a rivalry with Olivier and participated in the plot, was cut off and fled back to her parents’ home. However, no one, not even her father, welcomed her. She faced constant stares as if she were some detestable being.
Disliking those gazes and unable to bear the feeling of being blamed for everything, as if she had done something wrong, she confined herself to her room, avoiding everyone except her father. But today of all days, her Older Brother forced his way in, instantly turning Cornelia’s already foul mood to the absolute worst.
“Do you think your position will improve by barricading yourself in like this?”
“…Isn’t Father supposed to be talking with my husband?”
As she replied with her back turned to her Older Brother, a huge sigh was returned.
“Consider Father gone.”
“What?”
A sense of confusion making her turn around, she saw her Older Brother glaring at her with a mixture of exasperation and anger.
“Father was always too soft on you, but I can’t believe he’d cover for you after you tried to kill Hannelore Alway. And to try and murder the Main of the Ducal Family along with her daughter, what were you thinking!”
“What happened to Father!”
“Father is ill. He will be recuperating until he recovers. I will be taking over as the head of the family.”
“You can’t just do something so unilaterally—”
“I don’t want to hear that from *you*! Do you understand how precarious the position of my Norland Count Family has become because of your actions!”
Cornelia’s momentum faltered under her Older Brother’s angry voice. She inadvertently fell silent and bit her lip in frustration.
“You have no one on your side anymore. However, I am your Older Brother. I don’t want to abandon you. I’ve been granted a grace period by the Duke to persuade you.”
“Hah. I won’t be persuaded.”
“What about the Children you left behind at the Ducal Family’s residence!”
“Tobias is the Eldest Son of the Alway Ducal Family! My son, who is supposed to inherit the family, wouldn’t be treated badly!”
It was standard for the Eldest Son to inherit the family headship unless a Noble was exceedingly foolish or frail. However, her husband had never definitively declared Tobias as his heir, even if he was a candidate. This was also one of the reasons Cornelia had resorted to her violent act. But she had no way of knowing that the primary reason Tobias was not designated heir was that Cornelia herself was unfit to be the mother of the next Duke. To her, her husband and Hannelore were to blame for everything.
“If you continue with that attitude, they’ll be forced to take strong measures.”
“Try them. They won’t have the guts to start a civil war. Even if it’s the Ducal Family, if they clash with the Norland family’s private soldiers…”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“Why!”
“Fighting the Ducal Family isn’t an option from the start. I can’t afford to lose the soldiers who serve our lineage because of your selfishness.”
“You choose soldiers over me!”
“Anyone would do the same. Fighting to protect you, a criminal, won’t erase your sins. More importantly, if it comes to a fight with the Ducal Family, we’d be utterly outmatched.”
Her Older Brother’s body trembled. Cornelia couldn’t understand what made him so terrified. Even if the Ducal Family’s forces were strong, being completely outmatched seemed impossible. Even if the Ducal Family were to gather such power, the country wouldn’t permit it.
“Older Brother, what are you afraid of?”
“…I see. You didn’t know. You know Olivier’s Fiancé, don’t you?”
“Yes, all too well.”
The man she hated, who had interfered with Cornelia’s plan—Jared Murphy. If it weren’t for him, Hannelore and Olivier would be dead by now. She gritted her teeth, thinking of the hateful face of a boy she didn’t even know.
“It’s been decided that he will become a Court Mage.”
“What did you say?”
For a moment, she thought her Older Brother was joking. However, Linus’s expression was incredibly serious, and he looked aged, despite his youthful appearance in his late forties.
“Listen carefully. Recently, there was an incident where the Court Mage Candidates, excluding him, were murdered, and Court Mage Tres Brauer was attacked. The one who defeated the culprit and ended the incident was Olivier’s Fiancé, Jared Murphy.”
“That’s a lie.”
She knew that Olivier’s Fiancé was a skilled magician and a Court Mage Candidate. That was precisely why she had readily decided to make him her daughter Emilia’s Fiancé when she wished. Although his status as the Eldest Son of a Baronial Family was low, becoming a Court Mage Candidate guaranteed a secure future. Even if he wasn’t a Noble, a magician would never lack for sustenance. In the worst-case scenario, they could simply bring him into their family’s service.
“That man certainly got in my way, but did he really have the skill to become a Court Mage? I thought he only became a candidate through the Ducal Family’s power…”
“Not everyone is like you. You’ve always used Father’s influence and money to solve problems when things didn’t go your way. Even when you became a consort to Duke Alway, your childhood friend, the marriage only proceeded smoothly thanks to Hannelore’s cooperation. Why would you do something so foolish as to try and kill her!”
“If it weren’t for that woman, I would have been the Main!”
“…As expected, you’re foolish, Cornelia. Just like in the past, you only see what you want to see and hear what you want to hear. Duke Alway and Hannelore have been deeply in love since long ago. Everyone knows that. Besides, even if she weren’t there, someone else would have become the Main. It wouldn’t have been you.”
Anger surged at her Older Brother’s words, and she kicked over a chair, standing up. His words, which seemed to dismiss everything she had done to gain what she desired, were unforgivable. She swung her arm to slap him, but he easily caught it.
“Foolish sister, remember this well. My Norland family will not defy Duke Alway. If we fight, a single Court Mage will annihilate our entire lineage.”
“That’s absurd! They couldn’t possibly do that.”
“Then continue thinking that. If Jared Murphy wills it, dragging you out of your mansion, or even killing you, is simple.”
“Then protect me! We’re family!”
“I don’t consider someone who only acts selfishly and puts our lineage in danger to be family! However, as your Older Brother, I believe there’s something I can do for you. That is why, during this grace period, you must repent, admit your sins, and apologize to Hannelore and the Duke to atone.”
“There’s no way I’d do that! Why should I apologize to Hannelore!”
Linus let out a deep sigh at Cornelia’s utterly selfish words and wore a look of resignation.
“Then there’s nothing I can do for you. If the Ducal Family issues a final ultimatum, I will unhesitatingly hand you over. Be prepared.”
He released her arm as he spoke, his voice harsh. He left the room without a glance at Cornelia, who had fallen on her backside, and she heard the sound of the door being locked from the outside.
“Why, why, why! Why is everything like this!”
Nothing was going her way. At first, she had no intention of taking a life. She thought if she created a sense of crisis and the Duke sent her to a separate residence, her husband’s attention would shift even more towards Hannelore and Olivier. When she sent adventurers to harm them, she was thwarted by a single maid. Thinking she was being too lenient, she ordered the maid to kill them, but the outcome remained the same. The feelings she had harbored for years had grown into a murderous intent without her realizing it. Cornelia continued to act on the illusion that everything would go well if only Hannelore were gone. Even when she hired Waalthe to dispose of Hannelore, she was blocked again. She had heard that her troublesome Olivier had been betrothed to the grandson of a loyal retainer, but she never imagined he would be someone capable of becoming a Court Mage. With just one action of her husband, she could see how much Hannelore and Olivier were loved. Thinking back, even in the mansion where Hannelore was absent and Cornelia took charge, her husband’s heart always turned towards Hannelore.
“—I hate them.”
Finally, Cornelia accepted the emotions she had been harboring. It was a murderous intent, hatred, and envy. They were negative feelings towards Hannelore, who had stolen the person she had wholeheartedly adored since childhood.
“I admit it. Hannelore, I hate you. Olivier, I hate you. And Jared Murphy, who protected you, I hate all of you!”
“Then, shall we fulfill that hatred?”
“Who!”
In her room, where there should have been no one else but her, a man’s voice echoed. Startled, she looked towards the door, which should have been closed, and saw a thin man with a nervous-looking pair of glasses, wearing a snake-like smile.
“Pleased to meet you, Cornelia Alway. I am Dolf Ein. I am the operator of a certain organization. I have come to assist you.”
