Jared Murphy was facing Duke Alway, Olivier Alway’s father, with his fiancée.
He had invited them to his room to discuss the punishment for Emilia Alway, Olivier’s half-sister, who had confessed to her mother’s wicked deeds and was subsequently apprehended.
The Duke seemed hesitant to let his wife, Hannelore, hear the details, but she was already aware of most of it.
Given that, Jared found it very characteristic of his mother to request leniency for Emilia.
Olivier did not wish for a severe punishment for Emilia. Jared had conveyed this to the Duke, yet he found it strange that the Duke still wanted to discuss his daughter’s punishment in person.
“Father, I believe I requested for leniency regarding Emilia,” Olivier said.
“Hmm. I understand. However, I still wanted to hear your opinion directly before proceeding,” the Duke replied.
With Cornelia’s misdeeds brought to light, Jared felt that the tension within the Duke’s usually serene demeanor had dissipated.
He likely felt relieved now that he could expose the consort’s actions, which had remained hidden for years.
However, Cornelia had not yet been caught. He had heard that she was stubbornly hiding at her family home.
“It was because Emilia repented that Cornelia’s case came to light. That is an undeniable fact. Nevertheless, Emilia did attempt to collude with Cornelia at one point and had spread malicious rumors about Olivier for years, so there are still grounds for punishment.”
“…That is true. How is Emilia?”
“She remains under house arrest in her room with guards, just as before. She has minimal contact with anyone other than myself and her older brother, Tobias. However, her treatment has not been worsened, so please do not worry.”
“Tobias-sama?”
Jared tilted his head at the unfamiliar name, and Olivier explained.
“He is my brother, the eldest son of the Alway Ducal Family. He is twenty-three years old and also a graduate of the Royal Academy.”
“I see,” Jared said with understanding.
He glimpsed a part of the reason why Cornelia had tried to harm Hannelore to become the main wife.
If Tobias Alway was the eldest son, he would naturally inherit the family estate. The Duke had publicly stated that he would select his successor from among his accomplished children, but the status of being the eldest son was still incredibly significant.
“Tobias is a beloved son, but he does not possess extraordinary talents. He is not ordinary either, but rather a talented individual. However, upon learning of the transgressions committed by my wife and daughter, he has completely renounced his claim to succession. I have accepted this, and I will not designate Tobias as my heir.”
Cornelia would undoubtedly be furious.
While she may not have committed her wicked deeds solely for Tobias’s sake, it was certainly one of the reasons. Yet, her own son had renounced his succession because of her actions, truly making one realize the unpredictable nature of life.
“Then, what will Tobias do from now on?”
“Fortunately, perhaps, he is not on bad terms with his siblings as a brother. In fact, their sibling relationships were not bad to begin with. Even Conrad, who possesses magic power and is envied, had a good relationship with Tobias. However, due to the strained relationship between their mothers, the children naturally grew distant. Tobias and Conrad merely drifted apart, but the relationships among the other siblings… frankly, it gives me a headache.”
The Duke sighed deeply. Even with the culprit who targeted Hannelore revealed, his worries seemed endless.
“I intend to have Tobias assist the next heir. Tobias himself has agreed to this, but I feel he may have other aspirations. We have plans to talk again, so I would like to hear his thoughts on that matter.”
“I see, Tobias has dreams beyond being the head of the family.”
“If he has dreams, I want to support him. Tobias was merely studying in the territory without knowledge of any wrongdoing, so I know he was not complicit. However, he is engaged, and his engagement may be called off.”
“…Tobias was thought to be the closest to becoming the next head, so it is understandable that his fiancée’s family might not be pleased upon hearing he renounced his succession.”
“This is why I dislike noble society— I apologize. I should not be complaining. I will handle Tobias’s situation as a father. However, the problem lies with Cornelia.”
As soon as the Duke uttered the name of the consort who had attempted to harm Hannelore, his face contorted as if he had bitten into something bitter.
Concurrently, Jared sensed anger emanating from the Duke.
Even if she was a childhood friend, he could not forgive her for trying to eliminate Hannelore.
Jared did not know Cornelia well. He had only heard that she had hired adventurers and even the assassination organization Waalthe to get rid of Hannelore.
From what he had heard, she seemed like an emotional person, but he wondered how such a person managed to establish contact with and hire Waalthe.
Considering this, he doubted Cornelia acted alone.
Of course, Duke Alway himself had ties to Waalthe and might have facilitated it, but it seemed difficult for the Cornelia he had heard about to manage such a feat.
“Is Cornelia-sama still resisting?”
“Unfortunately, she is. We learned from the household staff that she fled to her family home. I dispatched the Ducal Family’s soldiers, but if we make too much of a fuss, it could be perceived as a civil war or an attack from another country, so I cannot go too far. I attempted to negotiate with her father once, but it was fruitless.”
The Duke sighed wearily, leaving both Jared and Olivier at a loss for words.
