DKVM Ch 27

Chapter 27

That night, Karlz summoned Margaret to his office.

“You called, Your Grace?”

“I called you at this late hour because I wanted to talk to you about yesterday.”

“And when you say yesterday’s events…?”

“Vivian, I’m talking about that child.”

Margaret was stunned.

Yesterday, Sally had accused Vivian of being a thief.

Rahel defended her, and Karlz took Vivian to Isela’s tombstone today.

It was obvious that the way things went would look poorly on Sally and her.

“I should have told you yesterday, but I’m late because of the memorial. Did Sally apologize to Vivian?”

“Ah….”

“That child accused Vivian of being a thief, and if there was a mistake, she owes her an apology.”

Karlz had thought well of Sally up until now.

Sally had been rude to the servants because she didn’t need to treat them with politeness, but she had been courteous with Karlz.

However, he was taking Vivian’s side now.

In other words, he doubted Sally’s story about Vivian stealing.

“Sally said she wasn’t going to apologize because she was sure the girl had stolen it.”

Margaret felt a sense of crisis and nimbly defended Sally.

“I can’t say I saw it with my own eyes, but as you know, Your Grace, Sally’s not the kind of girl to make up things that aren’t there.”

“And you suspect Rahel of lying to cover for Vivian?”

“Of, of course, I don’t want to doubt her, but I’m just saying that it might be good for you to keep your mind open to ‘possibilities’ in different directions.”

“Possibilities…”

Karlz’s eyes narrowed at Margaret’s words.

“Well, you’re right, we should consider the possibilities.”

At first glance, he seemed to agree with Margaret’s opinion.

“There is the possibility that Sally, who doesn’t like Vivian, staged the incident to get her kicked out.”

“……!”

“Isn’t that fair?”

The words and the look in his eyes cut Margaret right to the bone.

As if he could see through the truth that Margaret and Sally were hiding.

“But possibilities are just that, possibilities. You don’t want to hurt a child just because you have a suspicion without hard evidence.”

The next words made it seem as if he was not just defending Vivian, but that he was also going to cover up Sally’s lies.

Margaret swallowed hard.

Sweat beaded on her hands clasped politely together.

“And you, the nanny, should know better.”

Only then did Margaret realize that Karlz’s confidence in her was faltering.

Defending Sally once more here could put her in jeopardy, not to mention Sally’s false accusations.

She forced a straight face and replied.

“You are wise, Your Grace. I’m afraid I let my personal feelings get the best of me and lost my objective judgment for a moment.”

“Then I trust you will explain this to your daughter.”

“I’ll make sure Sally apologizes to Vivian and tell her to make up with the girl.”

Just then the sound of the grandfather clock rang.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, along with the obedience he expected, Karlz nodded approvingly.

“It’s getting late, so you may leave.”

Margaret bowed and left the office.

*thud*

The door closed behind her, and her eyes turned as cold as ever.

‘How did she earn the duke’s trust?’

Margaret’s selection as Rahel’s nanny was a coincidence.

When Isela returned to the duchy with Rahel, she was the only maid with a child of a similar age.

Higher-ranking aristocratic families handpicked not only their tutors but also their nannies from among the fallen nobility, but Karlz chose his nanny from within the manor.

More than a “good nanny,” he wanted a “trustworthy nanny” who could keep Rahel’s secrets.

But it was no accident that Margaret earned Karlz and Rahel’s trust.

Rahel came to the duchy when she was almost five years old, and it was not easy to win the heart of a child who had already formed a strong bond with her mother.

It took years of hard work to win Rahel’s heart.

‘But now because of one little girl…!’

Margaret gritted her teeth.

But the good news is, that Vivian didn’t yet know that Rahel was a boy.

A secret only Margaret knew, which would give Karlz a good excuse not to dismiss her.

‘There’s still a chance.’

Of course, the previous methods of trying to oust her hadn’t worked, so she would have to find another way.

‘Let’s take our time and look for an opportunity.’

Margaret walked at a leisurely pace and disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.

 

“Well, that concludes our lesson for today.”

After wrapping up the last class of the day, the teacher left, leaving Rahel and me alone in the room.

The rest of the day was our free time.

Normally, we would have tea time in the shade of the garden’s trees, but it was raining and that didn’t seem possible.

I was wondering what to do in such inclement weather when I suddenly remembered something and turned to Rahel.

“You know what, Rahel, if it’s raining, can we go down to the basement? I want to watch you practice your magic.”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

We left the room side by side.

In the hallway, the rain pounded loudly against the windows, and beyond the windows I could see a forest of thick greenery.

Summer was in full bloom.

‘It had been two months since Rahel’s mother’s death anniversary.’

A lot had happened between us at that time.

One of them was the basement I mentioned earlier!

A few days after the memorial, Rahel took me to the basement.

It wasn’t a regular basement, but a staircase hidden in Rahel’s room that led down to the basement, and it was so large that it could be called a performance hall.

There, Rahel demonstrated her hidden magical abilities.

Not only that, but she also told me about her unusual condition that allows her to absorb mana from her surroundings.

Of course, knowing the original story, I knew that Rahel could use magic and that she had a special constitution, so I wasn’t surprised.

‘Still, it made me happy.’

Rahel telling me her secret meant that she trusted me more.

And then there was another change.

 

“Do you… really hate men?”

Every now and then, even when we were playing well, Rahel would ask me this question with a serious look on her face.

“Yep. I hate boys. I’m only going to play with you, Rahel.”

I’d say yes, and Rahel’s face would darken.

‘What? Isn’t that the answer she wants to hear?’

After a moment of puzzlement, I deduced the reason.

‘Is she afraid that I’ll marry a boy someday and leave her?’

I found Rahel’s behavior both cute and frustrating.

On the one hand, I felt proud that I had become such a dear friend to her.

To ease her anxiety, I clarified my viewpoint on life.

“I won’t play with boys, and I won’t hold hands with them. I might say hello once in a while, though.”

“…”

“So don’t worry, Rahel!”

Rahel’s expression was one of confusion as she heard my promise.

Anyway, after that, we stopped talking about marriage and boys and stuff like that.

‘It feels like Rahel is relieved.’

And just like that, we became even closer.

Oh, and then there was the biggest change of all…

“Miss.”

The moment I looked out the window at the greenery, I realized the biggest change.

Just then, the butler appeared.

“The duke has asked for you to join him for tea time. Of course, Vivian is welcome as well.”