Penelope was definitely crossing the line.
Judging by her gleaming eyes, she had clearly lost her mind.
What on earth could she have seen reflected in those eyes?
Seton couldn’t hide the headache growing on his face.
“Penelope, stop it.”
“The Northern Tower Master is busy, isn’t he?”
“He’s not.”
Seton replied hastily, but Penelope stepped forward boldly, raising her voice.
“I will take his place.”
“And why should I allow that?”
“I intend to win the favor of Her Grace the Duchess so that I may receive her permission.”
Was she a fool, or just incredibly ambitious?
Penelope’s face, openly revealing her true intentions, sparkled with exhilaration.
“Please grant me permission to analyze the magic.”
“You want to meddle with the Duchess?”
“Meddle? No, I only wish to take a brief look.”
She gave Adrian a cheeky smile as he stared silently.
“You know very well I won’t cause her pain or leave any wounds.”
“...”
“My skill in handling magic may not be as delicate as His Grace’s, but I confidently claim to be the best among all humans standing on this continent.”
There was no answer.
But there was also no cold rejection like before.
Penelope realized this was the moment to press on.
“You don’t really want Seton to inspect Her Grace, do you?”
In an instant, a faint blue flicker stirred in Adrian’s otherwise cold, mineral-like blue eyes.
“I think you’re going to die early because of me.”
“Oh my god? Seton, are you worried about me? I almost got excited just now.”
“No way.”
Seton straightened his face. There was no way he could let Penelope have even the slightest opening.
After all, she was a mage—no, the Tower Master.
Though she seemed like the cheerful youngest daughter of some noble family, in truth she was sly enough to house a serpent in her heart.
Having endured her schemes countless times over the past decade, Seton prided himself on knowing her better than anyone else.
He swiftly took two steps back to put some distance between them and continued speaking.
“Don’t you realize how close that was just now?”
“Ah.”
Penelope, who had been flashing her eyes like she was about to jump into his arms, scoffed at his words.
At the mere mention of the Duchess, a majestic golden magic extended like a blade, aiming straight at her
A golden blade shimmering right before her nape.
“Yet you still talk about whether to peek at the Duchess or not?”
“What’s stopping me?”
Penelope stretched her eyes mischievously at the end of her sentence.
“Come on, didn’t you want me to do it, Seton?”
“...”
“Weren’t you curious? That’s why you called me. You sensed something but couldn’t see it yourself, so you asked me to have a look.”
Tapping her finger on the corner of her eye, Penelope wore a shrewd and vicious expression quite unlike before.
Her eyes flickered with a terrifying madness that could swallow a person whole.
“It’s my first time seeing something like this. I want to find out what it is. You feel the same way, don’t you, Seton?”
Hmm? Watching the violet strands of hair shaking before his eyes, Seton felt his head go numb for the first time in a while.
“Remember, curiosity killed the cat.”
“You’re not planning to die with me, are you?”
“No, execution is off the table.”
“Execution?”
“I heard that somewhere in the eastern continent, if one spouse dies, the other is buried with them.”
“That sounds like a pretty attractive custom.”
Seton clapped his hands together, adopting a serious tone.
“But since you don’t have a partner, you’ll probably be buried alone—by His Grace the Duke.”
It was no joke.
Penelope didn’t know one thing.
The Duke, though indifferent to most things, was terrifyingly loyal to his duties.
For him, duty was something he performed instinctively, like the power he wielded.
And the Duchess was assigned to him.
The Duke would live his entire life considering the Duchess as his rightful partner, no matter what people whispered outside.
Even if she had been sold with the Emperor’s money.
The chances of the Duke actually finding a real partner by chance were as rare as being struck by lightning.
Until then, Ione van Preses would live on this land as the Duchess until she died.
People didn’t know this.
They only assumed things like:
“She has no feelings.”
“She was bought with money.”
“The Emperor bestowed her upon him.”
They used such reasons to think they could treat the Duchess carelessly.
Seton twisted the corners of his mouth and smiled brightly.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll really be buried.”
Alone.
“Did you really try teleporting?”
The maids surrounded Catherine, buzzing with excitement.
Dinner time was their only break.
After the long evening ended, they had to help prepare the Duke and Duchess’s baths and then attend to their bedtime needs.
Dinner was a brief heaven before a long journey.
Gathered around the kitchen table, they enjoyed well-brewed tea with delicate tea snacks.
Any conversation shared at this moment was gladly listened to.
“Is it true?”
Everyone gripped their teacups tightly, staring only at Catherine.
The first to regain her composure was Bennett, the maid managing the second floor.
“Really? You and Her Grace the Duchess?”
“Yes.”
Catherine’s cheeks reddened as she nodded vigorously.
“Why would I lie? It’ll be found out soon anyway.”
“No, I didn’t mean you lied.”
“Yes, I know. It’s really true, Bennett.”
A moaning sigh escaped from one corner.
“It’s my first time seeing someone experience magic.”
“Oh, it’s not your first time seeing magic. Didn’t everyone experience it when they had their seal engraved?”
“That’s just a quick press on the forehead. I’m not even sure if it really was magic. I just accepted it as it was.”
Muttering complaints earned nods of agreement from other maids.
“So, how did you end up teleporting?”
“What was it like?”
“Were you in danger or something?”
Everyone thought the Duchess couldn’t even have the seal engraved due to weakness.
That’s what Benson’s medication had implied.
Without the seal, the Duchess had already been attacked twice by magical beasts. Poor thing.
“This must be something serious after all.”
Rubbing the invisible seal on their foreheads, the maids’ remarks made Catherine laugh.
“Seems so. Anyway, it wasn’t dangerous. A guest just gave Her Grace a precious gift, so she tried teleporting as a test.”
But why you?
That was the unspoken question in everyone’s eyes.
Clearing her throat, Catherine recounted the day’s events in detail.
After fetching tea, both the guest and the Duchess were missing.
She had almost died searching for them.
When she finally met them, the Duchess was in the middle of testing teleportation.
“So?”
Prompted by another maid, Catherine suddenly felt as if her chest would burst.
Yes. That was the usual reaction.
Running until her legs trembled was only natural.
No one blamed or worried about that.
Only one person did: the Duchess herself.
Catherine felt a prickling sensation at her nose.
“But she apologized for leaving without warning, worried I might have been frightened.”
She hadn’t intended to, but her voice trembled as she spoke.
“What?”
A chorus of shocked cries filled the room.
Some were horrified, others denied it.
But no amount of denial could change the truth.
Sniffling, Catherine continued.
“She promised it wouldn’t happen again. She was embarrassed, so when I asked how teleporting felt, she immediately offered to teleport with me.”
Everyone’s mouths hung open, eyes wide.
Even the kitchen staff gathered, wearing equally stunned expressions.
“She apologized for startling you?”
The patisserie Agatha asked, and Catherine nodded clearly.
“You said you were curious, so she let you experience teleporting yourself?”
Helena, the head maid, questioned, and Catherine nodded as if she could die from happiness.
“Surely you’re not dreaming?”
Bennett asked, and Catherine answered with a loud, “
It feels like a dream!”
“That’s wonderful.”
Someone’s whispered words came through clearly.
Catherine burst into laughter.
“I’m really so happy to be the Duchess’s personal maid.”
“Yeah, you’re lucky.”
“Is someone talking about me?”
Ione scratched her ear and rose from the chair.