Chapter 95: If you want – 3

Vivian, having left the hall, sat in her office sorting through documents.

Several piles of letters were arranged in their own categories.

On one side were letters from various noble families, mostly expressing a desire to maintain friendly relations with the Rondor family.

On the other side were marriage proposals addressed to Vivian, filled with transparent promises to protect her at the cost of their lives, hiding selfish motives behind their words.

Among them were some peculiar ones claiming they sought no power and were merely smitten by her beauty.

But all of them were equally distasteful to Vivian—she felt they weren’t worth even the time to read.

If Lady Linne knew how Vivian felt, she would have sighed in exasperation.

Lately, she had been persistently suggesting that Vivian should find a husband sooner rather than later.

As the sole heir left in the Rondor family, Vivian’s situation was precarious, and securing a descendant was deemed crucial to resolving this crisis.

It seemed that concerns about Vivian’s survival had shifted to anxiety over Rondor’s uncertain future.

Vivian crumpled one of the proposal letters with a sigh.

To be honest, there wasn’t a single person whose words had ever made her think, ‘Yes, this is the person I want to spend my life with,’ or, ‘I want to bear this person’s child.’

According to Lady Linne, such thoughts should come naturally, yet they never did for Vivian.

Of course, she had never truly enjoyed doing anything she was obligated to do.

However, she felt that choosing a life partner should allow room for personal preference.

…No, to be completely honest, it wasn’t as though she had never felt those thoughts for someone.

But that person was far too exceptional, so much so that she had to dismiss the idea entirely from the start.

The mere fact that she had such thoughts felt like a strange sin, one that left her feeling ashamed to face her parents.

Vivian knew all too well how much her mother loathed Jade Alan.

While her father’s and brother’s deaths surely contributed to her mother’s illness, the unyielding resentment toward Jade Alan also played its part.

And to even consider his son…

It was unthinkable.

Vivian opened another letter.

There was one from the royal family, as expected.

As she had guessed, the letter stated that the royal family would visit Loctana.

The reason for their visit was clearly outlined—it was about the Corrode family and the matter concerning Kailo Alan.

It seemed Delrum, still striving for peace with the Eastern Kingdom, wished to avoid conflict with the Alan family as much as possible.

Vivian’s head spun.

The royal family, the visiting Alan family…

Today may have been uneventful, but tomorrow’s battle was already in sight.

How exhausting would tomorrow be?

Lady Cayla would undoubtedly demand Kailo’s return, but Vivian had no intention of ever allowing that.

The inevitable conflict that would ensue already felt overwhelming.

Couldn’t they just leave the two of them alone?

Vivian selfishly wondered.

She had no intention of letting Kailo go, and Kailo had no intention of leaving.

Wasn’t that enough?

Sigh.

Vivian set down the documents and moved to extinguish the candles, but commotion outside her room stopped her.

Yanes and Hobbs were arguing with someone who refused to back down.

At the noise, Vivian finally spoke up.

“What’s going on?”

Silence followed her question, then a familiar voice rang out.

“Lady Vivian, it’s Nestor. I have something I must tell you.”

The Spy Nestor.

A man epitomizing incompetence.

Vivian clicked her tongue.

Had he finally realized the gravity of the situation?

The treasurer Brynden was dead, Scholar Crellin had been expelled from the castle after Kailo’s recovery, and Chief Steward Pippin’s ousting was gradually underway.

As for the maids who had been gossiping about Vivian behind her back, most were long gone.

In their place, Vivian’s appointees now filled the gaps, and the new hires from the common folk were solidifying those spaces even more tightly.

Those who had opposed her must have felt uneasy, even if only internally.

Now, the remaining obstacles were Nestor, the First Knights Division and Baelor.

In the midst of this, Nestor had come to her.

“…Come back tomorrow. I’m planning to rest now.”

Nestor was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

“Lady Vivian. It will only take a moment. I have something important to say as a spy of Rondor.”

“…How competent have you been to suddenly act like this?”

“Please trust me this once. I believe it’s time to reveal an old secret.”

…An old secret?

Vivian’s mind snagged on those words.

“I’ve undergone a full inspection. Please spare just a moment of your time. If you insist, you may bring Kailo Alan in as well. Though, I suspect it would be better if you didn’t. This is something I must share with you now.”

Unable to resist her curiosity, Vivian relented.

“…Let him in.”

Nestor entered the room with slow, harmless movements.

The sharpness that once defined his gaze was nowhere to be seen.

He bowed deeply in a gesture of complete submission—an uncharacteristically reverent display.

“This is quite unexpected.”

Vivian remarked.

“I understand it must seem that way. But I cannot express how relieved I am to finally be honest.”

Although Vivian regarded him with suspicion, given his reputation, Nestor’s eyes were brimming with tears.

Looking at his expression, even Vivian was momentarily speechless.

He didn’t appear to be lying.

She used magic to verify his words and found no falsehood.

“Lady Vivian, please blame my shortcomings, for I lacked the courage to act sooner. I wished to support you, but I was too busy hiding my own inadequacies. Even though I watched you endure countless hardships, I never stepped forward to comfort you. Please punish me for that.”

“…Nestor, this makes me uncomfortable. Please act as you usually do. Frankly, it looks as though you’re trying to curry favor now that I’m consolidating power.”

Vivian concealed her inner turmoil and continued.

“I don’t need you anymore. You’ve never been of any help to me… and I’ll rise on my own strength. I was planning to deal with you, as I did with other retainers I didn’t trust. If you leave on your own, we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed.”

Nestor didn’t protest.

He simply nodded.

“…Yes. That would be the right course. I know I’ve been shameless. If that’s your decision, I’ll abide by it. However, if you could acknowledge just one thing before I leave, I would have no regrets. I have done my best to fulfill a promise to the former Duchess of Rondor… and I believe I’ve succeeded to some extent.”

My mother?

Why was her mother suddenly mentioned here?

“Lady Vivian, I’ve devoted myself to identifying the threats against you. To do so, I had to pretend to oppose you. That was the only way to gain their trust… Yes, it’s true. The only reason I can come forward now is because you’ve consolidated your power. If you hadn’t, I would have remained in hiding… no, I’m sure I would have. I am, by nature, a sly and cunning person.”

“However, it was because of that cunning that I could achieve what I did. As Rondor’s spy, countless people doubted me, and to counter that, I had to deceive them even more. For that reason, I couldn’t reveal myself. But if I may offer one excuse, I sent notes to Kailo Alan every time I discovered a threat to your safety.”

-I’ve been receiving notes. There are still allies left in this castle.

“…Ah.”

The moment she heard those words, Vivian knew she could no longer dismiss Nestor.

“From my position, I’ve done my best—if not the absolute best—for your safety. It may not suffice in the eyes of the former Duchess, but I’m confident she would recognize that I’ve tried.”

Tears streamed from Nestor’s eyes.

His expression reflected the relief of someone freed from long-standing oppression and the pride of seeing Vivian’s growth.

Vivian found it incredibly difficult to accept all of this.

“But… Nestor, you’ve lied to me so many times…”

“I had no choice. I was the only one who could observe the enemy’s movements… I had to be careful…”

A long sigh escaped Vivian’s lips.

She needed more time.

An incompetent and presumed enemy turned out to be someone secretly helping all along.

Understanding it was one thing, but accepting it was another.

“…Please leave. I need time to process this…”

—Swish, swish.

Nestor wiped away his tears with a sleeve and spoke with a determined expression.

“No.”

As he straightened his shoulders and chest, the person who once seemed conniving now appeared confident.

“…I didn’t come to you this late just to discuss this, Lady Vivian. Up until now, my words were merely to gain your trust. I didn’t share my efforts to pathetically beg for recognition. You’ve suffered far more than I have.
How could I possibly list my hardships in front of my liege?”

Nestor took a step closer.

“Lady Vivian. The one who has been targeting your life… do you have someone in mind?”

If Count Corrode, who was already dead, was excluded…

It was only circumstantial evidence, but—

“—Robert Rondor.”

Nestor nodded.

“Robert, indeed.”

The hatred and rage in Nestor’s voice were unmistakable as he spat out Robert’s name.

Vivian wasn’t particularly surprised; she had suspected as much.

Nestor continued.

“Now that Count Corrode is dead and your power has grown… it’s time to sever the head of the remaining traitor, Robert Rondor.”

Vivian was skeptical of the plan.

“Don’t we lack justification? Besides, my uncle has recently been bowing to me in accordance with the tide. He’s no longer a threat to my position like before.”

“—How could we lack justification?”

Nestor’s voice trembled with suppressed emotions, his fists clenched tightly.

“There’s more than enough justification…! You wouldn’t believe the lengths I went to protect the evidence…! That beast in human form must die. If no one else, at least that man… he must be fried in oil and destroyed…”

“Why… are you like this?”

Vivian was startled, prompting Nestor to take a deep breath and steady himself.

After panting heavily for a while, he finally calmed down.

“Lady Vivian… please don’t be alarmed. And I beg you to believe me.”

A faint sense of pity flickered in his eyes, as if the story to come would be exceedingly difficult to accept.

He whispered,

“…I will reveal the true culprit behind the downfall of the Rondor family.”