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I handed the book I was holding to Kirke, half-expecting something to happen. When Kirke flipped the book upside down and placed it on the shelf, the bookshelf slid aside, revealing a secret passage.  

‘Unbelievable.’  

It turns out my instinct wasn’t just guiding me out of the illusion!  

As I marveled at the accuracy of my intuition that had led me to discover a secret passage in the palace, Kirke also looked at me with a curious expression.  

“How did you know this was a special book?”  

“I just guessed.”  

“Haha.”  

Kirke laughed, thinking I was joking.  

I wanted to tell him I was serious, but there wasn’t enough time.  

“A formal meeting will be arranged soon.”  

“A formal meeting?”  

But there wasn’t time for an answer. As Kirke quickly entered the secret passage, the bookshelf slid back into place.  

The drawing room returned to its peaceful state, as if nothing had happened.  

At that moment, the door opened, and the Duke entered.  

Sensing something odd, the Duke briefly glanced around the drawing room, and after confirming nothing was amiss, he said to me,  

“Let’s go home, Reshia.”

* * *

“The Duke has given Reshia the Elpinard’s Milky Way.”  

Veronica frowned at the whisper from the maid, Anne, who was brushing her hair.  

“He gave that heirloom to an adopted daughter with no blood relation?”  

Anne shrank back at Veronica’s cold voice, which was laced with bitterness.  

“Perhaps it was just for her to wear at the debutante. We’re not certain, so please don’t be upset.”  

“So you reported something that isn’t confirmed?”  

“T-that’s not what I meant!”  

“And who said I was upset? Elpinard’s Milky Way belongs to the family, so I have no right to comment on whom Father gives it to, as his daughter-in-law.”  

“Yes, of course…”  

Anne swallowed her frustration and cautiously observed Veronica’s mood.  

Despite showing clear discomfort, Veronica insisted she wasn’t angry.  

She was indeed a difficult mistress.  

Still, Anne considered herself fortunate.  

Veronica managed the household of the Elpinard family.  

With the Duchess gone, the power of the lady of the house had been transferred to Veronica, the Duke’s daughter-in-law.  

A maid serving the lady of the house held considerable influence among the servants, giving Anne a position of considerable sway.  

Servants eager to gain favor with the lady often curried favor with Anne, as the lady had the authority to manage the household staff.  

Of course, there were exceptions.

The three maids serving the youngest lady never paid any attention to Anne. Anne, deeply irritated, longed for the day when those three would come to her, seeking her favor, but the opportunity never seemed to arise.

When the brushing and arranging of her hair were finished, Veronica stood up gracefully.

“I should go see Father.”

* * *

“Father,” Veronica said with a sweet smile as she entered the Duke’s study. However, the Duke kept his eyes fixed on the documents before him, not even glancing at Veronica.

Despite the slight twitch at the corners of her mouth, Veronica spoke in a refined, pleasant voice as she reported to the Duke.

“Father, the youngest lady has yet to return Elpinard’s Milky Way, which she used for her debutante. I’ve come to ask your opinion on what should be done.”

“Elpinard’s Milky Way?”

The Duke’s gaze finally shifted from the documents to Veronica. The moment her eyes met his blue ones, she felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Though they were the same color as her husband’s eyes, her father-in-law’s gaze felt far more enigmatic.

Veronica swallowed hard. Her father-in-law, who had never remarried after losing his wife long ago, was still a remarkably attractive man. He seemed a much better person than her greedy husband.

“Reshia won’t be returning it. I gave it to her.”

“What…?”

Veronica, who had been mesmerized by her father-in-law’s face, snapped back to reality. Elpinard’s Milky Way was a family treasure. Veronica had always believed that one day that necklace would be hers, especially since she was the only woman in the family after the Duchess had passed away. Although the Duke had adopted a daughter, Veronica hadn’t been overly concerned, believing that blood ties mattered more.

But now, that precious necklace had gone to her?

Veronica managed to suppress the trembling of her lips and forced a smile.

“Father, that necklace is a family heirloom. Don’t you think it might be too much for the young lady to handle? She hasn’t even managed her own dowry before.”

“Her dowry, you say.”

Thinking she had made her point, Veronica moved closer to the Duke’s desk.

“If you give her something so significant from the start, it might overwhelm her. Wouldn’t it be better to start with something smaller?”

“I hadn’t considered that.”

The Duke’s easy agreement made Veronica’s face light up. She had expected a lengthy argument.

But her relief was short-lived.

“Now that Reshia has had her debutante, it’s time she started managing the dowry. I should also give her a couple of keys to the storage rooms.”

“What?”

Veronica asked, bewildered. So when he said, “I hadn’t considered that,” he wasn’t talking about the necklace management, but rather…

‘He intends to put her in charge of managing the dowry?’

Veronica was stunned.

The entire financial control of the household was currently in Veronica’s hands. Although final execution required the Duke’s approval, it was rarely denied. However, if Reshia were given control of the dowry funds, that sole privilege would be lost. The remark she made to retrieve the necklace, which she believed would one day be hers, was now about to cost her control of the finances as well. Veronica hurriedly tried to persuade the Duke.

“Father, the young lady is still very young…”

“Noah also began managing his own dowry after his debutante, didn’t he?”

“That’s true, but Noah is your eldest grandson…”

The Duke frowned at Veronica’s words.

“The situation is the same, so why is it that Noah can and Reshia cannot? In terms of intelligence, Reshia is far superior to Noah.”

“That…”

Realizing she had made a mistake in her haste, Veronica quickly bowed her head.

“It seems I was overly concerned. You are right, Father. The young lady is certainly qualified and capable of managing the dowry.”

Veronica quickly changed her approach.

“Then I will give the young lady the dowry and teach her how to manage it…”

“No. There is someone else I will entrust with that.”

“Someone else… even though I manage the household, there is someone else to whom you would entrust it…?”

Instead of answering Veronica, the Duke turned to Logan, who had been assisting with the paperwork.

“Logan, teach Reshia how to manage the dowry.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Veronica bit her lip upon realizing that the Duke intended Logan to take on the task. Entrusting Logan with teaching Reshia meant that family affairs would also be shared with her. If Reshia were to begin acting as the lady of Elpinard in official settings…

‘What about me?’

What will happen to me? Veronica clenched her fist.

* * *

“The dowry?”

“Yes. His Grace believes that you are now of an age to manage your own finances and has provided you with the dowry.”

I blinked at Logan’s words. Until now, I hadn’t had any personal assets. Whenever Lily requested a budget for me, the Duke would approve it, and the budget would be allocated accordingly. I didn’t even have a personal allowance. But since everything I needed was provided, I never felt the need for one.