And immediately, another person jumped out at the news that the Crown Princess had come to visit, _bang!_
Of course, it wasn’t Duke Lindbergh. If someone of his status was to meet, naturally, no matter how much of a crown princess she was, an appointment would need to be made in advance.
In terms of protocol, the Crown Princess may hold more power, but politically, the position of a duke is definitely not one to be taken lightly.
However, that’s just talking about the duke himself.
Even if she belonged to the imperial family, outside of direct lineage, there aren’t many who hold significant power. Most are just living leisurely off their family’s wealth, and if someone’s lineage is split by hundreds of years, it’s often mocked just to carry the name of the royal family.
If the imperial family is like this, then what about the dukes?
As long as there is a rightful heir, unless something significant happens resulting in that heir being incapacitated or killed, it’s practically impossible for another from the duke’s family to take that position. It’s not just unlikely, it’s entirely impossible, as the imperial family wouldn’t recognize them.
So, the person in front of us, George Lindbergh, unlike his cousin, was in a position where he couldn’t help but come out to greet us no matter how or when we arrived.
“It is an honor to have you visit.” _clap clap!_
Usually, a visit like this isn’t something you’d be happy about. When royalty or nobility visits at night, it often signals that there’s an urgent matter to address.
But for someone feeling like they’re slowly drifting away from politics, especially one worried that their own child might not belong in such circles, it’s a different story.
“Though this place is humble, please feel free to relax.” _shhh!_
Although it may be a smaller mansion compared to the duke’s, it wasn’t something that could truly be called shabby.
Well, it was probably just being polite.
“Thank you for your hospitality.” _smirk!_
Alice’s attitude was certainly polite, but it didn’t quite give off the impression that she was genuinely grateful for the reception.
However, it seemed the other party didn’t notice that our attitude wasn’t particularly positive.
We were guided into a lavishly decorated parlor.
The maids here were different from those in the Lindbergh mansion. Most were of colonial indigenous descent, and some appeared to be mixed-blood.
Alice’s gaze lingered on those maids for a brief moment. Perhaps she was wondering if those maids were in a situation similar to Roti, but that’s probably not the case.
This had already left quite an impression in the original story, so this world should be no different. This man wouldn’t have touched anyone other than Roti’s mother.
“Could you excuse the people for a moment?” _whoosh!_
As soon as she sat around the round table, Alice spoke.
George Lindbergh immediately gestured to the servants in the room.
After the servants left, Alice took out a white piece of paper from her pocket and placed it on the table.
To be precise, it was a check.
A check guaranteed by the local bank.
“What is this….” _huh?_
The amount written on the check was enough to make even someone from Lindbergh raise an eyebrow.
Originally, this quest would have ended without any money, as it would have been Leo directly digging up dirt and George Lindbergh, who didn’t want any unnecessary scandal, would have handled it quietly.
But what’s the use of a crown princess?
“With this, I’d like to pay off someone’s debt. Is that possible?” _tap tap!_
“Debt?”
Of course, George Lindbergh, who had heard this much, looked puzzled about why we had come here.
“It’s Roti’s mother, Lydia’s debt.”
At hearing this, George Lindbergh’s face went blank for a moment, then turned pale.
“Where did you hear this?”
“To be precise, I knew from the beginning.” _gulp!_
As I answered instead of Alice, his face turned not just pale but blue.
In fact, it’s common for a white person to have relations with indigenous people and produce children. Of course, this story mostly applies to white men and indigenous women. We live in a world where women don’t even have voting rights. The child follows the mother’s bloodline, while the wife follows the husband’s. However, just because an indigenous person follows their husband doesn’t mean they become noble… well, it’s a typical story.
So strictly speaking, while it could be a scandalous topic, it wouldn’t be considered an enormous blemish. As seen through the eyes of nobility, it’s just enjoying a bit of entertainment.
However, there was someone in the Lindbergh family who despised that kind of tale more than anyone else.
He was a man who even chose to use imperial citizens over colonial indigenous ones as servants in his own mansion because he abhorred mixing bloodlines. He somewhat values indigenous people, but simultaneously considers them as ‘other’ who shouldn’t mix with imperial citizens.
—To be precise, that’s exactly how the Duke Lindbergh presented himself publicly.
George Lindbergh stood up and began pacing the room.
That said, Duke Lindbergh isn’t unaware of Roti’s existence or identity. If he didn’t know, there would have been no reason to keep Roti’s mother in his own home.
The reason was simple: he was concerned that if she stayed here too long, she could end up giving birth to another mixed-blood illegitimate child.
“…That cannot be.” _thump!_
George Lindbergh, who had been pacing, said.
“Why not?” _huh?_
“…Since you’ve come this far, there’s nothing left to hide.”
George Lindbergh spoke with a determined expression as if he were declaring an unattainable love.
“I love Lydia.” _thud!_
It was indeed an unattainable love.
But it wasn’t because of class—
“Ugh!”
Even Alice, who had previously heard the story with me, lost her composure for a moment from this guy’s nonsense.
Even I, who already knew the situation, almost doubted my ears in shock.
“Did you just say love?”
“Yes, of course. How could I share a body with someone I don’t love?”
“…Then what about the incident at the ball, where you lashed out at Lydia?”
“That was unavoidable. Our love is forbidden by Duke Lindbergh. We had to have some pretext to talk, you see.”
Alice was left speechless for a moment, turning to look at me with her mouth agape.
I silently picked another sugar cube and dropped it into my tea.
Noticing that I had no intention of saying anything, Alice brushed her face with her hand. George Lindbergh was so lost in his fantasies that he didn’t even notice her actions.
“I can tell. The longing expression she makes every time she looks at me! One day, when all barriers are broken down and we come together under the name of Lindbergh, I’ll be able to call Roti by the name Roti Lindbergh!”
“So that’s why you named her Roti? ‘Liberty’?”
I couldn’t hold back anymore and asked.
“…If it weren’t for Duke Lindbergh, yes, that child could have been free,” George Lindbergh answered with a fiery gaze.
“Do you know Lydia’s real name?”
Alice asked next.
“…”
A brief silence followed.
“No matter how you call someone you love, it doesn’t change that love, does it?”
Now that’s some convoluted logic! _wow!_
“Then, let’s clarify one thing before moving on.”
Alice spoke as if she was about to leave at any moment.
Honestly, just listening to George Lindbergh at this point already made it clear he was completely out of his mind, but I guess the princess felt it was necessary to hear him out before judging everything.
“You and Lydia… no.”
Alice closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, stood up, and after a few big movements of her shoulders, continued speaking.
“On the day Roti was conceived, did Lydia really share her love with you? What did Lydia say that day?”
“Of course, the barriers of class stood between us, so at first, Lydia rejected me. But in the end—”
“What are you talking about, you madman!” _bang!_
Finally unable to take it any longer, Alice lifted the chair she had been sitting on and threw it towards George Lindbergh.
“Ugh!”
I never expected Alice would go this far, and I let out a noise of surprise.
But as I tried to stand up to stop her, Alice was already mid-kick at George Lindbergh!
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