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0% This was terrifying. This siege, this lonely isolation with nowhere to turn, was simply too frightening.

When my lovers, who had been with Mother and Father, suddenly approached me, I initially thought it was because I had been talking with the head butler too long.

I figured they came to drag me away because it looked bad for their soon-to-be husband to be chatting elsewhere. So, I greeted them with a smile.

However, it was a misunderstanding. Instead of pulling me away, they swiftly surrounded me and verbally tore me apart.

“I believed everything Carl said, but it was just an excuse.”

“No, Mar, that’s—“

“It’s fortunate that a mage treated you, baby. If it had been a priest, it would’ve been buried forever.”

“Um, well—“

My mind reeled from Mar and Beatrix’s joint attack, with the former speaking while tears welled up in her eyes and the latter muttering in a bitter voice.

It had all gone wrong. While I was talking about other things with the head butler, the truth that shouldn’t have been revealed came to light. It wasn’t that I intended to reveal the injury from the start, but that the ugly truth I tried to keep secret was discovered.

“Oppa... I don’t like you getting hurt, but I dislike not knowing about it even more.”

“But oppa did tell us the truth, so we just misunderstood, right? You were planning to tell us from the beginning, weren’t you?”

With Louise and Irina pricking my conscience too, I couldn’t even open my mouth. It would have been easier if they had just yelled at me—I could accept that. But their voices were filled with trust and care until the very end, and that made me feel even worse.

If there was any consolation, it was that I was being cornered by four and not six.

Damn it.

I gave up hope as soon as I saw the two who had stepped back to watch. Elizabeth was grinning as if she found this scene interesting, while Penelia’s eyes were darting around as if she didn’t know what to do.

Looking further away, I could even see Father being scolded by Mother. Erich and Sarah weren’t even worth mentioning, and the head butler who was beside me had fled to the far end of the corridor.

It was hopeless. In this hell, no one was on my side.

I was too careless.

It was only now when the situation came to this that I realized that a more meticulous plan was needed to hide the truth.

If I’d handled this alone, there wouldn’t have been so many loose ends. But this had been a joint operation between Father and me. However, we communicated so little that I only learned today that Father had already been caught by Mother. With such sloppy teamwork, disaster was inevitable.

We were too complacent. Neither Father nor I had much experience in working collaboratively with others. Even if we did, we were used to subordinates accommodating us, not cooperating with equals. Was this the side effect of holding high-ranking positions?

“...I’m sorry.”

In the end, I bowed and declared my surrender under the attacks coming from all directions.

I am guilty. I will accept the judgment of my wives...

***The impromptu hearing ended smoothly with my pitiful surrender.

Sure, they were annoyed I’d planned to hide the injury completely and that I’d brazenly lied by saying, ‘I was waiting to tell you face-to-face.’ But in the end, I did tell the truth. There were many problems with the process, but the result itself wasn’t an issue.

So, my lovers sighed and retreated back to Mother’s side. If I had kept my mouth shut until the end and been caught, I’d have been sliced into pieces like C/a/r/l K/r/a/s/i/u/s, but I survived.

Thank goodness.

I was sincerely relieved. If I’d made even one wrong move, I’d have been fried by Beatrix’s thunderbolt.

“I’m sorry.”

Father, who had somehow approached my side, spoke in a complicated voice.

“It’s okay. I didn’t do anything right, either.”

I shook my head slightly as I answered.

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t blamed him a bit, but I understood after the ordeal. Father was just as weak against Mother as I was against my lovers. Seeing my future, I couldn’t criticize him.

Moreover, Father being caught by Mother was a variable I didn’t expect. Mother’s information network was apparently even more terrifying than I’d imagined. How did she even find out about an injury classified as military intelligence?

“...The best thing would be to have nothing to hide in the first place. But next time, let’s just come clean immediately.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

I agreed without hesitation to this heartfelt suggestion.

Mother’s unidentifiable information network and the information network of six lovers, including a duchess.

.. I had no confidence in maintaining secrets against these networks.

If that were possible, I’d be the Executive Manager of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Father nodded at my answer, then took out his communication crystal and started writing something.

Soon, my communication crystal vibrated briefly.

“You should know this, too.”

“Pardon?”

Wondering what he meant, I took out my crystal to see Father had sent a message. Wait, why send a message when we were right in front of each other?

What’s this?

The content was confusing as well. There were just teleportation coordinates written briefly, without any other text.

“It’s a lake near the capital. The scenery is nice and the water is clear, perfect for fishing. Only council members visit, so you don’t need to worry about prying eyes.”

As if reading my confusion, he quickly added a series of explanations. Good accessibility near the capital, picturesque surroundings perfect for relaxing, and minimal public presence besides a few imperial council members. He listed several reasonable-sounding benefits, but the summary was simple:

It was a hideaway. A refuge where Father and other council members escaped whenever trouble arose.

Fishing.

My gaze instinctively went to Father’s shoes.

Come to think of it, hadn’t he missed greeting my lovers and me when we visited the mansion earlier this year because he had gone fishing? Although he insisted it was due to work-related stress, Mother had scolded him mercilessly over the incident—not just once, either.

I guess it was a hideaway with quite the history and tradition.

“I guess I need to learn how to fish first.”

“I can teach you, so don’t worry. We can go together when our schedules align.”

That sounded somewhat ominous. Would our schedules match because we both had free time, or would we be forced to meet there after being kicked out by our respective wives?

If it was the latter, then I might actually cry.

***The banquet celebrating Billy and Carl’s safe return was held grandly. Although invitation cards weren’t sent to other families, its scale was larger than any recent banquet prepared by the Krasius family.

There weren’t many people in the banquet hall, but that was fine. It was a family affair, so family members alone were enough, and I’d already instructed our loyal servants to take turns enjoying the festivities as well.

Still, as the lady of the household, it was my duty to oversee the comfort of even our few guests. But seeing Billy and Carl whispering in one corner made me want to sigh.

It’s good that they’ve become close, but...

An indescribably complex emotion welled up. A father and son who once couldn’t even share a decent conversation now looked like a normal family. Whether Billy had become more open or Carl had finally forgiven our past faults, it was certainly a positive change.

However, as their relationship grew closer and they became an ordinary father and son, strange downsides also surfaced.

Blood really is thicker than water.

I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Black hair, black eyes, a somewhat blunt personality—there were many elements proving that Carl was Billy’s son.

And now, Billy’s carelessness had begun to show in Carl as well.

He didn’t need to take after that.

Carl was as careless as Billy. If they were going to work together to hide something, then they should’ve at least coordinated their stories first.

They’re too alike.

But my bitter smile gradually turned into a natural one. This was also a part of Carl’s personality that I couldn’t properly see until now. The fact that I now knew that personality meant that I was also facing Carl’s complete self, right?

Indeed, today was a joyous day. There was a tiny commotion in the middle, but with a mood like this, I could easily overlook it.

“Nia.”

Laura approached and whispered softly as I was watching Billy and Carl huddle together.

“What are you doing alone? Why don’t you chat with your daughters-in-law?”

“It’s fine. We’ve already spoken plenty. I don’t want to overwhelm them.”

At those words, Laura pondered something and then carefully nodded.

Perhaps she was thinking of when she had just gotten married. Wanting to get close to her mother-in-law but still feeling awkward—that was how daughters-in-law were at that stage.

“But, speaking of family, shouldn’t you be with Sarah? It’s been a long time since you last saw her.”

When I countered her with ‘Why are you here instead of with your daughter?’, Laura chuckled and glanced to one side.

Following her gaze, I couldn’t help but smile even more.

“She’ll hate me forever if I get between them now.”

I nodded, fully understanding her meaning. Erich and Sarah were happily chatting while enjoying dessert together. If Laura interrupted them now, she’d undoubtedly earn her daughter’s irritation.

“I just hope Erich finds a good match soon, too.”

“Carl is only just getting married now, so let’s not be hasty.”

I was about to nod again when something felt off. I turned to Laura, puzzled. She knew Sarah had feelings for Erich, so it was strange to hear her speak so calmly.

Noticing my confusion, Laura offered a bitter smile and shook her head.

“It seems Erich still doesn’t know.”

“Ah.”

I couldn’t help but sigh at her words, which implied that there was no point in rushing.

How is it possible?

I let out a small sigh. My husband, the eldest son, and the second son were all strange in some way. They were clearly remarkable in their own ways, yet somehow all so oblivious when it came to certain things.

It’s fortunate she’s at the Academy.

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind. It was truly fortunate that Sarah was at the Academy. Had Erich and Sarah been physically apart, their relationship might have been hopeless. Could Sarah have known this and forced herself to enter the Academy?

That theory seemed plausible. I’d worried endlessly when Sarah first expressed her desire to enroll, but thinking about it now, she had made a wise and courageous decision for her own future.

But then again, the thought of Erich’s cluelessness made my heart sink.

What is it with the Krasius family?

I could only hope that this flaw wouldn’t be passed down to the next generation.