Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 160: The Master of My Master (5)

Katia Flameheart had visited the southwest of the continent.

For Katia herself, or for Dereck, it did not carry any particularly important meaning, but the other nobles who heard the news went on maximum alert.

Lately, both in the social circle and in the field of magical education in Ebelstein, the movements of Baron Ravenclaw had been receiving extraordinary attention.

And in the midst of all that, the appearance of someone capable of directly influencing Baron Ravenclaw near the social circle made it impossible for them not to react sensitively.

Countess Rodelia, who was holding the head of her beloved horse and stroking its mane, showed an expression of regret when she heard the report from the head butler.

“You’re saying she already crossed the gate and went straight through? I was already ready to cross the prairie immediately…”

“When the news reached us, it seems she had already passed the prairie area and was heading toward the territory of Ravenclaw. They say she is a person of swift action and detests unnecessary pomp; seen that way, it may have been intentional.”

“In the territory of Beltus they say that, as much as possible, they did comply with protocol. What a tremendous oversight.”

“Would you like us to prepare a separate gift?”

“Mm… I don’t know if she’s the kind of person who would receive it favorably. Let’s observe the situation first.”

“Understood.”

Countess Rodelia was someone who liked clarity in everything she did.

That was why the speed with which Katia had begun her journey and passed through the territory felt especially frustrating to her.

While Rodelia showed that disappointed expression, the butler continued with his report.

“It seems not everything is a cause for disillusionment. A report has arrived from the gate soldiers as if the heavens had helped; Miss Trisha encountered that mage there.”

“Oh? Trisha?”

“Yes. And moreover, they say she personally escorted her to the outer area of the territory. At the very least, couldn’t that be considered a minimal show of courtesy?”

At that unexpected news, Rodelia’s face lit up.

Considering Trisha’s usual behavior, there were aspects that worried her, but the fact that a young lady of the Renuel family had personally escorted her to the outside of the territory indicated that, at the very least, she had been treated with respect.

She must not yet have received detailed information about Katia, so it was strange that she had reacted so impeccably, but even so, Rodelia could not help but smile in satisfaction at her daughter’s foresight.

“Trisha, you say? Haha, I thought that, due to Hutton’s influence, she had a somewhat rough side, but in the end, as they grow, everyone matures. Becoming a disciple of Baron Ravenclaw, moving at just the right moment to help with protocol… I truly did have an excellent daughter.”

Rodelia let out a hearty laugh befitting a strong-willed woman and puffed out her chest with pride.

No matter what anyone said, Trisha was, at least in appearance, an elegant and distinguished young noble.

If she had acted with proper courtesy, it was very likely that Katia had left with a good impression of the Renuel family.

When Trisha returned, she would praise her.

Thinking that, Rodelia adjusted the reins of her horse again, the corners of her lips raised in good spirits.

“……That’s how it happened, Mother.”

The corners of Rodelia’s lips fell bitterly.

Pressing her fingers to her temple, she showed a gloomy expression, as if sunk in deep contemplation.

At the dining table, where a snack had been prepared to welcome Trisha after a long time, Rodelia occupied the main seat, frowning and letting out irritated sounds, wondering whether what she had just heard was truly real.

At that moment, the maid who had accompanied Trisha returned with a completely pale face to give her report.

“I-It’s a message from the magic master Katia Flameheart, of the Elvester family in the east. She says that thanks to Miss Trisha personally escorting her, many inconveniences were reduced and she received great help, so she expresses her gratitude. However, regarding the proposal to enter Miss Trisha’s service as a maid… she deeply regrets having to decline, as she originally belongs to Elvester… th-that is what she said…”

“You proposed that Katia Flameheart enter your service as a maid? To the direct master of Baron Ravenclaw…?”

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!”

If there was one redeeming quality in Trisha, it was that she did not lie about her mistakes and confessed immediately.

When Rodelia looked at her with fury, even fully grown men trembled in fear.

And Trisha, whose presence was nothing more than that of a small rodent before her mother, had no choice but to hold back tears and apologize the moment that tiger-like gaze fell upon her.

“I really wanted to explain many things, Mother. It’s just that… from the outside, anyone would have thought she was of humble origin… and given the situation, I had to get angry… and then… while talking, we understood each other quite well… she had great command of noble culture and a very sharp tongue, I got carried away by the atmosphere… and then…”

“Trisha. In my entire life, I have never seen anyone propose that the master of one’s master place herself under their command. I don’t know what reaction Baron Ravenclaw will have when he learns of this…”

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.”

Countess Rodelia pressed hard at her brow and let out a long sigh from deep in her abdomen.

One of the great objectives of the Renuel family was to bring Baron Ravenclaw under their influence.

Rodelia was a woman with a fierce obsession with attracting talent, even if it meant selling her soul to do so.

And Baron Ravenclaw was, among the minor nobles she had seen lately, the most exploitable of all.

‘I thought everything was going quite well, and just then my only daughter makes such a fatal mistake…’

If this news reached Dereck’s ears through Katia, it was certain that he would feel deeply offended.

After having built a relatively cordial relationship, they could not allow it to fracture over something like this.

“Trisha……”

“Hiiek…!”

Seeing Trisha clutch her shoulders with tears in her eyes, Rodelia adopted a fierce, beast-like expression and spoke with a voice heavy with pressure.

“We’ll have to fix this, won’t we?”

“Yes!!!!!!!”

***

“On the way, I ran into two of your disciples. They seem like good girls.”

“Are you referring to Miss Trisha and Miss Denise?”

“Yes. Both have quite strong personalities. You must have been through a lot.”

“That’s not the case. Both of them have some knowledge of magic, so what I have to teach them isn’t all that complex.”

“Magic, perhaps… but…”

As they crossed the main gate of Baron Ravenclaw’s mansion, Katia showed a complex expression.

Dereck observed her in silence, but she seemed slightly worried.

Katia was a person close to perfection.

A mature three-star mage, with a level almost equivalent to four stars, vast knowledge of the social world, keen insight, and a remarkable ability to deal with people.

When someone fell under her critical gaze, most young noblewomen ended up revealing their true nature.

With Trisha, there was no need to say it, and even Denise, as cunning as a serpent, let part of her depths show before Katia’s eyes.

Just by seeing how, every time Dereck’s name came up, she would open her eyes wide and start asking endless questions, it was evident that she did not see him merely as her master.

From that point on, the matter became delicate even for Katia.

Beyond the relationship between master and disciple, she had cared for Dereck almost with a mother’s heart.

Because of that, from then on, she had no choice but to sharpen her hearing.

“From what I heard, there’s a baroness named Pheline, isn’t there?”

“…”

“You said she came from the mercenaries and that, since she had practically no awareness of status, there was no one more suitable to serve in name only as your wife. But don’t think that kind of benevolent deception can be maintained forever. It’s an overly naïve way of acting.”

“Master…”

“Don’t take this as a simple scolding. Among the nobility, the matter of a partner can be a question of life or death.”

In Katia’s eyes, always gentle and relaxed, a spark seemed to ignite.

Dereck was already old enough.

He was attractive and capable—there was no way the women of the social circle would leave him alone.

Of course, he was also aware of that, and that was why he had placed Pheline as a wife in name only—but that measure was reaching its limit.

More and more people were beginning to realize that Pheline was nothing more than a nominal baroness, someone who did not care at all about noble authority or about relationships between men and women.

So he could not continue handling things that way indefinitely.

“Dereck… tell me the truth. Among the people of the social circle you associate with, can you truly assure me that there isn’t a single one with bad intentions?”

Just by seeing the special interest Denise showed toward him, Katia had already sensed it.

Around Dereck, there had to be, without a doubt, people watching him with greedy eyes, waiting for an opportunity to snatch him away.

She could not allow her disciple—no, her son—to be taken by wild serpents from anywhere.

The social world was full of vipers capable of swallowing a man without batting an eye.

“…”

Dereck could not answer with certainty.

He had already noticed the affection of some women, but he had always deflected it by using Pheline as an excuse.

Whatever the case, he lived obsessed with magic and deeply feared that unnecessary relationships would complicate his position.

That was why he was grateful to have an almost deceitful excuse like Pheline.

In return, he never forgot to send her high-quality fruits on a regular basis.

However, no matter how much he tried, he could not deceive Katia’s eyes.

She firmly grasped his shoulder and, in a way unusual for her, looked at him with burning intensity.

“Dereck. Your dedication to raising your magical level may be one of your greatest charms, but don’t forget that forming a stable household with a good partner is also something truly valuable. I want you to live a happy life.”

“Master… I appreciate your advice, but…”

“I’m not forcing you. I’m just telling you to be careful with the women of the social circle, as venomous as snakes. You know it well in that world, you are a top-tier target, someone anyone would drool over. Don’t fall easily.”

How many times had she seen experienced noblewomen ensnare distinguished young knights?

She did not believe Dereck would fall so easily, but the world always held surprises.

Even though Dereck was already old enough, in Katia’s eyes he still looked like that boy who wandered the poor districts.

That was how mothers usually were.

“Anyway, let’s leave the details for after we enter the mansion. You said you prepared plenty of good alcohol, and just thinking about it makes this aging body recover a bit of vitality.”

“Let’s store the carriage in the depot first.”

“That we shall… hmm.”

At the mention of the carriage, Katia brought a hand to her chin and reflected for a moment before speaking.

“By the way, besides me, there is another guest. Listen without getting startled.”

“…That was to be expected.”

The faces of the family members who were watching the carriage coming from behind gradually tensed.

From that battered vehicle, which they had thought carried nothing but insignificant luggage, descended a young woman in a splendid dress, assisted by her attendants.

With her eyes half-lidded, as if everything were a bother, she raised her gaze toward the Ravenclaw mansion and then looked at Dereck with a smile of apparent familiarity.

“We meet again. It’s been a while, and it seems your status has changed quite a bit since then.”

She let out a restrained laugh, handed a large bag to an attendant, and stretched lazily.

Her silver hair, of a soft tone, fell over her shoulders, and the mint-colored ribbons adorning her two braids swayed gently.

She had already met Dereck once, quite some time ago.

She had been a guest during the great tragedy of the Duplain family.

In the eastern social circle, she was treated like a queen, and she was a direct disciple of Katia.

The young Countess Freya, of the Elvester family.

“I smell bread…”

With a gentle and relaxed expression, openly showing her appetite, that young woman was a mage who had learned illusion-type magic directly from Katia.

And, moreover, she was the junior disciple of Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet