Seeing Kiole blink blankly, as if he truly didn’t understand what was being said, Yuder thought:

'So prejudice can hold this much power.'

The first time he met Madam Bishu, Yuder had felt an ominous air from her—something almost akin to a murderous aura. She had let them in because she recognized who Kiole was, but it didn’t feel like her decision was rooted in kindness.

As if to confirm that suspicion, Madam Bishu had led them into a room where even the light barely reached. Even after they sat down, she offered them nothing to drink and went straight into conversation. Her words directed at Kiole were laced with subtle, menacing thorns.

It wasn’t the attitude one would expect from an ordinary aged servant. In Yuder’s eyes, Madam Bishu was testing Kiole.

'She didn’t flinch when she heard that Duke Diarca had collapsed. She already seemed to know Kiole’s purpose and answer. So she really was the ‘gatekeeper’ of this place.'

Duke Diarca wouldn’t trust anyone but himself, yet even he must’ve seen the need to post a gatekeeper in front of his secret vault. So then—who would he have deemed most suitable for the role?

Before setting off to help Kiole, Kishiar had speculated that, if such a person existed, they would need to meet a few conditions:

Someone who wouldn’t touch the contents of the vault even if they knew what was inside.

Someone who, in an emergency, could destroy the vault itself and wouldn’t be seriously questioned or would be capable of bearing the consequences.

Someone who was both intimately close to Duke Diarca and yet distant enough to remain uninvolved.

And above all, someone capable of thoroughly protecting the vault’s location.

Surprisingly, Madam Bishu—the former nursemaid of Kiole’s mother, Langretsi la Diarca—fit those criteria rather well. Kishiar had wondered whether such a person could truly exist, and the fact that she did was honestly astonishing.

'When Nathan Zuckerman investigated from the outside, she was someone no one knew existed. Even the old servants of House Dilejian didn’t remember her, nor did Kiole. Which means she likely kept a very low profile even while Langretsi was still alive.'

On the surface, she was just Langretsi’s nursemaid. But what was her true identity? Given Langretsi’s background, there was one possible explanation that came to mind.

'A relative of the family that sent Langretsi as a golden cuckoo.'

Yes. If she were one of those, it wouldn’t be strange for her to devote herself to protecting the secrets hidden here for so long.

There would be no better place to hide something than beside someone who still guards things that are already gone, things no longer needing protection.

As Kiole and Madam Bishu continued their conversation, Yuder glanced over and saw Kishiar watching them closely. Feeling Yuder’s gaze, Kishiar turned his head and gave a faint smile, nodding slightly.

That reaction confirmed that he, too, had come to the same conclusion.

If Madam Bishu had given up on testing Kiole or had tried to drive them out, Yuder was ready to knock her unconscious on the spot. In fact, there had been a moment in the middle where he had prepared to do exactly that using the power of wind. But surprisingly, Kiole achieved his goal before it came to that.

That eternally arrogant expression that resembled Duke Diarca no matter the situation.

That dullness that prevented him from grasping the true intent behind anyone’s words.

The combination of those two traits completed the image of Duke Diarca’s son—one who “clearly doesn’t know a damn thing, but still gives off the impression that he secretly does.”

Earlier, Kiole had said:

— “No matter how hard I try, I just can’t remember you. Did you know my mother? When did we meet?”

Madam Bishu likely believed Kiole had already seen through her true identity and was probing her. That’s why she vaguely admitted that while she was indeed Langretsi’s nursemaid, she was a rather unusual one.

— “Did Father give you permission as well?”

This next question sounded like he was asking why, even knowing who she really was, Duke Diarca had continued to maintain a cooperative relationship with her, and how deep that relationship went. After a pause, Madam Bishu had replied, “He acknowledged that there’s no one who could maintain Lady Eshi’s room as well as I can.” Which implied that her presence here was solely to protect Langretsi’s secrets—and her connection to Duke Diarca was merely secondary.

Kiole, still clueless, had simply replied, “Then I’ll call you Madam Bishu too,” but that came across as a statement so arrogant it suggested that even if he’d guessed her true identity, he saw her as no threat to him whatsoever. At that moment, Yuder carefully watched the way Madam Bishu’s eyes trembled faintly beneath her black veil.

Then, Kiole indirectly revealed that his reason for being here was to open Duke Diarca’s secret vault. Madam Bishu had already learned about the Diarca family’s current situation through her own channels. But she must’ve thought that it had nothing to do with what she was truly protecting—so she had not acted.

So how did it feel to have someone spell out, to her face, what Duke Diarca’s current situation was and what his own purpose here was?

'Wouldn’t that come across like a reprimand—telling her not to remain on the sidelines but to fulfill her duty?'

Even up to that point, Madam Bishu continued hesitating.

What finally shook her and brought her walls down was when Kiole added one decisive line: that he wanted to see traces of his mother.

Until now, Kiole had lived more as Duke Diarca’s son than as Langretsi Dilejian’s. But in that moment, he showed that wasn’t entirely true.

He was Langretsi’s son—and, going even further, the descendant of the parents to whom Madam Bishu’s true loyalty likely belonged. He showed he was aware of that fact, and that he was willing to acknowledge it more deeply from now on and learn more.

Even amid his arrogance, the brief flicker of genuine longing in his expression and tone was unmistakable. With that, he had clearly declared it—and asked for her help.

How must that have sounded to Madam Bishu, hearing such words from someone more suited than anyone else to recognize her long devotion and worth?

The ominous air she had long carried wavered greatly in that moment—perhaps because she had so deeply wished to hear those very words. For Kiole, who seemed destined to become a knight and live a life detached from his lineage, to return and say something like that—how much more shocking must that have been?

Yuder did not miss that fleeting moment when joy, unable to be fully hidden, spilled out over the black veil and mourning garb like sunlight.

With one offhand remark, Kiole had awakened an old, buried wish in Madam Bishu. The transformation happened in an instant. She looked at Kiole with a nostalgic gaze, let out a faint, deep sigh—

And then everything unfolded as expected. At the simple mention that Kiole was thirsty, Madam Bishu stood and went to prepare him tea at last. It was her silent way of acknowledging him as a proper “guest”—and of agreeing to help him.

'The moment she corrected herself earlier—not saying ‘the Duke’s son,’ but ‘Lady Eshi’s son’ instead—her weakness had already been revealed.'

It was laughable, but Kiole himself hadn’t understood any of the meaning behind this deeply significant exchange. Even if it were explained to him, he likely wouldn’t grasp why any of it had happened. Kishiar seemed to agree, as he told Kiole:

“The important thing to remember is that Madam Bishu becomes quietly pleased every time you act the way you do now. Just keep that in mind.”

“...Huh? She... does? Got it, I guess...”

Kiole answered, thoroughly confused.

Before long, Madam Bishu returned. The teacup she brought was far too luxurious for this old house, and the tea inside matched in quality.

“Please drink. It’s the Maynol tea Lady Eshi used to enjoy.”

“I didn’t know that. I like it too.” 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Kiole replied absentmindedly and drank. Again, beneath her veil, Madam Bishu’s eyes trembled faintly with joy she couldn’t suppress.

“I imagine it doesn’t taste as fine as the Maynol tea you had at home.”

“No. It’s excellent. Honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve had this... ahem!”

Kiole cut himself off with a hurried cough, apparently having started to reminisce about his life in hiding. He never imagined that Madam Bishu interpreted those words to mean he’d never had anything that reminded him of his mother in the Diarca household.

“I’m glad it suits your taste. While you enjoy it, I’ll tell you about some places in this mansion worth seeing. If, after a leisurely look around, you feel like viewing some of Lady Eshi’s traces, please call for me.”

“All right.”

“You may come across a servant with graying white hair while walking. He used to serve the Duke’s first wife before coming here. Even if he recognizes who you are, he might act rudely, insisting on rules, so be careful. He’s missing his left thumbnail—so he should be easy to identify.”

'...So not all the people in this house are under Madam Bishu’s wing.'

She even gave them this kind of intel?

Yuder’s brow lifted slightly for just a moment.