She walked to the window and looked out over the duchy below. Her reflection stared back at her from the glass.
For the first ti in years, there was anger there. A pure, helpless anger.
"A phoenix aura," she said, to the window rather than to Cathy. "A Final Ignition technique that pushed peak Arch Mage to his limit."
It ca out low and controlled but the control was doing visible work now. The pleasant lody of her earlier tone was entirely gone.
She paused then spoke again,
"Aldric... Who has served this family for twenty years was sohow hiding his real power."
Cathy said nothing.
"And my husband," Louisa continued, "has decided to change the plan."
She turned from the window.
"Which ans Liam’s plan to present Marcus as the obvious successor during the King’s visit is not simply complicated. It is finished."
tap tap tap
She tapped the window fra impatiently.
"What was Liam’s reaction," she asked. "Specifically."
Cathy considered her words before speaking.
"My lord was quiet for a long ti after I finished the report. Then he said that the previous plan was no longer viable and called for the faction pillars." She paused. "He did not seem angry. He seed..."
"Careful," Louisa repeated.
"Yes, my lady. Careful."
At that, Louisa nodded slowly.
"Which ans he is already building sothing new."
She moved back to her chair and sat down. Her posture had returned to full composure. The frustration was still there, but so was the trust in her husband that he would not simply sit back and let this happen.
"He will not tell what it is until he has decided. He never does."
She then looked at Cathy directly.
"Did you manage to seduce him," she asked.
At that question, Cathy’s mind imdiately rushed back to the mont in the garden when she had felt the young lord’s murderous intent. A brief but chilling shiver ran down her spine before she managed to compose herself.
"No, my lady," she answered honestly, bowing her head lower. "I am sorry."
Louisa’s face twisted with clear displeasure. It seed as if everything was working against her.
Cathy continued quickly. "I apologize, my lady. I am doing my best. But he does not look at . Not even for a mont."
".."
"When I am near him, he looks at the way a person looks at sothing entirely beneath their attention. Like an ant crossing the floor."
tap tap tap
Louisa tapped her foot impatiently against the floor.
"That is a problem," she murmured.
She looked at Cathy with a asured expression.
"You are certainly beautiful. I selected you precisely because of that and because I trust your capabilities in this area more than anyone else available to ." She folded her hands in her lap. "So the failure is not yours specifically. Which ans sothing else is at work."
She studied Cathy’s face. She could see the hesitation written clearly across them.
"Go on," she said. "You have sothing you want to say. I can see it. Say it."
Cathy hesitated for one more mont. Then she bowed her head slightly.
"My lady, if I am not overstepping my boundaries—"
"You are not," Louisa said. "Speak."
Cathy straightened slightly.
"Lord Kraven has a notorious reputation within this castle," she began carefully. "He has a habit of preying on won—regardless of whether they are young or old, married or unmarried, or even their status. I’m sure you’re aware of a particularly troubling incident where the young lord forced a married maid to sleep with him simply because he found her attractive."
Louisa raised her brow.
"But since his return, he no longer shows the sa level of open desire toward other won. Not toward , not toward the maids and not even toward any of the female servants I have observed him interact with."
She t Louisa’s eyes.
"It is my assessnt that he has learned to suppress a significant portion of that desire. Or at minimum, to control its outward expression."
Louisa nodded slowly, absorbing the words.
What Cathy said made sense. When soone walked the path of magic seriously, they often learned to suppress their desires and calm their minds. That was one of the basic foundations of cultivation — a calm mind and a deep connection to the surrounding mana.
It was not an unreasonable conclusion. Desire was the most disruptive emotional noise most cultivators encountered. Anyone who had genuinely advanced as rapidly as Kraven had to learn to suppress it sooner than later.
"You are certain?" she asked.
"Yes, my lady," Cathy nodded.
"When I pressed his hand against my breast and made my approach as direct as I could, he looked at with sothing close to disgust."
".."
"I have also observed him from distance on several occasions since you gave this task. His gaze does not follow the maids. There is none of the behavior the rumors described."
Louisa leaned back in her chair, processing the information.
"That changes the calculation," she said.
"Yes, my lady. But—" Cathy stopped.
Louisa looked at her. "But?"
"There are exceptions," Cathy said.
Louisa’s brow rose slightly.
Cathy continued carefully. "The suppression is not perfect. There remain specific individuals toward whom he still carries sothing. It is subtle and he controls it well. But it is present and I have observed it directly on multiple occasions."
"Who?" Louisa asked, her interest piquing imdiately.
Cathy held her gaze.
"Duchess Olivia," she said. "And Lady Vanessa."
The room was quiet.
Louisa looked at Cathy for a long mont without speaking. Cathy saw no surprise in her expression; it seed her lady had already figured it out on her own. But now that it had been confird, Louisa was more certain.
"So the obsession is not gone," she said.
"Not entirely, my lady," Cathy simply nodded.
Louisa let out a soft, humorless laugh.
"So the little pervert grew so self-control," she muttered. "How inconvenient."
She stood up and walked over to the window again, staring out into the dark duchy.
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