Gacha Kingdom Building

Guided by the house's maid, we arrived at the cabinet where Duke Albris' body lay still in his chair.

The room was completely silent, the curtains blocked most of the sunlight from entering and the man's expression remained cold and calm with a slight smile still on his face.

Somber, yet, a peaceful visage.

The first maid to discover the body had hurriedly called for Pamela, who was sitting in a chair, silently gazing at the corpse of her late husband when Isabella and I first arrived at the scene.

Isabella's two brothers, Lenard and Albert, were missing, but house servants had already been sent to bring them.

Isabella: "Miwen..."

Miwen: "I'm sorry. Let's wait downstairs for now, alright?"

Her arms were trembling. When she looked at me, I saw the reddish tint of her eyes as she held back her tears.

Isabella: "...Can you call Agatha? I trust her"

Miwen: "Right. I'll call her. And once your brothers arrive, I'll explain everything."

Isabella: "Honestly?"

Miwen: "Honestly. I promise."

Although I don't usually give her the answers so easily, this situation was far too cruel and unfair to her without me meddling in it.

Frankly, there was nothing to be discovered or gained from it.

It was a hateful waste of time.

But even though I knew that, I couldn't bear to go against her wishes.

Even if it was meaningless, as long as it put her at ease, even a little bit, then... That alone had its own value.

Thankfully, she listened to me, and after I called Agatha to take a look, we went downstairs and waited for her brothers.

As we had done before, Albert ran to the office where his father was, leaving a few minutes later accompanied by Pamela and Agatha.

Agatha: "Duke Albris' cause of death was exsanguination. The wound in his chest suggests the use of a sharp object, most likely a knife. Suicide is unlikely given the location and angle of the wound, but... There was no sign of struggle in the room. Hm... The time of death should've been a few hours ago. I'd say about 2 a.m. Would you like me to take a blood sample to test for poison? It would take a while, but..."

Miwen: "It's not necessary. Thanks, Agatha."

She was thorough, but there wasn't much to be found.

Still, her explanation was concise and as precise as possible. It at least put everyone on the same page since a few other servants had joined us with time.

Miwen: "Now, let me explain Duke Albris-"

Albert: "What is there to explain? It's obvious what happened. Lenard killed Father. Why do you think he's missing?"

...The circumstance seemed to indicate that, yes.

Even without Agatha's explanations, it was pretty obvious that an assassination had occurred within the premises of the house.

There weren't many clues, but if we were to search for a culprit, Lenard would top the list due to having the best motive.

In the case of Albris' death, he would inherit most, if not all, of the Evretis' territory.

Since the timing was so close to the end of his school activities, it brought the possibility of him believing himself an adult, and taking matters into his own hands.

Agatha left it aside, but his sword was also within the cabinet. And yes, there was blood in it.

It was all circumstantial, but when put together, it started to look a little damning.

To make things worse, the man in question was nowhere to be found.

Since he had been seen yesterday, the staff assumed that he had left the mansion sometime when everyone was asleep.

This would be extremely suspicious. Especially since it would remove his alibi for the time of death.

It would also, however, be quite strange.

If he were to try and kill his father to usurp his position, it would probably be less suspicious to stay within the mansion and help investigations or throw them off.

Albert: "Maybe he fled to the capital. He might be trying to gather support from the Royal Family. He could even try to blame us and argue he escaped to protect his life as the next likely target..."

Hm... I thought I had found a hole in his story, but all things considered, it was an impressive excuse.

Pretty believable, and it even raised the tension.

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But it didn't matter.

I made a promise to Isabella, so I wasn't going to turn this situation into a murder mystery of anything of the sort.

Albert: "We need to go after Lenard. I'll send some knights to-"

If Lenard was the culprit, it would be a great idea, but...

Miwen: "No, you'll not. No one will be leaving the residence today."

Albert: "Who do you think you are?! This is between our family! Make way!"

Isabella: "...Albert? That's..."

Albert is the type to care about his family, but...

He solves conflicts with words and threats rather than his fists.

Isabella quickly noticed that he wasn't acting as his usual self.

Thankfully, he wasn't strong enough to move me away, and once Mia politely forced him back on his chair, he stopped trying to act rashly.

Albert: "What do you suggest then? We need to act quickly."

That was true.

I ordered the girls to quickly secure the residence, and within minutes, they had gathered everyone into the room.

Unfortunately, without Elizabeth or the Valkyries with us, I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel and summon girls like Raella and Jackie, who, while having some fighting potential, tend to lean more toward the peaceful side.

Miwen: "The first thing we have to understand is Duke Albris."

Albert: "...?"

He is an interesting man. Aside from his brother, Terith's current king, his lineage doesn't matter too much.

From what I've heard, after the passing of their father, due to the vast territory, both his sons ended up inheriting some land. The younger child, Albris, inherited the Dukedom of Evretis, the land to the south.

During his independent reign, Albris conquered a few tribes to the south, but the thing that marked this period was his affair, which led to the birth of his bastard daughter, Isabella.

Albris, who was already married and with two sons, seemed to be a promising ruler, but this mistake generated a lot of distrust.

It was a permanent stain on his reputation that stirred up the nobles and forced him to lower his head to his brother, becoming his vassal.

Quite a blunder...

At least, if it was one.

Isabella: "Miwen... Explain. Please."

Miwen: "Of course..."

Like everyone, Isabella seemed quite confused by this, after all, her birth was a tragedy that had cost her father everything he had inherited and built, including his own reputation.

And that's the part that hurts.

Tragical as it was, Isabella's birth as a bastard child was planned by Albris.

His objective was to damage his reputation. It is why he so promptly accepted her into the family.

Not because he loved or felt anything for Isabella, but because he welcomed the damage it did to his reputation and the anger it caused in the noble families.

It was his objective all along.

To stir the nobles and inflame their already existing doubts about the division of territory between Terith and Evretis.

He knew there was already dissatisfaction with the state of things due to the Hamperlon menace, so this was the perfect chance to unite the lands once again.

It is also possible that the wars waged against the tribes in the south were done with the same purpose.

In any case, his plan worked perfectly, and he was formally invited to join Terith as the Duke of Evretis.

The only problem was that he was still far away from his rightful position.

After all, he had become a vassal.

But for Duke Albris, that didn't matter.

He had one weapon he could use to usurp any position he wanted.

Albert: "What are you saying..."

He was starting to get more agitated, but I continued.

Miwen: "There was one way for Albris to obtain the unquestionable right to both Evretis and Terith. All he needed to do was have both families produce an heir. In this case, it just so happens that his bastard child ended up being a daughter, and on the side of his brother, a male was born."

Isabella: "...You're saying my father wanted me to marry Edmond?"

Miwen: "Yes, and produce a child."

As for how that would help him... That's the part that my heart strongly tries to refute.

It should be impossible for someone to be so cruel, but...

Miwen: "Your father's ability allows him to create an astral projection of himself. Not only that, he can take the place of anyone he kills using said astral projection."

Isabella: "...No... You're kidding... Right?"

I believe that...

Duke Albris planned to use his Gift to kill Isabella's child with Edmond in the future.

The only reason why he changed his plans was due to, ironically, Sabrina's interference.

Edmond and her have been getting closer and spending a lot of time together. It's clear they are interested in one another, and many rumors have already spread.

I'm sure Duke Albris has also heard a few of them.

A child between the two of them would be harder for him to touch, so... He changed his plans a little, and attacked Albert, taking his place.

Miwen: "Isn't that right?"

Albert: "It's preposterous. Knight-"

Pamela: "Stand."

Albert: "....!? What are you doing!? I said-"

Woah.

Is this any way to treat your mother?

Or... wife. I guess.

Miwen: "You are such a terrible man. You doomed an innocent girl, your daughter. Used her as a convenient tool to disrupt the image of a strong and honorable house of Evretis. To lower yourselves enough... Do you have any idea how much this family suffered because of you? And for what? Because you weren't man enough to kill your brother?"

Albris received his Gift at a young age, but... It didn't corrupt the love he felt for his brother.

It only corrupted his plans for the future.

This family... He never cared about any of them.

Albert and Lenard were only his replacements.

Isabella was just too convenient due to her ability to cause problems and generate bad opinions about herself.

Even his wife... Her only purpose was to bear the children he was going to use.

If anything, she was the true thorn in his side since she cared so much about preserving the house's image.

But the worst thing... is what would have happened if he had succeeded.

In Sabrina's route, this chapter is basically skipped since she has no involvement.

After her pilgrimage, she comes back to the academy and discovers that Albert and Lenard have both renounced their family and their claims, fully dedicating themselves to their jobs.

Added to the death of Duke Albris and Isabella's rise as the Duchess of Evretis, rumors start about her being responsible for her father's death and manipulating her brothers into forfeiting their positions.

Of course, the Royal Family never discloses the results of their investigation, as their own reputation could be damaged by Albris' plans and actions.

However, by playing as Isabella and reaching this part, we get to experience the truth behind the events.

And well... It just so happens that Isabella's bad luck disrupted everything.

In an ironic twist, the luck that had darkened her fate so much circled around and caused her to witness the moment Albris' projection tried to kill Albert.

Of course, it was still bad luck. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

But thanks to it, Albert was able to protect himself, and together with her brother, they confronted their father, eventually fighting for their freedom against him.

The discovery of the truth behind most of her life messes her head though...

She becomes way colder. Way less hopeful.

This event is also known as the birth of the Umbral Duchess.

Isabella turns into a much more manipulative and cruel woman who is not afraid of hurting others.

She fights more fiercely for what she wants. Punishes those who get in her way.

It's like a fire inside her has died. But it's also like a cold storm was unleashed.

I could only hope that our actions have prevented this-

Albert: "You don't have any proof. Even if all of it were true, why would I attack Albert and not Lenard? He is the-"

Miwen: "That one is obvious. When you kill someone in astral projection, your body suffers the same damage. It is why you have a stab wound in your previous body. And so, if you had to choose one of the brothers, you had to put yourself in the best position. Lenard is just the most likely culprit between the two of them. If Albert were to kill you, he would... Not get as much. As for proof... Here you go, Albris."

With the snap of my fingers, both Lenard and Albert are summoned from the Kingdom.

Just to confirm which one was the real one, I pointed my fingers at both of them and released water magic at their faces.

Albris' makeup was undone, revealing someone strikingly similar to Albert, albeit a little bit more handsome.

Isabella: "Albert! You're fine!"

Albert: "Stand behind us, Isa..."

Albris: "How... I was sure I had..."

Miwen: "We had a lot of time to prepare. Sucks we had to sacrifice someone to get you red-handed, but... It's better than the alternative."

Letting Albris' plans come to fruition...

Letting Isabella shoulder this by herself...

I couldn't allow either of them.

Albris' reaction was as expected.

The only way out for him now was to kill all the witnesses.

But even his astral projection, which is quite annoying in the game since it can't be damaged and has to be avoided and waited out, was useless due to Apollo and Raella's presence.

The two of them could actually damage it and protect us from it, probably a result of them also existing as a different life form that is a little closer to the other side.

His body was quickly dealt with. The girls unleashed way more magic than necessary in what felt like their own feelings being released at the man.

Once his projection faded, he had nothing left, and his existence came to an end.

As for Isabella... she asked me to be alone.

She said that she needed time to process everything that had happened.

That night, she came into my room.

She asked me about my family.

She imagined I had been raised in a bad place.

As much as I wanted to sympathize with her, I had to deny it.

My family, although it had its problems, was composed only of good people who loved each other.

I was the only rotten fruit in that basket.

Isabella: "...Sorry. I think I envy you. I wish I had something like that..."

She couldn't look at me in the eyes when saying that.

Up until the last moment, I knew what this was going to mean to her.

There was no way I could protect her from it. No way I could impede it.

If I killed her father before he did any of that, she would never understand or believe me.

It was hard, but it was the only way.

And still, all I could was reassure her.

That things were going to be fine.

That she was strong.

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And that...

Miwen: "You already have. We are here for you."

On the next day, the Umbral Duchess was born.