She walked to the window and looked out over the duchy below. Her reflection stared back at her from the glass.

For the first time 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 came out low and controlled but the control was doing visible work now. The pleasant melody of her earlier tone was entirely gone.

She paused then spoke again,

"Aldric... Who has served this family for twenty years was somehow hiding his real power."

Cathy said nothing.

"And my husband," Louisa continued, "has decided to change the plan."

She turned from the window.

"Which means 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 frame impatiently.

"What was Liam’s reaction," she asked. "Specifically."

Cathy considered her words before speaking.

"My lord was quiet for a long time 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 seemed..."

"Careful," Louisa repeated.

"Yes, my lady. Careful."

At that, Louisa nodded slowly.

"Which means he is already building something 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 me 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 immediately rushed back to the moment 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 seemed 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 me. Not even for a moment."

".."

"When I am near him, he looks at me the way a person looks at something 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 measured 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 me." She folded her hands in her lap. "So the failure is not yours specifically. Which means something else is at work."

She studied Cathy’s face. She could see the hesitation written clearly across them.

"Go on," she said. "You have something you want to say. I can see it. Say it."

Cathy hesitated for one more moment. 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 women—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 same level of open desire toward other women. Not toward me, not toward the maids and not even toward any of the female servants I have observed him interact with."

She met Louisa’s eyes.

"It is my assessment 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 someone 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 me with something close to disgust."

".."

"I have also observed him from distance on several occasions since you gave me 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 something. 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 immediately.

Cathy held her gaze.

"Duchess Olivia," she said. "And Lady Vanessa."

The room was quiet.

Louisa looked at Cathy for a long moment without speaking. Cathy saw no surprise in her expression; it seemed her lady had already figured it out on her own. But now that it had been confirmed, 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 some self-control," she muttered. "How inconvenient."

She stood up and walked over to the window again, staring out into the dark duchy.