"The management of this castle’s household affairs is entirely under my authority. I have never granted that authority to you, Lady Elaik."
For the first time, Fiora looked visibly flustered.
"I am merely advising you on what a noble household ought to have. Open your eyes and look around. This castle is so shabby and provincial."
Her husband quickly chimed in, supporting her.
"Exactly. The Baroness of Halo may still be young and inexperienced, but maintaining dignity as the head of the estate is crucial. As elders of the family, we are offering you this advice for your own good, and you would do well to heed it."
Penelope had to stifle a laugh.
What, so if I hand over the reins, you’ll bleed the place dry, down to the last coin?
At first, she had planned to watch quietly to see how Fiora and her husband would behave. But their intentions were so transparent—and so laughably foolish—that she found herself reconsidering.
"As I said, you are merely guests of this castle, Lady Elaik. I am the rightful master of Halo Castle. I ask that you show the proper respect to its lord."
"That is preposterous!" Fiora’s eyes widened indignantly.
"I am Jake’s aunt! I am the elder of the Halo family! How dare you demand that I show you respect? That’s absurd!"
"Why is it absurd? I sit here as the acting lord of Halo, a position granted by the Empire’s laws. In case you’re unaware, when a lord passes away, their spouse is granted the title of acting lord."
"How dare you...!"
Fiora clamped her mouth shut, glaring daggers at Penelope. Her husband, sensing the tension, intervened.
"Your aunt is in a fragile state, grieving over her nephew’s death. How can you be so cruel and heartless toward someone in such a condition?"
"Oh my, my aunt? Where is my aunt? I wasn’t aware I had one," Penelope replied in an overly innocent tone, feigning confusion.
Fiora may have been her late husband’s aunt, but she was nothing to Penelope. With her husband gone, any familial connection between them had been severed.
Realizing the implication, Fiora’s face flushed crimson with humiliation.
This is too easy.
Penelope flashed Fiora a sweet smile.
"You’ve come to visit the late Baron Halo’s grave, so you’re welcome to stay for one night. However, I won’t extend my hospitality further, so I expect you to leave tomorrow."
Her firm declaration left Fiora speechless, unable to muster even a word in response.
***
Fiora stormed into her guest room, fuming with rage.
"This is outrageous! How can a woman with no proper lineage possibly claim the lofty position of Halo’s lord?"
"She's clearly scheming to take the entire estate for herself! I underestimated her youth, but she’s as sly as a fox!"
Fiora's husband, Kendal, was just as enraged.
The couple, who had been living in a neighboring impoverished territory, had rushed to Halo upon hearing rumors that the estate had become prosperous.
When they arrived, they found the rumors to be true. The town center and market were bustling with people, and workshops were thriving with activity.
"How did the Halo estate, which was on the verge of collapse, develop so much? What on earth happened?"
The reasons didn’t matter to them.
Fiora considered herself entitled to wealth and luxury as the late Baron Halo’s aunt.
But when they reached the castle, their expectations were shattered. A young woman, barely more than a girl, was sitting in the lord’s seat, running the estate.
"Unbelievable!"
Fiora was consumed with jealousy toward Penelope, who had gained her position through marriage. She was determined to remove Penelope from power.
Unable to contain her anger, Fiora spat out curses.
"That vile woman! How dare she devour my nephew and shamelessly remain in this castle! This is the Halo estate, and it’s no place for someone with no proper bloodline! We must take the estate back from her!"
"And how do you propose we do that? By tomorrow, we’ll be thrown out of this castle. Isn’t she the legal acting lord?" Kendal replied with a scowl.
"Acting lord, yes. But that authority only lasts until a legitimate heir appears. She only lived with Jake for two months—there’s no way she’s pregnant with his child. If she were, her belly would already be showing!"
Kendal nodded in agreement with Fiora’s argument.
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The couple’s primary reason for visiting had been to confirm whether or not Penelope was pregnant. Their plan was to devise a strategy after obtaining that information.
Naturally, they had also hoped that Penelope, being young and inexperienced, would comply with the wishes of her late husband’s elders.
"If there’s no direct heir, we’ll have to find one among the collateral relatives. Our son would be a perfect candidate!" Fiora declared.
"Exactly! We’ll figure something out," Kendal replied, his eyes gleaming coldly.
Meanwhile, outside the guest room door, Giselle and Laura were silently eavesdropping.
Did we hear that right?
We did.
The two maids exchanged a glance before hurrying to Penelope’s room to relay everything they had overheard.
Penelope, however, didn’t even feign surprise.
"So, that’s what they were up to," she said calmly.
"They’re such awful people!" Giselle fumed. "You’re the one who saved this estate from ruin, and now they have the audacity to covet your position as heir!"
"If they were to manage the estate, it would fall apart in less than a week!" Laura added with an unusually strong tone.
A short while later, a group of maids, visibly shaken, rushed to the steward’s office to complain about Fiora and Kendal. They had just served the couple dinner.
"They criticized us for everything during the meal! I’ve never seen such shameless behavior in my life!"
"Even staying here and eating is a courtesy extended by the lady of the castle! They clearly have no idea about that!"
Penelope called the steward and shared the information Giselle and Laura had reported.
Having already listened to the maids’ complaints, the steward’s face turned red with anger. He immediately summoned the estate’s retainers.
Among the retainers, the rigid administrative officer was the most outraged.
"Such wretched people! They didn’t show their faces once while Baron Halo was alive, and now they come here with greed in their hearts?"
"They ignored the estate when it was poor and now come crawling back when it’s flourishing. It’s clear they covet our lady’s achievements!"
The retainers were furious, and their criticisms of Fiora and Kendal’s intentions grew louder. The experienced members of the estate quickly saw through the couple’s scheme.
With a cold expression, the treasurer spoke.
"The real issue is that they’re likely to cause problems over the matter of succession. What are we going to do about it?"
"We must expel them from the castle immediately!" the administrative officer exclaimed, his voice shaking with indignation. "Once they’ve established themselves here, those parasites will never leave!"
Penelope raised her hand to interrupt.
"About the matter of succession... since it’s been brought up, I believe we need to address it now. If we don’t resolve this fundamental issue, situations like this will keep repeating."
Even if it wasn’t Fiora, there was always the possibility of another collateral relative causing trouble over the inheritance in the future.
"You are absolutely correct, my lady. We cannot allow what you’ve built to be taken away," one retainer said, echoing the sentiments of the others.
The retainers felt an urgent sense of crisis. Without Penelope, the estate would crumble in an instant.
The estate’s primary sources of income—Green Herb Soap and the Ondol Boiler—were all thanks to Penelope. Without her, the future of the Halo estate was bleak.
"We should consider finding a suitable heir among the collateral relatives," Penelope suggested. "Perhaps an orphan who can be adopted and properly educated. What do you think?"
"That’s an excellent idea," the steward replied, his expression resolute. "I’ll discreetly investigate through the guild to find a candidate."
The steward was determined to settle the succession issue as quickly as possible to prevent further incidents.
Penelope reflected with a hint of regret.
I should have addressed this succession issue sooner.
She had been too preoccupied with managing the estate’s survival to give it much thought.
It was inevitable that as the estate grew wealthier, people would grow jealous and covet what she had built.
There would always be those who used blood ties as an excuse to claim the lordship.
"We should also look for someone who can help raise and educate the heir," Penelope added.