It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 86

Giscal stood in front of the room where his father stayed, thinking he should send the physician to treat the injured maid. It had been nearly ten years since he last saw his father, but he felt no particular emotion. Their family had completely fallen apart after his mother passed away.

There was no need to pretend anymore. Even his brief greeting was met with indifference—Marquis Edelheit didn’t even glance at the son who had returned after a decade.

Ortland, the butler, stiffened at the marquis’s coldness, but Giscal remained expressionless and headed to the study. Since his father had abandoned his duties as head of the house years ago, there was much to assess.

The reports from the butler weren’t difficult to understand. Giscal had trained in swordsmanship since childhood, but that wasn’t all he had learned.

His swordsmanship master emphasized that true mastery required knowledge of strategy, tactics, and general education—to know when to wield the sword. The master also valued real-world experience, sending recognized students on mercenary missions to gain practical skills. Giscal was the fastest to earn his master’s approval.

He learned firsthand how to subdue rough mercenaries, how to move when outnumbered, and how to use terrain to gain advantage. The training was efficient but dangerous—some students were seriously injured during missions. Parents couldn’t bear to see their precious children harmed.

Watching children cry with their parents at the training grounds, Giscal wondered if his father might come to see him just once.

But that never happened. Since the death of the marquise, the marquis hadn’t sent him a single letter.

Would his mother have come with him if she were still alive? Giscal chuckled and shook his head.

A pointless thought.

As Giscal earned recognition on the battlefield at a young age, his name—Giscal von Edelheit—became known, and more comrades wanted to work with him.

In life-or-death situations, trust was paramount. The more they relied on each other, the closer they became. Even the stoic Giscal found comrades he could joke with and truly trust.

Back then, he thought that life would continue forever—completing missions with a sword, sharing beers at any inn with his comrades.

But then a letter arrived from the Edelheit estate. The marquis was ill, and Giscal was to become the head of the family.

Upon returning, he found the estate neglected, his only sister cruel and unpredictable, and the family finances in crisis.

The butler confessed that the estate’s income had nearly dried up due to massive compensation payments for Arne’s misdeeds.

“Has she always been like this?”

“After the marquise passed, the marquis struggled greatly. He couldn’t care for Lady Arne. She was just spoiled as a child, but over time, her spending became excessive, and she started conflicts with other noble ladies in society.”

In short, she grew up selfish and extravagant, causing trouble among the nobility.

“Did Father not discipline her? I should speak with her former tutors.”

“The marquis only instructed us to pay compensation to avoid scandal. And there are no tutors now—Lady Arne hires and fires them herself…”

Giscal almost said something but held his tongue. The butler was just a servant. Servants had no right to speak against the lady of the house.

Especially when even the marquis turned a blind eye.

“When did she start beating the maids?”

“She usually just stomped and shouted. Sometimes she ordered them to slap themselves. But after the marquis’s condition worsened, she began using a whip herself.”

Arne’s only restraint had been the marquis. As soon as he was bedridden, she turned violent.

Giscal seriously wondered if his sister had a deeply rooted violent nature.

He sighed. This was a dilemma. No mission he’d ever faced had been this difficult. There seemed to be no solution.

Over the course of a week, Giscal received reports to understand the family’s affairs as its successor. The information wasn’t hard to grasp, and he quickly got up to speed.

His first order as heir was to forbid his sister from going out.

As the new head of the Edelheit family, Giscal had many responsibilities—greeting the emperor, inspecting the estate. He couldn’t afford distractions from his sister’s antics.

Since he hadn’t yet decided how to deal with her, he issued the ban as a temporary measure.

Naturally, Arne was furious and expressed her rage freely. It started with maids dodging flying dishes. Expensive glass shattered against the walls, scattering shards across the floor.

But Giscal didn’t flinch. He believed lifting the ban now would make things worse later.

Even when Arne barged into the study or wrecked the garden, Giscal ignored her and focused on his duties.

He grew more weary of his sister each day. So did the servants. While cleaning up torn papers in the study, Louie snapped.

“She’s getting worse lately!”

The maids agreed. Their fingers ached from pulling paper scraps out of the carpet.

“If Giscal upset Lady Arne, he should take responsibility instead of going off to inspect the estate! We’re stuck dealing with the mess!”

Louie threw a handful of scraps into the trash, venting her frustration. But this time, the others disagreed.

“He can’t delay the inspection because of her.”

“Right, he’s busy with heir duties.”

“Compared to Giscal’s burdens, picking up paper is nothing!”

The maids who had been frowning now defended Giscal.

“Banning Arne from going out was the right move. We just have to endure the aftermath together.”

Even Lucy didn’t side with Louie, though she usually did. Louie puffed her cheeks in protest.

“Seriously? Just days ago, you all wanted to quit and take your severance!”

The maids exchanged glances.

“That was before we met Jiskal.”

“Exactly. If we get to keep seeing him, I’ll stay here forever.”

“Me too! I was worried he’d be cold, but he’s surprisingly considerate. Lucy even got treated by the physician thanks to him.”

Lucy blushed and nodded. Her wounds had healed well thanks to the physician’s care.

“I can tolerate Arne’s cruelty. She’s of marriageable age—hopefully she’ll be married off soon. The sooner, the better.”

Louie agreed with that. As the maids speculated which family might take Arne, hurried footsteps echoed. The head maid entered.

“What are you all doing here? Lucy, come with me. Louie, send a message to Giscal. Use the first-stage Dimotus to reach the estate. The butler is busy—you’ll have to do it.”

“Use the Motus?”

Louie gasped. That precious Motus was rarely used unless it was serious.

“What’s going on?”

Lucy asked. The head maid pressed her lips together, then spoke.

“The marquis may not survive the day.”

Someone stifled a groan. They had expected this day would come, but facing it was different.

The maids scattered. Louie used the key to retrieve a Motus shard from the lobby. It was her first time, but there was no time to hesitate.

Fortunately, she quickly reached the estate manager and contacted Jiskal. She explained the situation urgently, but Giscal’s response was subdued.

Arne, on the other hand, was frantic. She grabbed the physician by the collar, demanding he extend her father’s life.

She broke the pen the butler used to write the will and screamed at the unconscious marquis. Only after collapsing from exhaustion did Arne stop, allowing Ortland to finally complete the will.

Its contents were predictable: Giscal von Edelheit was named heir and successor.

Arne von Edelheit’s name wasn’t mentioned even once.

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