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Of course, Ekaterina immediately went to Renat and Olga to ask what had happened.
But neither of them would say a word. However, they looked as if they wanted to speak. Realizing that this was probably something they couldn’t discuss in the classroom where everyone else was present, she invited them to an empty classroom during break time. Even Flora sensed the atmosphere and didn’t come, so once the three of them were alone, Renat finally began to speak.

“Lady Lydia said during our lesson that Seleznyov’s property laws are going to be revised.”

Hearing those words as he grimaced in frustration, his face marked by a bruise, Ekaterina could only feel bewildered.

“What… kind of revision is that?”
“For certain social classes, the list of prohibited possessions will expand.”

Prohibited items based on social class…?

Question marks swirled through Ekaterina’s mind, but she recalled something Mikhail had told her before.

*“In the Seleznyov domain, everything from what you wear and how you style your hair to the size and style of your home is strictly regulated by the domain’s laws, depending on your social class.”*

Ekaterina glanced at Olga’s tear-stained eyes.
Renat said bitterly.

“That’s right. With the revision of the social class to which Olga belongs… apparently, owning a piano will be prohibited.”

A piano!
Olga played piano as she sang during the Evening of Music. There must be a piano at her parents’ house. I remember thinking that if her family—which, by aristocratic standards, couldn’t be called wealthy—had such an expensive piano, they must surely be a family of music lovers.
And now that piano is banned…

“Our… our piano was part of Grandma’s dowry.”

Tears welled up in Olga’s eyes once again.

“Grandma cherished it so much. The whole family learned to play from her, and every day someone would play while we all sang together… Even after she was bedridden, she’d ask if we’d cleaned the piano, and she’d say, ‘Make sure to have it tuned every year, and take good care of it.’ The people in our estate and our relatives would all look forward to coming over and asking us to play the piano for them. It’s Grandma’s keepsake—it’s a treasure. It’s not just ours; it belongs to everyone…”

Seeing Olga shed a tear, Ekaterina instinctively hugged her.

Oh no, I’m about to cry too! This really hit me hard!

Watching Olga’s tears with a pained expression, Renat continued the story.

“When Lady Lydia told me about the ban on the piano, she also said she found it regrettable, as a music lover herself. And yet, she was smiling. That’s when my suspicion rose—no,, I was already certain. And so, I summoned my father to the dormitory last night. Since he’s a close aide to the Marquis of Seleznyov, he’d surely know if there were any moves to revise the domain laws. I sent a letter saying it was on the young lady’s behalf, and he came right away. When I mentioned the revision of the domain laws, he replied like this.”

*“Tell her Ladyship it’s no problem; her father intends to have the changes made exactly as she wishes, right away.”*

In other words, the revision of the domain laws was something Lydia had asked her father to do.

Yikes…

While patting Olga’s back soothingly, Ekaterina couldn’t suppress her bitter feelings.
Ekaterina had tried to be careful not to make Olga stand out, so as not to catch Lydia’s glare. But Olga’s beautiful voice simply couldn’t help but draw praise. Perhaps someone went out of their way to tell Lydia that Olga, a subject of her Marquisate family, had sung a wonderful song while accompanying herself on the piano—intending to praise her as “truly worthy of a musical family!”
Lydia must have put on a smile befitting a noble lady and said something like, “How delightful that the daughter of one of our household’s retainers has earned such a reputation.”
While she made the move to seize the piano, the family treasure of Olga’s household, behind the scene.

“I blurted “How could you?!” to my father. He immediately knew I was lying about me summoning him on the lady’s behalf, and beat me for it.”
“Oh dear…”

To beat someone so hard they end up with a bruise like that—what kind of father is that?

“Our family has a tradition of martial arts, you see. My brothers are always covered in bruises from practicing with swords and spears. I’m the odd one out.”

Renat twisted his lips and rubbed the bruise.

“Since I was the young lady’s favorite, I’d never been hit before. But Lady Lydia, as the future Empress Consort, bears the full weight of the Seleznyov family’s expectations. A single word from her could easily lead to a revision of the domain’s laws. If she were to think I was trying to defy her, well, this is what happens to someone like me.”

Hmm… Renat-kun’s relationship with his father seems pretty complicated.

But right now, Olga-chan is top priority. Revising their domain laws, huh… That’s a purely internal matter for the Seleznyov domain—not even the Prince, let alone Onii-sama, can interfere. In a way, it’s a clever move. It’s just so typical of them, though.
It’s infuriating!

Renat continued.

“The young lady’s true target isn’t Olga—it’s you, Lady Jurnova.”
“Me?”

Ekaterina’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You are her greatest rival in the race to become the future empress. And now that you’ve also gained such a reputation through music, the young lady seems to have taken it as a personal challenge. Furthermore, she believes that your friendly demeanor toward the lower nobility is a ploy to gain support from that class. So this is a countermeasure against you. Because of you—who used Seleznyov’s subjects without permission to boost your reputation—Olga ended up being punished. If you let this slide, they’ll spread the rumor that you’re a selfish duke’s daughter who treats lower-class nobles as disposable, trying to undermine your support. But if you intervene, it’ll be seen as meddling in Seleznyov’s internal affairs, playing right into their hands. That’s exactly why I think the Marquis of Seleznyov is acting so swiftly.”
“……”

What the hell… Give me a break.
To me, the Evening of Music was just a class get-together—a substitute for a go̲d̲d̲a̲m̲n̲ karaoke booth.
Buying support from lower-ranking nobles? What’s that even about?

Well, that’s what I’d think based on my past life’s values, anyway…
But now I’m a duke’s daughter from the privileged class. I’m in a position where I should already be involved in the power struggles of the high nobility. That way of thinking is probably how I’m supposed to be.
Sorry! I’m such a failure as a duke’s daughter—I’m really sorry!

Renat chuckled softly.

“I understand. You didn’t mean any of that. You were just enjoying the music. You were trying to get everyone else to enjoy it too. That’s why that night was so much fun. You can’t truly enjoy music that’s forced upon you, no matter how excellent it is. That’s just not how music is. Back in the domain, local music passed down through generations—like the songs of the Moonlight Flower and the Warrior Butterfly—is treated as inferior. But that night, I truly believed that there is no hierarchy in music, and that enjoying it like that is what music is all about. I wanted to make that kind of music, too. And yet…”

Renat’s lips trembled as he looked down. The face of the lovely young boy was contorted with frustration.
Ekaterina took a deep breath.

“Thank you for your kind words, Lord Renat. But I did make a mistake. I shouldn’t have invited the two of you to participate. Wasn’t it partly because you attended the event I organized that your father became angry with you?”

It seemed she had hit the nail on the head, for Renat looked away.

“And Lady Olga. I’ve ended up causing a great deal of trouble, including for your family.”
“I… I’ve never been to the young lady’s liking! She once muttered that she felt sick from the ‘rustic noise’ after hearing me singing while cleaning her room…”
“Don’t listen to her!”

Renat suddenly shouted.

“The young lady is obsessed with being invited to the Garden of the God of Music. That’s why she tries to eliminate anyone else with talent. She’s making me attend lessons with her every day just to keep me from practicing on my own. Your singing voice is wonderful, Olga, the young lady must be jealous. The young lady is certainly talented—a beautiful voice and perfect technique; you can’t help but be captivated by her singing. But! It’s no fun!”

Just the music nerd you are. Renat-kun, you’re passionate!

The fact that you can read between the lines this well suggests you’ve been raised to be a confidant of Lydia for when she becomes an Empress Consort.
Yet, when it comes to music, you instantly turn into a fool. You openly praised my singing—even though I’m your supposed rival—and Olga’s singing, which goes against the values of the domain.
Even now, the reason you’re spilling all this to me is for the sake of the piano at Olga’s house, isn’t it?

You really are a music nut, aren’t you?
I don’t hate that sort of person.
But Renat-kun, since when did you start calling Olga-chan by her first name?

Anyway.
Ekaterina placed her right hand over her heart and smiled.

“Lady Seleznyov has interpreted my event as a challenge and has taken these actions with the intention of countering it. In that case… I, Ekaterina Yurnova, must face it head-on. The governance of the Seleznyov territory is one thing, but I do not take kindly if she lays a finger on my class or my classmates. I will make sure she understands that.”
“Lady Ekaterina…”

Aargh, what the hell did I just say? Even though I don’t even know what to do.
But as their elder, I can’t let the kids cry, can I?
And probably… As a duke’s daughter, this is exactly the kind of situation where I have to stand my ground.

Thanks for teaching me what it means to be a noble lady, Lydia.
I’ll definitely make sure to repay you!

Just you wait! The Villainess is going to turn the tables on you!