Mori Duchess in the Attic: Volume 5

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-7183-3685-8
Verlag: J-Novel Heart
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

Reihe: Duchess in the Attic

Opal once again dives headfirst into danger, this time without Claude! The duchess sails to Lumeon to support her friend, Princess Ellie, who will soon ascend the throne and become grand duke. Unsurprisingly, much trouble is bubbling under the surface: Ellie's cousin Mikhail is adamant that they incite a revolution to replace Lumeon's monarchy with a republic, while her uncle Eckhardt, the acting grand duke, rules the nation-and Ellie herself-with an iron fist. Not to mention that rumors that Eckhardt has hidden away a massive amount of wealth have spread like wildfire, causing the whole world to watch Lumeon in hopes of snatching such a lucrative treasure. Spies, assassins, and elites from all over the globe will stop at nothing to obtain that money for themselves.

Can Ellie overcome the hurdles that plague her nation and successfully rule over her people? Can Opal provide the support that the princess so desperately needs? And what in the world is Julian up to?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mori

Weitere Mitwirkende

Aoi, Huyuko

piyo,

Amazio, Komeko

Leseproben

0. Duchess in the Attic

“Wow! Awesome!” Mayley cried with awe as she gazed out of the window of the attic.

Her eyes glimmered with such childlike wonder and amazement that it made Opal smile.

“You can see out so far!” Mayley shouted. “It’s like I’m on a huge ship!”

“Quite right!” Opal beamed.

The two ladies were in the manor of the small plot of land that Opal had inherited from her maternal grandmother, looking out from the attic window. She had been enamored by this view ever since she was a young child, and even now loved it very much. Though the fascinating view from the attic window always had her spellbound, she had never once compared it to being on a ship—likely because she had never sailed on a vessel until she was an adult. Even now, after she’d voyaged countless times across the sea, it had taken Mayley’s own observation for her to realize that this view really did resemble one from a ship’s window. Opal knew how vast the world was, but realized that her own scope of it had become quite narrow, and she flashed a smile, the movement feeling a little awkward under the weight of her realization.

“Thank you, Mayley,” she said.

“Sure! You’re welcome!” Mayley replied. “But for what?”

The little girl responded brightly to Opal’s gratitude, but she tilted her head to one side, befuddled. Opal couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter; Mayley’s innocent earnestness was just so amusing!

“Whenever I’m with you, I have so much fun,” Opal said between laughs. “You opened up a door to a whole new world.”

“A new world?” Mayley asked.

“That’s right. You’ve traveled quite a bit, haven’t you? Surely, you know how vast the world is.”

“Mm-hmm, it stretches out very far.”

Mayley’s childlike and simple explanation made her so adorable, despite her serious demeanor. Opal thought for a few moments and decided to vocalize what had been on her mind.

“Mayley, would you like to go back to the house you used to live in?” she asked.

“Hrmmm...” Mayley muttered. “Nope! I wanna stay here! My mom went through so much after my dad died, and that was all in our old house. But here she’s smiling!”

“I see... I’m very happy to hear that you’re quite fond of this place, my dear.”

Opal flashed another smile, but she was discreetly observing Mayley, searching for any sign that the girl was trying to force herself to stay strong. Kate, Mayley’s mother, was very worried about her daughter; the mother was abundantly aware that she put her daughter through much hardship and feared Mayley was forcing herself to stay positive through it all.

When Kate had eloped with her husband, Mayley’s father, they had left for the Principality of Lumeon in search of a new life. But on arrival the couple was unable to find work, forcing them to travel to a mining town. The young couple didn’t quite blend in well with the rest of the town—they weren’t a good fit—and when Kate’s husband passed away from a mining accident, she had lost the only person who made her feel like she belonged there. Left with no other choice, Kate took Mayley and left the town.

But the principality offered neither bereavement benefits nor compensation to mourning widows, and while Kate eventually found work at the port, she had no other choice but to push herself far beyond what she was comfortable with. That took a heavy toll on her body, and by the time she fell ill from exhaustion and overwork, she could only return to her hometown in Socille Kingdom. Opal thought.

Kate had no time to sit down and process her loss; after all, the world was still turning, and she had to somehow survive its cruelties with her daughter. Others in her situation would have sold their child in a desperate attempt to make money, but instead Kate clung to an old poster she found advertising jobs for women so she could support both Mayley and herself. The poster originated from a foreign country, and though it was shady that they were looking for workers from different nations at all, Kate had no other options left, and she was too desperate to care. She went to Taisei to work in Baroness Whittal’s factory. There, young children were also apparently forced to work unreasonably long, excruciating hours, and Mayley had fallen victim as well.

Opal pursed her lips and drew in a breath as she glanced at Mayley’s hands, still covered in scratches and wounds that stubbornly refused to heal. Opal couldn’t save everyone in the factory, but Mayley and her mother were right in front of her eyes. She’d become close with Mayley and Kate during their boat ride, but Opal was worried about offering too much charity, lest she hurt Kate’s pride, and refrained from meddling too much in other people’s affairs. But the duchess now regretted her tact, bemoaning all her worrying over needless matters when she should have just .

Julian had always mentioned how Opal was a bit too soft, a step behind others, and she could only agree with his assessment. It rang especially true when she saved Kate and Mayley from the factory—when Opal finally offered Kate a job at her maternal grandmother’s manor, the woman happily accepted it.

Mayley smiled at her—trying to cheer Opal up—and the duchess did her best to smile back, suppressing her feelings of regret.

“I’m really happy, you know,” the little girl said. “My mom’s been smiling a lot, and I’ve been learning a bunch too! Thank you. Thank you so much, um, Lady...Opal.”

It was clear that Mayley had sensed Opal’s subtle shift in demeanor and promptly extended some of her own kindness. Truly, she was bright beyond her years.

“Mayley, we’re the only ones here right now,” Opal said. “We’re in our own little world, and here, where there’s only the two of us, we’re friends, aren’t we? There’s no need for formalities. Call me ‘Opal,’ please?”

“A world...with just the two of us?” Mayley asked.

“That’s right. I said it before, didn’t I? This world is very, vast. And each and every person has worlds of their own. There’s a world where there’s only me and you, and there’s another world where there’s only you and your mother. And in that world, your mother loves to look after you. In that world you don’t have to act so tough all the time—in fact it’s perfectly all right to act very spoiled. I’m sure your mother would quite like that.”

“Hm... A world where there’s only me and my mother...”

“Yes. Both Kate and I know how hard you’ve been working, Mayley. In front of others, you’re so tough and so mature, and I think that’s just amazing. Despite the short time you’ve been here, you’re clever enough to call me ‘Lady Opal’ in front of others so that they won’t be shocked by how casual you can be with me. And that’s because in world, where you’ve got colleagues and friends, I’m your employer, aren’t I?”

“Employer?” Mayley parroted. “I’m not really sure what that means, but I know that everyone here really treasures you so much, um, Opal. And my mom loves you very much! She said it herself! And I do too!”

“Thank you, Mayley. I love you too.”

Whenever Opal drew the girl close for a tight embrace, Mayley always giggled and hugged back. The duchess feared that this conversation might’ve been a bit too complex and difficult for a child to understand, but it seemed that, for the bright and clever Mayley, it wasn’t the case. The girl beamed with a bright smile.

“Then I’ll study a ton!” Mayley declared. “That way, I can protect my mom and your world, Opal! And then I can expand my own world!”

Opal was astonished by how bold and strong this little girl could be.

“I’d quite like that,” Opal replied. “You’ve got my full support. I’ll be cheering you on, Mayley.”

“But you’ve already done so much for me,” Mayley said.

“Not nearly enough, I would think. And think of it this way: If I can help you expand your world in my own small way, then you and I can be friends even when other people are around. That’s quite lovely, don’t you think? I look forward to that.”

“I’ll do it!”

Mayley was only seven, but much to the duchess’s delight, she was just full of surprises. The little girl might not have fully comprehended Opal’s words, but it was clear that Mayley grasped the pith of Opal’s advice. The duchess was truly glad that she hired Kate within this small fief so that Mayley could go to school.

A familiar voice called for them in the distance, and Opal sighed in relief.

“Mayley?” Kate said. “Mayley?”

The lady was on the floor below, calling for her daughter in worried tones. Mayley stood up with gusto, face bright.

“Mom!” Mayley shouted. “I’m up here! In the attic!”

The sound of footsteps going up the stairs echoed within the room, and Kate’s tone of worry was now tinged with anger as the mother scolded her daughter.

“Now, my dear, just what are you doing here?” Kate asked. “You mustn’t go up to the attic by yourself. You’ll make me worry—”

When Kate climbed the final stairs to the attic and peered...