IBMMLLWAM Chapter 044

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“The former Count of Elrosa, who lived with you, was caught in an act of indecency at the crown prince’s birthday banquet. What would you send such a man if you were to give him a gift?”

Rachel felt very offended by Sigar’s question.

‘Send a gift to Theodore? Are you crazy? He’s not even worthy of dog shit or poison.’

But she couldn’t ask the emperor if he was crazy. Rachel thought for a moment, and then answered mead wine.

Sigar laughed for a while, and she wondered what was so funny, then his face hardened, and he spoke solemnly.

“Lady Rachel. I don’t think you deserve this title. How dare you offer a drink to a man who has insulted the imperial family and plotted treason.”

“…”

She wondered why he was suddenly questioning her loyalty after asking her what she would give him as a gift.

‘…No answer would be able to satisfy him.’

Sigar’s question was a trap where all answers were incorrect.

Even if Rachel had answered that she would not give a gift, he probably would’ve complained about her loyalty by not giving a proper answer to the emperor’s question.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given such a stupid answer.

‘Come to think of it, it was like that with Theodore too. Although nothing was found other than evidence of an affair, they concluded that it was a rebellion and punished him. Even though Cian knew that Theodore was not planning a rebellion, he had to strip him of his title.’

It was a typical ‘I’ve decided the result, no matter the truth.’

She sighed inwardly.

‘This person is the emperor? Could it be that this person was the reason Dolorosa left the imperial palace in the original work?’

She wasn’t afraid of Sigar’s words when he spoke about her qualifications to receive the title. If Rachel’s title award was canceled today, Lylus would’ve let her know in advance.

Sigar bit his lip as he looked at Rachel, who remained calm.

“…Lady Rachel. You’re speechless. You’re panicking, aren’t you?”

Apparently, Sigar had expected Rachel to panic.

“No, I have not spoken because His Majesty has not asked me anything.”

“I didn’t ask?”

“Because you didn’t ask me why I decided to send the mead wine.”

“Uh…”

Sigar, licking his lips, asked reluctantly.

“Okay. Tell me, why did you say you would send the alcohol?”

“Theodore’s mother, Berengella, is an alcoholic. She won’t be able to resist any sweet drink that comes her way. Besides, it’s good for stamina, so I’m sure Theodore won’t be able to resist it either.”

“Anyway, it doesn’t change the fact that you would give alcohol as a gift to a man who committed treason.”

“But only one glass of mead is good for your stamina.”

“…What?”

“After the second drink, it’s no different from poison due to the ingredients. It makes you itch all over, and it’s hard to breathe. Whether Theodore knows that or not, I don’t know.”

Sigar’s face hardened as he realized he didn’t know what kind of alcohol it was.

There was no way that the emperor, who drank only expensive wine, would have known about liquor made by adding honey and bees to distilled liquor. Perhaps Theodore and Berengella were no different.

Rachel continued.

“I don’t want to give Theodore a gift, but if I must, I’ll send him something like that, and I’ll leave it to the gods to decide whether it’ll be medicine or poison in the end.”

There was silence.

Sigar’s face was tense and he didn’t speak. He may’ve been trying to find a flaw in her answer.

The one who broke the silence was the old man sitting next to Lylus. Great Saint Tityenis, a man with a mysterious aura thanks to his silver hair and silver eyes.

“Interesting, gifting an irresistible object and leaving the outcome to the will of the gods. Yenis loves surprises, I’m sure she’d like it much better than sending something as nasty as poison.”

His voice was like a fine stringed instrument. Tityenis looked back at Lylus, sitting next to him.

“I’m very pleased with the answer, but what do you think, Bishop?”

“Haha. No matter what Rachel answers, I’m sure I’ll like it.”

“You’ve turned into such a fool now that you have a daughter.”

Sigar, who’d been listening to their conversation, asked in disbelief.

“Daughter… Is Lady Rachel the bishop’s daughter?”

“Yes, I became Rachel’s godfather not long ago.”

“Shit.”

Sigar muttered in a low voice and chewed his lip.

Tityenis lightly tapped the floor with the long stick he was holding, and soon silver fireworks exploded in the sky.

“Now, Emperor. If you’re done with your exam, I think it’s time to finalize the awarding of the title.”

Both of Yenis’s hands liked her answer and he couldn’t find any loopholes. There was no way for Sigar to rescind his decision to confer the title on Rachel.

Rather than canceling it, the justification was added that it was a ‘title given after passing a test from the emperor.’

After glancing at Tityenis and Lylus in turn, he wordlessly handed Rachel the noble plaque, title document, and land document one by one.

“Having answered the question properly, Lady Rachel, in the name of the Emperor, I confer upon you… The title of Countess”

Sigar’s body trembled.

 

* * *

 

After the ceremony was over, Sigar returned to his office and smashed all the items on his desk. There was a loud bang, and the servants and ministers came running, but he didn’t stop.

“I want the man who reported Rachel as a foolish woman brought before me at once, so I can rip his head off and throw him in the gutter!”

Rachel didn’t panic. She wasn’t even surprised. She wasn’t frightened or trembling. She was calm, and even gave a plausible answer after only a brief moment of thought.

The scene, Rachel’s appearance as she bowed her head and answered calmly, replayed.

Sigar grunted and slammed his fist on the desk.

“She’s not stupid, and she’s the bishop’s daughter!”

A smart woman, protected by Yenis’s left hand.

He almost made such a woman Cian’s partner.

A cold sweat broke out at the thought of Cian living happily ever after with a wise wife, loved by the gods.

As if rejecting the thought, he screamed.

“No! Damn it! Die, die, die, Cian Dicarsignac!”

After a long moment of screaming, Sigar looked up and shouted.

“Ha! Ha, ha, ha! There! Is anyone there!”

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty…!”

A servant rushed over, trembling, and dropped to the floor.

“Fetch me some of this bee liquor at once, no, I want wasp liquor, very strong and thick! I’ll send it to the Archduke as a personal gift!”

He was willing to put Cian’s life in the hands of the damned gods.

If the gods were on Sigar’s side, Cian would foam at the mouth and collapse in pain after drinking the mead wine made with wasps!

“Hmph. Hahaha!”

Sigar laughed out loud as he thought of Cian in pain.

 

* * *

 

Paang!

With a cool sound, frothy pink champagne soared into the sky.

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations, Countess Rachel!”

“Congratulations, Mom!”

“My daughter, you were always impressive, but you were even more so today!”

Graham and Cian, who’d finished practicing swordsmanship, Dolorosa and Rachel, who’d finished ordering the dresses, and Katie and Lylus, who’d prepared the table, gathered in the garden.

Katie handed Rachel a large bouquet of flowers.

“Congratulations on your new title, Countess Rachel.”

“Thank you for the congratulations, but I’m sure you’ll be even busier managing the estate now, do you mind?”

“Of course I’ll be fine, I’m so excited I could dance.”

Katie’s workaholic answer made the gathered group laugh.

Dolorosa came to Rachel’s side holding a glass of juice.

“I can finally call you Countess Rachel, I’ve been waiting so long.”

“Thank you for your patience.”

“From now on, we can go to tea parties together. You have no idea how excited I am.”

Dolorosa always came to Rachel’s for the dress fittings looking neat yet simply dressed since she’d be changing, but today she wanted to celebrate Rachel and wore a fancy dress and decorations.

Dolorosa was dazzlingly cute in her outfit.

There was nothing that wasn’t lovely: a rich dress with lots of lace, a large, pretty ribbon tying her ebony hair, and a little rouge on her lips.

As she was staring at the doll-like Dolorosa, the child noticed her gaze and asked carefully.

“Aren’t you disappointed that this celebration party is so small?”

“Of course not. If it were any bigger, I would’ve been overwhelmed. It’s so nice to be able to talk to the princess face to face.”

Dolorosa’s face lit up.

“Wow, I agree! That’s why I also like small gatherings more than large ones. I’m so glad to hear Countess Rachel feels the same way.”

Rachel grinned.

In truth, there was another reason for the lack of a grand celebration.

Theodore and Berengella.

A party was scheduled for a few days later at the Dicarsignac mansion, and Berengella wasn’t supposed to know that Rachel had received a title until then.

‘If it’s Berengella or Theodore, there’s a good chance they won’t be able to connect the awarding of the title to my plan. If I want to be sure of success, it’s better not to leave any room for the unexpected.’

As she was nodding her head, Cian came up next to her and spoke.

“Congratulations on being awarded your title.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“The title award ceremony held a surprise. I didn’t know that His Majesty the Emperor would test the countess. If it were me, I would’ve panicked.”

“What are you talking about? His Highness would’ve handled it much better than I did.”

“You answered so calmly. Did you know that His Majesty prepared the test?”

“Not really. But I knew that no matter what answer I gave, I would receive my title. I have my father on my side.”

“I see.”

Cian smiled softly at her simple answer.

Cian always smiled gently, but today, for some reason, it felt warmer.

‘Is it because I received a title…?’

Dolorosa, who’d been hovering by Rachel’s side, was now witnessing Lylus’s precognitive power. Graham and Katie had gathered to play rock-paper-scissors and set off fireworks.

Cian spoke, looking at the children who were alternately exclaiming and laughing.

“His Majesty the Emperor will also be attending the party held at the Dicarsignac Mansion in a few days.”

“His Majesty the Emperor?”

“A few days ago, I heard that His Majesty’s servant obtained an invitation to the party. It’s not common for me to throw a party, even if he’s late, he’ll definitely attend.”

“I see.”

She thought that might be the case. As Cian said, his younger brother, who didn’t throw parties often, was hosting for the first time in a while. It wasn’t strange for him to attend such an event.

Rachel smirked, remembering the plan B she’d decided to implement if the Emperor attended the party.