Chapter 29
Day 7 of Confinement.
I set down the soup, rich with cream and melted cheese, and took a sip of tea.
The tea, a high-end variety imported from the southern continent, had been smuggled in by one of the maids who had once accepted a large bribe from me and now took the liberty of stealing from Lucilla’s stash.
“I think I’ve gained a bit of weight.”
Perhaps it was the luxurious food and the fact that I hadn’t left the room in days, but the once thinness of my cheeks now carried a healthy glow.
“Same here, I’ve been feeling sluggish,” Marie replied as she joined me, her once prominent cheekbones now softened by the extra weight.
“How are Uncle and Aunt?”
“They’re the same. They keep saying not to give you any food or water. They’ve threatened to keep you starving until you marry Lord Bartol.”
“No progress then,” I clicked my tongue.
The situation with the Fenton family hadn’t changed. With their dwindling standing in society, Julius and Lucilla had retreated from public view, and it seemed like they were planning to resolve things through my marriage to Bartol.
It was easy to figure out the progress of their plan. In the time I’d been recovering, Bartol had been slipping notes under the door every chance he got.
The notes mostly offered veiled threats like: “Once we marry, I’ll lift your confinement and make your life comfortable, if only you repent and grovel.”
They also subtly inquired about the whereabouts of the 50,000 gold, but I wasn’t bothered by that part. It was obvious where that conversation was heading.
What was more curious was Demeyra’s reaction. Unlike when I had been confined before, she hadn’t come to torment me. She didn’t send anyone to mock me, nor did she try to mess with my food.
According to Marie, Demeyra had fought with Lucilla after the grand banquet and had completely stopped sending letters or gifts to Anthony. That alone was a massive departure from her usual behavior. But what was most peculiar was…
“Wait, Demeyra sent food again.”
Marie entered with a package and placed it in front of me.
“This time, it’s cookies. Would you like some?”
“No. It might be poisoned.”
I spoke with suspicion. While Demeyra had seemed shaken after the banquet incident, I couldn’t yet understand how that shock might manifest.
Could a lifelong temper be erased so suddenly?
“You’re just refusing because you’re full, right?”
“…That’s true, but.”
Marie shrugged and opened the cookies, taking a bite herself. She seemed fine, so I assumed the cookies weren’t poisoned.
Anyway, it seemed like they were really pushing forward with the marriage plan, so I didn’t intend to slack off either.
“The letters I asked about?”
“Lord Deus took some time off to deliver them. By now, I’m sure they’ve all been handed over. The stableman is always willing to help with deliveries, so it’s easy for him to sneak around.”
I nodded and muttered to myself.
“I can’t wait.”
In my first and second lives, I had left the capital, so I hadn’t seen them since. Now, their faces were starting to blur in my memory.
Other than that, things were progressing faster than expected. Once a few small issues were settled, I might be able to regain my family’s position sooner than I thought.
I often thought of Karsiel, who must have been fighting near Kahnab, but there was little concern in me. I’d already done all I could.
“How’s the butler these days?” I asked.
“I think his promised cut from the bribe was less than he expected.”
“Don’t even get me started. That slimy man.”
Marie rolled her eyes as she spoke.
“When he first got the money, he acted like he’d do anything for us. But now that you and your parents are back, he’s trying to wash his hands of everything.”
“Hmm.”
“He gave us less than promised but he’s letting us bring in new furniture and turn a blind eye to my frequent outings. He thinks his job’s done.”
“So, does that mean he wants more money? After already getting such a hefty sum?”
“He’s probably thinking you can’t do anything without his help now that you’re confined.”
Marie nodded.
“He probably heard about the gold from the Morin family. He must think tightening his grip will get him even more.”
Having worked in the Fenton household for so long, Marie had a clear read on the butler.
“Is he still just another Fenton lackey? Trying to pocket some money from me?”
I smiled wryly. Marie grumbled but wasn’t particularly surprised by the butler’s actions.
He wasn’t exactly a man of principles. I knew from my previous life experiences that he was as unscrupulous as Julius.
Eventually, he and the Fentons would all fall.
“Still, he doesn’t stop the snacks from the kitchen.”
“Ah, that’s thanks to the assistant butler Kent.”
Marie took another bite of the cookie.
“When the butler’s busy flattering your mother, Kent handles all the real work. Oh, and the extra maid you requested? Kent’s taking care of that for you.”
“Really?”
I asked absentmindedly, glancing out the window.
“The butler won’t put up more money, so you’ll have to cover the maid’s salary. But everything’s on hold until your golden ban is lifted. Until then, you can’t see anyone.”
“…That’s a bit of a weak excuse. But I guess that’s the best he can do.”
I nodded thoughtfully. Kent was someone I hadn’t interacted much with in my previous lives. We hardly ever crossed paths, and I sometimes wondered if he was deliberately avoiding me.
Still, I knew him well enough.
At this time, he would likely be having frequent arguments with the butler, Blich. He wasn’t morally upright, but he felt some guilt about the Fentons’ actions, though his indecisiveness kept him from taking any action. I’d learned this after the Fenton family fell, when I rifled through Kent’s desk after the family fled.
There, I found three books he hadn’t packed, one of which was a ledger detailing how Blich and the Fentons embezzled from the Apellemeon family. It included contracts, receipts, and other evidence.
The second was a novel, which I discarded. The third was a journal—pages marked with tear stains, mostly filled with his internal struggle about whether to expose the Fentons. Several times, he almost reported them to the imperial family but always backed down after a conversation with Lucilla.
I suspected Kent had some key leverage, and Lucilla, who knew exactly how to play people, must have used it to sway him whenever she needed to.
“I’m guessing he’s been bribing the servants and stable hands too. He’ll probably need them soon.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“…No other news? Any letters for me?”
“Letters? None.”
I looked out the window again.
Was Rey wrong? It had already been almost a month since we last met. I’d tried contacting her recently, but received no reply.
I replayed that day in my mind over and over.
It might have been too much to hope for. Even if we had a connection in previous lives, I was the only one who remembered. To Rey, I was probably just an eccentric noblewoman with no power or security to offer her.
Still, I couldn’t shake the faint hope I had. I knew Rey wasn’t content with her position. She had grown tired of her comfortable but boring life as a maid in the palace.
In my first life, she rose through the ranks quickly after I introduced her, and in the second life, she even transferred to the Serbe family.
If she came to Apellemeon now—if she could help me untangle the mess I was in… No, first I needed to lift my golden ban…
“…Huh?”
My gaze fixed on something outside the window. The brown hair of a woman coming through the gates of the estate caught my eye.
“Rey?”
She seemed to hear me, raising her head and spotting me instantly. She waved at me eagerly.
“Marie, go downstairs and bring her here right now!”
I instinctively shouted.
“Forget the golden ban—get her here, any way you can!”
Marie dashed out the door, and I stood, pacing nervously around the room. I expected it would take a while—maybe it was impossible.
But I was wrong. Rey was at my door in less than five minutes.
“Princess! Long time no see!”
She greeted me cheerfully. Marie stood next to her, looking slightly stunned by the surprise.
