If he thought about it that way, everything made sense. The Duke’s family had the power to manipulate the situation so quickly.
‘That sly little girl, I didn’t like her from the first time I saw her.’
With her uncultured, wide-open eyes, arrogant attitude, and brazen manner of speaking.
‘It was obvious she was full of greed and had a bad personality, so she must have gone home and told everything in detail.’
And the duke would have quietly acted upon her words. It was a trivial matter for the great noble house of Clementine to intervene openly.
‘But not for me.’
His life had fallen into ruin because of that little red-haired girl’s snitching.
Not only had he ruined his carefully laid plans and failed to take the seat next to Vivian, but he had also been cast out from his family and confined to a beggar-like monastery.
‘She must have laughed, thinking she won after making me this miserable. She doesn’t even know I’ll come back for revenge…’
Farell put his hand in his pocket and lightly grasped the small vial.
It was the poison that the head of the Underwood family had given him.
‘Whether it’s Clementine or anyone else, they’re all dead in front of poison. Ha, she should have been more careful with her words.’
Farell blamed everything on Idel, completely forgetting his own actions.
Logically speaking, the ones he should resent the most were Vivian or Ivan, but Farell chose to take revenge on Idel instead.
It was much easier to vent his anger on someone younger than him.
After walking all day from Karimba Monastery to the residence of Duke Clementine, he loitered around the duke’s estate, observing the situation.
‘Tch, as expected, there are knights stationed near the front gate.’
Even if he was wearing a priest’s robe, the knights would catch him if he approached the front gate.
That was the duty of those who guarded the Duke’s family.
‘Moreover, even if I get inside, finding that detestable little girl won’t be easy.’
As Farell contemplated the realistic difficulties, he scanned the duke’s residence. Given its size, there must be a side entrance used by the servants.
‘The only option is to hide nearby and catch a seemingly easy servant.’
Unless they were someone who closely served a member of the duke’s family, not all servants working in noble households were fiercely loyal.
‘If I threaten to kill them, won’t they listen and comply?’
Having made that decision, Farell quickly hid himself in the crowd and circled around the duke’s estate.
Just as he was finally about to reach the side gate he was looking for, he ran into his target right in front of him.
“Excuse me, who are you? This isn’t a place for visitors or passersby…”
Farell briefly scanned the woman who spoke to him, questioning him.
She had well-kept golden hair and was dressed in quite luxurious fabric, with a demeanor that suggested she had been educated.
‘Is she a maid?’
He had intended to target the servants who were dispensable…
‘But since it’s come to this, I have no choice.’
He could only threaten her to make her listen to him.
With determination hidden beneath his deep hood, he quickly lunged at the maid.
It was before the maid could scream and draw attention.
“Y-You…! Ugh! Mmm!”
“Be quiet! If you stay still, I won’t hurt you! I just came for revenge.”
“Mmm-mm!”
“Stop squirming! Do you want to end up like that scheming little red-haired girl?! If you struggle one more time, you’ll pay the price with your body!”
The maid, who had been struggling to escape, suddenly stopped resisting.
Farell thought his threats had worked, but the truth was different.
‘…That scheming little red-haired girl?’
The maid, Veronica, paused because there was something in Farell’s words that caught her attention.
For the past few days, Veronica had been running out of patience.
It was because Idel, who he thought would be scared, was stubbornly holding her ground.
‘She’s not even flinching at small things anymore.’
She just stared at the servants with a look that said, “I’ll be watching,” and ordered them to leave.
‘…I need to break that gaze quickly.’
Her empty fingers and the anonymous letters that arrived every now and then were constantly gnawing at Veronica’s mind.
It was also the reason she didn’t use the main gate but came through the side entrance.
She had smuggled a laxative she bought from the market into the Duke’s mansion.
‘The side entrance has fewer guards, and the checks are looser than at the main gate.’
As the maid’s chief aide, she should have been able to pass through more easily.
It was supposed to be that way…
“Listen carefully. I’m going to take my hands off your mouth now, but if you scream or beg for your life, I’ll kill you. Got it? However, if you answer my questions well, I won’t hurt you.”
“……”
“Tell me where the duke’s second daughter is staying.”
What could this be, this unexpected stroke of luck?
A deep smile blossomed on her lips as she heard Farell’s demands.
Despite the sudden shift in atmosphere, Farell glared at her fiercely, but Veronica was no longer frightened.
It was only natural. No one would be scared of a precious ‘ally’ who could stand by her side.
Taking a step closer to Farell, Veronica spoke to him in a secretive voice.
“Are you planning to harm the duke’s second daughter, the little girl with red hair and blue eyes?”
“……And if so?”
“In that case, you’re lucky, because I also dislike that girl.”
“W-What?”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe it, but there are quite a few people among those who directly serve the duke’s second daughter who are like me.”
Facing the man who was glaring at her with suspicion, Veronica extended her hand to him.
“If your target is the duke’s second daughter, how about I help you? I think I can make that revenge you desire happen.”
Veronica thought the situation before her was incredibly sweet.
With such luck on her side, it felt as if the heavens were supporting her love with Demaric.
“…You’re saying you’ll help me with my revenge? Why?”
“I just happen to have the same goal as you. Idel took something very important from me.”
“She took something important from you…”
“Is that the case for you too?”
“Yeah, I’m trying to repay that debt. I’m Farell Underwood.”
As they shook hands firmly, Veronica smiled a little more broadly.
It was the first genuine smile she had worn since the day Idel took her ring.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Idel! Idel!”
“Ugh, it’s noisy…”
“Oh, come on, Idel! Wake up! This isn’t the time for this!”
…So loud.
Idel slowly blinked her eyes open and looked around, her body still sluggish and heavy.
Diane was pacing more urgently than usual.
Had she run all the way to the room? Looking at Diane’s flushed cheeks, Idel slowly spoke.
“…What on earth is going on this early in the morning?”
“What do you think? The servants have finally gone crazy together!”
Wh-what?
“Seriously, everyone has lost their minds. No matter how much they hate someone, how could they come up with such a terrible plan…!”
“……”
Finally, seeing Diane start jumping up and down in her seat, Idel rubbed her eyes.
Even though she had become more comfortable lately, overcoming habits she had maintained for a long time was not an easy task.
‘But right now, Diane is managing to do that difficult thing.’
Idel wondered if that was really the same Diane she knew. Something must be happening. She let out a light sigh and grabbed Diane.
“Diane, so what’s going on? What did they say that made you use the word ‘crazy’?”
“That is…”
When it came time to speak, Diane hesitated and pouted.
Then, in a voice full of worry, she blurted out.
“No, it seems the servants are actually planning to lay hands on you, Idel.”
“What?”
“They said they’re going to put a laxative in your food at the banquet scheduled for later! They want to see you make a fool of yourself in front of the duke and duchess!”
