In fact, Edith received important information before Elizabeth arrived at Lexion Manor.
After officially receiving and accepting Walter’s marriage proposal, Vane naturally started reporting to her in the morning as well.
『 Elizabeth was offered the position of Patricia’s lady-in-waiting.』
It is said that during the New Year’s ball, Imperial Consort Patricia made a jokey comment to those who were aiming for the position of lady-in-waiting.
Patricia expressed her gratitude for the support but intends to appoint Elizabeth, who has been with her for a long time, as her lady-in-waiting.
When she announced that she would make Elizabeth her lady-in-waiting, although her status was somewhat lower than that of the other applicants, she must have hinted at her compassionate and fair standards in employing people.
However, thanks to the Imperial Consort announcing this fact at the ball, Edith was able to come up with one more strategy.
『 If Elizabeth becomes the Imperial Consort’s lady-in-waiting, I can closely monitor and observe Patricia from the closest proximity.』
Who better to spy on than the lady-in-waiting who directly serves the Imperial Consort by her side?
Edith looked at Elizabeth to confirm once more whether Vane’s report was true.
“I heard you were offered the position of the Imperial Consort’s lady-in-waiting. Is that true?”
“…!”
When she asked, as she had anticipated, Elizabeth felt like she had found a ray of light.
Elizabeth had been racking her brain over how she could prove her usefulness to Edith and, by extension, to Lexion, but the woman in front of her had pointed out the correct answer.
“That’s right. I’ve been offered a position as the Imperial Consort’s lady-in-waiting, and I’m scheduled to start working next week.”
After hearing about Elise’s situation from Edith, Elizabeth was considering pretending to accidentally set a fire in the Imperial Consort’s bedroom on her first day at work.
After all, Patricia was the eldest daughter of the Gerturks who took advantage of her daughter and herself. It was obvious that she was aware of Elise’s situation as well.
But Patricia pretended not to know anything, and even offered her the position of lady-in-waiting, so there was no way she was going to serve her.
But it was a different story if she could use her position as a lady-in-waiting to avenge her child and herself.
“Now that I’ve taken on the role of the Imperial Consort’s secretary, I will know her detailed schedule and movements. So please, give me a chance.”
Elizabeth looked at Edith more earnestly than ever. Her eyes became red from her desperation.
“I swear I never told anyone that you’re with child. I have no intention of revealing this to others in the future.”
“…”
“So please use me to bring down Gerturk into the abyss. In any way possible…”
Elizabeth bowed her head to the floor and pleaded. Reflected on the marble tiles, Edith carefully scrutinized the letter Elizabeth had brought from Gilbert, maintaining a composed expression.
Elizabeth was afraid of the decision that would follow that calm action.
『 Even if I assume the position of the Imperial Consort’s lady-in-waiting, it is natural for them to be unwilling to accept me, considering what I have done.』
Not only did she take the initiative with Aizen to kill Walter, but she even tried to blackmail Edith with the fact that she was pregnant at the New Year’s ball.
It would not be surprising for Edith to harm her, as well as her daughter if necessary.
Elizabeth was thinking over the things she had done as if she was slapping herself, but Edith opened her mouth.
“First of all, I understand your intentions for now. My decision will be made only after reviewing the letters a bit more.”
Elizabeth had entrusted not only her own life but also the letters exchanged with her lover, Gilbert Gerturk.
In the letters, there were quite detailed details of the dirty things that Count Gerturk did to break the aristocratic faction and usher in the era of the Imperial Consort.
The attack on the carriage Edith and Viscount Fortrion were riding in, using the assassins of the Count, was just one of these heinous acts.
In particular, it was hard for Elizabeth to escape punishment, especially after she mentioned that the suspicious stableman seemed to be of an important bloodline and that the idea of kidnapping and selling him was not one that she would be able to avoid.
『 I guess she brought this up, knowing that if she started exposing these issues, it would be the end for her as well.』
Considering what Elizabeth had done to Walter and her, Edith couldn’t trust her.
It was a matter that needed to be observed for now, whether Elizabeth would excellently play the role of a spy by the Imperial Consort’s side to protect her daughter.
In the end, there was only one thing Edith could say for sure about Elizabeth right now.
“I believe no young girl should be sold to Baron Humphrey. I will not send your daughter to a living hell for what you did to us.”
“…?”
Elizabeth, unexpectedly, lifted her head to look at Edith upon hearing that she wouldn’t harm Elise. Edith’s expression remained unchanged as if stating the obvious fact.
She expected her to be condescending or smirk and demand for something more, but Edith’s expression didn’t change much, as if she was telling the most obvious truth.
When she was curious about the reason for the favor, Edith added as if it was obvious.
“Elizabeth, it’s abnormal for people to secretly sell young girls to perverts behind their mothers’ backs. I’m just a normal person, different from those people.”
“…!”
Elizabeth looked at Edith with a surprised look on her face. Walter also turned his gaze towards his fiancée and smiled lightly.
The Second Viscountess didn’t seem to know yet, but this was Edith. She’s the kind of woman who brings meat pies to little mages to whom she has no connection, so there’s no way she’d be happy about selling someone else’s daughter to a pervert.
Even if it were Elizabeth’s daughter, who was a thorn in her eyes, it was clear that Edith would not let a child fall into the abyss, and Walter liked that kindness.
“The Count and the Countess also have a son, so how could they do such a thing? It’s not just their son who is precious. Right, Walter?”
Even Edith murmured softly as if she truly couldn’t understand, expressing her confusion.
As Elizabeth watched her, she realized something.
She realized that the woman in front of her was essentially a different person from Gerturk, with whom she had given her all for several years.
──────────✿◦•
A few days later, Walter casually entered Edith’s bedroom.
“I sent someone to Elizabeth. From now on, she will contact you through that informant.”
After reviewing the letter, the two decided to give Elizabeth a chance. It wasn’t out of pity for her, who had been betrayed by those she trusted and had even had her daughter taken away from her.
The letters that Elizabeth brought were full of Gilbert’s tender affection for her.
It’s also mentioned that once she finished work, she and her daughter would start a family and live well together. To do so, he asked her to keep an eye on the suspicious stableman.
The letters were accompanied by an instruction to burn them and destroy them after reading them, but Elizabeth apparently ignored the instruction and kept the letter to read it over and over again.
“Sending a letter like that to Fortrion Manor and then selling his daughter to a pedophile. I think Gilbert is out of his mind. How can he write a sweet letter after doing something like that…”
It was difficult for Edith to even imagine the anger of Elizabeth, who once was an enemy, coming to find her and slamming her forehead onto the ground.
Walter nodded slightly as if he agreed.
“It seems like this guy, Gilbert Gerturk, is a bastard who doesn’t have the ability to figure out what Nicholas was doing or the patience to act as a spy, but just wants to make a living by selling his loved ones.”
After saying that, he quietly went behind Edith and hugged her. The action of sweeping aside her abundant blonde hair and burying his face in her shoulder seemed as natural as water flowing.
“Isn’t it funny when that son of a bitch talks about love, Edith? Love is a world for only romantic people who are attracted to the same man twice.”
“Ahem.”
Whether Edith felt embarrassed by her own story or not, Walter slyly stroked her swollen belly.
“What should be done about someone who repeatedly writes the name of only one person on their list of people they want to spend a night with when talking about love, similar to that bastard Gilbert?”
T/N: Walter is referring to Edith, when she claimed that the father of her child was from another man, when in reality he was the only person she had intimate activities with.
“Walter.”
Edith put down the book she was organizing for a moment and glanced at him. Her face carried a somewhat serious expression, telling him to stop teasing, but her blushing cheeks made her even more adorable.
“Help me pack. We only have a few days left until we depart for the territory.”
“If it’s M’lady’s travel belongings, of course, I’ll help.”
Walter smirked, then neatly put the items Edith had chosen into a box.
Now that the New Year’s festivities were over, Edith and Walter were preparing to leave the capital.
The journey was made under the guise of touring the heir’s territory, but the real reason was that she needed a magic stone manor where she could safely give birth to her child.
“I’m so glad that the magic stone manor is bigger than I thought. It even has a library and a glass greenhouse inside.”
The manor, built by the Duke for his daughters’ childbirth and postpartum care, was like a grand palace high above the sky compared to the cabin where she used to live. Instead of worrying about shortages, there was concern about having excess resources.
There were other reasons why Edith was secretly looking forward to spending time at Lexion territory.
“Baron Humphrey’s territory is right next door. If we’re lucky, we might be able to find out which mine Neal was talking about.”
The doctor’s opinion was that the magical power provided by Walter was so stable that brief outings were possible.
Edith, whose curiosity tends to get the best of her, decided to use the opportunity to go out and find information about Baron Humphrey.
She was going crazy wondering what kind of mineral the Imperial Consort had discovered that led her to join hands with Baron Humphrey.
“What if that pervert shows interest in M’lady and our little one? Should I gouge out his eyeballs in advance?”
Even though they hadn’t arrived at the territory yet, Walter, who was already naturally contemplating attacking the Baron, made Edith slightly worried about whether Walter could conceal his murderous intentions well.
“Still, thanks to you, I’m glad I was able to pack quickly. Now I just need to take care of the things inside.”
Edith opened the dressing table drawer with a small key. Judging by the position and the care with which she handled it, it was clear that her most prized possession was inside.
After glancing at it slightly, Walter, trying to figure out what was inside the drawer, fell silent for a moment.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
