Episode 59

It wasn’t particularly hard to sow discord between Seth and Servi.

In fact, it was much easier than most other things I’d done.

‘The only reason they even appeared to get along was because of me.’

Or more accurately, because they had a common enemy.

Servi and Seth were complete opposites in temperament, with hardly any common ground between them.

The only things they shared were that they were both sons of the Duke, disliked me, and had an interest in Aria.

‘And now, I’m no longer at the Duke’s mansion.’

When they had disagreements, all they had to do was unite in tormenting me, their common foe. In a situation where there was an enemy they both wanted to bring down, nothing else mattered.

In a way, I was the reason their fragile brotherhood had strengthened instead of breaking.

‘And the only person who might hold their bond together now is Aria.’

With that thought, I asked Marie about Aria’s recent activities.

“How has Aria been doing lately?”

“Lady Aria has been doing well, as always.”

“Have the maids mentioned anything else?”

I meant the maids I’d left at the Duke’s mansion. Marie shook her head lightly.

“They haven’t said much. They seem curious about how you’re doing, so I passed on your regards.”

“They think about me?”

“You may not realize it, but when the maids gather, they talk about you more than you’d expect.”

I decided not to ask about the specifics of those conversations.

Instead, I continued answering Marie’s earlier question about whether the plan would work.

“Oracle has already reached out to Servi before.”

“You mean that man you mentioned seeing last time?”

The man we’d glimpsed in Servi’s office during that loud commotion was, without a doubt, Oracle’s gatekeeper. This meant that Oracle was likely in some kind of conflict with Servi.

This was an opportunity I couldn’t let slip by.

‘I need to sow discord between Oracle and Servi, too.’

Just as I’d planned to drive a wedge between Servi and Seth, I was now setting the stage for a rift between Oracle and Servi.

“All that’s left is to time it right.”

“Time it?”

“Considering their personalities, Servi and Seth are bound to clash at some point. When that happens, I’ll do the same thing I did with Servi, but this time with Seth.”

Provoking Seth would be easier than stirring up Servi.

Marie seemed to catch onto my thoughts and asked cautiously, “My lady, wouldn’t it have been easier to fan Seth’s flames first instead of Servi’s?”

“Seth is petty and hot-tempered. If provoked too much, he could do something reckless and unpredictable.”

I recalled the incidents Seth had caused in the past.

He often dealt with those he disliked from the shadows, and in extreme cases, he’d even nearly harmed a lady who rejected his advances.

‘Provoking him too much wouldn’t end well.’

It was better to agitate Seth within a controllable range. After I answered calmly, Marie nodded in understanding.

We continued chatting as we made our way back to the annex.

“I’ll soon officially hire the Blue Wolf Mercenary Guild. When that happens, I’ll need you to run a few errands for me.”

“Don’t worry about it, my lady. Feel free to entrust any errands to me.”

“Thank you, as always.”

Just as I said this, we reached the entrance of the annex.

A large figure stood at a distance.

“Your Grace, the Grand Duke.”

Marie noticed Chris before I did, quickly bowing her head and discreetly stepping aside.

“Marie?”

Before I could stop her, Marie slipped away at a swift pace, leaving me momentarily flustered. Chris spoke calmly.

“I came because there are matters to discuss.”

“…Yes.”

I felt warmth rise to my fingertips, and I fidgeted with my fingers.

In the dim light, I was glad he couldn’t clearly see how anxious I might have looked.

“Regarding the engagement, first of all…”

“Let’s make it appear that I’m the one proposing it.”

I whispered, trying to steady my slightly trembling voice. Chris looked at me quietly.

“Usually, it’s the man who initiates. It would be easier that way.”

“Do you remember? I was the one who approached you first.”

The more I thought about it, the more this approach seemed wise.

If rumors spread that the Reinhardt family was pushing for the marriage, Chris might face less backlash from the North.

‘After all, everyone knows how the Reinhardt family has been pressuring Elzerian over the years.’

Those who already disapproved of Chris’s actions might believe that the Reinhardt family’s influence played a part.

Of course, there would still be those who opposed Chris accepting this marriage altogether.

‘The North is a place of strong discipline.’

At the very least, it would reduce the number of people openly voicing discontent.

Ideally, the engagement would happen after I’d severed all ties with Reinhardt, but that wasn’t feasible right now.

Just then, as if to pull me from my thoughts, he took my hand. Startled, I froze as Chris let out a small sigh.

“Always deep in thought.”

“I can’t help it. It’s a habit of mine.”

Besides, there was something else to consider if we got engaged.

‘I won’t be able to fulfill my promise to leave him as quickly as I’d planned…’

Originally, I intended to finish my revenge swiftly and leave him. But this would complicate things.

There was also the matter of ending the engagement.

If I wanted to spare Chris from any consequences, I’d have to take full blame for the separation.

‘I’m prepared for that, but…’

Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts, Chris gripped my hand firmly.

“No need to think about it anymore.”

“Your Grace…”

“If it’s truly what you want, then do it.”

“……”

“But if you’re doing this solely out of consideration for me… you don’t have to.”

Instead of asking why, I kept walking, and Chris continued speaking.

“There shouldn’t be any issues with the engagement itself.”

“…Yes. The Duke wants this, too.”

“Then it might be best to make it official as soon as possible.”

“I’ve been thinking…”

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“At the next social event, I’ll publicly propose the engagement.”

Chris paused and looked at me.

Under the moonlight, I gazed into his eyes, which held a faint blue hue, and whispered.

“As I said, I was the one who first approached you. So it only makes sense that I’m the one to propose. You haven’t forgotten, have you, how I suggested we use my reputation to our advantage?”

“…You mean how you actively pursued high-ranking noblemen?”

Chris looked slightly uncomfortable as he said this.

The hint of jealousy in his expression was oddly endearing, and I suppressed a laugh. I must have been projecting too many of my own hopes onto him.

“Yes. This time, too, I’ll make a public proposal to you in front of everyone, just like back then.”

“Leaving me with no choice but to accept.”

I met his gaze and replied firmly.

“This is how I want it.”

“This somehow feels… unfair.”

“Why?”

“I was indeed the one to bring up the engagement first.”

His tone sounded as if he was slightly disappointed about losing the initiative.

I pushed aside that thought and nodded.

“This way is much better. You know that, don’t you, Your Grace?”

“……”

“There’s another tea party being hosted by the imperial family soon. Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, hosts salons quite often.”

“I’ve heard they’re nearly every other day lately.”

“It’s probably because of the Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince’s reputation had already taken a hit at Aria’s debutante. To make things worse, the winner of the recent hunting festival was a young knight from the Imperial Guard.

The Crown Prince, who should have been focusing on the hunt, had wasted his time looking for me.

‘If he’d actually managed to find me, it might have been acceptable.’

But in the end, it was Chris who found and rescued me.

Thanks to that, even without a trophy, Chris was remembered by everyone as a gentleman who saved a lady in distress.

It turned out I didn’t need to worry about standing out by catching too many game animals or holding back to avoid controversy.

‘It wasn’t intentional, but… in that sense, I should thank Seth.’

Anyway, this was why the Empress Dowager had been holding salons frequently, trying to salvage the Crown Prince’s reputation.

It might be a good idea to arrange for one of the upcoming salons and get permission from the Empress Dowager.

‘The Empress Dowager shares the Duke’s intentions of pairing me with the Grand Duke, so she won’t refuse.’

As I thought this, I became aware of Chris’s hand holding mine.

He was gently touching my ring finger… then measuring its size with his thumb and forefinger.

His expression was intensely serious.

“……!”

Realizing what he was doing, my face flushed uncontrollably.

Even though I knew he was likely doing it just to prepare an engagement ring, I couldn’t stop my heart from racing. I could feel the heat spreading to my ears.

In silence, we continued walking until we nearly reached the annex.

“Your Grace, the Grand Duke!”

Jade suddenly appeared, running over to us. His face was pale. Sensing that something was wrong, Chris’s expression hardened.

“What’s going on?”

“Well…”

Jade glanced at me, hesitant to speak. I considered stepping aside, but Chris held onto me and didn’t let go.

“If it’s urgent, just say it. It doesn’t matter.”

“…The messenger hawk.”

“The one coming from the North?”

I knew that Chris regularly received messenger hawks from the North. Jade closed his eyes tightly, then spoke.

“It seems… it was intercepted halfway.”