Betty was very surprised to see Estelle return. This was because the dress of the lady who went to the Kingdom of Royam to seek forgiveness was messed up. Her pretty face even had swollen eyes, as if she had cried.
“Ma’am, did you do anything strange to you there again?”
“Ah, really.”
Estelle blinked her eyes as if she had finally realized.
“I swollen this.”
“…yes?”
“On purpose, I wanted to make it look like Mireyu got excited and poured it on me.”
Betty, unable to understand Estelle’s words for a moment, blinked slowly. And she asked cautiously:
“Did people believe what you said?”
It was a place where many of the people who cared about the Kingdom of Royam gather. Since most of them knew Mireyu and thought well of her, it was highly likely that they did not believe Estelle’s scheming.
“Well, I don’t know because I came out to tell you to take care of it.”
“Yes?! Then you can excuse that she said it was my lady’s own play!”
Betty’s hand stopped changing her dress and she was shocked.
“Then, like what happened last time, if you are misunderstood and think that it was your wife who did it…”
“There is no need to feel unfair again. At least this time it’s a self-made drama, so it’s true.”
Estelle spoke dryly, as if she was talking about someone else.
“Even if the people there believed Mireyu’s words and hated me even more, nothing would change. These are people who hated me anyway, and my reputation won’t change just because of this one more incident.”
“But still…”
“But Mireyu will be different. She was a victim of me, right?”
Although her reputation was greatly damaged by losing the duel, Mireyu’s time in the social world was very long.
‘If you try to get rid of it all at once, there will be a backlash.’
So they needed another number.
“But what I saw that day must have been very different from what people thought.”
People were weak in vision. And they all witnessed Estelle, who was said to be a wicked woman, crying with her wine covered, just like Mireyu had done to her. And then the story would be passed on by word of mouth and become more intense.
“Still, most of the people at the banquet were people who were close to Mireyu. Did it go well?”
“Wouldn’t it at least look strange?”
Betty nodded her head as if she just realized. Estelle immediately accepted the apology from the Kingdom of Royam, and she was acting like she was a close friend of Mireyu and her. If you tell her that she suddenly started acting on her own, you won’t immediately believe her.
“That level of suspicion is enough.”
Because one small doubt will pile up and make things more difficult for Mireyu.
“But your method takes too long.”
Betty shook her head as if she was not relieved.
‘Ma’am, you probably have your own thoughts, but I’m still angry.’
Because when Betty first heard about Mireyu, she was incredibly angry.
‘How can there be such a woman?’
Betty was very familiar with human malice. So, once again, she was no longer shocked by such malice. But what Estelle had been through was beyond Betty’s imagination. Of course, perhaps because she had suffered great pain in her past because of a woman named Mireyu, Estelle would often refer to her work at that time rather vaguely.
‘Mireyu asked me details about what I experienced at Libertan, and she said it was all my fault. I’m having a hard time because I’m full.’
‘…Isn’t she crazy about that girl?’
‘It might not be wrong. At least we were environmentally prosperous, right?’
Just like she still couldn’t tell her how she got her scar.
‘I finally found out too. She was the representative person who went around talking about me.’
‘You mean she did that even while she was seeing Madam?’
‘I guess so? When she sees jealousy, it’s time to be like her friend.’
Mireyu was even more vicious in that she acted like a victim of bullying, knowing that Estelle was not there and that she was in a position where she could not go out and listen.
‘Well, she saw your wife’s wounds too?’
‘Huh. At the time, I thought she was a friend. Actually, she didn’t mean to tell him on purpose, but it was more like she was forcing him to see it. Then she-she said it was so gross. It’s a bit surprising that she actually brags about her scars to others.’
Betty was half-convinced after finding out about the rumors spreading in social circles.
‘I copied that scar from my wife’s scar.’
Even judging from the fact that he went around trying to gain sympathy for the scar, his suspicions were confirmed as confirmation.
‘You probably followed suit because you thought it would be good to gain sympathy, right?’
As one of the people who witnessed her scars, Betty found Mireyu even more terrifying.
‘Is there no minimum humanity?’
She was even more heartbroken at the fact that she had initially misunderstood her lady due to rumors started by such a person.
‘It hurts like this even when I think about it, is my lady really okay?’
“My lady. You won’t leave her alone, will you? Otherwise, I will come and tell you what the scar is.”
“Oh, so.”
Estelle, who had finished changing out of her dress, asked Betty.
“Has she looked into the information guild she asked about last time?”
Betty nodded her head emphatically.
“Sure. Erich has prepared everything, so we can go to the information guild right now. Shall we prepare?”
“You can go back without John knowing, right?”
“That’s natural. The master will come in the evening, so he won’t be able to find out about your going out.”
Estelle’s navy blue eyes turned to the ring that Johan had given her.
‘It bothers me that I keep moving in secret.’
Still, Estelle was still afraid to tell everything to Johan and make a move. In the first place, isn’t John telling everything to himself?
‘For now, let’s focus on Mireyu.’
For a perfect stage, there were pieces that had to be acquired.
* * *
The Marchioness of Felsis was only able to see her son for the first time in a few days. She wanted to persuade the Marquis to take it out again and again, but she could not break the stubbornness of her two rich men.
“Leandro, you’ve worked hard. It’s not because your father hates you either. You know that well, right?”
“I guess my father just wanted to lead me to the right path.”
“I’m glad you know. You’re a good son, after all.”
The Marchioness’s gray eyes studied Leandro’s face closely.
‘The answer is the same as usual.’
The Marchioness felt that Leandro had grown out of the son she knew. It was her instinct as a mother.
“Your father seems to think that it was a great fault that you were kicked out of the position of Commander of the Imperial Palace Knights, but I think differently. As you live, you experience various things.”
“No. Isn’t it my mistake that ruined the family’s honor?”
“Don’t be too sad. If your mind is complicated, you can cause accidents. There’s no one your age who doesn’t cause trouble.”
The Marchioness patted Leandro’s hand affectionately.
“Anyway, you seem to be having a hard time, so this mother took care of some good girls. Let’s take this opportunity to start again.”
At that moment, a strange thirst appeared in Leandro’s blue eyes. Leandro asked with a cracked voice.
“Are you asking me to get engaged again?”
“Yes, you are older now, so of course you should find a partner. To be honest, you’re not engaged anymore, but you’re at a point where you can just start looking for a marriage partner. Because of that vulgar family…”
Leandro’s first engagement. The mere thought of the engagement she had entered into with the only daughter of the Duke of Libertan made the Marchioness very appalled. Although she had no choice but to agree because it was a family union, how could she allow an adopted child from a commoner to be her precious son? This may be the reason why my son, who is infinitely innocent when it comes to women, gets hurt and cannot meet any women.
“Now you should forget about your lost family and find a new good relationship.”
“More than that, mother. It’s a story my mother has been hearing from social circles.”
Leandro asked, taking the Marchioness’s hand.
“Is that whole story true?”
The Marchioness flinched at the strangely reprimanding sound of her young voice. Then, in response to her anxiety, he asked her a sharp question.
“Do you really want to talk about her now?”
“…”
“That’s right. I was still thinking about that girl.”
Estelle Libertan. Blanchett was a woman who has become a hot topic again after becoming a duchess.
“This is why this mother tried to find a new relationship for you! Because you keep obsessing over that woman like this!”
“Mother.”
“What about that woman who tricked you into a duel and left you locked in her basement? You’re losing your mind over that girl!”
“I asked if there were lies in that story.”
The Marchioness, unable to hold back her anger, glared at Leandro.
“I do not know either! Is there a lie or not? What do I know? It’s not even about my children.”
“Mother. My mother shouldn’t have done that. Are you really okay with this mother? Is it because of my mother that she has such vile rumors about her?”
The Marchioness, filled with all sorts of bad feelings, ended up yelling at her son.
“Leandro, come to your senses! She is that woman she was never in your life in the first place!”
Leandro politely got up from his seat.
“I will accept the answer as I heard. And please decline her mother’s offer of good.”
The Marchioness, who belatedly regained her senses, called Leandro, but Leandro left without even looking back at her.
‘She was a woman who was never in my life to begin with?’
If that were possible, he wouldn’t have had this much trouble.
‘Why are you making it so that I have no choice but to see her as a woman?’
Leandro explored the basement of the Felsis mansion. There, he found a forbidden room that even he, his successor, could not enter. A room that cannot be opened without the head of the family’s seal.
‘Is the Marquis of Felsis really the family I thought of?’
Leandro cupped his chest, engrossed in his thoughts.
‘Was my attitude toward her all this time wrong?’
Estelle committed evil deeds in Libertan and attempted to take Yestella’s place by pretending to be her biological daughter. But now Leandro no longer knows what is true.
‘I have to meet Estelle.’
When he thought about it, it seemed like he hadn’t really listened to her until now. It felt like all the threads that had been blocked were twisted around Estelle.
‘I need to listen to her.’
Maybe Estelle wasn’t the villain Leandro thought she was.
* * *
She arrived at the Intelligence Guild with Betty.
[Lisa’s flower shop.]
“It looks like a real flower shop.”
“Business is actually doing well. That way we don’t raise suspicion.”
Erich and Betty both agreed that it was the best information guild, so it would be great to get the job done. For confidentiality reasons, she left Betty, who had come with her, outside, and went inside under the guidance of a staff member.
“Welcome, Duchess Blanchett.”
Sitting inside was a dirty blonde man wearing a hood. He was a very impressive man with a large scar across his eye.
“I am Kasan of the Information Guild. What is your purpose in visiting our information guild?”
“To request two things.”
“Two things?”
“One is a new identity with no problems.”
Kasan opened his eyes wide.
“Will the Duchess herself use it?”
“You don’t need to know that part, right? Please prepare a new identity for the young woman to use.”
“Because it could be problematic…”
Without saying a word, she placed the pocket full of money on the table. At the sound of money clinking, Kasan immediately changed her attitude.
“What is the second, sir?”
“Find out about Mireyu Juti.”
Honestly, this second one was her real goal.
‘I have to prepare a new identity, it’s more like dealing with it while I’m here.’
She didn’t know how great this information guild was, but the more preparations for unexpected situations, the better.
“Exactly-”
Kasan’s head nodded thoughtfully.
* * *
When she left the information guild, Betty greeted her with a friendly smile.
“Ma’am, did you manage your business well?”
“Huh. I finished it well.”
“Then I will bring the carriage too. Please wait here for a moment.”
The wagon had been parked far away for camouflage, so Betty left to get it. She fingered the sunflowers she bought as a souvenir at Lisa’s flower shop.
‘So, has my curse been lifted?’
She had been so busy with Mireyu these days that she completely forgot about it. They say you can just plant the Undine Tier and wait, but honestly, she was a little frustrated because it didn’t work right away and she didn’t hear any news that the curse had been lifted.
‘This damn curse!’
When she was alone, she complained to the tree.
-When will the Eden Rose fully bloom?
-Baby, you too. Do you know if blooming flowers is that easy?
-But I didn’t know it would take this long. When will it bloom?
-That’s all we can say is to wait…
It was that moment. A bird with colorful blue feathers flew in front of her and plucked the flower petals.
‘What is this bird?’
It was an unusual bird with finely trimmed feathers. At that time, the bird’s owner hurriedly shouted at her.
“I’m sorry, my bird-”
The new owner, who was apologizing, paused.
“…Princess Royam?”
“Duchess Blanchett?”
Diana greeted her awkwardly with a nervous look on her face.
“Hello, Duchess Blanchett. I was rude.”
And she stretched out her hand to anxiously take the blue bird that was sitting on her shoulder and tilting her head.
“Bluna, let’s go.”
Then the blue bird spat a sunflower seed in Diana’s face.
Tsk!
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on May, 27.
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