“The head maid will be watching over Emily. She might already know that Emily brings the food to me.”
“What? No way.”
“I just feel that way. So don’t come to me from now on.”
“Lady…”
Emily raised her eyebrows and gave Elaine a pitiful look.
‘How much I owe you for that kindness…’
Elaine deliberately smiled brighter.
“I am really fine. Maybe things will get better in the future.”
“If it’s going to be okay, it should have been okay a long time ago.”
“I’m not just saying it. Maybe next year I will enter the temple as the Newt family saintess.”
“What? really?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure, so don’t tell anyone.”
Even if she became a saintess and entered the temple, Elaine’s hard life would remain the same, but it would sound like a much better situation for a maid.
“But there is still a long way to go before the temple ceremony.”
“So I have to pull out the bad and get their good side in the meantime. Emily, I’ll be so sad if you get punished because of me.”
“Ah, don’t worry. I’m not going to get a big punishment for bringing out this food.”
The naive Emily was unaware of Count Newt’s hatred for Elaine.
To Count Newt, it would be the seed of another man born of the woman he loved, and to Countess Newt, it would be a being that reminded her of the woman her husband loved every time she saw Elaine.
“Just do as I say. ah! That doesn’t mean I’ll forget Emily or pretend I don’t know you. I swear on that.”
Emily looked at Elaine with pensive eyes and hugged Elaine tightly without saying a word.
The warm embrace made Elaine feel as if she was going to cry a little.
“I’m sorry I’m powerless, young lady.”
“Emily has nothing to be sorry about. Thanks to Emily, I was able to hold on.”
“But if you need me, hang an oil lamp by the window. Then I will come up to your room as soon as possible.”
“Yes. Thank you. Thanks, Emily.”
Elaine held back tears and hugged Emily tighter. After Emily had gone, Rabes, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.
[Who is that person? Compared to the assholes in this house, she seems like a pretty decent human being.]
“Emily, she’s the only maid who helped me.”
Elaine told Rabes about her relationship with Emily and what happened to Emily after she entered the temple.
“Since I came back, I want to protect Emily this time. Is there any way?”
[Hmm. It’s not difficult.]
“Really?”
[Who the hell do you think I am?]
Elaine’s eyes twinkled when Rabes said he would help.
“You are the coolest and strongest dragon in the world.”
[You know that, right? Are you afraid I’m going to ask you to make a wish? Don’t worry. I’m too lazy to deal with something like this as a wish.]
She was really relieved when Rabes told her not to worry.
However, Rabes placed a condition.
[In exchange, I need you to do me a favor.]
“What? A favor? From me?”
What request would a dragon who could do anything ask an insignificant human?
[When you enter the temple next year, find something there and bring it to me.]
“What?”
[I’ll tell you about that then. It’s not big.]
“Yes, I understand.”
Elaine should have realized then. That a dragon’s standard for “big things” is quite different from a human’s.
* * *
“Greetings, ma’am.”
“Welcome, Count Newt. Long time no see, L’Arch.”
The splendid parlor was dazzling in the cold winter sun.
The woman who greeted Rubaine and L’Arch there was a stunning beauty who looked a little different from an ordinary Imperial.
Dark hair cascaded down to her waist in waves and her cinnamon-colored skin was flawless.
The dark black eyelashes were plentiful enough to cast a shadow over the cheekbones, and above all, there was something about the innocent and bewitching light brown eyes that caught people’s attention.
“The parlor is different from the last time I was here.”
“Remembering the place where I lived, I decorated it a little exotically. What do you think?”
“Such unique and luxurious taste, indeed, Lady Hebron. No wonder His Majesty the Emperor is a frequent visitor to your mansion, hehe!”
“Oh my, I’m still far behind Countess Newt’s taste.”
Her name is Sasha Hebron, who is genuine smiles happily at Rubaine’s flattery.
It was already 20 years ago that she, who was a flower girl in a rural area, caught the attention of the emperor passing through the area and had become his mistress.
The emperor, who had only a political marriage with the empress, quickly fell for Sasha like a person who discovered a rare flower in a foreign country, and Sasha did not miss the opportunity and seized the emperor.
Coming up to the capital with the emperor, she quickly became the queen of society, but in front of the empress, she was extremely obedient and humble. She spent more time with the empress than with the emperor, and she was her companion.
Because of Sasha’s efforts Abel, Sasha’s son, was able to enter the imperial family with the permission of the Empress, even though he was an illegitimate child.
‘Abel became the prince and the empress died. If that’s the case, it’s only a matter of time before the crown prince changes.’
With that ulterior motive, Rubaine was connecting with Sasha.
After the sudden death of the empress 2 years ago, Sasha, who was still holding the emperor, took over the vacancy of the empress and took power closer to that of an empress rather than a mistress.
Anyway, Sasha brought up something that would make Rubaine happy.
“The gift you sent me for my birthday last time was well received, was that also from Countess Newt?”
“Ahaha! Yes, that’s right. I think my wife took some care in choosing something that would suit you.”
“It must not have been easy to find such a ruby.….”
“It’s a birthday present for you, so how can we prepare something of poor quality?”
Sasha’s red lips curled in satisfaction at Rubaine’s attitude.
Sasha’s goal with the emperor in her hand was not just a woman warming the bed, and astute nobles who were well aware of that fact were already standing in line, balancing between the crown princess Anais and Sasha.
And Count Newt’s family was a representative family that had lined up in Sasha from an early age.
“I am always grateful for the sincere friendship that Count Newt shows. In these days when it is difficult to find people to trust, people like Count Newt are far more valuable than dozens of bat-like humans.”
“I’m flattered. However, I agree with you that it’s hard to find someone to trust. These days, you can’t say a word recklessly even when you go to a meeting. You have to know who’s going to stab you in the back.”
Sasha nodded, and Rubaine excitedly added.
“In order for me not to be attacked, I couldn’t help but pay attention to other people’s actions and words. There’s a lot of incitement and false rumors even at the nobles’ meeting for friendship, so.…”
“By any chance, have stupid people have been talking nonsense?”
At Sasha’s question, Rubaine leaned forward and lowered his voice as if he had waited.
“I mean Count Arman. It seemed that he was completely playing into the clutches of the Marquis Orlov. Whenever he say something, he keep praising, saying, ‘Our Highness, Crown Princess Anais,’ and it was embarrassing to watch.”
“If it’s Count Arman, he’s close to the Marquis of Orlov, Her Majesty the Empress’ cousin; I even heard that Countess Arman had attended Her Highness Anais’ tea parties the other day….”
“Wouldn’t that be Her Highness’s strategy to attract Count Arman, who recently made some money in the mining industry?”
“Well, I guess so.”
Sasha tapped the armrest of the sofa with the tips of her long nails, lost in thought for a moment, then brightened up the atmosphere with a bright smile.
“Her Highness Anais seems impatient too. Seeing how she’s trying to attract even an insignificant person like Count Arman.”
“Who is the next emperor whom His Majesty and many nobles are supporting? it’s Prince Abel! So it’s understandable that she was nervous.”
Sasha was a woman in her forties with an eighteen-year-old son, her natural beauty and constant care made her look younger than her age.
Abel, who had been elevated to the rank of prince through the emperor’s insistence and Sasha’s hard work, had begun to shake up crown princess Anais’s position two years before the empress’s death.
“The son of the mistress greedy for the throne? Do you think that is possible?”
The empress’ family, the Marquis Orlov, mocked and ignored Abel, but in fact, the emperor’s heart was inclined toward Abel.
However, the reason why the emperor couldn’t make Abel the crown prince was due to the imperial family law and the opposition of the great nobles.
Rubaine had already said that many nobles supported Abel, but the great old nobles were still on the side of the Marquis Orlov and the Crown Princess.
Because of that, Sasha was trying to rally more and more aristocratic forces, and Count Newt was a family she was particularly interested in. Besides, there was something important to find in Count Newt’s mansion.
* * *
