Chapter 69
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Chapter 69
I was curious about what kind of woman Adeline might be, but I had no desire whatsoever to learn about her this closely.
"You said this was the last job. Once this is finished, I can leave for the farthest country from the Empire and live there. I should be able to live comfortably in some small village."
"...Ugh! I understand. I'll do it! I just have to do it, right?"
Nicola sighed heavily and straightened her hair and clothes.
Her silver hair and blue eyes resembled those of Adeline.
"I'll be back soon. Really."
Though I had never met them in person, based on the temperaments of Duke Lockhart and the Duchess, I suspected Adeline would be quiet as well.
All I needed to do was quietly investigate what Duke Hexagon was curious about without any problems and return.
Pocket a good sum and slip away quickly.
Since I had committed such a crime against the Lockhart Family, I could never live in the Empire again.
'I'm sorry, Mother, Father.'
Nicola looked at the locket containing portraits of her deceased parents and steeled her resolve.
Though her parents were buried in the Empire, the situation that forced her to leave kept dragging at her heels.
After much deliberation, as Nicola entered the Banquet Hall of the Lockhart Family Estate, she could not hide her amazement the entire way.
The grandeur of a duke's house was truly extraordinary.
Though I was little more than a lackey of House of Hexagon, I had never been near their estate, so this was my first time visiting a duke's mansion.
"I wonder what Adeline looks like?"
It was then that several nobles' voices reached Nicola's ears.
"It's been several years since The Emperor made his proposal of marriage, hasn't it? I heard from a cousin's eighth cousin's distant relative's in-law's neighbor that Adeline's beauty is supposedly..."
"I heard about it too. They say she's utterly plain? His Majesty made the proposal, but once he saw her face, he couldn't go through with the marriage or call it off, so they're stuck in this limbo."
"So that rumor was true after all? How pitiful..."
Though they spoke in hushed tones, everyone's ears perked up at the sensational gossip.
"From what I heard, the Lockhart Family deliberately hid the young lady. It shows how shameful a daughter she is."
"Is that so? But I heard that some noble men have secretly met with Adeline before?"
"Is it an affair?"
Nicola recalled what Duke Hexagon had told her.
Even House of Hexagon knew nothing about Adeline's appearance beyond her silver hair and blue eyes.
What they were saying couldn't possibly be true.
But what Duke Hexagon was curious about was similar to theirs.
Whether the relationship between Adeline and The Emperor was good or bad.
Nicola pulled her hat down and laid out the belongings she had brought from home. She had brought things haphazardly to leave for overseas immediately after this job was done.
Everything had to be disposed of.
"Wait, isn't that the Portnum Viscount's Daughter?"
"You're right. But the things she brought...... they seem too... to be treasured possessions."
Just as Nicola's eyes grew fierce at the murmuring voices.
"Can I buy this?"
A soft voice reached me alongside a pleasant fragrance.
* * *
I gripped the unassuming medicinal herb that resembled a wild ginseng with all my strength.
'No. I can't let it be taken. I have to buy it.'
What a stroke of fortune this was!
The primary reason for attending this bazaar. Item number one that I absolutely had to purchase. Item number one with the highest value here.
Memory Grass lay right before me.
Sweat dripped profusely from my clenched fist.
"How much do you want for it?"
"Miss!"
At that moment, our household soldiers came rushing over, gasping for breath, and surrounded me.
"What is it?"
"M-Miss, good heavens, how could you rush out before we even announced your arrival!"
"I don't care for such formal entrances."
Truth be told, something far more pressing demanded my attention right now.
I had been watching from the second floor when I spotted a young lady making her entrance.
Emma had whispered that she was Portnum Viscount's Daughter, and at that very moment, the viscount's daughter had produced her prized possession.
The instant I spotted Memory Grass among her belongings, I descended like an arrow.
Fortunately, those around us seemed unaware of its true value.
"Sell it to me."
"...! A-Are you... the Duke's Daughter?"
Yet this flustered woman's face seemed familiar somehow.
Where had I seen her before?
Portnum Viscount's Daughter appeared startled—not from the novelty or curiosity of meeting Adeline, but with a distinctly different quality of surprise, as if she already knew me.
"Have we perhaps met somewhere before?"
"...No, we haven't!"
The woman's voice was remarkably deep. Judging by her coughing and the way she hunched over, it seemed she had caught a cold—best to keep my distance.
At that moment, the surroundings suddenly grew loud.
"Has Adeline arrived?"
The whispers were all directed at me. Now that I thought about it, there were an enormous number of people around.
Right. I was in the middle of the Banquet Hall.
The soldiers who had glanced around signaled, and trumpets blared in unison.
"Presenting Adeline!"
At the announcement, I felt embarrassed.
Every eye in the Banquet Hall turned toward me.
"Whoever started that ridiculous rumor about me being plain..."
"The Duke and the Duchess are both beautiful, so their daughter couldn't possibly be unattractive."
"Ahem."
The hushed voices reached my ears with perfect clarity.
I understood at once.
Today wasn't about revealing my face—it was about how I would be perceived in their minds.
It seemed rumors about me had spread in countless directions.
"You're absolutely stunning."
"I believe the young lady revealed herself to formalize her marriage to His Majesty. She must be planning to wed soon."
And the misunderstandings only grew deeper.
"Since the young lady is hosting this charity bazaar in place of the Duchess, surely she's brought something extraordinary? Aren't you all curious?"
I pressed my fingers to my temples as the mounting misconceptions gave me a headache.
It would have been far less burdensome if someone had simply spoken to me directly, but no one dared approach me.
The treasured item I had decided to contribute to this charity event was a teddy bear.
"Oh, The Emperor? No, no. His Majesty only gave the young lady flowers."
Emma laughed as she said The Emperor hadn't been the one to gift the jewels, but my sharp intuition told me otherwise.
He had given them to me.
If I were to sell something he had gifted me...
"You dared to sell my gift? Repay it with your life."
...that might be the ending awaiting me.
If I was lucky, only I would face execution. If unlucky, my entire family would. If even more unlucky, the person who purchased it would as well.
That's why I brought the safest option—a teddy bear.
A decorative bear with eyes and nose made of gemstones.
Emma had agreed it was a suitable item.
'In any case, I learned a terrifying truth today.'
That The Emperor hadn't only given me flowers. I never imagined he'd showered me with expensive accessories.
Realizing how sincere The Emperor was about marrying me made me understand that my running away had been nothing short of a massive rebellion.
'In that sense, this teddy bear is safe since I played with it when I was younger.'
The pink bear's eyes were set with sapphires, and its nose was made of ruby.
At the center of the ribbon around the bear's neck were ten small diamonds, making it a decoration of considerable value.
This much would more than justify my role as the event's host—it was undoubtedly a luxury item.
"His Majesty wouldn't have simply proposed to the young lady. He surely gave her something remarkable at that time."
"Surely."
But the expectations directed toward me kept growing.
I needed to end this misunderstanding now.
'I'm sure you're disappointed not to have your curiosity satisfied, but what I've prepared isn't something I received from His Majesty.'
Just as I was about to open my mouth and formally begin the event, a trumpet suddenly sounded once more.
"?!"
No one makes an entrance as magnificent as mine, so what is this commotion?
"Who on earth...."
The moment my eyes fell upon the door, my mouth dropped open so wide I thought my jaw would split.
A banner gleaming in gold.
Gold thread and gold fabric—permitted only when embroidering the Imperial Family's insignia.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
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