Chapter 78
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A villainess locked away in a desolate tower—I had possessed her body. Chapter 78 "Ah, that's right...."
I belatedly recalled something I'd forgotten. The fact that the blackout curtains were made from Poleta leather. The false rumor that tumblers and thermos bottles were harmful. All of it had spread among the people through articles published in magazines or newspapers. 'I never bothered to trace the source of those articles.' Are mainlanders truly different? I gazed at him with curious eyes, suddenly reminded that I was a foreigner in this place.
"Who is that?"
In response to my question, the Blaire Grand Duke withdrew a small portrait from his pocket and handed it to me. Within the palm-sized paper was drawn a woman with a rigid expression. Her eyes tilted sharply upward at the corners, her cheekbones protruded prominently, giving her a most spiteful appearance... a woman in her fifties? As I examined the portrait closely, I heard the Blaire Grand Duke's voice.
"Laura Elegance."
"Hmm...?"
A name I'd never heard before. I tilted my head as I searched my memory, but what followed was entirely unexpected.
"The Empress's mouthpiece."
"What?"
Though it was figurative language, I understood immediately. After all, a "mouthpiece" was a person someone used to spread their intentions—a sort of slang term. Moreover, the Empress Oriana's mouthpiece? Without question, that woman had handled more than half of high society's gossip.
"However."
Yet I couldn't easily believe those words. 'I don't think the Empress orchestrated this.' Indeed, the current Empress was an avid reader of "Safety Precautions of the Goedam Duchy" more than anyone else. Of course, I'd only seen it a few times, and I knew she was someone capable of scheming behind the scenes, having elevated her son to the throne. But there was no reason for her to cast aspersions on the Blaire Grand Duke's business at this juncture—especially the tumbler business she herself had helped with. Why would someone who even assisted in catching illegal dealings related to tumblers, simply because she disliked scandal befalling her beloved comic, do such a thing? My voice wavered involuntarily as my expression grew grave.
"I don't quite understand. So Miss Elegance...."
"Young Lady."
"Pardon?"
"She's a Young Lady. She's never been married."
Ah, I see... so that's how it was. In this noble society, I'd naturally assumed someone in her fifties would be married, but... she was ahead of her time. In any case, mispronouncing a title for an unmarried woman was a grave offense, so I quickly corrected myself.
"Yes, so there's no possibility that Young Lady Elegance wrote the article independently?"
"That could have been the case."
"Then I should investigate further. No matter how I think about it, the pieces don't fit together."
The Empress, who had been sitting quietly, would hardly have picked a quarrel with the Grand Duchy on a whim. 'No, it's difficult to confirm anything right now anyway.' When even a cousin's land purchase could stir jealousy, how many envious eyes would turn toward the Blaire House if it continued its triumphant ascent? Perhaps I should investigate Laura Elegance after all? After organizing my thoughts, I offered a bright smile to the Grand Duke, who had been watching me intently.
"Thank you for the new information, at least."
"Princess."
Just as I turned to leave, the Grand Duke's voice caught me by the ankle.
"Yes?"
His expression remained inscrutable as he slowly parted his lips.
"I know this incident dealt you a heavy blow."
"...Ah."
"I regret it. Scarcely had your body recovered before these incidents began piling up."
Now that he mentioned it, that was true. Ever since my abduction to the Grand Duchy, I'd been pushing myself relentlessly, and accumulated exhaustion had even laid me low with illness. Yet the moment I set aside my work for a brief respite, another cascade of troubles erupted. By any measure, my fortune seemed overflowing—with misfortune. 'Perhaps I was born destined to live like a worker ant....' I released a self-deprecating murmur and shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, I suppose it's my fate."
"No."
Hmm? When he speaks so firmly, it makes me rather embarrassed.... But the Grand Duke continued regardless of what I might be thinking.
"Don't push yourself this time."
"Yes? But still...."
"You must have seen with your own eyes how much those around you worried about you. Haven't you?"
"Ah...."
At his words, I naturally recalled the moment I'd collapsed from motion sickness not long ago. Bonita, Ian... and countless servants whose names I'd never even learned—they had all worried for me. As all of it flooded through my mind, I found myself clamming up like a shell. 'And this man has also shown me considerable care.' The fact that this Scrooge-like creature had even reduced my room and board was proof of it. A stingy miser who, despite being an enormous magnate, meticulously scraped together every last coin of my meager earnings! It was like a romance novel trope where the wealthy male lead falls for the poor female lead and becomes putty in her hands.... Glance. I stole a sideways look at him and, confronted once more with his devastatingly handsome features, snapped back to reality. A magnificent male lead like the Grand Duke surely has someone already claimed; a debt-ridden lodger mustn't indulge in such delusions.
"I'll be more careful going forward."
After bowing once, I quickly added more before the atmosphere could turn awkward.
"After all, I can only pay for my room and board if I stay healthy, right? Haha, isn't that so?"
The Blaire Grand Duke offered no particular response, but I turned away and hurried off before he could answer. Something told me that if I looked back now, I'd find myself captivated by that face all over again. * * * "Mmm..."
Dawn was breaking. Baroness Fabron, who had barely finished her work, stretched and turned her head toward the rising sun. How long had she been cooped up in the library? With the deadline pressing and her mind working so clearly in the early morning hours, she'd ended up pulling another all-nighter. The Baroness only now realized this fact, and her expression grew troubled.
"The sun's already up..."
"Mmph, is it finished now?"
"Oh, dear. Did I wake you because of me?"
Hearing his wife stir from her seat, Fabron Marquis opened his eyes and sat up, running his fingers through his disheveled hair. His wife had only recently recovered her health, so he'd been sleeping uncomfortably in the library to stay by her side.
"I'm sorry. The work is all finished now."
At the apologetic tone in her voice, Fabron Marquis shook his head gently.
"Please don't say such things, my dear. I haven't been much help at all... but I'm delighted to support you in this way."
"Thank you for saying that."
"You've been up all night—is your mouth dry? What would you like to eat?"
"Hmm, I'm craving hot soup."
It was the sort of tender conversation any affectionate couple might share. Fabron Marquis adjusted the shawl draped over his wife's shoulders with a gentle touch.
"Potato soup would be perfect, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, potato soup. That would be just right for weather like this."
"And what about the rye bread we used to eat so often?"
"Yes! Since coming here, I've only eaten soft white bread."
In House Ambrose, where only the finest was served, rough rye bread was even harder to come by than white bread. Perhaps for that reason, the rye bread that had once grown tiresome in their poverty had become a cherished memory for this young couple.
"Then I'll go speak to the kitchen directly, my dear. The servants probably haven't finished their preparations yet."
"Oh, would you do that for me?"
"Of course. And while I'm at it, I'll send this as well."
"Thank you, dear."
Fabron Marquis accepted the next installment's outline for 【Safety Regulations of Goedam Duchy Series】 that his wife had been sealing. After handing the letter to her husband, Baroness Fabron spoke with a serious expression.
"You remember, don't you? It has to go to 'Bonita,' not to Young Lady April. And I need to send it under a different name as well."
"Of course I remember. Don't worry."
Thanks to the various security measures they'd put in place to prevent story leaks, no major problems had occurred so far. The synopsis for the next installment wasn't written plainly either—I'd encoded it like a cipher so that only those who understood the rules could decipher it.
"Then, I'm counting on you."
Fabron Marquis turned away from his wife's radiant smile and hastened his pace. It was the beginning of an ordinary day, peaceful and unremarkable as any other.
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