***
“How is she?”
“The same, sir. She spends time in the study reading books or taking walks.”
“She seems to have plenty of time.”
“She must be a great con artist or she’s got some credibility.”
Sybis shook his head with his arms crossed.
He was the Chief Treasurer of Castle Mona, and he was very unhappy about the sudden marriage of his boss.
Marriage was a business in itself, and the marriage of a high-born nobleman was even more so.
Instead of taking care of the castle’s finances, the fact that the position of the Grand Duchess was taken away by a woman of unknown origin was a business that did not even need to be calculated.
“Does she look like a con artist to you?”
Brach asked,
Sybis nodded without hesitation.
“Of course.”
Malaz took a quick look around the room and quickly raised his hand.
“She doesn’t look like a fraud to me.”
“It’s not very credible when someone who lost all his money gambling says so. Don’t you think so?”
“My intuition would be much more believable than the guy who locked himself in the corner of the room and only took a pen holder.”
“It would be a beast, not a man, who would be moved by his senses.”
“That’s real….”
“It was addressed to His Highness.”
Pezzan interrupted Sybis and Malaz.
Blush fiddled with the tip of his chin and turned his gaze to Pezzan.
“What are your thoughts, Pezzan?”
“I am not qualified to judge the Grand Duchess.”
“Do you think she is qualified to be Grand Duchess?”
“That, too, is not for me to discuss.”
Pezzan shook his head expressionlessly.
“Then what is it, except the name Grand Duchess?”
“…”
“I say. It’s an order.”
“I agree with Malaz.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve both agreed on anything, hasn’t it?”
Malaz’s eyes lit up when it quickly regained its energy.
Pezzan pushed the noisy motives to the side and turned to the side.
Out the window he could see Symphonia and Melcy on a walk.
“She doesn’t look like an impostor. Melcy obeys very well, and…”
“To begin with, a true impostor does not act like one. They use plausible words to deceive and sway people.”
Sybis interrupted quickly.
He was hopeful that his boss’s marriage could go up in smoke.
“It’s a delusion….”
Blush’s gaze reached his hand, but only slightly.
It was still difficult to read the thoughts on the expressionless man’s face.
It was then.
“How about that man?”
“As you said, we found traces of him in Baron Village. There is a high probability that he is still alive.”
“Dig a little deeper. It’ll be better if we can get a positive ID.”
“Understood.”
Pezzan nodded silently.
Blush exhaled slowly, keeping his hands on his stomach.
It was subtle, but his brows were narrowed.
* * *
“Flenn!”
“My Lady?”
Flenn, who spotted me, rushed over.
I pretended not to notice the stinging eyes and quickly grabbed Flenn’s hand.
Perhaps it was because of all the hard work, Flenn’s skin was rough, whether it was his face and his hands.
“Are you okay? You must have been through a lot.”
“No, as a fugitive I lived well. There’s nothing much to worry about.”
“Wasn’t it hard for you to come here?”
“It was fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I finally laughed with relief.
“You seem happy.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so happy to see him………….”
I laughed, feeling awkward.
“No.”
Blush was as indifferent as ever, but as far as I was concerned, even that appearance was a good thing.
Anyway, Blush was the one who had brought Flenn here to meet me.
Thank you for listening to my request.”
“It’s not that difficult a request, and more importantly, the contract wouldn’t be complete without it.”
“Don’t worry. Flenn is here now. I’ll be able to move properly from now on.”
Having worked together for a long time, Flenn was my most dependable ally.
Blush stared at our clasped hands for a moment, and then quickly opened his mouth.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
* * * *
“I was surprised to hear that you married Archduke Mona Chareuteu.”
“I gambled a little. The greater the risk, the greater the profit.”
“Is the Archduke worth that much?”
Flenn gave him a suspicious look.
He seemed very anxious to put all bets on Blush, of all people.
I smiled leisurely and handed the notebook I had been organizing the whole time to Flenn.
“We’ll have to do it that way.”
“What’s this?”
“I had some time until you arrived, so I did some research on Mona Chareuteu. This is an unknown land, I needed to study it.”
At my beckoning, Flenn quickly flipped through the notes.
He was only skimming over them, but his eyes lit up behind his glasses.
“There’s a lot of interesting bits in here.”
“Right? I thought so too.”
“But it’s very adventurous.”
“Naturally, the road to pioneering is a rocky one. It’s not something to be taken lightly. Nor is it a difficult one.”
I chuckled mischievously.
Flenn looked at me and immediately sighed.
“I hate to tell you this, but you are no longer the daughter of Duke Tiodurop.”
“I know.”
“Your failure will no longer be merely a result of your experience. Because there is nothing that can protect you anymore.”
“I will not risk my life without knowing that.”
I smiled and leaned back in my chair.
Flenn stared at me for a long time and frowned.
“What happened during that time?”
“Why?”
“Honestly, it wasn’t just one or two weird things. The fact that you predicted what would happen to me and secretly contacted me, and most importantly, the Lady is now…”
“Me?”
“Looks like you’re desperate to die.”
“…”
I chuckled at the sudden stab of correctness.
I thought I was playing it well, but I couldn’t fool the witty Flenn.
“What has the Duke done to you?”
“Nothing.”
Not yet. I swallowed my words later and turned my head away.
“Miss.”
“I had a long dream. In that dream you died, and I couldn’t let go of my father. So…”
I took a moment to catch my breath.
It was painful to recall the memories of that day.
“When I woke up from my sleep, I was surprised to find that the dream I had happened in reality.”
“What……..”
“Isn’t it funny? I didn’t want to believe it. But no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn’t.”
“…”
“I’m not sure anymore. Was it really a dream that I saw? Or was it the future to come?”
I looked down.
My clenched fists were pale from too much effort.
“To be honest, I don’t know how this happened to me. But what I do know for sure is that I don’t want to go through something like that again.”
“…”
“I’d rather die than go through it once more.”
My hot breath was pouring out between my teeth.
I took a deep breath.
“Then, it doesn’t have to be the Archduke Mona.”
“You want to ask me how it is to live an ordinary life?”
“Because a life of prominence is not the only thing that is special.”
“I suppose it is. But then I would have to live in fear for the rest of my life, holding my breath, hiding my existence. Wondering when my father will come to take care of me.”
“I hope the Duke won’t do that…I don’t know, Miss….”
“My father has already abandoned me.”
He abandoned me once, he could do it again. Because the first time is the most difficult.
A bitter taste spread through my mouth.
I couldn’t do it even if I wanted to admit it.
Charlotte wasn’t the only one who could aim at me.
My father was the one who could handle me whenever the need arose.
“I’m the closest thing to Charlotte Tiodurop’s secret. If a bad rumor spreads about her, I will naturally come up on the suspect list, or at worst, I may be the target of elimination. Just as you were.”
I stared at Flenn. He could no longer argue with what I was saying.
“As long as I do not intend to live in obedience to my father’s will, I must become someone who he cannot touch.”
“…”
“And I must be someone who can finish my father if necessary.”
In order for Charlotte to remain a flawless Princess, I was never to be exposed.
To expose myself was practically the same as rebelling against my father.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes, I made my decision.”
“But…”
“No more whimpers, please. Because that’s not what I need.”
“…”
“If you don’t want to stay with me, you can leave.”
“What are you going to do with these plans if I’m not here?”
“…I know you won’t turn down my proposal.”
I chuckled brazenly.
Flenn sighed deeply as he looked at me.
Then he straightened his back and opened my notebook.
“Let’s start with the dream you say you had, Young Lady.”