Chapter 10 – Luring the Beast (2)
“Right awa- … wait Weifel What?! Jane’s surprised shout rang so loudly that it almost seemed like the room around her was beginning to shake.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“I can’t help but be surprised! The mansion of the Duke We-We-Weifel?”
In her head Lila knew that being surprised was not a peculiar reaction, yet she asked her anyways for confirmation. In fact Lila knew very well why Jane was so surprised.
“The Duke of Weifel is a cold-blooded man with no blood or tears!”
Lila smiled inwardly at the response that was on point with her expectations.
“How could you go to such a dreadful man on your own? He’s dangerous! He’s a man who can’t be read!”
“Well-”
“And the Duke of Weifel said he despised women. There have been rumors that he ignored his Imperial Highness’ proposal!”
Ignoring the proposal of the Emperor’s daughter, not even refusing it. Lila could tell how much influence his power had in the empire.
“Some people in the Weifel area are said to have scary scars on their faces, They say that it was because they signed a blood contract with the devil himself! The Duke of Weifel.”
“Really?” Said Lila ignorantly, once again acting like she was surprised.
“There must be a reason why he doesn’t show his face. He would look like a demon!”
She knew this theory was incorrect. The original book was full of praise for his cold but handsome appearance. Lila tried to point out the fact without making it too obvious that she knew his appearance.
“If the Duke really looked like a demon, why would the Emperor’s daughter have proposed?”
“Oh?” Jane contemplated for a moment, she almost seemed to believe her claim but ultimately revealed a frown and raised her hand on the side as though it wasn’t right. “I do not know why she proposed either, since the Emperor too, does not even come close to The Duke of Weifel”
“I see.”
Jane couldn’t mask her irritation anymore, “Madam! Are you even listening to me?”
Lila realised that she clearly wasn’t doing a good job of acting like she was paying attention so she nodded to try and soothe her.
“Regardless, arrange a carriage to visit the Duke of Weifel.”
“W-what are you really going to do? Did you even make plans to meet in advance?”
“Yes, I have.”
Jane’s eyes grew wide with bewilderment. “Well, really? Did Duke Weifel accept that? I’m sure he doesn’t usually meet … with anyone. ”
This was a lie, Less than a day had passed since she had entered Mrs. Marshmell’s body. It was not possible for Lila to have prepared a meeting with the Duke in that short period of time. She knew that she couldn’t have a meeting with Lacias normally, as even if she sent him a letter at that moment, she wouldn’t get a reply. ‘Ignoring’ was a thing he commonly did to people.
As Jane said, Lacias was a man who hated socializing. She didn’t plan to waste time with inviting him over to a meeting without any certainty of whether he would come or not. And chances seemed to be siding with him not showing up. Instead she already came up with a few ideas revolving around catching Lacias when he came out.
This would be the best way of contacting him, without wasting any time. She thought to herself with a feeling of pride.
She was sure that her offer would pique his interest.
“It’ll take some time.”
“I needed time anyway. I want to leave in three hours from now.”
“That’s enough.” Nodded Lila
*
Lila was just leaving the mansion with a new set of clothes when Jane called her from the right side with a small structure on four wheels with horses pulling it was stationary behind Jane.
“The carriage is ready, madam.”
“You’re just on time. Thank you.”
Jane arrived exactly when Lila had settled on what she was gonna wear for going outside. She hadn’t expected it to take so long to choose an outfit, but when she finally finished and checked the time, sure enough, three hours had passed. She was always picky when it came to clothes, even in her previous life.
Lila had a soft spot for people who always followed their timings, and this just added to the reason why she liked Jane. Just as Lila came to enter the carriage, Jane noticed what she was holding.
“What’s that package?” Jane pointed at the large envelope that was being held tightly by Lila’s fingers. It looked quite heavy.
“Oh, this?” Lila replied with a smile, “Let’s just say it’s a bait to lure the beast.”
Ignoring Jane’s bewildered expression, Lila hopped onto the carriage with a peculiar smile on her face. In reality she was just putting on a show for Jane trying to hide the fact that she had a lot on her mind. She was simulating her plan in her head, trying to think of all the ways it could go wrong and how the Duke would respond.
She was prepared to wait for at least two days, she knew that he wasn’t a man that liked revealing himself a lot. Yet he did leave the house from time to time. She couldn’t meet him unless she acted completely oblivious of her surroundings. Lila didn’t like this way very much, but now, she didn’t have a choice. Moreover, Lacias was originally like a savior to Hir. Because he was his benefactor, so it was more the reason why she was willing to bend over for once.
“We’re here, madam.”