The carriage ran at high speed and headed smoothly towards the Imperial capital.
I thought it would be a difficult journey since the distance was quite long, but there was nothing particularly inconvenient.
Even if she was named Marchioness rather than Princess, there was no noble who did not know that she was of royal blood.
'In the end. it's just a play on words.'
Thanks to this, there was even a Lord's administrator who came out and greeted me in person.
Even the bed, which is said to be shabby, has never felt particularly lacking.
"We have arrived at the Marquis' territory."
"Already?"
The stoic knight commander smiled faintly for the first time as I blinked and asked again.
"We have only arrived at the territory, so it will still take a while to reach the mansion. First of all, you will rest at a nearby inn to appease your hunger and give you some time to freshen up."
"Ah, yes. Thank you for your kind explanation."
Really, this easy?
The Viscountess seemed to find it funny that I looked so dumbfounded.
Her eyes were round as she looked at me with her mouth neatly covered.
"It's nothing else, It's a ticket to the Imperial Capital obtained by burning down the mansion. You have to do this to make a profit."
"I see."
He nodded and opened the carriage door.
Before we knew it, the knights were organizing the carts and comforting the horses, who were probably tired from the journey.
When I managed to enter the building with a luxurious exterior, it was unexpectedly empty without a single person.
"Welcome."
When I glanced at the table, the pre-set furniture caught my eye.
Only then did I realize that the Knight Commander had 'reserved this building in advance. Is this what nobles' travels are like?
That means they're making reservations for an entire high-class inn.
'Even Eric doesn't like to spend money like this.'
Although it was new to me, I was able to clearly realize that the person who had called us to the imperial capital was the Princess.
The Viscountess, who was coming in after me, suddenly started coughing slightly.
"Are you unwell?"
"No. Strangely, my nose feels a little itchy."
She looked around, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, as if embarrassed, and nodded.
"Let's change our clothes and come down."
The inn waiter quickly approached us and guided us to the upstairs room, emitting a faint earthy smell. As I glanced at him, I noticed dirt on his sleeve.
How can a waiter at an inn smell like dirt?
Even if you were a waiter in charge of a luxury inn like this, it would be difficult to just run errands indoors.
"Isabella?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Let's go now."
As I entered the room I was guided to by the strange lady's call, I glanced downstairs. Inside the kitchen seen from the upper floor, gray sacks piled high, probably containing food ingredients caught my eye.
'It looks like it's dirt from moving that thing.'
Only then did I shake off the feeling of discomfort and adjust my appearance with the Viscountess's help.
Although she called us as Marchionesss, the person we were dealing with was a Princess. I had no choice but to wear appropriate attire and etiquette.
"This is enough. I can assure you that even in the imperial capital, there are rare ladies with manners as good as yours."
The Viscountess looked happy and took my hand.
Before I knew it, I saw warm pre-dinner soup on the table.
"Don't the knights eat?"
"As a guard, it is against etiquette to eat together with the Viscountess and Young Lady. We have already eaten."
The knight commander, who answered my question lightly, stood with his back to me while maintaining a certain distance.
Only then did I realize that Hugh's share was also nowhere to be seen on the table.
It seemed like he had solved the problem separately along with the other knights. Well, he is also with me in the name of protecting me. The Viscountess nodded as if it was okay for me to look awkward, then brought the soup to her mouth and then squinted.
I also winced as I quickly took a bite of the soup.
"This...,"
The taste of the spice was too strong.
Of course, since it is a high-class inn, it is natural that high-quality spices are used in the food, but basically, very strong-tasting spices are used to enhance the flavor of the food.
It is not intended to produce an intense taste that hits your nose and throat as soon as you eat it.
Only then did I understand why she coughed as soon as she entered the inn.
It must have been the scent of spices coming from the kitchen where food was being prepared. The Viscountess put down her spoon with a calm face.
"Do you have a problem?"
"I think it's because of the Iong trip or because I don't have much of an appetite."
Looking at the knight commander who asked with an expression on his face that showed he didn't know anything. It didn't seem like he had planned this on purpose to annoy us.
So is it simply a mistake on the part of the inn?
"They must have taken great care in choosing an inn with good reviews."
I swallowed the ingredients in the soup without saying a word. At that moment, a faint sour smell came up my nose, and my mouth naturally stopped muttering.
'Are the ingredients spoiled?'
The strong use of spices was clearly intended to somehow revive the ingredients that were not fresh.
When I looked up and looked at the kitchen, I saw the very nervous chef turning his head.
'I don't understand.'
The Marchioness, the landlady of this estate, had made a reservation at the inn herself.
To welcome her distinguished guests, they can only serve food like this due to the problem of supply and demand of ingredients?
The Viscountess calmly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief as if she did not want to escalate the situation.
Then she looked at my hand holding the spoon and shook her head slightly.
"If you're not that hungry right now, I don't think it would be a wise idea to fill your stomach with a meal. There will be a banquet when we arrive at the Marchioness residence. So for now..."
While the Viscountess continued speaking, someone knocked on the door with a rough hand. The momentum of the knights who were waiting quietly changed all at once. The knight commander slowly approached the door, checked the other person, and widened his eyes as if it were unexpected.
"Nathan?"
The knight whose name was called bowed his head and gave a light greeting.
"Oh, you've already arrived, Lord Maxwell."
"What are you doing here?"
The knight standing in front of the door answered the curious question.
"That caused a bit of a problem."
The manager, who glanced at me, closed the door and headed outside.
I quickly called Windy over.
The conversation between the knights, their voices lowered, flowed into my ears.
"A few days ago, suspiciously, the administrator in charge of supplies ordered an excessively large quantity in the name of His Excellency the Marquis. He disappeared with the items before other administrators noticed."
The knight named Nathan seemed to be in charge of security in the territory.
His voice sounded embarrassed as he continued to explain.
"Fortunately, there was a lot of it, and the residents of the territory who found it strange reported it themselves, so they noticed it right away and blocked the checkpoint."
"Their whereabouts have not been found yet."
I slowly raised my head and looked at the inn.
Poor cooking despite its great appearance. Unlike the kitchen warehouse, which was obviously full of heavy sacks, the ingredients were in very poor condition.
Even the dirt on the waiter's clothes and the chef's anxious-looking face.
Knock knock.
As I tapped my fingers on the table, the Viscountess looked at me quizzically.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I have to change my clothes."
"Yea?"
"I ended up getting soup on my sleeve to prevent it from getting painted."
When she got up she wanted to go upstairs with me. I quickly stopped her.
"I will go with Sir Hugh. Just ask them to stay in front for a while and that will do."
"I guess so."
Hugh, who had followed me without realizing it, opened his mouth as soon as I closed the door.
"What's going on?"
"Did you notice anything strange at the inn?"
"What?"
Hugh, who was tilting his head as if puzzled, soon hardened his face.
"Is there a rat hiding in the inn?"
As I nodded silently, he quietly covered his face. He even cursed softly, perhaps blaming himself for not finding it earlier.
Eventually, he lowered his hand and asked me with murderous eyes.
"Me too, but the level of the Marquis Knight Commander is by no means low. If even he couldn't sense it, I guess he's above a tolerable level. He was courageous enough to deal with the knights sent directly by the Princess. Count Brium's arrogance goes too far."
"No."
"What?"
"It's not him, it's the embezzler."
Hugh, who had blinked at my words, looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Embezzler?"
I nodded and told them the stories I overheard from the knights' conversation.
"It looks like he took quite a lot of money. Moreover, with the checkpoint blocked, it seems like they are entrusting themselves here with the embezzled money. Since he was in charge of administrative affairs for the territory, he must have known that the entire inn was being rented out to host a distinguished guest here today."
So, he hid here on purpose. I'm sure there aren't any knights that are flexible enough to search the inn where the VIP is staying.
Not even a Marquis, but hiding under the name of a Marchioness with the status of a Princess.
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