“I never thought the Countess would ask such a favor.”
It was something Marilyn said on her way out of the Count's house.
Just before leaving, the lady left a note to the Count expressing her hope that 'Lady Fatima' could continue to be performed at the theatre.
In the end, no one will know that the play's protagonist is Raymond Germain, but his love story will remain on the stage.
“That child’s foolishness is also his innocence. I really liked that side of him. That’s what got him into trouble.”
The Count promised to support the theater following his wife's wishes, while also seeking to provide appropriate compensation for those who had been killed by evil spirits.
Of course, to Marilyn too.
Dorothea recalled her last conversation with the Countess.
“I apologize for showing you the ‘truth’ in a rather harsh way, Ma’am.”
“If it weren’t for Young Lady, I would have tried to pretend that everything was fine and that I didn’t know until the very end for the sake of my family. I feel relieved now.”
It was not an act born of pure goodwill.
However, she was upset when she remembered the many hypocritical words that had been thrown at her 'isolated self' in the past.
At least the Count's people truly loved their wife.
“You can ask now.”
"Yes?"
“Young Lady has shown me a favor, but I know that’s not all. Is there something you would like to ask me?”
She was such a wise woman that it was a shame to lie in bed and wait for death.
“I want to know about the person who told the Countess about her son’s death.”
Count Germain's business success was aided by his business sense and connections, but most importantly, by his wife who supported him from the side.
If she had not been ill, the Count would have been able to look after and rule the family more carefully, and thus the worst outcome would not have occurred.
Dorothea had now become quite accustomed to the tactics of her opponent, having encountered them many times.
The opponent leaves no tail behind.
If the Countess had passed away from the shock and pain of losing her son, not only Count Germain, who loved his wife dearly but also Little Count, who still had many shortcomings, would have collapsed all at once.
If that had happened, Raymond and Fatima's story would have been buried.
It was truly a brutal and horrifyingly detailed design.
Dorothea, who had finished thinking, asked Marilyn, who rolled her eyes awkwardly.
“Do you know anything about the Viscount Saint?”
“If it were the Lady of Viscount Saint..."
“They say he was a good person who visited the Countess often and comforted her so she wouldn’t be lonely.”
Marilyn shook her head as she tried to recall her memories.
“I don’t know him well because we’re not close friends.”
"Yes."
“But if you’re talking about the Viscount Saint, I think it would be better to ask Count Spencer.”
Dorothea blinked, her eyes frozen in place at Marilyn's words.
She straightened her back, clasped her hands together, and asked slowly.
“To Count Spencer?”
“I wasn’t invited, but I recently heard that the Count of Spencer’s nephew married a relative of the Viscount Saint.”
Normally, she would have quickly forgotten such a trivial matter, but she remembered it vividly because she heard the story right after she got scolded by the 7th Prince.
'I even looked through the attendee list because I thought I had to carefully choose where to attend.'
When she heard that the Third Prince was going to attend the wedding, she waved her hand and said that she would never go near any places where the royal family would go.
Dorothea, who had been lost in thought at Marilyn's words, raised her head as soon as the carriage stopped.
“You’ve arrived.”
The carriage stopped in front of Baron Lehr's mansion.
Dorothea followed Marilyn out of the carriage with a brief farewell.
“Why is Young Lady...”
“Miss Marilyn has taken a lot of risks for me and others, so I’m going to finish it for you.”
Entering the mansion with a cryptic message, Dorothea headed to the room of the maid who had fallen ill that day after encountering an evil spirit.
The maid was sweating profusely and was constantly having nightmares.
“You said the evil spirits were destroyed..."
“At least she's free from physical threats, but the shock she received from facing the demon hasn’t gone away.”
Dorothea placed her hand on the maid's forehead, which was furrowing painfully.
“Once you are exposed to negative energy, it is only natural that you will be affected by it.”
Wasn't it such a terrible encounter that it would be difficult for an ordinary person to shake it off?
Dorothea, who was mumbling something lightly, grabbed something from the bedside with her hand.
“The air in the room is stuffy, so I recommend covering her with a thicker blanket and leaving the window wide open.”
Marilyn nodded at the lightly spilled words.
The rough breathing subsided, and comfort began to appear on her distorted face.
“When she wakes up, she probably won’t remember what she encountered.”
“That’s possible too.”
Dorothea smiled faintly at Marilyn, who was mumbling absentmindedly.
Marilyn shrugged with a half-resigned smile.
“You’ll say that’s because you're a spirit master, right?”
“I would appreciate it if you would think so.”
Dorothea looked away from the maid and asked, staring blankly at Marilyn.
“If you want, I can help Young Lady feel better too.”
It's true that she got involved in various ways and bled here and there, so she deserved this much.
Marilyn hesitated for a moment and then shook her head.
“I think I should remember it. It would be a shame to forget everything since I risked my life for it.”
Anyway, it was said that the evil spirits were definitely destroyed.
Dorothea nodded, staring blankly at the muttering Marilyn.
Marilyn opened her mouth with an even more peculiar expression than before.
“Young Lady is a truly unpredictable person.”
“Me?”
“You didn’t hesitate at all to use your cousin’s life as bait, like a toy, and you ‘compensated’ me, who happened to be involved, as if it were absolutely natural. Even though Young Lady was of such a noble status that there was no need for that.”
At some moments, she appears insensitive as if she cannot feel the pain of others, but at other moments, she understands others' feelings better than anyone else...
“There’s something about them that’s different from other people. Maybe you think in a different way than other people. No, maybe you perceive situations differently. You see things that we can’t.”
That's not exactly wrong. Dorothea took her cautious assessment calmly.
“I have been living as if I were not human for a long time.”
There, the God of wealth was required to be used more as a talisman than as a human being.
Don't think. Don't act. Don't feel.
She felt anew that traces of the past, when she was completely blocked from thinking like a human, still clung to her.
“I am very interested in Miss Marilyn.”
“To me?”
“What should I say? Even when you spoke carelessly without knowing your own position, I thought you were just a stupid and cowardly person.”
“...”
“You are so generous that you help others while risking the threat of non-human beings, but you also have no sense of direction, so you run without knowing what’s coming or going.”
“...”
“You were scared one day, and then you found courage another day. It was so incoherent.”
“...”
“I find it very strange that you always dig your own grave without any consistency in your actions.”
You might as well swear.
Marilyn's cheeks puffed out as if she thought Dorothea was teasing her, but she was being sincere.
So she was very interested in it and even got involved in it, which was unusual for her.
“I actually like Miss Marilyn quite a bit more than you might think.”
Of course, the person involved won't believe it at all.
***
“I apologize for the early arrival.”
“Of course not. You are always welcome to come. I am afraid you might be disappointed with the shabby mansion.”
Marilyn, standing next to the man with a friendly smile, had a tired look on her face.
Dorothea skillfully responded to the man who was trying to get in touch with her, then quickly made an excuse and got into the carriage.
Colin, who had given his knees to the sleeping Jane, looked at her with displeasure.
“You’re broader than I thought.”
“Rather than that, let’s say it’s an investment for the future.”
“The future?”
“I like Marilyn.”
Moderately materialistic and moderately soft-spoken.
She was easy to get swept away, but there was no standard for right and wrong.
Most of the people who have stayed around her so far are people who owe or are indebted to Dorothea.
Especially when it comes to family.
Those who projected their dead mother, Ellen, onto Dorothea felt a mixture of affection and indebtedness whenever they saw her face.
Not only did he not stop Dorothea from doing anything, but he was also eager to indulge her in her antics.
And Valerie Germain is also overly generous.
“She doesn’t seem to like you very much.”
“Well, that’s a bit of a shame.”
Dorothea did her quite a bit of goodwill.
Every time she saw Marilyn's face, the color drained away, as if she was not winning her favor.
Dorothea, who was licking her lips as if she felt regret, looked at Colin with gloomy eyes.
“You knew Kiel Spencer, right?”
That he was a benefactor who helped Colin five years ago when he returned to the ecliptic.
Colin had been handling both budgetary and administrative duties, so he would have been aware of the people coming and going from the palace and the local lords.
He should have found out his 'name' a long time ago.
The fact that he had not said a single word to Dorothea until now was no different from intentionally hiding information.
“The fact that they haven’t come looking for us yet means they didn’t want to make a big deal out of that day.”
"Hmm."
“The Count of Spencer and the Marquis of Highclere aren’t on good terms either.”
Seeing he make excuses so desperately, she guessed there was something hurtful about it.
Colin wasn't entirely wrong.
When they parted ways, Dorothea advised Kiel that he would be more comfortable if he 'let go of the desires he has'.
Kiel had told her, 'That's hard.'
If she thinks about it, the reason he didn't go back to Colin or Dorothea was because, as the Count of Spencer, he had a 'reason' for not getting involved with the people of the Marquis of Highclere.
“Okay, I won’t pursue that part.”
When Dorothea tried to get over her mistake, Colin looked at her with a dubious expression.
“But now that we know each other, there’s no need to be shy. I have to repay the debt I owe you.”
“...I remember that it was you, not me, who owed the debt.”
“It was the shell I was wearing that did this. I almost got hurt. After all, I couldn’t respond because I couldn’t accept the memories in time.”
Dorothea gave her uncle a light kick in the shin and then folded her arms as she ordered him.
“From now on, try to become friendly with Count Spencer. It’s good to earn his favor, and it would be even better if you could learn more about what kind of business he mainly does and who he associates with.”
“...”
After a long silence that seemed to be a sign of resistance, Colin reluctantly opened his mouth.
“I tell you, he already refused to get involved with us once. Even if we approach him from this side, if he rejects us, that’s the end of it.”
Well, that can't be possible.
Dorothea continued to wave her hands and offered a solution calmly.
“It’s simple. Give him what he wants.”
She laughed heartily as she watched Colin's face contort.
“It seems like Kiel still can’t forget that night. Wouldn’t it be a pretty good deal if we could spend the night together and get some information?”
“...”
Colin regretted that he should have reported to the master of the underworld long ago and had him throw this wicked woman into the fiery pit of hell.
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