My head was pounding because it had been a long time since I had been manipulated this much by someone, but the suspicions I had received had to be explained now.
If I waste time, the Princess standing behind me will lose even the slightest interest she had in me.
"As His Excellency the Marquis guessed, I have long felt suspicious of the people working at the inn."
"..."
When I glanced back, the pale-faced Viscountess was reflected in my eyes.
She moved her body as if she wanted to approach me, but the Princess stopped her.
I smiled and continued talking as if it was okay.
"The Viscountess may be later than me, but she also noticed something strange. The reason the knights realized it later than we did was because they were standing in front of the door to protect us."
The Marquis crossed his arms and nodded silently.
It seemed like he was telling me to keep talking.
"All the dishes that came to our table that day were terrible. The ingredients had a sour smell, and oil bands were floating around on the cooled food as if it had been prepared in advance. To hide it, he poured strong spices on it, which caused the Lady to cough horribly when he entered the inn."
Then Maxwell also nodded, perhaps remembering the Viscountess's actions at the time.
I bowed my head towards the Princess, who was looking at me with eyes that I couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"The Marchioness invited us out of consideration. I didn't think a person like that would prepare such a treat for us, no matter how quickly we had to come up."
Even more so since I had already set foot in the Marquis' territory. Before I knew it, everyone surrounding me and the Marquis were quietly listening to me.
After taking a pause, I moistened my dry lips and spoke again.
"Under such suspicious circumstances, sacks were piled up inside the kitchen. I thought that if it were an ingredient, there would be no way such fresh ingredients would be used in cooking. And at that moment, security forces arrived to inspect the inn."
"Is that all you found out about the situation?"
"I didn't know what that thing was. I thought the sack full was money or something worth money. As one of the sacks came loose, I smelled a strong smell that had been masked by spices, and realized it was gunpowder."
The Marquis's sharp gaze softened.
He also seemed to understand that if I was really one of them, or if I had anticipated the whole thing, I would have made an excuse and left early rather than escaping so narrowly.
Still, he didn't let me go easily.
As I breathed a sigh of relief, the Marquis' voice flowed in again.
"What you said was too good. Didn't he join after losing everything he had in the middle? No one in the Mancini family can handle such words."
"That's not the horse we originally had. This is a famous horse given to me as a gift by Lady Rosalyn Wilder."
"Count Wilder?"
"As you know, he runs a large horse riding club along with a riding club."
The Marquis would know that some of the horses he raises are also given to great noble families and imperial knights.
The Princess saw the tailor's student sobbing on the floor and briefly told him to help him up. The Viscountess approached me as I watched the servants carefully lift him up and bring him inside.
"Are you okay?"
She wiped the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief, as if she felt sorry for me as I smiled silently. My legs were shaking after being exposed to the murderous actions of someone like the Marquis for such a long time.
The Marquis glanced at me without saying a word and turned to pass by.
"This is my guest. Of course, you should apologize for your rudeness."
The Princess's sharp words were directed at him.
The Marquis stopped on the spot and spoke obediently.
"I'm sorry. It was too much."
"..."
Judging by his expression, it was clear that he was not sorry, but that he had done his job.
'There were circumstances that would raise suspicion, so it seems natural that this level of questioning would be done.'
I sighed and rubbed my throbbing arm.
The Princess, who was quietly watching me with her mouth closed, slowly approached and stood in front of me.
"I'm sorry."
A sincere apology on behalf of the Marquis eventually flowed from her mouth.
"My husband was rude."
Even though there was nothing to say about her status, she had prestige and pride as a Princess.
"This is a decent amount of business left over."
I owed the Princess a debt of gratitude by getting a few bruises on my arm.
I raised my head with a smile on my face.
"It's okay. His Excellency the Marquis was worried about his wife's safety. I am not the Marquis, but a guest staying with his wife."
Looking at the Princess's stern face, it seemed like things would be quite cold between the couple for the time being.
Well, it doesn't seem like they were in a very affectionate relationship to begin with.
"However, I don't think I can handle any more schedules today. Is It okay if I go up to my room and rest?"
"Of course."
The Viscountess wanted to carry me to my room, but she knew that appeasing the Princess's low mood was the immediate priority.
After stroking my head, she gave Hugh a warning.
"Please call a doctor and listen closely to the situation."
"You don't have to worry."
Hugh answered quite reliably and helped me up to the room. And as soon as the door closed, I shot him angrily.
"From next time, if you have any such backstory, please tell me."
How do I deal with it if I don't know? You idiot.
The knight commander had already figured out that Hugh was from a principality just by looking at his posture.
I wonder if a knight with such sharp eyes knows how great the horse he rides is.
Hugh seemed to have nothing to say in response to my annoyance, so he pretended not to notice.
"Anyway, you're a lot more wary than I thought."
"I know, right. I think it's more because I'm the person who comes into contact with the Marchioness."
However, I don't particularly feel like he treats his wife like a 'trophy given by the Emperor'. Rather, it felt like he cared more about her well-being than the Princess.
'Plus, you're smarter than I thought.'
It was the moment when I laid down on a corner of the bed, stroking my neck which was stiff from tension.
Someone knocked on the door.
"The tailor's disciple has come to express his gratitude to the Lady."
The man who came in after being guided by an attendant bowed his head politely.
I asked Windy to block out the sound and then opened my mouth.
"Eric's liver is getting bigger every day. How dare you think of forcing someone of your own into the Marquis's residence."
Has he finally lost his mind?
The man slowly raised his head and spoke in a calm voice.
"Because he trusts the young lady's wit."
He speaks well. I snorted and glared at him.
"He is just concerned about the young lady. Because he hasn't been in touch with me the whole time."
You sound like you're worried.
How could a man as sharp-witted as Eric not have known?
I was half intentionally negligent in spreading the news.
So, I guess he was just trying to annoy people with his bad temper.
"It was an extremely tight tightrope walk. If its tail had been stepped on, we would all have had our heads blown off."
The same goes for Eric.
You risked your own life just to send me a 'warning'.
I was out of my mind.
'Is it okay to trust and move on a person like this?'
A sense of skepticism washed over me.
Hearing my words, Hugh twitched his eyebrows a beat later.
"So all of this..."
"The next time I see you, I'll hit you on the back of the head. Even if I tried to do it with my own hands, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg. It would be better in your hands."
"Say that!"
The man grinned at me and continued speaking, paying no heed to Hugh's angry voice.
"How about you start believing in Him now? Since he has made the Mana Oath, you know that he cannot even lay a finger on the Lady. If you unilaterally cut off contact like we did this time, we won't be able to help you even if the young lady is in trouble."
So, tell me everything about my every move?
I asked, glaring at the man who was giving me advice with a relaxed face.
"What would you do if the Marquis didn't listen to my explanation? Or, what if he is not persuaded even after hearing the explanation?"
"There was an order from Eric not to put pressure on the lady under any circumstances."
"..."
The implication was that he chose to commit suicide before he was even dragged away.
He took out a delicately carved statue of the goddess Nora from his arms and placed it in front of me, who remained silent.
"In the future, whenever you need to contact the Lord, please find me, Lady."
Previous Next
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment