“Miss Harrington, you know something, don’t you?”
Desperation dripped from Caroline's eyes.
“Help me. I can’t stay here any longer. I might go crazy if I keep doing this.”
Of course, I also wanted to help Caroline. How much did I save on food from Caroline? And how much did I save on alcohol?
Although I was a person who sometimes sent my conscience abroad to study, I was not so unscrupulous as to pretend not to know the price of the food I received.
“A thousand gold.”
"Yes?"
“If you help me to reunite with my brother safely, I will give you one thousand gold. And if I can leave this empire, I will give you another thousand gold.”
Caroline was said to be the daughter of a giant, but the scale of the commission was different. I had intended to help even without the commission, but the sight of the huge sum of 2,000 gold made my eyes sparkle.
“I have no one else to ask for help except Miss Harrington. I have never had the chance to talk to other merchants like this. The watchmen my husband assigned must have let their guard down because Miss Harrington was alone.”
It could be because of carelessness. I was alone, without any escort or assistance. So, after the private conversation with the Marchioness, I could have been searched.
Or maybe they thought that if they kept an eye on me and saw anything suspicious, he could just wipe me out without any problems.
“Listen carefully, ma’am. You must never get excited or shout.”
But the watchers' judgment was wrong.
Just memorize the contents of the letter and send it. If someone comes to swindle me, he will be swindled by Erne, so don't worry about that.
My only worry here is failing Caroline's request and not receiving the two thousand gold.
“Sir Roam was said to be dead, but he is still alive.”
Caroline covered her mouth in surprise. She had to grit her teeth several times while I explained the whole story. Half of it was to keep herself from swearing.
“Ha, I guess I wasn’t crazy after all.”
Caroline felt relieved by that fact alone. She suddenly got up and lay down on the bed beside me without giving me a chance to do anything.
“You said there was a wooden doll under the bed that would make the damp steam rise and attract the opposite sex?”
“Yes, ma’am, but, there.”
“Ha, somehow I feel suspicious that he's cleaned up May and brought a handsome male servant. Albert Ferney, are you trying to make me have an affair with a servant?”
Caroline reached under the bed, muttering in anger.
“It really exists.”
“Madam, calm down.”
Whether I tried to stop her or not, Caroline took out the wooden doll soaked in lye water. Caroline's eyes burned with murder as she looked at the wooden doll.
She looked ready to throw the wooden doll into the fireplace at any moment.
“Wait, wait. If that’s gone, they might try a different number.”
“So you’re saying I should keep having dreams about damp steam rising?”
“No, we’re trying to fool them too.”
Judith took a log out of the fireplace, broke it into pieces roughly the size of a wooden doll, and placed it in a basin of lye.
“It is more likely that they will only check whether there is a wooden doll or not.”
If the Marquis comes to check in person, it will be suspicious, so he will probably have the maid do it. The maid will pretend to clean under the bed, but she will only visually check to see if the lye basin and wooden doll are in good condition.
How can you take that out and check it every time? Even if all the servants in this house agree, it is best for such secrets to be known only to a few people. The more people who know, the harder it is to keep a secret.
As I placed the basin of lye and wood under the bed, Caroline threw the wooden doll into the flames.
“Just follow me for now.”
As expected, after being searched and questioned by the butler, I was finally allowed to leave the Marquis's residence.
I grabbed Erne, who had already returned from the blacksmith shop and was waiting for me. I wanted to quickly tell Erne about Roam and the Marquis of Ferney.
However, since it was a sensitive topic involving treason, I thought it would be best to discuss it in a place where there were no people around.
The most deserted place in the neighborhood was under the bridge leading from the mansions of the high-ranking nobles to the square.
When I dragged Erne to a secluded place under the bridge, he was seriously mistaken.
“The damp steam has returned. It’s too fast.”
Erne held my cheeks with both palms and stared into my eyes as if he could tell whether my eyes were gloomy or not just by looking at them.
“Can’t you stand it any longer? No, no matter what, you can’t do it here. There’s no one here right now, but I don’t know when they’ll come.”
“Egh, sir, no.”
I tapped Erne on the arm. It wasn't because of the damp steam, but even if it was, why was he overreacting like this? I was just holding his hand.
“But we can’t hold hands if there’s someone else around? Other people just hold hands.”
“Your intentions are impure. That’s why I can’t do it.”
“It’s not for impurity, it’s for health purposes.”
Whatever the purpose, now was not the time to be having this conversation. Even though there was no one around, I whispered so that only Erne could hear.
“I think the Marquis of Ferney was hiding Lord Roam. They were friends.”
"What?"
“According to the Marchioness of Ferney, the Marquis is transporting the food he bought for the banquet to his villa, a villa south of the capital.”
Erne was silent for a moment. He, like me, seemed to have guessed that the Marquis of Ferney was a follower. And at this point, Erne and I had similar doubts.
“But why did that bastard, Marquis Mosley, leave Marquis Ferney alone?”
Erne growled fiercely.
He doesn't know if Marquis Mosley made a mistake or not, but either way, he'll probably get chewed out by Erne.
I had already expressed my condolences to the Marquis of Mosley.
To Cain Mosley, Erne was a bolt from the blue. Once a bolt from the blue that had blown away countless enemies, and now a bolt from the blue that had simply struck his peaceful life.
As soon as he returned from the palace, he had to face Erne in the reception room, who was glaring at him with eyes that seemed like he was going to devour him.
In the murderous atmosphere, as soon as he saw Erne, his heart and shoulders somehow shrank.
The Marquis was clearly sitting on a chair, but he gave the impression that he was kneeling.
“Hey, Marquis.”
Yes, I am a Marquis, and you are a Count. Shouldn't our titles and honorifics be different? But Cain swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, wisely.
“You left a very suspicious person alone. The Marquis of Ferney, I mean. Did you give him some protection because he was a fellow Marquis?”
“That’s a big leap, Erne. How could I possibly do that?”
“But how could the Marquis of Ferney have been friends with Roam all this time?”
Is it my ears that are weird that I'm talking to myself but it sounds like a murder warning?
Cain swallowed hard after hearing the whole story from Erne. Erne’s eyes seemed to be convinced that all of this was Cain’s fault.
The rebellion was committed by Roam, so why was he the one being persecuted? Cain felt a little wronged, but he was a man with great worldly wisdom.
Instead of trying to persuade Erne, he looked at Judith.
“I’d like to order ten candles. You can give me only five items.”
The distress signal asking for something to be done about Erne, saying that he would pay double the price, was refreshing. And his distress signal was delivered very well to Judith.
“Erne, the customer, no, the Marquis, listen to what he has to say too.”
Like a master training a ferocious dog, Judith, who had never spoken a word before, held Erne's arm and whispered in a gentle voice.
Erne had a lot to say, but he made an expression that said it would only hurt his mouth, but his posture as if he was about to draw his sword at any moment softened.
I heard you're secretly weak towards your wife.
“Ahem, thank you, Ma’am. First of all, it has been determined that the Marquis Albert Ferney had nothing to do with the previous treason.”
Cain decided to explain himself to Judith instead of Erne, and he turned to face her.
“He's friends with Roam.”
“I know that too. But the Marquis of Ferney had been in the Kingdom of Penco for two years before the rebellion, and returned only after the rebellion was suppressed.”
During those two years, the Marquis of Ferney had little contact with Roam. They exchanged letters of greeting only three or four times in the beginning.
“I heard from a person I had planted among the followers that Albert Ferney was unusually loose-mouthed and reckless in his actions, so he was not easily recruited.”
The Ferney family had sold all their lands and were penniless, with nothing but debts and no fame, connections, or power.
It may be a shame for the followers to belong to such a family now, but at the time they had great power.
What can I say, since he is plotting a rebellion by taking control of an entire imperial knighthood?
There was no need to involve a worthless and reckless man in plotting a great act of treason. That was why Roam did not involve the Marquis of Ferney, even though he was friendly with him.
“Didn’t she become rich when she married the Marchioness of Ferney?”
“The Marquis has not even been married for three years.”
In terms of timing, the Marquis left the Empire almost as soon as the Marchioness began to receive the glory of her family.
Desperation dripped from Caroline's eyes.
“Help me. I can’t stay here any longer. I might go crazy if I keep doing this.”
Of course, I also wanted to help Caroline. How much did I save on food from Caroline? And how much did I save on alcohol?
Although I was a person who sometimes sent my conscience abroad to study, I was not so unscrupulous as to pretend not to know the price of the food I received.
“A thousand gold.”
"Yes?"
“If you help me to reunite with my brother safely, I will give you one thousand gold. And if I can leave this empire, I will give you another thousand gold.”
Caroline was said to be the daughter of a giant, but the scale of the commission was different. I had intended to help even without the commission, but the sight of the huge sum of 2,000 gold made my eyes sparkle.
“I have no one else to ask for help except Miss Harrington. I have never had the chance to talk to other merchants like this. The watchmen my husband assigned must have let their guard down because Miss Harrington was alone.”
It could be because of carelessness. I was alone, without any escort or assistance. So, after the private conversation with the Marchioness, I could have been searched.
Or maybe they thought that if they kept an eye on me and saw anything suspicious, he could just wipe me out without any problems.
“Listen carefully, ma’am. You must never get excited or shout.”
But the watchers' judgment was wrong.
Just memorize the contents of the letter and send it. If someone comes to swindle me, he will be swindled by Erne, so don't worry about that.
My only worry here is failing Caroline's request and not receiving the two thousand gold.
“Sir Roam was said to be dead, but he is still alive.”
Caroline covered her mouth in surprise. She had to grit her teeth several times while I explained the whole story. Half of it was to keep herself from swearing.
“Ha, I guess I wasn’t crazy after all.”
Caroline felt relieved by that fact alone. She suddenly got up and lay down on the bed beside me without giving me a chance to do anything.
“You said there was a wooden doll under the bed that would make the damp steam rise and attract the opposite sex?”
“Yes, ma’am, but, there.”
“Ha, somehow I feel suspicious that he's cleaned up May and brought a handsome male servant. Albert Ferney, are you trying to make me have an affair with a servant?”
Caroline reached under the bed, muttering in anger.
“It really exists.”
“Madam, calm down.”
Whether I tried to stop her or not, Caroline took out the wooden doll soaked in lye water. Caroline's eyes burned with murder as she looked at the wooden doll.
She looked ready to throw the wooden doll into the fireplace at any moment.
“Wait, wait. If that’s gone, they might try a different number.”
“So you’re saying I should keep having dreams about damp steam rising?”
“No, we’re trying to fool them too.”
Judith took a log out of the fireplace, broke it into pieces roughly the size of a wooden doll, and placed it in a basin of lye.
“It is more likely that they will only check whether there is a wooden doll or not.”
If the Marquis comes to check in person, it will be suspicious, so he will probably have the maid do it. The maid will pretend to clean under the bed, but she will only visually check to see if the lye basin and wooden doll are in good condition.
How can you take that out and check it every time? Even if all the servants in this house agree, it is best for such secrets to be known only to a few people. The more people who know, the harder it is to keep a secret.
As I placed the basin of lye and wood under the bed, Caroline threw the wooden doll into the flames.
***
“Just follow me for now.”
As expected, after being searched and questioned by the butler, I was finally allowed to leave the Marquis's residence.
I grabbed Erne, who had already returned from the blacksmith shop and was waiting for me. I wanted to quickly tell Erne about Roam and the Marquis of Ferney.
However, since it was a sensitive topic involving treason, I thought it would be best to discuss it in a place where there were no people around.
The most deserted place in the neighborhood was under the bridge leading from the mansions of the high-ranking nobles to the square.
When I dragged Erne to a secluded place under the bridge, he was seriously mistaken.
“The damp steam has returned. It’s too fast.”
Erne held my cheeks with both palms and stared into my eyes as if he could tell whether my eyes were gloomy or not just by looking at them.
“Can’t you stand it any longer? No, no matter what, you can’t do it here. There’s no one here right now, but I don’t know when they’ll come.”
“Egh, sir, no.”
I tapped Erne on the arm. It wasn't because of the damp steam, but even if it was, why was he overreacting like this? I was just holding his hand.
“But we can’t hold hands if there’s someone else around? Other people just hold hands.”
“Your intentions are impure. That’s why I can’t do it.”
“It’s not for impurity, it’s for health purposes.”
Whatever the purpose, now was not the time to be having this conversation. Even though there was no one around, I whispered so that only Erne could hear.
“I think the Marquis of Ferney was hiding Lord Roam. They were friends.”
"What?"
“According to the Marchioness of Ferney, the Marquis is transporting the food he bought for the banquet to his villa, a villa south of the capital.”
Erne was silent for a moment. He, like me, seemed to have guessed that the Marquis of Ferney was a follower. And at this point, Erne and I had similar doubts.
“But why did that bastard, Marquis Mosley, leave Marquis Ferney alone?”
Erne growled fiercely.
He doesn't know if Marquis Mosley made a mistake or not, but either way, he'll probably get chewed out by Erne.
I had already expressed my condolences to the Marquis of Mosley.
***
To Cain Mosley, Erne was a bolt from the blue. Once a bolt from the blue that had blown away countless enemies, and now a bolt from the blue that had simply struck his peaceful life.
As soon as he returned from the palace, he had to face Erne in the reception room, who was glaring at him with eyes that seemed like he was going to devour him.
In the murderous atmosphere, as soon as he saw Erne, his heart and shoulders somehow shrank.
The Marquis was clearly sitting on a chair, but he gave the impression that he was kneeling.
“Hey, Marquis.”
Yes, I am a Marquis, and you are a Count. Shouldn't our titles and honorifics be different? But Cain swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, wisely.
“You left a very suspicious person alone. The Marquis of Ferney, I mean. Did you give him some protection because he was a fellow Marquis?”
“That’s a big leap, Erne. How could I possibly do that?”
“But how could the Marquis of Ferney have been friends with Roam all this time?”
Is it my ears that are weird that I'm talking to myself but it sounds like a murder warning?
Cain swallowed hard after hearing the whole story from Erne. Erne’s eyes seemed to be convinced that all of this was Cain’s fault.
The rebellion was committed by Roam, so why was he the one being persecuted? Cain felt a little wronged, but he was a man with great worldly wisdom.
Instead of trying to persuade Erne, he looked at Judith.
“I’d like to order ten candles. You can give me only five items.”
The distress signal asking for something to be done about Erne, saying that he would pay double the price, was refreshing. And his distress signal was delivered very well to Judith.
“Erne, the customer, no, the Marquis, listen to what he has to say too.”
Like a master training a ferocious dog, Judith, who had never spoken a word before, held Erne's arm and whispered in a gentle voice.
Erne had a lot to say, but he made an expression that said it would only hurt his mouth, but his posture as if he was about to draw his sword at any moment softened.
I heard you're secretly weak towards your wife.
“Ahem, thank you, Ma’am. First of all, it has been determined that the Marquis Albert Ferney had nothing to do with the previous treason.”
Cain decided to explain himself to Judith instead of Erne, and he turned to face her.
“He's friends with Roam.”
“I know that too. But the Marquis of Ferney had been in the Kingdom of Penco for two years before the rebellion, and returned only after the rebellion was suppressed.”
During those two years, the Marquis of Ferney had little contact with Roam. They exchanged letters of greeting only three or four times in the beginning.
“I heard from a person I had planted among the followers that Albert Ferney was unusually loose-mouthed and reckless in his actions, so he was not easily recruited.”
The Ferney family had sold all their lands and were penniless, with nothing but debts and no fame, connections, or power.
It may be a shame for the followers to belong to such a family now, but at the time they had great power.
What can I say, since he is plotting a rebellion by taking control of an entire imperial knighthood?
There was no need to involve a worthless and reckless man in plotting a great act of treason. That was why Roam did not involve the Marquis of Ferney, even though he was friendly with him.
“Didn’t she become rich when she married the Marchioness of Ferney?”
“The Marquis has not even been married for three years.”
In terms of timing, the Marquis left the Empire almost as soon as the Marchioness began to receive the glory of her family.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment