“But baby, we need to check that first. Baby, can you get that woman Odette out of the room?”
“It’s easy to bring her. But Odette, she’s been strangely clever lately. If there’s no reason to go out, she won’t go out.”
Dolly said bluntly.
“You just have to make up an excuse. The Count’s ruby cuffs, they’re with the baby. Can’t you show them to Odette and say it’s the Count’s order?”
The cufflinks with a bright red jewel were a symbol of the 'Count's Urgent Order' promised among the members of the Count's family and high-ranking employees.
Anyone who holds the item is considered an agent of the Count. Whatever they are doing, they must immediately stop and follow the orders of the person holding the cuffs as if they were the Count's orders.
It was the Count's method of communication when attending official functions, as he did not want to be caught acting overbearing.
Dolly didn't originally have the ruby cuffs, but the Count gave her a spare pair on the way out of the prayer room.
If you ever feel that Odette is acting strangely, use the ruby cuffs to call Madame Becker or Ferdinand to stop her.
“...What are you going to do by calling her?”
“Hey. It doesn’t matter when, where, or with whom you call, baby. At 10 p.m., come to the garden of the foreign country with Karl.”
Dolly tilted her head.
“What is that?”
Rudolph said with a big grin.
“Everyone is interested in the romantic relationship between Karl and Odette. In a foreign garden, alone, at 10 p.m. Can’t you imagine it?”
"No way-."
“Yes, let’s call Odette and that battle slave together. If we film them having a secret meeting and publish an article about it, how shocked will that fool be? It’ll be even more painful than what our baby suffered.”
In a caste society, the story of slaves pledging eternal loyalty to nobles is a romantic one.
But what if a nobleman falls in love with a slave? It would be a ridiculous and scandalous thing for the nobleman's reputation.
A slave is someone to begs for loyalty, not someone to begs for love.
Odette's reputation will be ruined.
“You are a genius!”
Dolly seemed to like the plan and hung onto Rudolph's neck.
“It’ll be the hottest topic. I saw that battle slave’s face in a photo, and it was so smooth. That’ll make it even hotter. A cheap love story between a handsome slave and a beautiful villainess, isn’t that fun?”
Besides, Rudolph had a very special drink that he had received as a gift a few days ago.
It's colorless and odorless, so it feels like water, but it has a fairly high alcohol content. If you use it to trap people, you can get some really good pictures.
While Rudolph was getting excited, Dolly let out a groan.
“But honey, how do you plan on getting Karl out?”
Then he asked a pointless question.
“Isn’t he Odette’s slave? Why don’t you go and tell him that Miss Odette is looking for him?”
“What? I was the one who dragged Karl out too?”
What a big deal that is. But Dolly said in a very frightened manner. And then, out of the blue, she said this.
“...Then I guess I’ll have to give up on that plan.”
“What? You can’t just bring Karl?”
“I don’t know, he’s just... creepy.”
“Why? At best, he’s a slave. You, the head maid, have a higher status. Shouldn’t you be able to call him?”
“No... It’s not about the status, he’s just a little weird. He’s really creepy.”
Dolly had been around the infirmary a few days ago to spread rumors about Odette.
Then, for once, her eyes met Karl's. His cold lips were filled with a sneer.
The moment Dolly faced him, she felt a terrible sensation as if her throat was being strangled. It was a damp and ominous feeling as if she had encountered a nightmare.
“Is it because you feel burdened by him being the Crown Prince? Are you afraid of him being a member of the Fenrir clan?”
“No, that’s not it.”
The Fenrir clan was regarded with disdain due to their unusual brute force and appearance of pitch-black hair.
But that guy Karl wasn't at that level. He was the kind of person that any living being would find unsettling.
“No, that’s not it... I can’t explain it in words.”
“...”
“He’s like a demon. If you made a nightmare into a human, that’s what it would look like.”
“Oh my. Our baby, you don’t want to do it? Then let’s do this. Let’s call Karl about 20 minutes before. Then we’ll have less time together, right?”
"Still..."
“Please. Yes?”
“I can’t do it...”
“Baby, all you have to do is bring Odette and Karl. I’ll do the rest. I’ll write the articles, and I’ll do the sticky scenes. I’ll do it all!!”
Even though Rudolph said that Dolly's face remained trembling.
“Baby, think back to the humiliation at the salon. If you give up, there’s no way to retaliate. Is that okay?”
Only then did determination appear in Dolly's frightened eyes.
After thinking for a while, she nodded and said resolutely.
"Yes."
Still, just imagining Karl turning made her anxious, and she was chewing her fingernails.
“Bringing Karl back is a much bigger deal than you think. It’s a sacrifice on my part. Do you understand?”
“I get it. My baby is scared too. So cute.”
Rudolph ruffled Dolly's hair with one hand, grinning as if he were some kind of handsome guy.
“Rudolph, since it has come to this, I must make the most of it. Since I have been so humiliated, I hope Odette never raises her head in the Empire again.”
“Hmm, if our baby says that... Yes, then I’ll just call the reporters. I’ll make sure the story is as big as possible.”
“Weren’t you trying to monopolize the article?”
“Oh my, our baby comes first! Besides, as long as I have you, the only way to get the testimony of the closest aide is through ‘Secret Leak’, right? My article is bound to sell the best.”
Rudolph smacked his lips as he said this.
Many reporters were invited to Athena Island to report on the Emperor's visit, and among the invited nobles some owned newspapers.
If Karl and Odette were caught having a secret meeting at the gathering, even the ants of the empire would know about their burning love.
‘...Anyway, other reporters won’t be able to write as thrillingly as I do.’
Rudolph had a great talent for voyeuristic narration.
A flower that seemed so out of reach fell deeply in love with a slave.
Isn't the story already forming in your head?
That's how confident he was. No matter how many reporters saw that scene, his article would sell the most.
Any additional details that his novel needs to be made more interesting will be provided by Dolly, and he only needs to add the words 'closest witness' to her description.
It always made Rudolph feel alive when someone fell because of a rumor he had created.
The higher and more noble the position of the target, the greater the thrill when it is brought down to the ground.
Who would have thought that a socialite could be reduced to a prostitute?
Rudolph was already dizzy with joy.
And Odette was watching the whole thing. Perhaps Dolly had deliberately chosen the beach, which was out of sight from Odette's room, as the meeting place.
But that was Dolly's downfall.
In the infirmary where Karl was, that was actually where the best view was.
'Yeah. You're doing the same thing that got me into the mud in my past life.'
It has to come out like this. Wouldn't revenge be more enjoyable if Dolly were Dolly?
Just being a beggar is not enough to see hell alive. It's the same even if you become a beautiful beggar.
The real rock bottom of life can be experienced when one is accused of being a public prostitute.
The scandal made her a prostitute who 'deserved to be trampled', no matter what group she belonged to.
Not having dignity. That was more painful than not having money. Being treated like meat, without the minimum respect that a human being deserves.
Odette spoke silently to Karl, who was standing next to her.
“Karl, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Master, just give me an order.”
Karl answered in a submissive voice.
“Yes. Then I will give the order, Karl.”
This will be a test for Karl as well. A test to see how well he understands his goals as Odette's servant and how efficiently he can follow them.
“It’s easy to bring her. But Odette, she’s been strangely clever lately. If there’s no reason to go out, she won’t go out.”
Dolly said bluntly.
“You just have to make up an excuse. The Count’s ruby cuffs, they’re with the baby. Can’t you show them to Odette and say it’s the Count’s order?”
The cufflinks with a bright red jewel were a symbol of the 'Count's Urgent Order' promised among the members of the Count's family and high-ranking employees.
Anyone who holds the item is considered an agent of the Count. Whatever they are doing, they must immediately stop and follow the orders of the person holding the cuffs as if they were the Count's orders.
It was the Count's method of communication when attending official functions, as he did not want to be caught acting overbearing.
Dolly didn't originally have the ruby cuffs, but the Count gave her a spare pair on the way out of the prayer room.
If you ever feel that Odette is acting strangely, use the ruby cuffs to call Madame Becker or Ferdinand to stop her.
“...What are you going to do by calling her?”
“Hey. It doesn’t matter when, where, or with whom you call, baby. At 10 p.m., come to the garden of the foreign country with Karl.”
Dolly tilted her head.
“What is that?”
Rudolph said with a big grin.
“Everyone is interested in the romantic relationship between Karl and Odette. In a foreign garden, alone, at 10 p.m. Can’t you imagine it?”
"No way-."
“Yes, let’s call Odette and that battle slave together. If we film them having a secret meeting and publish an article about it, how shocked will that fool be? It’ll be even more painful than what our baby suffered.”
In a caste society, the story of slaves pledging eternal loyalty to nobles is a romantic one.
But what if a nobleman falls in love with a slave? It would be a ridiculous and scandalous thing for the nobleman's reputation.
A slave is someone to begs for loyalty, not someone to begs for love.
Odette's reputation will be ruined.
“You are a genius!”
Dolly seemed to like the plan and hung onto Rudolph's neck.
“It’ll be the hottest topic. I saw that battle slave’s face in a photo, and it was so smooth. That’ll make it even hotter. A cheap love story between a handsome slave and a beautiful villainess, isn’t that fun?”
Besides, Rudolph had a very special drink that he had received as a gift a few days ago.
It's colorless and odorless, so it feels like water, but it has a fairly high alcohol content. If you use it to trap people, you can get some really good pictures.
While Rudolph was getting excited, Dolly let out a groan.
“But honey, how do you plan on getting Karl out?”
Then he asked a pointless question.
“Isn’t he Odette’s slave? Why don’t you go and tell him that Miss Odette is looking for him?”
“What? I was the one who dragged Karl out too?”
What a big deal that is. But Dolly said in a very frightened manner. And then, out of the blue, she said this.
“...Then I guess I’ll have to give up on that plan.”
“What? You can’t just bring Karl?”
“I don’t know, he’s just... creepy.”
“Why? At best, he’s a slave. You, the head maid, have a higher status. Shouldn’t you be able to call him?”
“No... It’s not about the status, he’s just a little weird. He’s really creepy.”
Dolly had been around the infirmary a few days ago to spread rumors about Odette.
Then, for once, her eyes met Karl's. His cold lips were filled with a sneer.
The moment Dolly faced him, she felt a terrible sensation as if her throat was being strangled. It was a damp and ominous feeling as if she had encountered a nightmare.
“Is it because you feel burdened by him being the Crown Prince? Are you afraid of him being a member of the Fenrir clan?”
“No, that’s not it.”
The Fenrir clan was regarded with disdain due to their unusual brute force and appearance of pitch-black hair.
But that guy Karl wasn't at that level. He was the kind of person that any living being would find unsettling.
“No, that’s not it... I can’t explain it in words.”
“...”
“He’s like a demon. If you made a nightmare into a human, that’s what it would look like.”
“Oh my. Our baby, you don’t want to do it? Then let’s do this. Let’s call Karl about 20 minutes before. Then we’ll have less time together, right?”
"Still..."
“Please. Yes?”
“I can’t do it...”
“Baby, all you have to do is bring Odette and Karl. I’ll do the rest. I’ll write the articles, and I’ll do the sticky scenes. I’ll do it all!!”
Even though Rudolph said that Dolly's face remained trembling.
“Baby, think back to the humiliation at the salon. If you give up, there’s no way to retaliate. Is that okay?”
Only then did determination appear in Dolly's frightened eyes.
After thinking for a while, she nodded and said resolutely.
"Yes."
Still, just imagining Karl turning made her anxious, and she was chewing her fingernails.
“Bringing Karl back is a much bigger deal than you think. It’s a sacrifice on my part. Do you understand?”
“I get it. My baby is scared too. So cute.”
Rudolph ruffled Dolly's hair with one hand, grinning as if he were some kind of handsome guy.
“Rudolph, since it has come to this, I must make the most of it. Since I have been so humiliated, I hope Odette never raises her head in the Empire again.”
“Hmm, if our baby says that... Yes, then I’ll just call the reporters. I’ll make sure the story is as big as possible.”
“Weren’t you trying to monopolize the article?”
“Oh my, our baby comes first! Besides, as long as I have you, the only way to get the testimony of the closest aide is through ‘Secret Leak’, right? My article is bound to sell the best.”
Rudolph smacked his lips as he said this.
Many reporters were invited to Athena Island to report on the Emperor's visit, and among the invited nobles some owned newspapers.
If Karl and Odette were caught having a secret meeting at the gathering, even the ants of the empire would know about their burning love.
‘...Anyway, other reporters won’t be able to write as thrillingly as I do.’
Rudolph had a great talent for voyeuristic narration.
A flower that seemed so out of reach fell deeply in love with a slave.
Isn't the story already forming in your head?
That's how confident he was. No matter how many reporters saw that scene, his article would sell the most.
Any additional details that his novel needs to be made more interesting will be provided by Dolly, and he only needs to add the words 'closest witness' to her description.
It always made Rudolph feel alive when someone fell because of a rumor he had created.
The higher and more noble the position of the target, the greater the thrill when it is brought down to the ground.
Who would have thought that a socialite could be reduced to a prostitute?
Rudolph was already dizzy with joy.
***
And Odette was watching the whole thing. Perhaps Dolly had deliberately chosen the beach, which was out of sight from Odette's room, as the meeting place.
But that was Dolly's downfall.
In the infirmary where Karl was, that was actually where the best view was.
'Yeah. You're doing the same thing that got me into the mud in my past life.'
It has to come out like this. Wouldn't revenge be more enjoyable if Dolly were Dolly?
Just being a beggar is not enough to see hell alive. It's the same even if you become a beautiful beggar.
The real rock bottom of life can be experienced when one is accused of being a public prostitute.
The scandal made her a prostitute who 'deserved to be trampled', no matter what group she belonged to.
Not having dignity. That was more painful than not having money. Being treated like meat, without the minimum respect that a human being deserves.
Odette spoke silently to Karl, who was standing next to her.
“Karl, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Master, just give me an order.”
Karl answered in a submissive voice.
“Yes. Then I will give the order, Karl.”
This will be a test for Karl as well. A test to see how well he understands his goals as Odette's servant and how efficiently he can follow them.
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