The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess do not share the same bedroom every day. While working as Cecilia's maid, Ilya learned this fact.
They only seemed close when other people's eyes were on them. In particular, when Ilya was watching them, Cecilia pretended to be particularly close to Eden.
“Bring the Grand Duke’s attendant.”
Sally, who had been keeping an eye on Ilya's orders, carefully left the bedroom. And soon after, Eden's attendant followed Sally into Ilya's bedroom.
“You called me.”
He still remained polite as if the commotion in the mansion had not reached his ears.
“Has His Highness returned to his bedroom?”
“Yes. He returned alone.”
Moreover, he told Ilya things that she had not asked about. Ilya smiled with satisfaction and gave money to Eden's attendant.
“Oh, and His Eminence wanted to see the young lady.”
Yes, that's right. There was no way Cecilia had really come to an agreement with Eden. Ilya's eyes sparkled.
“As you said earlier, His would would like to talk for a moment.”
“Oh, yes. It seems like we will have a deep conversation, so please bring in some liquor that His Highness likes. Please.”
Tonight, Eden and Cecilia will not be staying in the same bedroom. Ilya was sure of this as she stood in front of Eden's bedroom in her pajamas. Perhaps because it was late, there was no one guarding his bedroom door.
'If you had ever had sex with my husband, I don't know if it would make a difference, but you've never even touched skin. What kind of confidence is that?'
Ilya's eyes were sharp as she chewed over the words that Cecilia had mocked her. The only thing that the stupid and sloppy Cecilia had over her was her father's title and wealth.
'Ilya. Everything Duke Lane has will be mine. So everything Cecilia Lane has is yours as well.'
In fact, even that is all mine.
“Even if you say he’s the Grand Duke, he’s just a man.”
Men were not even worth mentioning. Ilya had seen countless men who worshipped her since her head started growing. Just looking at her father and brother, they were all just eyes that would turn to pretty women. How would Eden be any different?
So, what happened tonight, or even if it wasn't today, was something that would have happened someday.
“...”
Ilya's hand opened the door to the Grand Duke's bedroom without hesitation. The door opened carefully with a creaking sound. The lights in the bedroom were off, so the light from the lamp hanging in the hallway stretched out into the bedroom.
“Your Highness. It’s Ilya.”
Ilya, who had glanced at the empty glass and bottle of liquor on the table, closed the door behind her. Then she walked lightly toward someone on the bed. It wasn’t the kind of gait she had learned to sneak into someone else’s room in the middle of the night, but her cat-like, light steps were elegant and pleasant to look at.
"Your Highness?"
Ilya called Eden in a small voice. He was deeply asleep, so he didn't move at all.
You told me to come, but did you drink some strong alcohol and pass out?
Ilya quietly climbed onto the bed. The bed tilted and tilted. There was a faint smell of alcohol. Without hesitation, Ilya took a seat on one side of the wide bed. Then she opened her eyes and giggled quietly as she thought of the man who would greet her.
At that moment, the moonlight, which had been particularly dark due to the clouds, poured in through the window. She saw blonde hair that was shining brightly.
“...?”
Blonde? Not brown hair?
It was the moment when Ilya blinked in confusion, trying to figure out the situation. Before she could even move her body, the man who had been squirming at the sound raised his upper body.
“Whoa!”
Blonde hair and green eyes. Duke of Lane.
...Curtis Lane?
It wasn't Eden. Ilya was so surprised that she let out a scream without realizing it. The mansion that had been silent was suddenly awakened by a loud noise.
“What happened...!”
Ilya hurriedly got up. But perhaps because she was too hasty, her body tilted and slid down the bed. At that moment, the door opened. Eden and the servants were standing there.
“Why is Miss Nova here?”
Eden pushed aside the servants standing by and entered the bedroom. The gaze he gave to the lady who had slipped out of the bed of the man who was sleeping alone, naked, was as cold as ever.
“I, I... Your Highness...”
Ilya trembled before those eyes like a rabbit caught in a trap.
“I don’t think you knew this was my bedroom.”
Of course, she didn't know. And of course, Eden called her first. But why was it Curtis who was sleeping in the bedroom, and Eden was right in front of her?
“Your Highness, you called me.”
Ilya said, wrapping her arms around her and covering herself.
"I?"
Eden looked down at Ilya with a mocking face as if he was hearing nonsense.
“Your Highness’s servant clearly...!”
“Your Highness, what has happened?”
At that moment, Cecilia, awakened by the commotion within the mansion, knocked on Eden's bedroom door.
“It’s nothing serious, so go in and finish your sleep, Cecilia.”
Eden opened the door slightly with a low sigh. Cecilia was seen through the open door, wearing a large shawl and wearing pajamas. She seemed calm even though Eden was showing her untidy appearance.
Only then did Ilya realize that Eden and Cecilia had shared the same bedroom today. The servant, the servant, was lying! Just taking the money!
“...Ilya?”
While Ilya was shaking with shock and humiliation, Cecilia found Ilya. Eden, who was trying to turn her around while holding onto Cecilia's slender shoulders, let out a small sigh.
“I heard screaming so I came over and there was Miss Nova. She seemed to have slipped out of bed.”
Cecilia blinked with a puzzled look on her face.
“Did Father call Ilya into the bedroom?”
“No way. I woke up from my sleep too.”
Curtis wiped his face with a puzzled expression. It was enough to be woken up by someone suddenly shouting, but who would have thought it was a woman and even the daughter of his vassal?
“Ilya.”
“...”
“Are you after His Highness the Grand Duke or my father?”
Cecilia's gaze turned to Ilya again.
“Tell me. Do you have glue stuck to your mouth?”
Cecilia asked. Her voice was elegant, despite her contemptuous gaze as if she had no more courtesy to offer Ilya.
“If you were after His Highness the Grand Duke, you would have been a prostitute trying to seduce the consort of the person you were serving. If you were after my father, it would have been the machinations of Count Nova, who was greedy for power.”
Either way, it was the worst option. Ilya bit her lower lip.
“His Highness the Grand Duke also asked me to come to his bedroom to talk first!”
So now, even if what she believed was false, she has no choice but to claim that she is innocent.
“In the bedroom, secretly, when everyone is asleep?”
Cecilia gave a short laugh, her face looking dumbfounded.
“Is that so, Your Highness?”
"No."
Eden firmly and clearly denied Ilya's claims.
“Call His Highness the Grand Duke’s attendant.”
Cecilia half-turned and called out to a maid who was wandering down the hallway.
“And go to Ilya’s bedroom and turn the room upside down right now. Bring me any piece of evidence that comes to mind immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The maid ran hurriedly down the dark hallway. Cecilia looked down at the woman in her nightgown kneeling on the floor.
Her memory returned to the day when Madame Monte handed her the letter she had copied. Madame Monte had written the letters as if she was drawing a picture, not knowing the content, but it was not so much that Cecilia couldn't understand the content.
'I give up on marrying Duke Rain...'
Ilya must have been the first to suggest that Prince and Grand Duke Eden would be a better groom. Of course, a person with normal thinking would have scolded his daughter, but Count Nova did not.
'You're saying that they were already plotting from this point on.'
But that wasn't all that surprising, considering the period in which Count Nova was contemplating betraying the Duke Line.
'What do I do with these?'
In their previous lives, Curtis and Cecilia had no idea about that fact. If Cecilia hadn't had her past memories this time, she would have been hit in the back of the head like that.
Yeah, so she must have been so confident and superior about being so smart. She must have looked stupid and ridiculous for smiling quietly and being so kind to Ilya.
“Your Highness, you have called.”
Eden's attendant nodded, looking around.
“Did you tell Ilya to go to His Highness’s bedroom on His Highness’s orders?”
“No. Why would I do something like that!”
The attendant jumped up and denied it.
“You said that when you took my money!”
“Your Highness, I brought them all.”
Whatever happens, it's fine. With Ilya Nova caught, everyone knows about Count Nova's ambitions and sinister schemes.
Cecilia's order was given to a servant who emptied Ilya's luggage. Every single piece of clothing was taken away. The same was true of the letters exchanged with Count Nova.
As if Madame Monte had been waiting for her, she handed Cecilia the letter she had found. Since the last conflict, the servants who had been asked by Madame Monte to watch Ilta and Sally all day, so couldn't get rid of the letter.
“If you look at this letter, you were after both of them?”
“...”
“My father, and my husband.”
Cecilia responded as if she was learning the contents of the letter for the first time. Ilya bit her lower lip and lowered her eyes in response to Cecilia’s questioning.
“And what do you mean by taxes and settlement, Ilya?”
Cecilia asked. Ilya's face now looked thoughtful.
“Father, have you created a new item of tax to collect?”
“No. I have never heard such a promise from Count Nova.”
Curtis shook his head in denial, saying that it was impossible for him to do that in a famine.
They only seemed close when other people's eyes were on them. In particular, when Ilya was watching them, Cecilia pretended to be particularly close to Eden.
“Bring the Grand Duke’s attendant.”
Sally, who had been keeping an eye on Ilya's orders, carefully left the bedroom. And soon after, Eden's attendant followed Sally into Ilya's bedroom.
“You called me.”
He still remained polite as if the commotion in the mansion had not reached his ears.
“Has His Highness returned to his bedroom?”
“Yes. He returned alone.”
Moreover, he told Ilya things that she had not asked about. Ilya smiled with satisfaction and gave money to Eden's attendant.
“Oh, and His Eminence wanted to see the young lady.”
Yes, that's right. There was no way Cecilia had really come to an agreement with Eden. Ilya's eyes sparkled.
“As you said earlier, His would would like to talk for a moment.”
“Oh, yes. It seems like we will have a deep conversation, so please bring in some liquor that His Highness likes. Please.”
Tonight, Eden and Cecilia will not be staying in the same bedroom. Ilya was sure of this as she stood in front of Eden's bedroom in her pajamas. Perhaps because it was late, there was no one guarding his bedroom door.
'If you had ever had sex with my husband, I don't know if it would make a difference, but you've never even touched skin. What kind of confidence is that?'
Ilya's eyes were sharp as she chewed over the words that Cecilia had mocked her. The only thing that the stupid and sloppy Cecilia had over her was her father's title and wealth.
'Ilya. Everything Duke Lane has will be mine. So everything Cecilia Lane has is yours as well.'
In fact, even that is all mine.
“Even if you say he’s the Grand Duke, he’s just a man.”
Men were not even worth mentioning. Ilya had seen countless men who worshipped her since her head started growing. Just looking at her father and brother, they were all just eyes that would turn to pretty women. How would Eden be any different?
So, what happened tonight, or even if it wasn't today, was something that would have happened someday.
“...”
Ilya's hand opened the door to the Grand Duke's bedroom without hesitation. The door opened carefully with a creaking sound. The lights in the bedroom were off, so the light from the lamp hanging in the hallway stretched out into the bedroom.
“Your Highness. It’s Ilya.”
Ilya, who had glanced at the empty glass and bottle of liquor on the table, closed the door behind her. Then she walked lightly toward someone on the bed. It wasn’t the kind of gait she had learned to sneak into someone else’s room in the middle of the night, but her cat-like, light steps were elegant and pleasant to look at.
"Your Highness?"
Ilya called Eden in a small voice. He was deeply asleep, so he didn't move at all.
You told me to come, but did you drink some strong alcohol and pass out?
Ilya quietly climbed onto the bed. The bed tilted and tilted. There was a faint smell of alcohol. Without hesitation, Ilya took a seat on one side of the wide bed. Then she opened her eyes and giggled quietly as she thought of the man who would greet her.
At that moment, the moonlight, which had been particularly dark due to the clouds, poured in through the window. She saw blonde hair that was shining brightly.
“...?”
Blonde? Not brown hair?
It was the moment when Ilya blinked in confusion, trying to figure out the situation. Before she could even move her body, the man who had been squirming at the sound raised his upper body.
“Whoa!”
Blonde hair and green eyes. Duke of Lane.
...Curtis Lane?
It wasn't Eden. Ilya was so surprised that she let out a scream without realizing it. The mansion that had been silent was suddenly awakened by a loud noise.
“What happened...!”
Ilya hurriedly got up. But perhaps because she was too hasty, her body tilted and slid down the bed. At that moment, the door opened. Eden and the servants were standing there.
“Why is Miss Nova here?”
Eden pushed aside the servants standing by and entered the bedroom. The gaze he gave to the lady who had slipped out of the bed of the man who was sleeping alone, naked, was as cold as ever.
“I, I... Your Highness...”
Ilya trembled before those eyes like a rabbit caught in a trap.
“I don’t think you knew this was my bedroom.”
Of course, she didn't know. And of course, Eden called her first. But why was it Curtis who was sleeping in the bedroom, and Eden was right in front of her?
“Your Highness, you called me.”
Ilya said, wrapping her arms around her and covering herself.
"I?"
Eden looked down at Ilya with a mocking face as if he was hearing nonsense.
“Your Highness’s servant clearly...!”
“Your Highness, what has happened?”
At that moment, Cecilia, awakened by the commotion within the mansion, knocked on Eden's bedroom door.
“It’s nothing serious, so go in and finish your sleep, Cecilia.”
Eden opened the door slightly with a low sigh. Cecilia was seen through the open door, wearing a large shawl and wearing pajamas. She seemed calm even though Eden was showing her untidy appearance.
Only then did Ilya realize that Eden and Cecilia had shared the same bedroom today. The servant, the servant, was lying! Just taking the money!
“...Ilya?”
While Ilya was shaking with shock and humiliation, Cecilia found Ilya. Eden, who was trying to turn her around while holding onto Cecilia's slender shoulders, let out a small sigh.
“I heard screaming so I came over and there was Miss Nova. She seemed to have slipped out of bed.”
Cecilia blinked with a puzzled look on her face.
“Did Father call Ilya into the bedroom?”
“No way. I woke up from my sleep too.”
Curtis wiped his face with a puzzled expression. It was enough to be woken up by someone suddenly shouting, but who would have thought it was a woman and even the daughter of his vassal?
“Ilya.”
“...”
“Are you after His Highness the Grand Duke or my father?”
Cecilia's gaze turned to Ilya again.
“Tell me. Do you have glue stuck to your mouth?”
Cecilia asked. Her voice was elegant, despite her contemptuous gaze as if she had no more courtesy to offer Ilya.
“If you were after His Highness the Grand Duke, you would have been a prostitute trying to seduce the consort of the person you were serving. If you were after my father, it would have been the machinations of Count Nova, who was greedy for power.”
Either way, it was the worst option. Ilya bit her lower lip.
“His Highness the Grand Duke also asked me to come to his bedroom to talk first!”
So now, even if what she believed was false, she has no choice but to claim that she is innocent.
“In the bedroom, secretly, when everyone is asleep?”
Cecilia gave a short laugh, her face looking dumbfounded.
“Is that so, Your Highness?”
"No."
Eden firmly and clearly denied Ilya's claims.
“Call His Highness the Grand Duke’s attendant.”
Cecilia half-turned and called out to a maid who was wandering down the hallway.
“And go to Ilya’s bedroom and turn the room upside down right now. Bring me any piece of evidence that comes to mind immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The maid ran hurriedly down the dark hallway. Cecilia looked down at the woman in her nightgown kneeling on the floor.
Her memory returned to the day when Madame Monte handed her the letter she had copied. Madame Monte had written the letters as if she was drawing a picture, not knowing the content, but it was not so much that Cecilia couldn't understand the content.
'I give up on marrying Duke Rain...'
Ilya must have been the first to suggest that Prince and Grand Duke Eden would be a better groom. Of course, a person with normal thinking would have scolded his daughter, but Count Nova did not.
'You're saying that they were already plotting from this point on.'
But that wasn't all that surprising, considering the period in which Count Nova was contemplating betraying the Duke Line.
'What do I do with these?'
In their previous lives, Curtis and Cecilia had no idea about that fact. If Cecilia hadn't had her past memories this time, she would have been hit in the back of the head like that.
Yeah, so she must have been so confident and superior about being so smart. She must have looked stupid and ridiculous for smiling quietly and being so kind to Ilya.
“Your Highness, you have called.”
Eden's attendant nodded, looking around.
“Did you tell Ilya to go to His Highness’s bedroom on His Highness’s orders?”
“No. Why would I do something like that!”
The attendant jumped up and denied it.
“You said that when you took my money!”
“Your Highness, I brought them all.”
Whatever happens, it's fine. With Ilya Nova caught, everyone knows about Count Nova's ambitions and sinister schemes.
Cecilia's order was given to a servant who emptied Ilya's luggage. Every single piece of clothing was taken away. The same was true of the letters exchanged with Count Nova.
As if Madame Monte had been waiting for her, she handed Cecilia the letter she had found. Since the last conflict, the servants who had been asked by Madame Monte to watch Ilta and Sally all day, so couldn't get rid of the letter.
“If you look at this letter, you were after both of them?”
“...”
“My father, and my husband.”
Cecilia responded as if she was learning the contents of the letter for the first time. Ilya bit her lower lip and lowered her eyes in response to Cecilia’s questioning.
“And what do you mean by taxes and settlement, Ilya?”
Cecilia asked. Ilya's face now looked thoughtful.
“Father, have you created a new item of tax to collect?”
“No. I have never heard such a promise from Count Nova.”
Curtis shook his head in denial, saying that it was impossible for him to do that in a famine.
“Your Highness, may I request an audit from the Crown Prince? The number of enslaved people and the amount of taxes don't match up, and I think something is amiss.”
“I think that would be better.”
Eden nodded obediently. He was so obedient that it was almost puzzling.
Of course, Eden's audit isn't because he suspects Curtis, and Cecilia has the evidence to prove it, so it's good news for now.
“I had no idea.”
Curtis answered Cecilia's question with a gloomy face. Eden didn't seem to have much doubt about his answer.
While the lord was staying in the townhouse, it was surprisingly common for his vassals to ruin the estate for personal gain. And Eden had already come to distrust the Count Nova.
“Then I guess we just have to wait for the results to come out. Please, Your Highness.”
Cecilia's gaze was still directed at Ilya, who was sitting there with a blank expression. Her eyes were difficult to read.
“You used to brag about how smart you were.”
“...”
“What is all this, Ilya?”
Moreover, the soft voice sounded very kind at first glance.
“There is no such thing as a smart-aleck person.”
But if you listen closely, there was a hint of mockery mixed in with a slight smile.
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