Julian's eyes narrowed. He nodded to the butler and sat down on the bed.
“Butler! Wait a minute, wait!”
Despite my shouts, the butler, being Julian's man, never stopped. Only Julian and Anna remained, and Anna's face was also stern.
Anna also seemed displeased that I hadn't called a doctor. She even knelt before Julian and begged him to come.
"I dare say this. Actually, Madam suddenly had a high fever today. Yet, she insisted on entertaining Her Highness the Princess, so she took some fever-reducing medicine and left for dinner. Please call a doctor. I beg you."
Julian frowned at Anna, who was tilting her head sharply. That day, her face turned straight to me.
"Ma'am."
"It's nothing. It's just a mild cold, but I couldn't help but fulfill my duty as hostess."
“Abigail doesn’t like you anyway, so why are you trying so hard?”
Hearing those words, I suddenly felt a sense of injustice. I glared at Julian. He must be crazy. Even though I thought that to myself, my heated body wouldn't listen.
“I feel bad thinking about you taking off your mask and eating in front of the Princess.”
After blurting out some sharp, sullen words, I covered my mouth.
How can you say such a stupid thing! Do you really think you like him?
I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them and shook my head.
“I was hurt by the fact that the Princess threw provocations at me.”
Did I somehow manage to get away with it? Julian lowered his gaze, then slowly raised it. His eyes were serious, yet also filled with concern. Was it concern for me? My heart pounded.
"I'll never dine with Abigail again. So don't worry about that, Madam."
“Really? ...You’re not even going to drink tea?”
“Yes. So are you getting treatment now?”
I was delighted, but at those words, I clenched my jaw like a broken cuckoo clock. Just as Julian was about to ask more questions, there was a knock on the door. Before I could stop him, Julian called out to them, and the butler and doctor opened the door and entered the room.
“Did you call?”
“I heard Madam had a fever since noon.”
The doctor greeted me politely and began examining me. It felt strange that I kept saying no, so I had no choice but to submit to him with a nervous heart.
But it wasn't all anxiety. There was also a glimmer of hope.
The hope that this doctor was so exceptional that he might recognize my illness early and suggest a cure—or that, unlike any other doctor in my previous regression, even during my pregnancy and childbirth—this doctor might be different—was consumed by the expectation.
I looked at Julian, trying to calm my pounding heart. Julian was looking at the doctor with a very cautious expression.
“What do you think?”
In a few words, the doctor looked at me, and I looked at the doctor. The doctor pulled away from me and said,
“I think you have a cold.”
I must have unconsciously focused too much on what the old doctor was saying. As soon as I heard the word "cold," I chuckled. The disappointment of my false expectations weighed heavily on me.
“You heard? It’s just a common cold. Don’t make a fuss about it.”
I hadn't meant to, but my voice came out terribly cold. Julian's lips moved as if he were about to say something, then he turned and left.
“Then let’s rest.”
I can't tell you how much relief the one word he said before leaving brought me. I left the doctor's prescription with Anna and barely listened to it. After all, this foolish doctor resided around the Grand Duke's residence, so I could call him at any time.
What mattered to me wasn't this cold medicine.
It was about how lax I had become.
My married life, which was more enjoyable and comfortable than I expected, made me let my guard down.
I forgot what I was supposed to do!
I lay in bed and waited until the mansion became quiet.
The best time to welcome guests was when Anna was beginning to doze off. I got out of bed, wrapped myself in a shawl, and grabbed a small lamp, barely enough to illuminate my feet.
I carefully left the room without waking Anna. My much-talked-about guest was staying on the third floor. As I approached the door, I realized someone was standing before me.
“Who’s there?”
Since I had to keep my mouth shut, I chose to reveal myself instead of hiding. The person who stepped forward from the darkness was someone I knew.
“It’s me.”
“Butler. What’s going on here tonight?”
“This old man can’t sleep. I'm just checking to see if anything’s going on in the mansion.”
That wasn't unusual. The butler patrolled the mansion several times a day. It was actually me who was the odd one out, coming here at this hour.
“Yes, I’ll go now.”
The butler politely followed my instructions, but I couldn't quite place him among my people. There was no way to discipline him. With no other option, I decided to let him go. The butler bowed politely and said,
“I have to report everything to my master.”
My eyes widened at those words. I hadn't expected the butler to say something like that.
It was common knowledge that the butler had been Julian's man for a long time. It was also known that he was quite a loyal man.
It was only natural for a butler like that to report my behavior to Julian. There was no need to say anything; we were both well aware of it. Nevertheless, the butler told me the truth, as if asking for my understanding.
“...That’s right. Don’t worry, butler.”
After the Princess arrived, I noticed that the butler was more friendly toward me than I'd expected. I responded gently.
The butler bowed once more and went up to the fourth floor.
After confirming the butler had completely vanished, I finally knocked on the guest room on the third floor. There was a slight rustling inside, and then the door opened.
A beautiful woman with a smooth expression greeted me, looking as if she had just woken up.
She looked to be in her early twenties, but she possessed a certain maturity and allure. However, it was difficult to regard her as a peerless beauty.
Before returning, the woman I met always lamented that. Living as a nobleman's mistress, all she felt was a lament about her appearance and a fear of the gradual aging that was creeping up on her.
“Marian.”
The woman I got from my duel with Kaiser, Marian, was that kind of person.
“How are you doing?”
As soon as Marian came to, she knelt down in front of me.
“Thanks to you, I’m doing well...”
Although her voice was trembling, she was in perfect health. It was understandable. After bringing her to the Duke of Duchzan's residence, I gave her a nice room, nice clothes, and good food.
If anything seemed uncomfortable, I would send for a doctor, and I would always take care of the temperature of the bath water and even provide dessert, so there was no way she wouldn't be doing well.
She must have been anxious. She must have thought that the woman who should have hated her was eating her up because she was full.
“Don’t be so nervous. I had a job to do for you, so I did it well.”
At those words, Marian's eyes sparkled with nervousness. I'd chosen Marian not only to strike Kaiser, but also because I knew she was the right person.
I met Marian several times before my return. She was desperate for money due to her ailing mother, and so she relied on Kaiser, despite knowing the nobleman's government wasn't entirely trustworthy.
Marian felt guilty toward me, and though she wanted to abandon her life as a nobleman's mistress at any moment, she never let go. She would do anything for money, but that didn't make her a happy woman.
So, I thought, why don't I give her the money first and get her out of the government?
Marian would abandon Kaiser without a second thought, for she, too, despised Kaiser for abandoning his wife and playing with her.
"You have a sick mother, don't you? If you do as I say, you and your mother will never have to worry about medicine or living expenses again. I'll even clean up your identity, so you won't have to reveal that you were someone's mistress. Of course, you won't be able to live in the capital."
“That, that doesn’t matter.”
“It might be a little dangerous.”
At my words, Marian seemed to hesitate for a moment, then spoke in a more stable voice than before.
"I'm tired of living as a hidden woman. I'd give anything to pay for my mother's medicine and take care of the aftermath."
It was the face of a woman determined to do anything. I loved that expression.
“Yes, I’ll tell you what to do.”
I was also worried. Would things work out the way I thought?
But I had to do it. I didn't have time to gather my strength. This was the only effective way to instantly capture the opponent's attention and draw him to me.
“You’ll go out into society with me. And there, you’ll catch the eye of the Second Prince and become his mistress.”
At those words, Marian lowered her head.
“So you’re saying I have to become someone else’s government again?”
I thought you'd say something like that. I followed Marian, bending down. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground.
"That's what people see. To be precise, you're going to be a spy."
The government and the spy. The difference was immense. Marian's expression brightened as she accepted this. Her eyes sparkled again.
“What should I do?”
I said with a big smile.
"First, you must become the empire's greatest beauty. Rumor has it that you're even more beautiful than the famous Young Lady Ari Eriant, so much so that the Second Prince would covet you."
“Butler! Wait a minute, wait!”
Despite my shouts, the butler, being Julian's man, never stopped. Only Julian and Anna remained, and Anna's face was also stern.
Anna also seemed displeased that I hadn't called a doctor. She even knelt before Julian and begged him to come.
"I dare say this. Actually, Madam suddenly had a high fever today. Yet, she insisted on entertaining Her Highness the Princess, so she took some fever-reducing medicine and left for dinner. Please call a doctor. I beg you."
Julian frowned at Anna, who was tilting her head sharply. That day, her face turned straight to me.
"Ma'am."
"It's nothing. It's just a mild cold, but I couldn't help but fulfill my duty as hostess."
“Abigail doesn’t like you anyway, so why are you trying so hard?”
Hearing those words, I suddenly felt a sense of injustice. I glared at Julian. He must be crazy. Even though I thought that to myself, my heated body wouldn't listen.
“I feel bad thinking about you taking off your mask and eating in front of the Princess.”
After blurting out some sharp, sullen words, I covered my mouth.
How can you say such a stupid thing! Do you really think you like him?
I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them and shook my head.
“I was hurt by the fact that the Princess threw provocations at me.”
Did I somehow manage to get away with it? Julian lowered his gaze, then slowly raised it. His eyes were serious, yet also filled with concern. Was it concern for me? My heart pounded.
"I'll never dine with Abigail again. So don't worry about that, Madam."
“Really? ...You’re not even going to drink tea?”
“Yes. So are you getting treatment now?”
I was delighted, but at those words, I clenched my jaw like a broken cuckoo clock. Just as Julian was about to ask more questions, there was a knock on the door. Before I could stop him, Julian called out to them, and the butler and doctor opened the door and entered the room.
“Did you call?”
“I heard Madam had a fever since noon.”
The doctor greeted me politely and began examining me. It felt strange that I kept saying no, so I had no choice but to submit to him with a nervous heart.
But it wasn't all anxiety. There was also a glimmer of hope.
The hope that this doctor was so exceptional that he might recognize my illness early and suggest a cure—or that, unlike any other doctor in my previous regression, even during my pregnancy and childbirth—this doctor might be different—was consumed by the expectation.
I looked at Julian, trying to calm my pounding heart. Julian was looking at the doctor with a very cautious expression.
“What do you think?”
In a few words, the doctor looked at me, and I looked at the doctor. The doctor pulled away from me and said,
“I think you have a cold.”
I must have unconsciously focused too much on what the old doctor was saying. As soon as I heard the word "cold," I chuckled. The disappointment of my false expectations weighed heavily on me.
“You heard? It’s just a common cold. Don’t make a fuss about it.”
I hadn't meant to, but my voice came out terribly cold. Julian's lips moved as if he were about to say something, then he turned and left.
“Then let’s rest.”
I can't tell you how much relief the one word he said before leaving brought me. I left the doctor's prescription with Anna and barely listened to it. After all, this foolish doctor resided around the Grand Duke's residence, so I could call him at any time.
What mattered to me wasn't this cold medicine.
It was about how lax I had become.
My married life, which was more enjoyable and comfortable than I expected, made me let my guard down.
I forgot what I was supposed to do!
I lay in bed and waited until the mansion became quiet.
The best time to welcome guests was when Anna was beginning to doze off. I got out of bed, wrapped myself in a shawl, and grabbed a small lamp, barely enough to illuminate my feet.
I carefully left the room without waking Anna. My much-talked-about guest was staying on the third floor. As I approached the door, I realized someone was standing before me.
“Who’s there?”
Since I had to keep my mouth shut, I chose to reveal myself instead of hiding. The person who stepped forward from the darkness was someone I knew.
“It’s me.”
“Butler. What’s going on here tonight?”
“This old man can’t sleep. I'm just checking to see if anything’s going on in the mansion.”
That wasn't unusual. The butler patrolled the mansion several times a day. It was actually me who was the odd one out, coming here at this hour.
“Yes, I’ll go now.”
The butler politely followed my instructions, but I couldn't quite place him among my people. There was no way to discipline him. With no other option, I decided to let him go. The butler bowed politely and said,
“I have to report everything to my master.”
My eyes widened at those words. I hadn't expected the butler to say something like that.
It was common knowledge that the butler had been Julian's man for a long time. It was also known that he was quite a loyal man.
It was only natural for a butler like that to report my behavior to Julian. There was no need to say anything; we were both well aware of it. Nevertheless, the butler told me the truth, as if asking for my understanding.
“...That’s right. Don’t worry, butler.”
After the Princess arrived, I noticed that the butler was more friendly toward me than I'd expected. I responded gently.
The butler bowed once more and went up to the fourth floor.
After confirming the butler had completely vanished, I finally knocked on the guest room on the third floor. There was a slight rustling inside, and then the door opened.
A beautiful woman with a smooth expression greeted me, looking as if she had just woken up.
She looked to be in her early twenties, but she possessed a certain maturity and allure. However, it was difficult to regard her as a peerless beauty.
Before returning, the woman I met always lamented that. Living as a nobleman's mistress, all she felt was a lament about her appearance and a fear of the gradual aging that was creeping up on her.
“Marian.”
The woman I got from my duel with Kaiser, Marian, was that kind of person.
“How are you doing?”
As soon as Marian came to, she knelt down in front of me.
“Thanks to you, I’m doing well...”
Although her voice was trembling, she was in perfect health. It was understandable. After bringing her to the Duke of Duchzan's residence, I gave her a nice room, nice clothes, and good food.
If anything seemed uncomfortable, I would send for a doctor, and I would always take care of the temperature of the bath water and even provide dessert, so there was no way she wouldn't be doing well.
She must have been anxious. She must have thought that the woman who should have hated her was eating her up because she was full.
“Don’t be so nervous. I had a job to do for you, so I did it well.”
At those words, Marian's eyes sparkled with nervousness. I'd chosen Marian not only to strike Kaiser, but also because I knew she was the right person.
I met Marian several times before my return. She was desperate for money due to her ailing mother, and so she relied on Kaiser, despite knowing the nobleman's government wasn't entirely trustworthy.
Marian felt guilty toward me, and though she wanted to abandon her life as a nobleman's mistress at any moment, she never let go. She would do anything for money, but that didn't make her a happy woman.
So, I thought, why don't I give her the money first and get her out of the government?
Marian would abandon Kaiser without a second thought, for she, too, despised Kaiser for abandoning his wife and playing with her.
"You have a sick mother, don't you? If you do as I say, you and your mother will never have to worry about medicine or living expenses again. I'll even clean up your identity, so you won't have to reveal that you were someone's mistress. Of course, you won't be able to live in the capital."
“That, that doesn’t matter.”
“It might be a little dangerous.”
At my words, Marian seemed to hesitate for a moment, then spoke in a more stable voice than before.
"I'm tired of living as a hidden woman. I'd give anything to pay for my mother's medicine and take care of the aftermath."
It was the face of a woman determined to do anything. I loved that expression.
“Yes, I’ll tell you what to do.”
I was also worried. Would things work out the way I thought?
But I had to do it. I didn't have time to gather my strength. This was the only effective way to instantly capture the opponent's attention and draw him to me.
“You’ll go out into society with me. And there, you’ll catch the eye of the Second Prince and become his mistress.”
At those words, Marian lowered her head.
“So you’re saying I have to become someone else’s government again?”
I thought you'd say something like that. I followed Marian, bending down. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground.
"That's what people see. To be precise, you're going to be a spy."
The government and the spy. The difference was immense. Marian's expression brightened as she accepted this. Her eyes sparkled again.
“What should I do?”
I said with a big smile.
"First, you must become the empire's greatest beauty. Rumor has it that you're even more beautiful than the famous Young Lady Ari Eriant, so much so that the Second Prince would covet you."
Comments
Post a Comment