MEBD 29

Chapter 29

 Mouse Trap (2)

The first plan Berenice had made to break off her engagement was to expose the illegal trade the Blaze Count family was likely carrying out around this time.

‘If Father finds out that Count Blaze is running a slave-trading business on the black market, he’ll definitely annul the engagement.’

There might not be a truly honest merchant in the world, but the Marquis loathed the buying and selling of human lives for profit.

Moreover, under the will of the First Emperor, slavery had been abolished throughout the Empire.

If this truth were ever made public, it wouldn’t just end in a broken engagement — the entire Blaze family could collapse.

The problem was how to naturally let the Marquis know about it…

“Your fiancé has a lover? And they’ve been together for three years?”

A much easier way to break the engagement had just fallen into her lap.

It was something she hadn’t known before her regression.

‘No, I suppose it wasn’t from the ground — the White Raven brought me this news, so it fell from the sky, didn’t it?’

Her beautiful amber eyes cooled.

It wasn’t that she was feeling betrayed over something so trivial.
What pleased her was the fact that she’d been given another chance to drag down Nion — the man who, in her previous life, had died alongside her.

But Nadia, unaware of what Berenice had been through before her regression, seemed to think that her lady felt devastated upon learning her fiancé was cheating on her.

“M-My lady… are you going to tell the Marquis?”

Berenice quickly composed herself when she saw the worry in Nadia’s trembling eyes. She placed the letter down on the table.
The sandwiches and tea had already gone lukewarm.

“Of course I’ll tell him. But not directly.”

At present, the Blaze family was known as a fairly clean house for a merchant lineage.
That meant Berenice’s word alone wouldn’t be enough to flip their reputation overnight.

Besides, if she personally got involved, she would have to explain how, when, and from whom she had heard the news.
It wouldn’t be difficult to make up a plausible excuse — but in the process, she might unintentionally let slip something the Marquis could catch on to.

‘Then… I’ll have to make use of Lowell.’

It had been a long time since she’d been able to “use” her twin brother for anything. She nodded at the thought.

“For now, don’t tell anyone about this.”

“Yes, my lady.”

That was enough to seal Nadia’s lips.

Now, time to prepare for the next step.
But before that—

“I should write a reply.”

“I’ll prepare the paper.”

While Nadia stepped away to bring stationery, Berenice finished her light lunch with the now-cold tea and sandwiches.
It was a bit unsatisfying, but she’d been meaning to watch her diet anyway — it was about time to fit into her dresses properly.

Staring wistfully at the empty plate, Berenice wiped her hands clean, took up the pen Nadia brought, and began writing a careful reply.

After sealing the envelope with wax, she handed it to Nadia, who stood waiting.

“When you go out the back door, the child who brought you the letter will be waiting. Give this to him.”

“He’s waiting for me?”

“Yes. Stop by the kitchen on your way and pack him some food. He probably hasn’t eaten yet.”

The White Raven often used children from the slums as messengers.
Even in the imperial capital, begging children were common — it wasn’t unusual for them to wander into noble districts to ask for food.

It was no rare sight to see ragged children lingering by a noble’s wall, waiting for a kind passerby.
But the children who ran errands for the White Raven were not ordinary street urchins.

They were apprentices, training to enter the Raven’s Nest.
And not just any child could become one.

They were carefully chosen, tested, and evaluated until they earned the right to step into the Nest.
No one knew what happened to those who failed along the way.

That was one of the guild’s deepest secrets — and honestly, Berenice had no desire to find out.
She already knew how cruel an information guild could become in order to protect its secrets.

Besides, the White Raven wasn’t just an information guild.
It had been formed to protect Bronwen — the last surviving member of the immortal bloodline.

If they weren’t capable of cruelty, Bronwen would have suffered endlessly at the hands of the powerful fools obsessed with immortality.

The Raven’s brutality existed for Bronwen — and as an outsider, Berenice had no right to judge it.

“Focus on my own work,” she murmured, shaking the thought away.

She had to hurry with preparations for the upcoming ball.
If a careless maid caused an incident and got kicked out of the mansion during that time, no one would find it suspicious.

“Should I use Theo? Or Lady Patterson?”

Gazing at the closed door of the powder room, Berenice imagined the faces of the household’s steward-in-training and the head maid. Then she nodded decisively.

This kind of matter was the head maid’s territory.

Having organized her thoughts, Berenice rose from her chair.

Once decided, there was no point in delaying. First things first…

“I need to get ready for the ball.”

She’d been delayed enough by teasing Marion earlier.
Still, she’d already made most of her choices in her head — it shouldn’t take long to finalize them.

“Should I just pretend to pick out the ribbon?”

In any case, there was no way she’d wear the matching ribbon on her wrist that she and Nion had once shared.
She planned to settle matters with both Marion and Nion before the ball even began.

“One step at a time.”

First, Marion.

Berenice opened the door to the powder room and stood before the dress prepared for the spring ball.
At the spring ball, young nobles celebrating their coming-of-age were to wear white.
Thus, her gown was white — a luxurious silk base layered with ornate lace and diamonds.

The powdered gems dusted over the voluminous skirt sparkled chaotically under the powder room’s light.

“My lady.”

Marion’s voice came from behind as Berenice admired the gown.
It seemed she had returned after seeing Nadia off.

Did she have something else to say?

But Berenice didn’t even look back. She had no intention of wasting another second on her.

“Call the others in. We can’t delay anymore — we need to finish the preparations.”

“Y-Yes, my lady!”

Flustered, Marion rushed out.
She must not be given time to think — that was key for what was to come.

Determined, Berenice began driving Marion mercilessly, exactly as planned.

Since Marion was her chief maid, it wasn’t difficult.
She had every item that had been left undecided brought in at once, choosing one thing, rejecting another, and then changing her mind again — exhausting everyone around her.

Rare, exquisite items prepared by the great merchant house’s master for his daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony came and went from the room like a storm.

“My lady, how about these earrings?”

“Those don’t have a matching necklace. What about this complete set instead?”

“A tiara might be too much, right?”

“My lady, the ribbon…”

“My lady! This bracelet looks perfect on you!”

The maids bustled about, laying out all sorts of items before Berenice, while Marion looked increasingly overwhelmed.

But it still wasn’t enough.
For her plan to work, Marion needed to be so busy she couldn’t even think straight.

The chaos that began in the late afternoon continued well into the night.
Even dinner was a rushed affair, as Berenice declared she would finish everything today.

“M-My lady, lastly — the ribbon…”

“That one… can wait until tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

Everyone in the room answered in unison, relief washing over them.
Berenice nodded.

“Leave the chosen items in the powder room, and return everything else to the vault.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Finally, it was over.

As everyone breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their posts that night—

“KYAAAH!”

A scream rang through the mansion.
A thief had broken in.