Chapter 8

“Your Highness’s ‘soon’ seems to be taking a little longer than expected. Is it difficult for her to make a decision? We haven’t heard from her yet.”

Count Seymour spoke with some concern as he entered the study in the detached palace and approached Leonard, who was working at a teak desk.

“Perhaps it is. What did you find out?”

“Ah. You mean the additional information you ordered me to investigate about Lady Bruin?”

At Leonard’s quiet question, Count Seymour rolled his eyes for a moment as though searching his memory before continuing.

“You know that fifteen years ago, after the duke died, his half-brother, Viscount Tyron, became Lady Bruin’s guardian, don’t you?”

“Go on.”

“It seems the young lady was born with quite an exceptional mind. She graduated from Froling Academy as the top student.”

“Froling? You mean the Froling I know? When?”

An unexpected name slipped out, and a quiet laugh escaped Leonard.

It was his reaction to the fact that this woman, who seemingly had no connection to him, kept becoming involved with him in small, unexpected ways.

“Yes. Our proud academy in the Kairan Empire. The most prestigious of prestigious institutions, having produced many of the continent’s sages and—”

“Continue with what you were saying before.”

Leonard cut off the speech that was beginning to drag on.

His somewhat impatient tone was curious, but Count Seymour knew that Leonard preferred conversations focused on the point, so he continued without giving it much thought.

“There was nothing particularly unusual beyond that. She graduated from the academy three years ago, and she is currently preparing for the ceremony where she’ll succeed as head of the family. Of course, there’s also the fact that she secretly operates Fairy Garden. But that’s something only we know, so—ah!”

Count Seymour suddenly let out a short exclamation.

Leonard’s gaze turned toward him.

When their eyes met, Count Seymour gave an awkward smile before continuing.

“There is one more thing to add.”

“One more thing?”

“Yes.”

Leonard elegantly raised a long finger, signaling him to continue.

“You know Viscount Roster Tyron, Lady Bruin’s guardian?”

“What about him?”

“According to the Shadow’s report, he seems to have been meeting Marquis Fitzroy quite frequently for a long time.”

At the viscount’s name, Leonard’s handsome eyebrows rose, and a crease formed between his straight brows.

“I heard that the Duke of Bruin withdrew from politics.”

“Not politics, perhaps. But they still have considerable wealth. He may have been working toward the marriage for quite some time. Or, if that’s not the reason, perhaps he himself has an interest in the young lady.”

The corner of Leonard’s mouth twisted.

He had remembered the conversation between the man and woman who had been secretly meeting.

At the time, Marquis Fitzroy had mentioned Viscount Tyron.

Under normal circumstances, Leonard would have stopped there.

He had made a deal with Isabella, but there was no need to investigate the details of her circumstances.

Ultimately, all that mattered was resolving the situation according to the terms of their agreement.

But—

“Seymour.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Tell Dilmun to dig up everything there is to know about Marquis Fitzroy.”

“Miss. How could you simply let that horrible sight pass without doing anything? I was so shocked that my stomach still feels unsettled…”

In the carriage heading toward the noble district, Jeanne expressed her deep indignation to Isabella.

They had just returned from a place called Ledion.

Every block of Ledion’s streets boasted its own unique character. It was a district where free-spirited artists gathered to display their own worlds, while patrons came and went to purchase their works.

One street was elegant.

Another was extravagant.

Some were excessive, filled with blindingly vivid colors and decorations.

And some were so dark and gloomy that they seemed almost capable of summoning the devil himself.

Although Ledion belonged to the capital of the Vilhoa Empire, it did not discriminate based on class or gender. Money was the only thing that distinguished the noble from the commoner there.

Under the name of patronage, the things most commonly encountered in Ledion were entertainment, indulgence, adultery, and decadence.

Therefore, it wasn’t particularly surprising that Isabella and Jeanne, who had visited the district to investigate Marquis Fitzroy’s activities, had secretly witnessed him entangled with the widow of a count’s family.

“After sending a marriage proposal to you and then doing something so vulgar…!”

Jeanne’s face was bright red as she continuously fanned herself with her hands.

She was also worried that Isabella’s silence meant she had been hurt by being matched with such a terrible marriage prospect.

Her mistress had long since developed a habit of keeping her feelings hidden and swallowing everything inside.

So Jeanne couldn’t help but make a fuss on Isabella’s behalf.

Perhaps, if she did this, Isabella’s heart might feel a little lighter.

After spending so many years together, the two knew each other well.

Isabella had realized long ago that Jeanne was watching her carefully.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

“I already knew what kind of man he was before we went there.”

The words that slipped from her relaxed lips sounded gentler than usual.

“Even so, I didn’t expect him to be that bad.”

“I wonder if bringing you along has given you a prejudice against relationships between men and women.”

Unlike Jeanne, who had been startled so badly that her heart was still pounding, Isabella had not been particularly shaken by what she had witnessed earlier.

If anything, she thought it suited him perfectly.

She had seen similar things many times in her previous lives, so she was already numb to it.

“Miss! Don’t say something like that! If I had merely heard about this from Sir Ian, I would have been so upset that I would’ve taken to bed for several days!”

Jeanne jumped up and down, waving both hands in protest.

Isabella gave a light laugh.

“Well, since you came with me, at least you won’t be bedridden. But why do you look like you’re about to die?”

“Just thinking about how much the nanny will blame me if she finds out makes my spine shiver.”

Jeanne rubbed both of her arms as though she could already feel the chill.

This time, deep dimples appeared on Isabella’s pale cheeks.

“If the nanny blames you, tell her that we’re planning to squeeze the marquis dry and receive land in return. That should make things a little better.”

The nanny had accompanied Isabella’s mother when she married into House Bruin.

She had been with Isabella since the day she was born.

After Isabella’s parents died—and especially after her repeated lives—their bond had grown even stronger.

Isabella knew better than anyone where the nanny’s excessive concern and worry could lead.

So she offered Jeanne a solution that might ease her fears.

Jeanne tilted her head.

“But when you think about your reputation, are you really all right with that, Miss? Even if the scandal becomes public?”

“If it can stop the marriage, gladly. I can endure a little scandal.”

Isabella had no regrets about the trouble of personally visiting Ledion or seeing something she would rather not have seen.

Because she had obtained a weakness she could use against Marquis Fitzroy.

The rumor that Marquis Fitzroy had a child was true.

And later, that child would become her shield.

It felt as though the picture she had hoped for had finally fallen into place.

She was actually rather pleased.

“And besides, I gave the marquis a separate gift before we left.”

“A gift…?”

Then Jeanne’s eyes widened.

“Ah!”

Reflected clearly in her widened pupils was Isabella’s graceful figure.

The faint smile that had begun to bloom on Isabella’s pale face deepened.

“Who was it?! Who dares pour beer on me?! Are you insane?! You must be completely out of your mind—!”

Marquis Fitzroy, drenched in beer, had trembled with rage as though the ground itself had split beneath him.

Even then, he hadn’t stopped glaring around with bloodshot eyes, desperately trying to find whoever had done it.

“Oh! If I’d known it would be useful like that, I should have prepared an entire oak barrel…”

Isabella, remembering what had happened in the luxurious salon in Ledion, turned toward Jeanne at her words.

“An oak barrel?”

“If we were going to pour it on him anyway, wouldn’t it have been better to pour the whole thing?”

Jeanne certainly had some dangerous ideas when it came to nobles.

She was particularly prone to losing her temper whenever something involved Isabella.

Judging by how tightly she had clenched her fists, she had probably already imagined taking revenge on the marquis in her head.

Beneath Isabella’s long, full eyelashes, her pale-blue eyes sparkled mischievously.

“If you’d prepared an entire oak barrel, Madam wouldn’t have been able to help us. We wouldn’t even have been able to enter the secret passage.”

“True. That’s true.”

Knock, knock.

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

At the driver’s announcement, accompanied by a knock against the carriage wall, Isabella’s gaze shifted outside.

The familiar streets came into view.

Meanwhile, Jeanne quickly patted both of her cheeks and checked the hem of Isabella’s dress.

After confirming that her mistress looked exactly as she had before entering the carriage—from head to toe—she opened the carriage door.

The bright afternoon sunlight poured in.

Standing before them was Marli, the most famous dessert shop in the capital.

Isabella stepped down from the carriage with Ian accompanying her.

She instructed the coachman and knights to wait for her and headed toward the shop with only Jeanne by her side.

Marli, a fairly famous dessert shop in the Vilhoa Empire, was bustling as usual with nobles enjoying afternoon tea and customers hoping to purchase its signature dessert, Mont Blanc cake.

“Miss! There are unusually many customers today!”

Standing at the entrance, Jeanne rose onto her toes and peeked through the glass at the crowded interior.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you waited in the carriage? I’ll quickly buy the dessert and come back.”

Her suggestion was for the sake of her mistress, who was sensitive to noisy and chaotic situations.

Isabella’s gaze moved past Jeanne and into Marli.

Perhaps because it was around lunchtime, the shop was more crowded than usual.

After thinking for a moment, Isabella quietly exhaled and nodded.

She had stopped by spontaneously for the nanny and hadn’t been able to make a reservation, so there was no avoiding the wait.

“All right. Do that. But I’ll be on the balcony instead of in the carriage. Come find me there when you’re finished.”

“Yes!”

The second-floor lounge at Marli had been designed for nobles, so there was no problem with Isabella staying there alone.

The two entered the shop and separated, each heading toward the dessert counter and the lounge respectively.

Isabella had just turned the corner and was about to climb the final staircase leading to the second floor.

Then—

Ah—!

Someone coming down the stairs from above suddenly blocked her view.

Isabella’s body stumbled unsteadily.