Episode 20

“I changed your position because I felt like I was upsetting your wife.”

Ezekiel finished his brief explanation and said nothing more about the maids’ work.

Fortunately, thanks to Anna’s hard work, she was able to obtain news that the two maids had been assigned to the laundry room in the Duke’s basement.

I was relieved to hear that they had been exiled to a dark laundry room.

I was shocked, thinking it was actually being dealt with. Compared to that, I was relieved.

“But what on earth were they trying to crack down on by blocking me from seeing them? Did they know I tried to ask them separately and failed?”

I genuinely wanted to know what my husband was thinking. And this wasn’t the first time I’d thought this.

It was so confusing that I started to suspect that this man was the so-called mastermind.

But no matter how strange things are, time passes.

Even if you twist a chicken’s neck… … No. That’s a bit cruel. Anyway, just as you can’t stop the flow of Vetra, time also flows.

Putting aside my doubts about Ezekiel, I decided to completely finish what I had been working on.

“Madam, I have investigated the reputation of Philip Justis, as you commanded.”

If my husband has a ton of informants, I have a hundred to one.

“I heard testimonies mainly from commoners who frequently came into contact with him, rather than from the reputation of the aristocratic society.”

“Yes. Just as I asked.”

“Yes. Surprisingly, Philip Justis was a pretty bad person.”

Not only did he betray all kinds of people in order to rise in status, he also kidnapped poor people near the docks and sold them to the magic stone mine.

When he was a sailor, he did not take care of his crew members and even neglected them when they got scurvy. He also beat people on the ship to death and threw them into the sea.

The life or death of the missing person? No one knows.

“There’s no such thing as a pirate. You could just think of him as an attempted murderer.”

I took all the information Anna had gathered and handed it to Ezekiel. His expression hardened as he handed over the documents.

“Philippous Justis sent me another letter this morning.”

“What did you say?”

“He said he wanted to establish his own base within the territory and seriously grow his merchant group. He wanted my cooperation.”

“Because I don’t connect you, you keep sending letters directly to the Duke’s residence.”

Well, I have a rough idea of how Sir Philip might have harmed Ezekiel from the later parts of the original novel, which I haven’t read.

Under the pretext of raising the upper class, they would sit down and take control of this canal, trying to take down the key figures of the competing upper classes one by one.

I stared at him with anxious eyes. Ezekiel narrowed his eyes.

“Are you going to listen to this person?”

“If someone commits such a crime out of sight, they will do the same in Vetra.”

“Right? I told you he’s a dangerous person.”

“I also refuse to associate with such people.”

He meant to oust Sir Philip! I finally felt relieved.

“I heard from my informant that his reputation within the aristocracy was quite good. If my wife hadn’t been prodding me, I wouldn’t have known.”

From then on, it was a breeze.

Ezekiel completely ignored Philip’s letters.

One day, when Philip visited the duke’s residence, his aide, Ollie, went out and recited a list of his weaknesses that we had collected.

Philip retreated in terror when he was threatened that if he continued to linger, these would be copied and distributed throughout the empire.

And then you spread the word all the way to the end?

“He was dragged out immediately after making a fuss about wanting to move into Miss Valentina’s house as her son-in-law.”

“Of course, what irresponsible father wouldn’t be angry if his own daughter was insulted…?”

He seemed to have made a mistake, and his words trailed off. I smiled.

“That’s a common reaction. Miss Valentina has a normal, good father. I envy her.”

Ezekiel put a sugar cube in the coffee in front of him, shook the cup lightly, and changed the subject.

“Why did you ask the common people about Philip Justis’ reputation?”

“People with bad personalities tend to show their true nature to people who seem weaker than them.”

Because Philip was born a commoner, he was a beggar who made life miserable for his fellow commoners. If he had been born a nobleman, his targets could have been lower-class nobles as well.

“And I’m sensitive to being ignored. I’ve experienced it so many times that I have a good sense of how someone might ignore someone.”

Was it because I’d only seen the evil side of human nature? A small ripple spread across Ezekiel’s eyes at those words.

“I really don’t want to show you the worst side of the world anymore.”

“Oh, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to raise me like a greenhouse plant from now on, right?”

Huh. I’m not swayed by those words anymore. I wrinkled my nose.

“I’ve lived like a weed, so if I’m suddenly treated like a greenhouse plant, I’ll wither and die. Please, just be kind.”

At my words, he raised his lips slightly. It was a smile I hadn’t seen in a million years.

“Ezekiel. I have a question. You, lately.”

But as soon as I opened my mouth, the smile vanished. An awkward silence fell between us, the once warm relationship between us.

I put down the fancy coffee cup with a loud clank.

“……I know there’s something you’re not telling me. Can you tell me what it is?”

“Oh, my. The maids’ nonsense has reached my ears.”

“Is that nonsense? But I still want to know.”

“As I said before, this is a bad picture of the world.”

“What kind of bad look is that?”

“It’s a dirty story. It’s best not to wonder.”

I said sharply.

“Ezekiel. I can honestly tell you that I remember my past life.”

“That’s a funny joke. I knew your wife had a unique sense of humor, but this one was particularly refreshing.”

“I’m not joking. It’s true.”

“All right.”

He brushed my words off and stood up. “I don’t believe it at all. Why would I be so upset?”

“Drink slowly and come up. I have other things to attend to.”

He really just left without saying anything.

It was always a repetition of the same moment.

I watch him walk away, and he leisurely wanders off somewhere, alone. I’m left behind, like someone whose string has snapped.

I stared at him for a long time, as if we could communicate, but we couldn’t.

There’s a strange window between us. A tightly sealed window that can’t be opened or closed.

***

‘Oh no. Again.’

Meanwhile, aide Ollie, who had been watching the two people alternately, secretly touched his forehead.

A furrow formed on his forehead. But neither of the two men he served noticed Ollie’s sigh.

***

“Dogaresa? Are you feeling unwell?”

Valentina’s words brought me back to my senses. All the men and women attending the tea party were looking at me.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Maybe it’s because so much has happened, but I’ve been feeling a bit dizzy lately. I think I’ve been thinking about something else without even realizing it.

“What were you talking about?”

“I heard that our family wanted to invite Dogaresa to a new tea house they were opening.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry.”

Valentina smiled brightly, not showing any sign of being offended.

Perhaps because he was a veteran in the social world, he seemed to be used to the various reactions of others.

“We’ll also display books on one side of the tea house. We’ll target the middle class who want to enjoy an intellectual atmosphere.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Would you accept my invitation?”

“Of course! I’ll gladly accept Miss Valentina’s invitation.”

Our conversation shifted in many directions. Perhaps because we weren’t a gathering of nobles, many fresh topics emerged.

“I heard this is a popular novel these days.”

“Oh my, this is ridiculous!”

It was a topic that a nobleman who was picky about fortune would never have mentioned.

“You mean ‘A noble lady’s splendid vacation’?”

“Yes. It’s the story of a countess who takes in a lover to stand up to her cheating husband. It’s so interesting!”

Because of my situation, I kept looking at it without realizing it.

“Do you have a book like this?”

When I joined the conversation, they were embarrassed but proud and recommended it.

“It’s a more attractive piece because the water level is high.”

“At first glance, the cover looks like a law book, doesn’t it?”

“That’s because everyone reads it secretly.”

I picked up a popular novel with a solemn cover and flipped through a few pages.

“If you don’t mind, please read it. I already have two other copies of the same book at home.”

“oh…….”

First, I received the book recommended by the ladies. It was a novel that had been painstakingly crafted, down to the subtitles, just like any other publication.

‘Article 1, Paragraph 2 of the Divorce Act… What kind of subheading is this?’

I took it home without thinking much about it.

If I had known the repercussions that little novel would have on the Duke’s estate, I wouldn’t have brought it home.