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Chapter 8 — Feed Me with Your Mouth
2021.12.28.
The Knight Commander handed Johan a letter from the Duke of Libertan. Its contents were exactly as the Knight Commander had reported earlier:
[Duke Blanchet, please let me see my married daughter one last time. If you grant me that, I will confess to all the crimes of the Libertan ducal family exactly as you wish.]
A heavy silence settled in the room after Johan finished reading the letter. The Knight Commander glanced at Erich and spoke.
“It seems the Duke of Libertan loved his daughter more than I thought. Well… considering there’s no way out for him anyway, he might think it’s better to die after seeing his precious daughter’s face one last time.”
Erich adjusted his glasses, his expression tightening.
“I don’t think your view is wrong, but the Duke of Libertan isn’t the sort of man to give up on life just because he loves his daughter.”
“You think he’s hiding his true motive?”
“Most likely. What do you think, my lord?”
“You’re probably right,” Johan replied casually.
“Even if he truly cherishes his daughter, it’s not easy to set such a condition without some ulterior motive.”
Knock knock.
A sound came from the office door. All three men turned their eyes toward it. The door slowly opened, and a woman peeked her head inside.
“Would I be interrupting if I came in now?”
“Wife?”
Everyone was taken aback by Estelle’s sudden appearance—especially since they had been discussing her just moments earlier. The atmosphere became even more awkward. Johan, however, smiled smoothly.
“What brings my wife to my office?”
“I realized I’ve never once visited the place where you work, my lord.”
She was holding a tray with tea and cups, her slender arms trembling as though she might drop it at any moment. The Knight Commander stepped forward.
“Please, allow me.”
He took the tray from her and set it on Johan’s desk. Estelle, now more at ease, smiled brightly at Johan.
“Since I won’t be attending the banquet, I wanted to do something—anything—for you.”
Johan raised one eyebrow and asked in a lazy voice,
“Weren’t you upset when I told you not to come?”
“Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t. But I don’t mind.”
The rich aroma of tea filled the room as Estelle smiled lightly.
“You know the retainers of House Blanchet better than I do. If you think the timing isn’t right, you must have your reasons. Am I right?”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
Glancing at the two other men, she asked,
“Are you both retainers who work with my lord?”
“Ah, my lady, it’s an honor to meet you. I am the Knight Comm—”
“He’s someone you don’t need to know.”
Johan cut him off, his voice tinged with a strange displeasure. The Knight Commander blinked in surprise.
“Me?”
“Is there any reason my wife needs to know you?”
“Well… not if you put it like that.”
The Knight Commander awkwardly scratched his neck.
“Good day, my lady. I’m ‘someone you don’t need to know.’”
“Nice to meet you.”
Estelle glanced between them and said to Johan,
“You seem busy, so I’ll be going now. Good luck with your meeting.”
But Johan stopped her.
“Wife.”
He smiled softly.
“You can’t just leave it like this.”
“Like this?”
“I rarely drink tea. Unless…”
His crimson eyes glimmered seductively.
“Unless you feed it to me yourself, like last time.”
Estelle’s cheeks flushed instantly. She tried to step back, but he caught her hand to keep her from escaping.
Amusing.
The more flustered she became, the more Johan enjoyed it.
“Come now. It’s not improper for a married couple to feed each other.”
Holding her hands, he pressed a kiss to the back of one. His lips then lingered, sliding toward her fingertips as he smiled.
“If you don’t want to feed me by hand, I don’t mind if you use your mouth. Which will it be?”
“Neither!”
Her face now a deep scarlet, Estelle yanked her hand free and fled, her platinum hair fluttering behind her. Watching her run, Johan let out a bright laugh.
“I didn’t dream that just now, did I?” the Knight Commander asked Erich.
Erich ignored him.
“You two seem close. Anyone would think you were a genuinely loving couple.”
“Which means my lord’s plan is going well,” Erich replied. Then, turning to Johan: “Do you think she overheard us earlier?”
“She didn’t seem to be thinking about anything except you, my lord,” the Knight Commander said.
“Don’t be careless,” Erich warned. “She’s still a woman from Libertan. Who knows what she might do?”
He sighed, pressing a hand to his temple.
“Perhaps you should invite her to the banquet tonight after all. That way, we can gauge what she’s heard.”
“Erich.”
Johan’s voice dropped, cold enough to chill the air.
“Since when do you question my decisions?”
“My apologies.”
Erich bowed his head. Johan rarely changed his mind once a decision was made.
“I’ll inform them you’re attending the banquet alone.”
The Knight Commander then asked,
“Will you grant the Duke of Libertan’s request?”
Johan looked at the letter again and smirked.
Outside the office, I was bewildered.
The Duke and Duchess of Libertan asked to see me?
Their faces came to mind, and I nearly laughed aloud.
Why?
Not that I truly cared. Any reason they had probably wasn’t good. Most likely, they’d fallen so far they had to beg help from someone like me.
The problem is me.
This might maintain my image as a beloved adopted daughter, but it could also stir more hostility.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t invited to the banquet with the retainers.
It was already giving me a headache. Since this wasn’t in the original novel, I had no preparation for it.
Betty approached, curiosity in her eyes.
“My lady, how did he react? Was he uncomfortable?”
“Not exactly… but he didn’t seem particularly pleased either.”
“But he didn’t send the tea back, right?”
“True.”
“Then he welcomed it.”
She shrugged at my empty hands.
“Really?”
“Absolutely. My lord hates unapproved visitors, and you even brought tea into his office.”
“…Meaning you suggested I do something he could’ve hated.”
“I thought it would go well! And he even asked for more snacks, didn’t he? That means he liked it.”
She seemed almost giddy, as if she’d been there herself. I let it drop; debating her would be pointless.
Maybe he was just sparing me embarrassment as his wife.
“…My lord?” Betty’s disbelief was obvious. “He doesn’t like anyone in his space. This was special.”
With no banquet to attend, I had free time. I decided to visit the library—something I’d missed last time thanks to Erich—but it was locked.
Should I ask Betty for a key?
It wasn’t like me to be so proactive, but this might be the perfect time to look for books on dark magic. Heading back to where I’d last seen Betty, I heard a strange voice in the garden.
“…Estelle.”
Oddly, it wasn’t frightening—it felt… warm.
Who’s there?
No one was around.
I swear they called my name.
I followed the sound into one of the ducal gardens. Aside from the rose garden tended by Johan’s mother, all the gardens were beautifully kept. The back garden, with its dense trees, almost felt like a forest.
Nothing here.
“Were you talking to me?” I asked the air, but there was no reply. Only the sharp scent of summer filled my nose.
Summer festival season is near.
The Empire’s busiest time, packed with events.
Leaving the garden, I ran into Johan, Erich, and a visiting retainer—likely here for the banquet.
“Wife, why are you here—”
Johan’s brows furrowed briefly before he introduced me.
“This is my wife, Estelle Blanchet.”
“An honor, Duchess Blanchet.”
Seeing the man’s face, I was startled.
“Lexius Polman?”
He was the man from the black-draped portrait.
Weren’t those portraits for the dead who had served House Blanchet?
Why was he alive? The man’s eyes widened.
“My lady… what do you mean? Why bring up Sir Lexius Polman?”
“Ah… I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
Perhaps it was just the eerie style of the portrait. Still, blurting his name had been a mistake; Johan’s sharp gaze turned to the man. The air grew tense.
I quickly tried to lighten the mood. A brooch on the man’s chest caught the sunlight, glittering with amethyst and diamonds.
“Your amethyst brooch is beautiful. It suits you well.”
“…Excuse me?”
Not the reaction I’d hoped for.
So it has a story.
Erich seemed about to speak, but Johan raised a hand to stop him.
“The Viscount’s brooch is splendid, isn’t it? Do you like that style?”
“If you gave it to me, I’d be happy with any brooch, my lord. But I don’t think that one’s my taste.”
Smiling as though nothing were wrong, I excused myself. Only once I’d turned away did I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Guess Johan was right not to have me at the banquet.
After Estelle left.
Johan turned to the Viscount.
“Do you know what my wife meant?”
“I… have no idea. And as you can see, I’m not wearing any brooch.”
Indeed, there was none.
“Then why would she call you Lexius Polman?”
The Viscount had no connection to the man—yet Lexius Polman had been investigating an ‘amethyst brooch case’ before his murder, a case that vanished when House Blanchet was accused of treason.
“I swear I know nothing! She’s from Libertan—clearly trying to stir trouble—”
Erich restrained him.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
Johan smiled coldly.
“Whether she spoke nonsense… or you committed the unthinkable.”
The Viscount confessed immediately when taken to the dungeon: he had accepted the amethyst brooch as a bribe to cover up corruption at an orphanage, then killed Lexius Polman when the truth came to light. He’d escaped justice only because of Blanchet’s downfall.
Johan examined the brooch taken from him.
He spat blood and died the moment I asked about the magic hiding it.
Even Johan, well-versed in magic, had not sensed the spell. He thought of Estelle’s casual remark.
How did she know?
Libertan’s strange request, his wife’s inexplicable behavior, and a long-buried case suddenly resolved—it was worth looking into.
By the time I found Betty, it was almost dinner. With no banquet to attend, I ate alone—pleasantly so, since no one was there to bother me. I even had dessert twice.
Still, I needed to figure out what I’d done wrong.
Tomorrow, I’ll go to his office and see how he reacts…
After dinner, I returned to my room—only to find Johan waiting, wearing nothing but a robe.
“Wife. Did you enjoy your meal?”
