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Chapter 66
A New Identity is Needed
Betty was greatly startled when she saw Estelle return.
The dress of the lady who had gone to the Kingdom of Roium to receive their apology was in tatters. Even her beautiful face was swollen around the eyes, as if she had been crying.
“Milady, did they do something strange to you again over there?”
“Oh, right.”
Estelle blinked as if only just realizing something.
“This? I did this myself.”
“…Pardon?”
“On purpose. I wanted to make it look like Mirieu splashed it on me in a fit of rage.”
Betty blinked slowly, not understanding at first, then asked carefully:
“Did people believe you?”
That had been a gathering of those most cherished in the Kingdom of Roium.
Most of them knew Mirieu well and thought favorably of her. It was unlikely they would believe Estelle’s slander.
“Well, I left before I could find out, so I don’t know.”
“What?! Then that woman can just claim it was all your self-made scheme!”
Betty froze mid-motion while helping Estelle change dresses, shocked.
“If people misunderstand again, like before, and think it was something you staged…”
“There’s nothing new to resent. At least this time it really was staged, so it’s not a lie.”
Estelle spoke as if telling someone else’s story, her tone dry.
“Even if those people believe Mirieu and hate me more, nothing changes. They already hated me. One more incident won’t make my reputation any worse.”
“But still…”
“But Mirieu is different. She was supposed to be the victim tormented by me, wasn’t she?”
Though Mirieu’s reputation had taken a big hit from losing the duel, she had spent many long years building her place in society.
If I try to erase all of that in one blow, there’ll be resistance.
So, a different method was needed.
“But what they saw that day was very different from what they’d always believed.”
People are weak to what they see with their own eyes. And all of them had witnessed the so-called villainess Estelle drenched in wine and crying as if wronged by Mirieu.
That scene would be passed from mouth to mouth, growing stronger with every telling.
“Still, weren’t most of those at the banquet close to Mirieu? Do you think it worked?”
“At the very least, it must have seemed odd.”
Betty nodded, realizing the point.
Estelle had accepted the Kingdom of Roium’s apology without fuss and acted as if she were Mirieu’s friend. For such a person to suddenly stage a scene—it would not be easily believed.
“That much suspicion is enough.”
Even a small doubt could pile up and make things harder for Mirieu.
“But Milady, your way is too slow.”
Betty shook her head furiously, still unable to quell her anger.
I know Milady must have her reasons, but I just can’t calm down.
When Betty had first heard about Mirieu, she had been furious beyond words.
How could such a woman even exist?
Betty was no stranger to malice. She had grown used to the ugliness of human nature. But the things Estelle had endured at Mirieu’s hands still surpassed her imagination.
Perhaps because Estelle had been deeply hurt in the past because of Mirieu, she tended to speak vaguely about those events.
“Mirieu pried into what I went through in Libertane and said it was all my fault. That I was suffering because I was spoiled.”
“…That woman must be insane.”
“Maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong. At least, I was materially well-off.”
Just as Estelle had never explained how she had gotten her scars.
“Only now do I realize—one of the people spreading stories about me outside was her.”
“Even when she was meeting you as a friend?”
“Most likely. The timing fits when we were still close.”
Knowing Estelle couldn’t hear what people said once she was shut away, Mirieu had played the part of victim all the while tormenting her behind her back. That made her all the more vile.
“That… that woman saw your scars too?”
“Yes. Back then I thought of her as a friend. I hadn’t planned to show her, but she forced me to. She called them disgusting at the time. Yet she went around talking about them to others as if showing off her own scars. Strange, isn’t it?”
Having investigated the rumors circulating in society, Betty was almost convinced.
That scar—she copied Milady’s scar.
Considering how Mirieu had even used that scar to fish for pity, suspicion had become certainty.
She must have thought it was perfect for garnering sympathy.
As someone who had actually seen Estelle’s scars, Betty felt Mirieu was all the more grotesque.
Does she have no shred of humanity?
Betty’s heart ached even more remembering how she herself had once been swayed by such rumors and misunderstood her lady.
If it hurts me this much just thinking about it, is Milady truly all right?
“Milady, you’re not going to let her be, are you? If not, I’ll go myself and reveal the truth about those scars.”
“Oh, that reminds me.”
Estelle, now dressed in fresh clothes, asked Betty:
“Did you look into that information guild I asked about?”
Betty nodded vigorously.
“Of course. Erich has everything prepared. We can go right away. Shall we?”
“And we can do it without Johann finding out?”
“Of course. Master will only return in the evening, so he won’t know about your outing.”
Estelle’s navy eyes fell to the ring Johann had given her.
It bothers me, moving around in secret like this.
Still, she wasn’t ready to tell Johann everything and act openly. After all, Johann wasn’t exactly telling her everything either.
For now, let’s focus on Mirieu.
To set the perfect stage, she needed certain pieces.
Marchioness Pelsis finally managed to see her son after several days.
Though she had tried to persuade the Marquis multiple times to release him, she could not sway either father or son.
“Leandro, you’ve suffered. Your father didn’t do it out of hatred, you know that, don’t you?”
“Of course. He only wished to guide me onto the right path.”
“I’m glad you understand. You’re such a good son.”
The Marchioness studied Leandro’s face carefully with her gray eyes.
His answers are the same as always… but something feels different.
A mother’s intuition told her her son was not the same as before.
“Your father may see your dismissal from the post of Captain of the Imperial Knights as a grave shame, but I don’t. Everyone stumbles in life.”
“No. It was my fault. I disgraced our family’s honor.”
“Don’t be so sorrowful. When the heart is troubled, mistakes happen. Nobody your age gets through life spotless.”
She patted his hand gently.
“Anyway, seeing you so worn down, I’ve picked out a few good young ladies. Why not take this chance to start anew?”
At that, a strange thirst flickered in Leandro’s blue eyes. His voice cracked slightly.
“Are you telling me to become engaged again?”
“Yes, you’re of age. In fact, it’s time to seek not just an engagement but a bride. That vulgar family—”
Leandro’s first engagement.
The Marchioness shuddered at the thought of it: with the only daughter of the Ducal House of Libertane.
It had been forced upon her for the sake of alliance, but how dare they thrust a common-born adoptee onto her precious son?
Ever since, her pure-hearted boy had been too hurt to even look at other women.
“Forget that ruined family. It’s time to find a worthy match.”
“Mother. About the stories you’ve been hearing in society…”
Leandro clasped her hand and asked:
“Are those stories true?”
The Marchioness flinched at the reproach in his tone, then, uneasy, snapped back:
“Don’t tell me you’re speaking of her?”
“…”
“You are! You’re still thinking of that woman.”
Estelle Libertane.
Now risen again into notoriety as the Duchess of Blanchet.
“This is why I want you to find someone new! You keep clinging to that woman!”
“Mother.”
“She humiliated you with a forced duel, left you locked in the cellar—yet you can’t let her go!”
“I asked if the rumors contained lies.”
The Marchioness, unable to contain her anger, glared at him.
“I don’t know! How should I know if they’re true or false? They’re not even about my own child!”
“Mother. You shouldn’t have said that.”
“And you dare scold your mother? Do you blame me for those sordid rumors following her?”
Consumed by bitterness, the Marchioness finally shouted:
“Leandro, wake up! That woman was never part of your life!”
Leandro rose politely.
“Consider your answer given. And please withdraw your offer.”
The Marchioness called after him, but he left without looking back.
Never part of my life?
If that were true, it would not hurt so much.
Why then am I made to see her everywhere?
He wandered the cellars of the Pelsis estate and discovered a forbidden room—even he, the heir, could not enter.
A room that could not be opened without the lord’s seal.
Is the House of Pelsis truly the family I thought it was?
Clutching his chest, Leandro wondered.
Was I wrong all along in how I treated her?
Estelle had supposedly committed many misdeeds in Libertane, pretending to be the true daughter and stealing Estella’s place.
But now, Leandro could no longer tell what was real.
I must meet Estelle.
He realized he had never truly listened to her words. Every tangled thread seemed to center around her.
I need to hear her side.
Perhaps Estelle was not the villainess he had believed.
I arrived with Betty at the information guild.
[Lisa’s Flower Shop.]
“It really looks like a flower shop.”
“They actually run it well as a business. That way, no one suspects.”
Since both Erich and Betty had vouched that this was the best guild, their work would surely be thorough.
For secrecy, I went inside alone, leaving Betty outside, guided by an employee.
“Welcome, Duchess of Blanchet.”
Inside sat a man with dirty-blond hair and a hood. A large scar across his eye made him quite striking.
“I am Kasan of the information guild. What brings you to us?”
“I have two requests.”
“Two?”
“First, a new identity—clean, with no trail.”
Kasan’s eyes widened.
“For yourself, Duchess?”
“You don’t need to know that. Prepare a new identity for a young woman.”
“That could be troublesome…”
Without a word, I placed a pouch brimming with coins on the table. The clinking sound instantly changed his demeanor.
“And the second, milady?”
“Find out everything you can about Mirieu Jutie.”
In truth, that was my real aim.
The new identity is just something to handle while I’m here.
I didn’t know just how powerful this guild was, but better to have more contingencies.
“Be precise—”
Kasan nodded gravely.
When I left the guild, Betty greeted me warmly.
“Milady, did everything go well?”
“Yes. It’s all done.”
“Then I’ll go fetch the carriage. Please wait here a moment.”
Since we had parked the carriage at a distance to avoid suspicion, Betty went off to bring it.
I fiddled with the sunflower I had bought at Lisa’s Flower Shop as a keepsake.
Come to think of it, has my curse been lifted?
Lately, with Mirieu occupying my mind, I had forgotten. They had said to plant the Undine’s Tear and wait, but nothing had happened yet. The curse remained.
This damn curse!
Seizing the moment alone, I complained to the tree.
– When will that Eden Rose ever bloom?
– Child, do you think flowers bloom so easily?
– But I didn’t think it would take this long. When?
– All we can say is: wait…
And then—
A bird with brilliant blue feathers swooped down and plucked a petal from the flower.
What bird is this?
Its plumage was sleek, its bearing unusual. At that moment, its owner called out urgently:
“Sorry! My bird—”
But the owner stopped mid-apology.
“…Princess Diana of Roium?”
“Duchess of Blanchet?”
Diana stiffly greeted me, looking awkward.
“Good day, Duchess of Blanchet. I apologize for the trouble.”
She reached to retrieve the blue bird perched on my shoulder, tilting its head.
“Bluuna, come.”
At that moment, the bird spat a sunflower seed at Diana’s face.
Ptoo!
