The Fragrance of Forbidden Secrets

It is an overreach even to wonder about the depth of trust between the two. To do so would imply a lack of faith in Olivia’s judgment. In the first place, it is not the curiosity of a subordinate. If it were, he would not be more bothered by Sion than by Count Zeppelin. Sion is more handsome, and because he knows so little about the history between the two, his heart grows heavy with shadows.

Suppressing his mood, Theodore answered exactly as he had been told.

"He said you would handle your own affairs. I only received orders to protect you safely."

At that, Sion made a thoughtful face, stroking his lips with a "Hmm."

"Even though I told you there was no need to worry so much. You really do have a soft heart, don't you?"

"……."

"Aside from protection, could you perhaps help me with something?"

"If it is within my power."

"It’s nothing that would trouble the Count’s own hands. I have a letter that needs to be delivered discreetly, and it would be best if I could borrow the hand of someone who has no connection to the Marel Troupe. It would be even better if it were someone who deserves to die."

Theodore frowned slightly. There were already plenty of people under his command whose deaths would neither be a tragedy nor a loss to the world.

"I shall do that. I will tell Yan, so when the time for delivery comes, entrust it to him."

"Understood. Thank you."

Sion said with a cheerful face. He was the one currently in the most dangerous position, yet he showed no sign of concern whatsoever.

"Then I shall take my leave, if you have nothing more to say to me."

Theodore shook his head to indicate it was fine. Sion bowed with an elegant grace and exited the living room first.

Left alone, Theodore slumped onto the sofa. The frustration of being unable to fully protect Olivia and his misunderstanding of her as a person threw his heart into chaos.

Why on earth did his father leave a will telling him to marry her?

No, he could guess the reason now. If Olivia decided never to reveal her true identity, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠position of Countess Lutgarth was the highest status his father could offer her.

That was all. From the beginning, she was a being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that should never have been within his reach, and she remained so even now.

But the scent he had caught that day was still so vivid that he felt he would not be able to sleep tonight, either.

The Countess of Albesleben was not exactly tight-lipped when it came to private matters.

She was a cousin of the Marchioness of Krut, an heiress with a massive dowry, and quite capable in business. From shortly after her marriage, she had held the Albesleben earldom in her grip, shaking it to her whim; since gold coins poured out every time she did, no one in the earldom had any complaints.

Her husband, the Count, had died without leaving any children. While the title was inherited by a relative, the Countess of Albesleben was able to retain her title as it was.

Freed from all obligations, she lived her life to the fullest. Not a day went by without a beautiful lover by her side, and she bought whatever she desired. She felt no need to hide it, either.

Sion Miller was, for the first time in a long while, someone she genuinely coveted. On days when there was a performance, she never failed to send large bouquets and expensive gifts to his dressing room, and even on days when there were none, she often sent errand boys to the Marel Troupe’s office.

After hearing the rumor that Layla was brokering government contracts, she thought it was for the best. She was confident that she would lose to no one in terms of money. However, she failed even to get her business card into Layla’s hands.

She was angry and felt the effort she had put in was a waste. She poured out her complaints about this to her cousin, the Marchioness of Krut, without holding anything back.

"It was bound to be a failure. No matter how much of a doll she is, an Empress is an Empress. Would she be satisfied with a mere Countess?"

"Shh, Hedy. You shouldn't say such things carelessly."

"What do you mean I shouldn't say them carelessly? It’s only you and me here anyway."

The Countess of Albesleben scoffed.

"And who doesn't know that the Empress is a doll of the Schwab family?"

"Don't they say even walls and ceilings have ears?"

"If she had just met him openly, I wouldn't have had to waste my heart and energy for nothing."

The Countess of Albesleben grumbled, not caring what the Marchioness of Krut said. The Marchioness of Krut shook her head with a troubled face.

"You said you didn't see it yourself. Didn't you say it was just a maid who saw someone coming out of the dressing room? How would that maid know the face of the Empress?"

"They said it was a very beautiful lady who brought the young lady of the Krentzlin family as a companion—if it isn't the Empress, then who could it be? Besides, they said she was dragged away by a guard knight in the middle of it."

"Oh my."

"They said her clothes were a mess. That her stockings were caught around her ankles."

When even such stories came out, the Marchioness of Krut could not help but be interested.

"Didn't you say it was during the performance?"

"You saw 'When the Curtain Opens' too, didn't you? The intermission is 15 minutes, but Sion doesn't appear immediately after the third act. That’s more than enough time to finish the deed."

At this point, even if the party to the scandal had been the Emperor, not Empress Lillian, it would have been a serious problem.

The Marchioness of Krut’s mind raced. If this became known, could the Schwab family protect ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Empress?

How would Duke Klaus react?

He had been quiet again since his one visit to the Krut estate last time. Whether there had been a change in his state of mind or not, he had met with old friends and pro-monarchy nobles at his home, but it seemed his health was too poor to go out.

Sion Miller belonged to Lady Layla’s troupe, and Layla was sponsored by Duke Klaus. Duke Klaus hated Empress Lillian.

'Lady Layla can't be unaware of that, so she handed the most important card she possessed to the Empress?'

She didn't seem like such a foolish person. Then it was one of two things: either Layla had been cast aside by Duke Klaus, or Layla had nothing to do with this.

'It’s more likely that Layla isn't standing in the middle, but that an actor who didn't know the situation just rushed in after seeing the background of the Empress.'

If Sion heard this, he would have been dumbfounded, asking if he really looked like such a foolish person, but from the perspective of a noble like the Marchioness of Krut, it was a natural way of thinking.

She received the second invitation to the Wisteria Annex salon on the evening the Countess of Albesleben visited.

There would be no one who would not respond to this invitation.

It was June 5th when Sion wrote the letter.

It had been ten days since Lillian was dragged from his dressing room. In the meantime, the scandal had spread little by little beneath the surface, but no one was speaking of it openly yet. Unlike the scandals ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Layla or the Marel Troupe, the Empress’s scandal was not something one could easily gossip about, and while some had seen someone being dragged out of the theater that day, no one had confirmed for certain that it was the Empress.

The Schwab family showed no reaction. Sophia desperately blocked the information. Not just what was going out, but what was coming into the Schwab estate as well.

"It is true that Her Majesty the Empress shared a secret friendship with Sion Miller. However, the claim that there was a physical relationship is a baseless rumor."

That was her stance.

She was doing it for Lillian. She still pitied Lillian and wanted to ensure no further misfortune befell her.

However, the person in question did not understand that.

Confined to her bedroom for the tenth day, Lillian repeated the cycle of crying as if she had lost her mind, then falling asleep.