Chapter 111: Favor and Betrayal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: Favor and Betrayal
“Sir Norton, is everything alright?”
I asked Norton, who was standing beside me, while the delegation took a break to have drinks on the second-floor terrace of the cafe.
“……Everything is fine.”
“What’s with the delayed reaction?”
Norton was strangely stiff today. His gaze, usually alert, seemed even sharper as he scanned our surroundings.
“Is it because of the Marchioness?”
Ever since Janet had been confined, the Marchioness had become incredibly high-strung. Remembering the Annette of the past, she seemed utterly shocked by the fact that I wasn't lifting a finger to get Janet released.
I have absolutely no intention of letting her out, though.
To be honest, it was a relief that I was the only one who had ingested the poisonous herb. If the entire delegation had fallen ill, the fallout would have been unimaginable.
However, perhaps fearing she might be implicated herself, the Marchioness called for me several times a day to vent her grievances. I felt like I would have a nervous breakdown if I left her cooped up in her room any longer, which was why I had brought both her and Raphael along for today’s outing to the shopping district.
Norton shook his head.
Cecilia was the one accompanying the Marchioness today. I felt bad for Cecilia, but with Reta still recovering and the risk of a random maid causing a scene, I had no other choice.
She could at least look after her own son.
While the Marchioness dragged Cecilia off for an excited shopping spree, Raphael stood blankly beside me as I guided the delegation.
“Raphael, are you bored?” I asked, looking at him as he quietly ate his ice cream.
I felt quite guilty for just leaving him sitting there after acting like I was going to show him something spectacular.
“No. Listening to your stories is really fun, Sister.”
How could that be fun? At your age, running around and playing like those kids would be much more enjoyable.
I looked down at the children from the orphanage playing ball on the grass in front of the lake.
“Raphael. Why don’t you go play with those children?”
“What? No way.”
Raphael glanced outside and looked at the children running and laughing with an expression of pure distaste.
“They aren’t even nobles. You want me to play ball with commoners?”
Good heavens…
I had forgotten because he was so cute, but he is the youngest son of a Marquis, isn't he?
That arrogant streak was the spitting image of his father.
“Besides, how am I supposed to play with kids that young?” Raphael added grumpily.
Young? Physically speaking, Raphael was smaller than them.
Well, at that age, even a year or two makes a huge difference in how they see each other…
“Then don’t play with them, play for them. Show them how it's done.”
“Play for them?”
Raphael’s perspective seemed to shift slightly at those words, and he stared at the children. It seemed that watching them kick the ball around actually looked quite fun.
After a few more nudges, Raphael—who had been hesitating and asking how he was supposed to talk to strangers—finally headed down the terrace stairs. Leon, standing behind me, followed him with quick intuition.
“I will accompany him.”
“Thank you, Sir Leon.”
I watched from the terrace as Raphael approached the children. After Raphael muttered something, the children shrugged and bickered among themselves for a while. I worried that they weren't communicating well, but a moment later, Raphael and the children swarmed toward the play area in a noisy crowd.
Seeing Raphael blending in with the group and looking quite excited, I breathed a sigh of relief.
*
“We’re going to do archery now, though?” a girl larger than Raphael suddenly said.
Raphael, who had struggled to bring up the idea of playing ball together, flushed with embarrassment. Seeing how the children were so casual even in front of a boy dressed as a noble, Raphael’s shoulders slumped slightly.
Everyone here, from the knights to the kids, is strange.
Just as he was about to turn away, one of the boys suddenly grabbed him.
“Do you… want to come with us?”
It was an awkward attempt at formal speech, added as an afterthought.
“But you need money,” another child muttered, wiping under his nose.
“Money? I don’t have any right now…”
“Stupid, we can just lend him a coupon,” the girl shouted firmly to the group when she saw Raphael’s predicament.
“Coupon?”
“Her Highness the Consort sent us a whole bunch of coupons. With those, you can play over there for free.”
At the girl’s explanation, Raphael let out an “Ah,” his face showing he understood. It seemed the coupons were the play area passes his sister had explained to the delegation earlier.
A mischievous glint appeared in Raphael’s pale face.
“The Consort must be a very good person, then?”
“Of course! We’ve even met her!” the girl said, her eyes sparkling. “Her Highness has such soft hair, her eyes sparkle, and her face looks exactly like a goddess.”
“I like the Consort very much, too.”
At Raphael’s agreement, the children’s faces brightened instantly.
“You know Her Highness too, Young Master?”
“The Consort is so kind!”
“She’s good to us.”
“Yeah, she buys us lots of presents!”
Everyone competed to heap praise upon the Grand Duchess.
“I like the Consort best in the whole world.”
Seeing the children scramble to agree with that statement, Raphael smiled broadly and replied, “Me too.”
The corners of the children’s mouths curled up.
“Come on, Young Master! We’ll lend you a coupon!”
Having unexpectedly found common ground, the children led Raphael to the play area with great enthusiasm. And as they played the archery game, the children’s liking for Raphael soared even higher.
“Whoa! Another ten points!”
Thanks to Raphael hitting the bullseye with every arrow he fired, the cheers in the play area never ceased. In the end, every child finished the round with an ice cream prize in their mouth.
“Young Master! You’re the best!”
Watching the children hold up their thumbs while clutching their ice cream, Raphael’s cheeks turned red.
For some reason, he was starting to like the North more and more.
*
“Head Maid, that’s a fork…”
“What? Oh…”
Marzella lowered the fork she had been using to try and scoop up potato soup. Only one maid had the grace to point it out; the rest were ignoring her, chatting among themselves.
Marzella calmly picked up a spoon.
Today was the day the delegation was scheduled to visit the lakeside shopping district. And if the information guild had handled things properly, radicals would be causing a riot today, denouncing the Grand Duchess in front of the delegation and the visitors.
She was dying to know how things were progressing, but she had no way to find out, which was frustrating.
The castle is quiet, so is it not time yet?
Just in case, she was intentionally eating in the dining hall today. She needed people who could serve as her alibi.
It’s fine. There’s no way they’ll find a trail back to me.
Even in the worst-case scenario where the information guild was discovered, they didn't know Marzella’s true identity, so it didn't matter. She just needed to stay calm.
She was trying to soothe her anxious heart as she took a sip of soup when Tiern, the Commander of the 9th Knight Division, entered the dining hall with the clatter of armor.
“Where is the Head Maid?”
Marzella turned her head, her eyes widening.
“Sir Tiern, what brings you here?”
She tried to sound welcoming, but Tiern’s face was set in a colder expression than usual. Marzella instinctively felt that something was wrong. The young master she had looked after since he was a child was looking at her with a chilling gaze, as if seeing her for the first time.
“Sir Tiern?”
At Marzella’s call, Tiern spoke, his jaw tight with tension.
“Transfer the Head Maid to the dungeon.”
The soldiers standing behind him stepped forward to seize Marzella.
“Oh my!”
The maids scattered away from her, making a noisy fuss.
“W-Wait! Sir Tiern! Young Master!”
Marzella stood up hesitantly, backing away as she cried out. “What is the meaning of this?”
At her look of feigned ignorance, Tiern asked in a slightly trembling voice, “Do you truly not know the reason?”
“I don’t. I am being falsely accused. What on earth…!”
Tiern clamped his mouth shut as if suppressing his rage. Then, taking a deep breath, he gestured, and a man wearing a hood emerged from behind the soldiers.
“Is this the person?” Tiern asked the man.
The moment the man lowered his hood slightly, Marzella was struck dumb. The receptionist from the information guild, the one she had commissioned, was staring right at her.
“That’s her.”
Having confirmed her face, the receptionist gave a slight smirk and nodded. “She gave me the down payment and commissioned the job herself.”
“Y-You…!”
How did this happen? Why was this man with Tiern…?
Looking at the sputtering Marzella, Tiern spoke coldly.
“Do you still need a reason?”
“Take her away.”
Lost for words, Marzella was helplessly grabbed by the arms and dragged out by the soldiers.
The maids watched her with looks of curiosity or spite. Not a single person looked on with pity.