CH 130

Keira and Arabella bowed slightly to greet the Empress Dowager as she left the room. 

Tak–. The door closed with a click. 

Cosette couldn’t raise her head for a long time after that. It wasn’t because she was frustrated or because she was terrified. 

She did it to hide her furious expression with her long, flowing hair. Pain radiated from her tensed jaw, trembling in anger. 

A short conversation flowed over her head. 

Keira: “We can’t stay here for a long time, so we’ll go home. Instead, I’ll stay with the Imperial Guard until the search is complete.”

Bella: “Alright, then I’ll let Grandmother know.” 

Keira: “We’ve caused you so much trouble today.”

Bella: “Oh my, what are you talking about? I’ll have them prepare the carriage. By the way, it’s a pity I wasn’t able to serve you tea while you’re in the palace.” 

Keira: “I’ll see you again next time. It seems today wasn’t the right day for it.”

They chatted as if they didn’t even notice Cosette’s existence. 

There was no way they couldn’t recognize a person sitting a few steps away, so it’s probably a plot to erase her existence intentionally.

Cosette could do nothing but bite her lips in anger. 

“Then see you next time.”

Keira and Ludwig left the room with the Princess.

Inside the Imperial Palace, carriages were not permitted, so the Parvises had to walk outside the palace where their carriage awaited.

As Rose dutifully followed Keira, she felt a hand hold onto her.

Rose: “Huh?”

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Puzzled, she looked back to see Princess Arabella’s maid.

Rose: “What’s the matter?”

“Her Highness has something to ask. Please stay for a while.”

Rose: “Pardon?”

Why did the Imperial Princess call for her? Rose looked alternately at Keira’s back as she continued walking and the maid’s face. 

But Rose knew she couldn’t ignore the Princess’s summons. 

Rose: “Okay, I understand.”

“Follow me.” 

As she followed the maid, she saw Princess Arabella waiting for her.

What’s going on?

Her heart raced. The only comfort she had was the Princess’s seemingly good mood. 

Bella: “You.”

Rose: “Yes, Your Highness.”

Bella: “Aren’t you the maid who always trails after Lady Keira?” 

Rose: “I wouldn’t say always… but most of the time, yes.”

Bella: “So you’re aware of what happened in Lady Johanna’s house?”

Rose: “Yes?”

Rose realized what the Princess was pertaining to.

Rose: “Yes. I was with milady.”

Bella: “Okay, then explain what happened. From start to finish. Don’t spare any details.”

Rose: “Uh…”

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Bella: “Why? Did your master order you to keep it a secret?”

Rose: “No, that’s not it!”

Rose just tried to gather her thoughts so she’d know where to begin. 

Princess Arabella had a lot of maids from noble families. Rose knew that what she’d say here would spread from their mouths to the social circles.

With that thought in mind, her tension washed away completely.

Rose soon began to recount the events.

Keira realized Rose’s absence when they reached the outer palace. 

Keira: “Rose?”

‘Where did she go?’

Just as Keira started worrying that her maid had lost her way, an Imperial Palace attendant said.

“Her Highness summoned her for a while. Her Highness will send the maid back to the grand duchy once they’re done.” 

Keira: “Is that so?”

Keira couldn’t think of a reason why the Princess would call Rose, but she had no way of knowing for now.

She was puzzled, but she walked ahead where a carriage waited for the two outside the outer palace.

She got into the carriage with Ludwig. The two settled inside, and as soon as the door closed, Ludwig spoke.

Ludwig: “When did you start noticing that Cosette’s servant mastered how to read lips?”

Keira: “Yes…?”

She felt the blood drain from her face. Asking a question like that…

Ludwig: “If Cosette intended to frame you, the medicine should have had traces of poison. That way, she can drive you into a corner with more certainty.”

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“…”

So, he knew that Mason had fallen into Keira’s trap.

There was no point in denying anything. Trying to hide her agitation, Keira answered.

Keira: “I wasn’t entirely sure either. But there were a few times I caught him looking at me from afar. Of course, it wasn’t even close enough for him to hear my conversation, so I wondered why he kept doing it.”

Ludwig: “It happened a few times?”

Keira: “Yes, but I had no proof. Then, by chance, I found opera glasses inside a vase in the hallway where I caught him watching me. I thought there was no reason for such an object to be in a vase, so I wondered if he could read my lips.”

“…”

Keira: “I figured that scaring him alone wasn’t enough punishment. Cosette isn’t the kind of person who’s going to sit around and watch her minion get kicked out, so I wanted to test if he was really watching me or not. I wrote several scripts, including a poison plot.”

Ludwig: “Several scripts?”

Keira: “Yes, I enacted one with grandfather a few days ago, but there was no movement at the time. But I guess he couldn’t help himself at the thought that his master might get killed.”

People wouldn’t believe Mason if he talked about her hideout. 

Ludwig noticed that the original plan went a little wrong, but this wasn’t bad either. He valued hierarchy above anything else and would consider it unforgivable for a servant to intentionally steal the secrets of their superiors.

Besides, he wouldn’t easily forgive Cosette, who taught Mason how to read lips and ordered him to spy on Keira.

‘If you hadn’t tried to spy in the first place, you wouldn’t have fallen for the trick.’

If they added the crime of spying on Keira to his crime of framing her, he should expect nothing less than life imprisonment.

He had even bought the Empress Dowager’s wrath, so Keira predicted that it would be difficult to escape the death penalty.

Keira: “But, I really didn’t know that my maid had sneaked into the kitchen. I will reprimand her for stealing food.”

Ludwig: “Educate your maid.”

Keira: “I will.” 

Judging from the flow of their conversation, Ludwig seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further. 

Despite the tension, things were going smoothly. 

So smooth that it was unsettling.

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A question lingered in Keira’s mind.

‘…After realizing it, why did you still get angry at Cosette in the Imperial Palace?’

He didn’t know it at the time, but did he notice it while they were leaving the Imperial Palace?

Keira couldn’t let the concern pass.

Keira: “I also have a question, Your Grace.”

Ludwig: “What is it?”

Keira: “Since when have you noticed?”

Ludwig: “Since waiting for the drug test results. I thought Cosette would have pushed that there’s poison in the medicine, and you’d say it wasn’t.”

It meant that he had known when they were still inside the palace.

Keira’s expression darkened.

Keira: “At that time, you didn’t even know that I was testing Mason… Why didn’t you say anything?”

Ludwig: “It’s natural to give back what you’ve received.”

Keira: “Yes?”

After a moment of confusion, Keira soon realized what he meant.

‘Received’ would refer to what happened at the auction house.

Poison for poison, fire for fire.

In other words, it meant that he turned a blind eye because he only gave back what had been done.

Keira’s mouth opened slightly.

I didn’t expect this kind of flexibility to exist in this person!

Ludwig looked out the window, seemingly uninterested in her reaction, but a pleasant smile hung on the corner of his lips. 

It’s unimaginable that he’s the same person who just burst into a rage at the palace.