Chapter 20

Countess Reinhart was widely known to have accurate judgement and cold-hearted in the capital. Although her comment on Marianne would not influence his judgment, he felt it would be worthwhile to listen to her opinion.

“When I first met her last night, I believed that the woman before me was the daughter of Earl Spring. She was dressed simply, and had a few attendants. Most of all, I heard about her from Sir Kloud, the deputy chamberlain.”

“The deputy chamberlain is a man who keeps promises well.”

“He’s a good man. That’s why I like him. Anyway, I thought she was a little bit scared because humans are afraid of strange things, even if they are wonderful and beautiful. Then, all of a sudden, this daughter of an unnamed earl was chosen as the prospective empress, and at this mansion, she came to be served by the countess, who was equal to her mother in rank.”

Mrs. Charlotte recollected what happened last night. Though Marianne was simply dressed, her clear green eyes glimmered in her eyes.

“But she wasn’t scared. Rather, she skillfully managed people. She looked like any other daughter of a noble family. But that’s what I was suspicious of. I was not sure if she had the guts by nature or she had a secret that I didn’t know.”

Eckart became fascinated with her episode about Marianne.

Mrs. Charlotte said happily, “I came to know her secret after reading he imperial bulletin that arrived this morning. I felt somewhat strange when she was too polite, and I now know the reason. As the daughter of a duke, she was probably accustomed to managing people, and she had no reason to be embarrassed at such treatment.”

“But her appearance at the welcoming ceremony a minute ago wasn’t what you expected of a duke’s daughter, right?”

Mrs. Charlotte nodded.

“That’s not what I expected at all. Even if someone threatens me with a knife on my neck, I can’t say her appearance was the example of an elegant daughter of a duke. Besides, I’d never seen such a spoiled daughter like Marianne among those who I taught or throughout the long history of Aslan. How can a daughter of a noble family run in pajamas and dare to get angry at you while complaining about a cheater?”

As if she remembered what happened a little while ago, Mrs. Charlotte covered her mouth and chuckled.

“You asked if I liked her. Although I can’t judge my new master by that criterion alone, I can’t tell you that I respect her at this point. But it is true that her unique frankness is attractive.”

“The imperial family regards honesty as a virtue, doesn’t it?”

“You are right. I just wanted to watch her a little longer because I’ve become curious about her. More than anything else, I…”

While both of them were talking, they arrived in front of the reception room. The two waiters politely greeted them and opened the door wide.

“Isn’t she your choice? In fact, I trust your own judgement rather than mine or Marianne’s,” Mrs. Charlotte said meaningfully.

But Eckart did not respond to her comment. He stared at her for a moment and quickly entered the room with a cool face as usual.

Looking at his back, she smiled a mysterious smile.

She felt that a very interesting situation in the near future would soon unfold.

* * *

After returning to the room with Cordelli, Marianne hastily adjusted her clothes to get dressed up. She combed the long dishevelled hair, tied it with silk straps, and wore a slightly pink frill dress. The long frills on the sleeves and the skirt fluttered like peacock feathers. As for her accessories, she chose a high-end ring and necklace carved into the crescent shape.

Compared to her clothes at the Lennox mansion, she was dressed very simply and modestly.

Though she didn’t like these kinds of ornaments, she had no other choice because she had to choose among the clothes and ornaments that she had hastily bought in order to play the role of a daughter of Count Springer.

“I thought you would look great with whatever you are dressed in. No matter what you wear, it perfectly matches your body line.”

Cordelli adjusted her dress with a happy look on her face. Marianne took her remarks as suggesting that she was ready for a fight. After she got dressed up, she left the room. A maid sent by Mrs. Charlotte beforehand showed her the way.

The reception room of the main building was not far from the lobby. When she walked along the red carpet and arrived there, she entered the room alone, leaving Cordelli behind. The emperor and his entourage were waiting inside.

“May the glory of Airius, the great Lord, be bestowed upon Your Majesty!”

Marianne slightly bowed to the emperor and sat on the opposite sofa. Unlike his unruly behavior a while ago, making a big fuss during the day, he was now incredibly elegant and gentle, making her wonder if he was the same person that she had seen in the hallway.

On the emperor’s right sat Colin and a stranger. The man looked like a swordsman with a large build and a strong impression. When Colin stood side by side him, they looked like a beast and a rabbit.

“Nice to meet you. This is Jed of Reno, currently working as the chief Treasury clerk.”

Jed first greeted her as if he was conscious of her. Only then she realized that he was the only son of Earl Reno. Along with Colin, he was regarded as the emperor’s closest advisor.

Though Jed didn’t like Marianne, she did not feel like his first impression was bad. In particular, the reddish curls of his hair were impressive. His aura was quite different from that of Ober who had similar hair. While Ober’s hair was dark and calm, his hair was a bit more light and brighter.

“I’m Marianne of the Kling family.”

She lightly replied and asked Eckart, “Does Sir Jed know all about this whole scam?”

“To some extent.”

“Oh, he was an accomplice of Sir Colin. I didn’t know that.”

At that point, Colin avoided her gaze with an expression like that of a surprised rabbit.

“You are so mean and cruel to me. I’m just a misfortunate loyalist of the emperor who has opposed this scam strongly all the time,” said Jed with a bit of satire.

She looked at the three people and opened her mouth again.

She said to Eckhart, “Without further ado, why did you lie to me a minute ago?”

“I never told you a lie.”

“When I told you I wanted to see my father, you said you would consider it.”

“Why is that a lie? I only said I would give it a thought, but I never promised.”

He answered shamelessly. She felt more displeased because he said he wasn’t wrong logically.

“Then are you saying that was the decision you made after considering my request as much as possible?”

She straightened her neck tightly, grasping the hem of the dress unconsciously. She looked like a cat watching around, swelling and raising its tail high and crouching just before charging forward to scratch.

“Of course, I did.” Eckart was as composed as ever, folding his hands and sitting relaxed while he was being questioned. His peaceful attitude annoyed her even further.

“Ober is a cruel politician. If Ober concludes that he can’t move my father according to his will anymore, he will poison my father or send an assassin to kill him even today.”

“I made the decision taking that factor into account too.”

“There are some watchers Ober left behind at the mansion. You said you’d guarantee my father’s safety, right? I can understand your decision to deny me the chance to meet my father, but you really have to take the measure to protect my father. Don’t you think so?”

Despite her stinging words, Eckart still had a carefree expression on his face.

“Lady, your father will be safe because of that bulletin.”

Colin cut in as if he couldn’t stand it anymore. Even though she didn’t have an official wedding ceremony, she was almost a recognized finance of the emperor as of today, so Colin became more polite to her.

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that the emperor has decided to marry you means that your father’s forces have a higher chance of uniting with the emperor’s forces. If somebody attacks your father in this situation, who is going to be singled out as the most likely culprit? And who will get the most out of your father’s murder?”

It was Ober, of course. Or his closest men.

“However… even if Ober rises in revolt and fails, can’t he throw the blame on you? For example, he could argue that the emperor coveted Lennox, so he killed the duke and took away his daughter.”

Colin said, “Right. That’s possible. if the bulletin about the emperor’s wedding had come out later, he might have stolen the show. But like you said, Marquis Chester is a thorough politician. He will not upset the applecart by moving recklessly. Many are watching his move in the capital, and it’s been in almost a few decades that a new owner has come to the Elior Mansion. Maybe the rumor about the new owner of the Elior Mansion will spread quickly today or tomorrow. The emperor hastily issued the bulletin news, fully considering all these factors.”