Chapter 133

“But Your Majesty, this is about treason.”

At that moment, Eckart recalled Jed’s serious voice and anxious look.

‘That’s right. So, I should not respond anymore.’ He really thought so.

“… What kind of favor is it?”

After all, Eckart had to listen to Rane against his will.

Although he hated himself terribly for that, he waited for her answer. His blue eyes sank down.

Rane sighed, looking at the emperor and her cousin, who seemed pitiable at the moment.

She whispered with a serious little voice, “If it goes well, I’ll give the credit to you. Please don’t tell Marie about this for the time being.”

In the meantime, Marianne was on a stroll with Iric and Cordelli and then left the garden after checking the half-completed greenhouse. Their short picnic ended like that.

The three had a late lunch, which was led by Marianne. After eating well and basking in the sunlight, she sat in an armchair by the window and played with Poibe. Peaceful time passed slowly.

A calm atmosphere brought drowsiness upon her.

Finally, Marianne took a nap for a minute. She slept so well that she did not dream at all.

When she opened her eyes, the sun was setting. People at her mansion were busy preparing for dinner. Cordelli, who was fanning Marianne next to her, laughed at Marianne yawning.

“Did you sleep well? The sun is already setting. I’ve prepared dinner for you with the specially menu that you like.”

“Really? What is that?”

“It’s a secret. You can see it later.”

“Wow! I’m so curious,” Marianne exclaimed, pouting her lips. Cordelli smiled and swept her disheveled hair behind her ears.

“It will take some time for them to prepare dinner, so why don’t you wash first? Mrs. Charlotte has been heating up the bathroom. I hear she sprinkled petals in warm water and mixed a bunch of fresh lilac perfume. So, the smell was really good when I stopped by for a moment.”

“Really? Then let me wash up first. It is not polite to ignore somebody’s sincerity.”

Marianne followed Cordelli to the bathroom off the top of her head.

Mrs. Charlotte and a maid who seemed to be middle-aged at a glance were waiting for her in the bathroom. When she took a bath, she was usually served by young maids who had tender hands, but sometimes experienced maids replaced them, so it was not unusual for Mrs. Charlotte to be with that middle-aged woman.

Led by Cordelli, she changed into a soft gown, and stepped into the bathtub.

When she soaked herself in the moderately warm water, her whole body quickly became relaxed.

Every time she breathed in, a thick floral scent came into her body too.

Mrs. Charlotte looked directly at the glass bottles and perfumes in front of the showcase on the side of the bathroom. Then she suddenly turned around and called Cordelli.

“Ms. Cordelli. What should I do? The Santiago that I should put in with the bath water ran out. I forgot I used it up yesterday.”

“Oh, let me go get it soon.” As soon as Cordelli heard it, she jumped up.

“Oh, I don’t think I need it because my wounds have almost healed…”

Marianne tried to stop them, but Cordelli wiped her wet hands with a towel.

Mrs. Charlotte smiled and said she was sorry.

“Are you going to get it directly? You can have a maid go on an errand.”

“No. I feel more comfortable when I go get it myself. Let me go there quickly. On my way back, let me ask the kitchen staff prepare some soft drinks. As the bathroom is a bit warm, Lady Marianne will feel thirsty soon.”

“Would you want to do that? Thank you. You can get Santiago from the medical office like you did last time. Oh, please take one more bottle of oil as well.”

“Sure. I’ll be back soon! ”

Cordelli left the bathroom right away cheerfully.

‘I’m really fine…’ Marianne murmured to herself, rubbing her small cheeks that glowed with heat in the bathroom. When she folded her hands and poured water on her body, a maid, standing still, approached and sat on a chair by the bathtub.

Mariane bent back her neck, leaning against the wall of the white bath. The maid began to wipe her body with a soft cloth.

The interior was covered with immaculate water vapor and a dense aroma.

When she gazed at it, with her neck backwards, the crystal chandelier sparkled brightly even inside the bathroom. It was a hazy scene like that of a dream or a fantasy.

As she lay in the water, staring at a clear light source, she recalled the moment she just woke up in her second life. That was almost two months ago. But too many things had happened since then…

“Lady Marianne!”

Marianne, who was immersed in her memories, frowned abruptly at that voice.

Only Mrs. Charlotte and a maid were in the bathroom.

But this voice was not Mrs. Charlotte’s. Moreover, the maids of the mansion did not dare to call her name without her permission first.

‘Who is it?’

Marianne raised her head upright. At the same time, she remembered who was the owner of this familiar voice.

“… Madame Countess?”

It was none other than Countess Renault who caught a wet cotton cloth with her sleeves rolled up, her combed hair with a bit of deliberate disheveledness and dressed in a maid’s clothes featuring practicality rather than beauty.

Surprised, Marianne looked at her, who gently patted her. Mrs. Renault even raised her finger to calm her down.

“How come you are here… By the way, why are you wearing these clothes?”

“Sorry. Mrs. Renault wanted to see you as soon as possible, so I thought out about a trick like this. If she visited here formally, she will be exposed to many people here.”

Mrs. Charlotte lifted the hem of the dress and gave an apology.

Although Marianne could rebuke her sudden visit and lack of etiquette, she kindly looked at her instead of reprimanding her, covering her body a bit.

Regardless of her secret visit here, the fact that she visited today meant that she was ready to reply to Marianne’s question.

This was much more important to Marianne than her trying to show due manners at this moment.

“So, did you make up your mind?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Of course, it’s positive, I guess.”

“Didn’t you ask a question with one answer from the beginning? It took a little longer for me to realize it as I was stupid.”

In response to her slightly lower voice, Marianne blushed with her sparkling green eyes.

There was relief and joy on her face. But her joy did not last long.

“No, wait a second, Madame.”

“Please sit comfortably. Please give me your arm this way.”

“You don’t really have to serve me like this!”

Marianne leaned back and waved her hands.

“Let me serve you instead.”

“No. It’s okay. I want to do it myself.”

Mrs. Charlotte tried to stop Mrs. Renault, but she refused firmly.

“Lady Mariannne, you don’t have to feel uncomfortable. Even when I was the chief maid of the late empress, I often took care of her petty requests.”

“However…”

“If you become the next empress, I wouldn’t even have the opportunity to take care of this private service in my capacity as the countess. Besides, women’s power struggles are also very intense. So, just think you are giving me the honor of serving you directly.”

In fact, the chief maid who served Marianne at Lennox was also Countess Elgot.

In terms of the title, Marianne didn’t necessarily think Countess Renault was burdensome.

The only problem was that Marianne didn’t simply regard her as one of many countesses.

Marianne looked at her with a troubled expression for a minute, and finally nodded, giving in to her stubbornness.

The sound of her pouring water rang again in the tranquil bathroom. Mrs. Renault quietly whispered, pouring water over her shoulders.

“Lady Marianne, let me apologize. I’m sorry, but I do not fully trust you yet. Apart from that, I decided to be your ally because I believe what you said is right in itself.”

“Sounds good. That’s enough for me. ”

“But If there is anything I can do for the emperor, let me swear I will do my best, no matter what it is. If you want anything, just tell me.”

“If I want…”

Marianne bit her lip first. She had already decided on what she wanted from the countess first.

“I heard you know a lot about the secret stories about the imperial family.”

“I hardly entered the palace since the empress’s death five years ago. I know little about what happened in the palace after the current emperor took office…”

“Well, I don’t know exactly when it happened. Maybe very old.”

“Then tell me. What I know could be what you want to hear.”

“Perhaps… Do you happen to know about Adenium?” Marianne asked carefully.

She tapped the surface with her slender fingers and picked up a petal floating in the water.

“As for Adenium, wasn’t it Mrs. Chester’s gift to you?”

“Right. That’s it. I just wonder if you heard or know any stories about it. Especially any story related to Mrs. Chester.”

The countess was silent for a while as she retraced her memories.