Chapter 158

“Think about my suggestion. This is a very rare and good opportunity, ” said Mariane, smiling with her green eyes sparkling. It was an innocent and lovely smile.

“Let me leave now. I’m so relieved to see you in good shape.”

Having said that, with which Roxanne couldn’t be more pretentious, the unwelcome intruder and maid left the room. She could hear them disappearing from the door. A maid stuck her head out to look at them but closed the door quickly when she noticed Roxanne.

“My arse! What do you know about me?”

Roxanne glanced at the closed door and stamped her feet to go back to the bed.

After staring at the empty chair for a while, she finally screamed and flipped the blanket over.

“Ahhh! So annoying! How despicable! Ahhhh!”

Leaving the Lonstat Mansion, Marianne’s carriage headed to a mansion not far away.

Although Marianne couldn’t distinguish the many noble houses on both sides of the Noble Road, there was one that she could single out, which was Marquis Chester’s villa.

“May the Goddess bless you. I’m Annette of Levedev, and I’m honored to see you!”

It was Mrs. Chester’s maid Annette who greeted her at the entrance.

It was the first time Marianne shared greetings with her, but her black hair, which looked as if it had been soaked in black ink, was familiar to her. With neatly combed hair and a dark dress, she was always there where Mrs. Chester could find her easily.

“I wish you the blessing of the goddess, too.”

“Mrs. Chester is still in the main building’s private room taking care of some work.”

Annette stepped back with a businesslike reply. Marianne followed her with Cordelli while looking around.

As she had come here several times, she was familiar with some of the stuff in the house. But that was not enough. She thought she might need to check out the people coming in and out of this house as well as the servants on rotation duty more carefully.

The three men stopped in front of one room while Marianne was examining her surroundings carefully with a sense of duty. Just looking at the skeleton of the closed door and the walls on both sides, she could see how fastidious Mrs. Chester’s taste was. Finding something that was not shiny seemed easier than finding a special gem.

“Madam, Lady Marianne is here.”

“Please let her in.” Mrs. Chester gladly replied.

While Annette opened the door, Marianne took a deep breath, holding a folding fan.

“Welcome. May the Goddess bless you!”

Mrs. Chester approached her with a pleasant look. Her wide rosy dress spreading on the carpet fluttered at her every step.

“I wish you Anthea’s blessing too!”

Marianne smiled brightly, wishing the goddess’s blessing for the woman who killed her mother.

In the large room behind her, there were a bunch of luxurious treasures ranging from pearl earrings and perfumes in glass bottles to mannequins with dresses on them and display cupboards higher than Marianne. She was not moved at all by this spectacular scene.

There was a reason for Mrs. Chester to escort her into this room when she obviously knew Marianne was visiting at the appointed time.

“There are a lot of treasures here. What were you doing?”

“Ah, I was picking a present. I’m sending it to Her Majesty Alesa, the Empress of Faisal. They are all good, but I want to send her the best, so I’m checking them one by one…Oh, I forgot it’s already appointment time. Hope I haven’t hurt your feelings.”

Mrs. Chester waved a black lace fan slowly. A strong scent of jasmine flowers wafted around Marianne’s nape. She felt as if a shapeless snake was tightening her neck.

But she thought she should not run away. The snake was an animal that crushed and swallowed its prey trying to flee. Some snakes allegedly checked the length and size of their prey to see if they could swallow it. As soon as the prey loses, the snake will stab it with its sharp poisonous fang and coil it with its long body.

Marianne kindly grabbed her arms, trying to keep her nails from digging into her palms.

“Not at all, Madame. Can I help you if you don’t mind? Maybe I’m better at picking what you want.”

“Really? Well, you were once famous as the Spring of the North in social circles… It would be strange if you didn’t have a discerning eye. I’m glad to receive your help. I don’t know if it’ll be helpful, but let me send your regards to Empress Alessa in my letter.”

“Oh, how considerate you are! I’m honored if you can. Thank you.”

The noble and despicable exchanges of pleasantries between them were over. After they exchanged routine pleasantries, the two began to appraise the treasures arranged throughout the room. Annette and Cordelli walked behind them and helped.

“I think this dress is a bit out of fashion these days. The ruffles are so poor. Wouldn’t it be nice to put a lace on the breast?”

“Well, good. Let’s do it this way. Empress Alessa has loved lemon color since she was a princess…”

“Oh. This spinel is really high quality. So much so that I want to have it too. Which craftsman worked on this? I purchased a new topaz a while ago, and I want to leave some to you to make earrings.”

“I think you have an excellent discerning eye. Anne, go and write a letter of introduction to Diane before this lady goes back home.”

“Okay, ma’am.” Annette politely bowed and stepped back without missing their conversation.

Marianne hardened her face when she was about to see the next one. Pretending to be as casual as possible, she looked back at Annette’s back as she was disappearing.

‘Anne? Mrs. Chester clearly said she is Anne…”

She was the owner of the letter that maid Eve tried to deliver. She was Ober’s minion whose exact name or identity was not known, but just called Anne.

‘Was she so close to my area?’ Marianne was stunned.

Marianne tried to stay calm by swallowing dry saliva once. She thought Anne might be a mere coincidence because it was a common name, and that there was no possibility that Ober would openly plant her in a place like this.

But before Marianne began to ponder over Anne a little more, Mrs. Chester called.

“Lady?”

“Yes, Mrs. Chester. What’s up?”

“Oh, I just wondered if I gave you any burden with this gift selection….”

“Not at all, Madame. It’s not that difficult.”

Mrs. Chester’s ashen eyes looked up at Marianne with a smile.

When she felt Mrs. Chester was reading her mind, Marianne quickly changed the topic.

“Thank you for your consideration. By the way, why are you sending gifts to Empress Alessa?”

“Oh, her birthday is coming soon. Duke Hubble recently sent a gift to her to celebrate her wedding anniversary, but he didn’t let me know about it, so I failed to send the gift on time.”

Mrs. Chester smiled all along when she spoke to Marianne, and her tone was not sharp or gloomy. Nevertheless, Marianne felt that she was very displeased.

“It looks like you have a special relationship with Empress Alessa. As far as I know, it’s been more than twenty years since she left Aslan… ”

“You bet. I don’t know how she feels about me, but I really like her. I loved and loved her as much as I did Estelle, your mother.”

Mrs. Chester replied with a smile. Marianne had no other choice but to smile after her, seeing her face to face, who didn’t show any sense of guilt while talking about her mother.

That was all Marianne could do for now. She even hoped that her feigned smile would not look awkward to Mrs. Chester.

“It reminds me of old memories. As he seems to have overcome her loss by now, I think I can tell something to a kind lady before me.”

What Mrs. Chester had to say next was something that she didn’t want Marianne to refuse. It was not anything like a request, but a unilateral declaration that she would say what she wanted to.

Marianne barely suppressed the anger surging inside her. She then tilted her head with an innocent look while trying to curry favor with her.

“You said he has overcome it by now. Was he heartbroken in the past?”

Mrs. Chester laughed, covering her face with a fan as if she already read her mind or sneered at her.

“Have you ever heard of the rumor that the Empress of Faisal is very uncomfortable about cutlery?” Mrs. Chester whispered with a fascinating voice as if she were telling a secret story.

“Well…I do not know. I think I have heard it before, but I’m not quite sure.”

“There are probably very few in Aslan who know about it, but it’s widely known in Faisal. It is a tacit agreement among knowledgeable people that even jewelry tableware, very blunt like this, should not be brought into her palace.”

Marianne looked down at the box she was stroking.

A knife carved neatly and hung with jewels at the end of it made a terrifying noise when it scratched the tip of Mrs. Chester’s red fingernail.

“Did she have any memories of being hurt by something as sharp as a knife when she was young?”

“Exactly! How smart you are!”

It was an obvious answer, but she praised it with an exaggerated voice.