CH 26

Since early evening, the Byers’ home has been bustling. This is because Vileon and Chloise had been invited to the opera house by Odette.

Today was special because it was their first outing together since the engagement of the Fourth Princess and the Duke of Blackwood.

Tickets sold out quickly, with people who were sure to stare at the box seats more often than the performance.

“There’s been rocks all over the theatre for days.”

Daisy, the youngest, said as she petted her cat.

“They say you can’t get a seat on the first floor even if you pay ten times the original price.”

“Even if you did, you’d be kicked out when you got inside, because the touts would have sold them to a bunch of people.”

“Where’s your seat?”

Chloise grinned so wide her mouth threatened to tear.

“Box seats, right next to Her Highness the Princess.”

“Why don’t you change your necklace to something more colourful, Chloise Byers. You’re going to be the envy of hundreds at the theatre tonight, so give it some punch.”

“Oh, will I?”

Chloise took the youngest’s words seriously and ran up to her room to put on the sapphire necklace she had inherited from her maternal grandmother.

At this, the youngest sibling’s mouth gaped open. She had never thought that her bookworm sister wouldn’t understand what she meant.

“You’re already strutting around like a hardened pirate. Great-grandmother’s sapphire necklace? You’re actually wearing something that looks like it’s going to choke you if you look at it?”

“…A pirate?”

Marienne asked, walking out of the kitchen. Daisy gave her a look that said, ‘Why are you coming out of there?’ Then she looked Marienne up and down from head to toe.

“Why are you so demure? You look like a young lady who’s been robbed of her jewellery by her sister.”

It’s because, unlike Lady Byers, I need to be able to break into a sprint at any moment.

I never know where I’ll be or who I’ll be chased by.

Marienne replied inwardly. She wore a sleek, monochromatic dress without a single frill and a coat with pockets. She didn’t wear a brooch in case someone snatch it off.

Who, she couldn’t predict at this point. Regardless, Marienne was going to do a good job of assisting Vileon today.

Just then, the third child Garrett’s giant parrot, flew down the corridor and shouted.

“Looks good!”

“…”

“Didi looks good!”

Marienne, who had been so full of determination, turned grim. When she asked Daisy if that was a compliment, she was told it couldn’t be.

“There are no compliments in the Detective’s Dictionary.”

“That’s entirely the fault of the dictionary’s creators.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Daisy gestured to the second floor, where her Brother Garrett was. Just then, Chloise, wearing an enormous sapphire necklace, came down the stairs. Marienne and Chloise looked at each other and their mouths dropped open.

“Aide!”

“Walk carefully, young lady. You might break your neck…”

“You can’t walk through the gates dressed like this, word will spread to the neighbouring countries that the Byers treat their guests badly!”

Chloise was stubborn, even though the Byers were the only ones who had been formally invited, and Marienne was merely a companion.

Secondly, she threatened to hand over the necklace she was wearing if Marienne didn’t change her dress.

“Go, go. I’ll change!”

Marienne scrambled upstairs. And down she went, wearing the same light blue dress with the crystals she’d seen on the first day, encrusted with snowflakes. Chloise’s face lit up.

“It’s a shame you’re not wearing any accessories, but… the aide doesn’t seem to like wearing anything on her body.”

What do you mean.

I love jewellery, too. It’s just that they get in the way of running away.

Marienne could only hope that if she ever had to run, the crystal wouldn’t fall off.

‘I’m wearing this. If you follow the shiny thing, you’ll find MarienneDidi at the end.’

Luckily, she kept her coat. Marienne rolled a small bottle in her pocket and left the front door.

“Chloise, you look dazzling.”

Vileon took his sister’s hand as she climbed into the carriage. Chloise squinted out of one eye.

“Your aide is much cuter than I am. I’m sure there will be quite a few men falling for the guests of the Byers tonight.”

Marienne quietly lowered her head. She already knew Chloise’s tendency to get excited about reckless matchmaking.

But she hadn’t expected her to say it out loud for the whole party to hear.

I don’t mean to brag, but look at this Marienne Didi. She’s got all sorts of scandalous ideas in her head, but she doesn’t say them out loud.

‘No one will ever know I’m this far gone.’

Vileon held out his hand to Marienne, his face a little complicated. He was recalling the moment on the day of the engagement when Marienne had been asked to dance by a nobleman, and she had no idea what he was thinking.

How could this man be so breathtakingly handsome even when he looked tired, she thought as she continued to nibble at Vileon’s face, as she always did.

“Aide Didi, today…”

The voice locked up. Crazy! Creepy!

“Watch your step.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Marienne climbed into the carriage, careful not to step on the hem of her dress. Vileon sat down across from the women.

“Box seats at the opera house. My hands are shaking with excitement. Can you see them, shaking?”

Chloise held her hands up in front of Marienne’s eyes.

“Whoo-hoo, that’s where everything happens…”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever heard say ‘hoo-hoo’ in real life.”

“Hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo.”

Does this young lady realise that her brother has been looking at the same person for 10 years?

Doesn’t she realise that the fourth princess sitting with her fiancé in the box seats where ‘everything happens’ today is his outside love?

Marienne glared at Chloise.

As if she didn’t know.

“Whoo hoo hoo.”

Or she does, but she doesn’t seem to care.

I wanted to get inside Chloise’s head for a second, to see how the crazy love lines were connected.

‘As long as we have a connection, that’s enough, right? Then, I guess I can hook up with you and your brother too.’

I laughed at the thought. How dare I suggest that Odette’s true mate.

Then Marienne remembered that Vileon had tried to say something earlier.

“Lord Byers, when I was in the carriage, what were you going to say?”

His gaze was out the window, and he smiled thinly.

“Nothing much.”

The lights of the street coming through the glass cast shadows on his handsome face. His brown hair, which resembled tree branches, swayed with each move of the carriage. Vileon coughed a couple of times, small coughs.

◇ ◆ ◇

Once they got out of the carriage, they had to say hello endlessly.

The theatre was packed with people eager to catch a glimpse of the siblings, who came from a prestigious family.

Marienne, who was accompanying them, also attracted a lot of attention. It was interesting to see the reactions of those who heard that Marienne was not a relative but a subordinate.

While some were unconcerned, like noblemen on the day of their engagement, many were at a loss as to how to treat a commoner so close to the Lord Chancellor’s brother and sister.

“Chloise and I will be going to pay our respects to the King, will Aide Didi be coming with us?”

“Ugh, well, you need to see the Duke’s… face, so I’ll wait here.”

“Okay.”

Vileon’s voice was a little more subdued than when he’d left. No wonder. Ever since he and Marienne had left, he hadn’t worked overtime anymore.

Then the work started to pile up. While the overwhelming workload was a problem worthy of complaint, Vileon had a different way of dealing with it.

He brought his work home to the mansion.

He’d have a nice dinner with his family and then work late into the night in his room.

According to the script, Vileon was supposed to start feeling sick tonight. The culprit: overwork.

He’d take some medicine and get some rest at home, but there was no way he was going to call in sick for Odette.

He’s still feeling a little heavy when he leaves home, so he sucks it up and goes to the opera house.

But in the dry conditions of the theatre, Vileon’s illness worsens rapidly. His head and body are too heavy to cope with what would normally be an easy task.

Then who will the ball go to? Now everyone knows, it will go to the freezing northerner’s possession.

‘Why was Vileon overworked in the first place?’

He worked himself to death for Odette and the empire, and when he fell ill from working like an ant, the man who had been taking up the slack swooped in and took his chance.

She was going to make it right today. Marienne waited for Vileon to return, then offered a cup of hot tea to her superior, who was still oblivious to his illness.

“Lord Byers, don’t you have a bit of a tickle in your throat? Take this.”

“Where did this come from?”

Vileon asked, surprised that a teacup had magically appeared. Marienne smirked.

“Indeed, box seats are nice, and there’s a waiter in the corridor, so you can ask for hot water.”

The steaming teacup smelled of sour lemon.

Vileon didn’t take it coldly and offered it to his aide. Marienne urged him to drink it, saying it was for Lord Byers.

“Brother, if a lady gives you something, you should drink it, even if it is poison.”

Chloise Byers. A crazed matchmaking addict.

She’s helpful, but she says things that scare the hell out of me. I’m sure she thinks it’s very romantic.

Anyway, Vileon sipped his lemon tea in gratitude.

“A bit bitter…”

He doesn’t finish his sentence because he’s a polite man. Marienne has gone to the trouble of preparing the tea for him, and he doesn’t think he should be judging her on how it tastes.

But what he says is true. The reason the sweet and sour lemon tea has a bittersweet aftertaste is because of the powdered medicine in it.

“Is it a little astringent?”

Marienne drew her eyebrows together as if everything was a mystery to her. She said it wasn’t, and washed it down with hot lemon tea.

‘Phew, good man, it’s a shame it was cold medicine. If it was poison like your sister said, I’d be dead in a heartbeat.’

The dim lighting of the theatre perfectly concealed the trace residue at the bottom of the teacup.

Mission accomplished.

Marienne ran her fingers along the bottom of the teacup, then handed it back to the waiter in the corridor.

The timing was impeccable. As soon as Marienne took her seat, all the lights went out and the stage curtains were drawn.

Now all that remained was to keep an eye on Odette’s earlobes until the end of tonight’s performance.

Odette loses one of her earrings at the opera house today. It is no ordinary earring. It is a gift from the Emperor.

Marienne vows to see Vileon find the earring and put it back in Odette’s ear herself.