Chapter 76
After parting ways with Viktor, I headed straight for the toilette room before returning to the banquet hall.
It was just in case I needed to check if my dress had any tears.
Fortunately, there were no gaps or damages anywhere on the dress.
‘I guess he was startled thinking he’d caught me as a fake purifier.’
In <Dan Guwon>, purification is likened to “water,” while the will of the purifier is compared to a “faucet.”
In this world, purification requires the will of the purifier to occur. But on rare occasions, if the purifier malfunctions, the purification can leak out uncontrollably.
Typical cases included just after consuming Night Glory and awakening, during severe illness when the person is near death, or being so drunk that they lose all mental control.
But just now, I had been completely drunk—and even hugging an S-rank transcendent! And the one I was hugging was Viktor, who had a keen sense.
If my dress had torn anywhere, I would have been caught immediately.
‘And my head would have rolled right then.’
From Viktor’s perspective, there would be no reason left to suppress his murderous intent toward me.
‘Even being completely drunk, that was insane. I’ll have to be much more careful from now on.’
The male leads’ level of suspicion toward me was still significant. In Karl’s case, I couldn’t even gauge how much remained.
If they discovered I was a fake purifier now—
I shivered slightly.
‘At least it’s fortunate that it isn’t time yet for Damian and Paula to part ways.’
After confirming that it was almost the time I had promised Damian, I left the toilette room.
“Miss Albrecht?”
One of the palace maids waiting at the door spoke to me.
“Countess Albrecht sent word. It seems there was quite a commotion at the banquet hall, so she said you should return to the mansion quickly with a maid.”
“Where is my mother right now?”
“She is currently waiting in the reception corridor to meet Her Majesty the Empress. She said that after seeing Her Majesty, she would immediately take the carriage back separately.”
I nodded, then removed one of my hair ornaments and handed it to the maid.
“I have a favor to ask.”
The maid, taking the high-quality pearl I offered, swallowed hard.
“There should be my maid, Paula, in the backyard. She has chestnut-colored hair. I want you to go and deliver exactly what I’ve said to her.”
“Of course, Miss. I will do as you say.”
“But be sure to say that these are the words of ‘Countess Albrecht,’ not mine.”
The palace maid’s face registered a brief surprise, but she quickly bowed with determination.
“Yes. I understand. I will say, ‘Countess Albrecht.’”
‘Smart. I like it.’
Having often witnessed palace intrigue, she seemed to fully grasp the meaning of my request.
I imitated my mother’s tone.
“Odet stayed with me all this time, but since Her Majesty suddenly summoned me, I need to go back immediately. I’ve left Odet in the toilette room, so hurry and return to the banquet hall.”
“Yes, ‘Madam.’ Should I also tell her to return to the mansion after meeting you?”
Palace maids are useful. They handle delicate tasks quickly but never speak out afterward. People like them know better than anyone that the more they speak about palace intrigue, the faster their heads could roll.
“Yes. There seems to be a big commotion at the banquet hall, so once she meets Odet, she should return to the mansion immediately, Paula—”
“……”
“-just tell her that.”
I smiled lightly as I said this. The palace maid nodded, then turned and headed straight to the backyard.
Apparently, the message had been well delivered, because Paula returned to the toilette room shortly after, with no hint of suspicion.
Her flushed face only radiated excitement.
‘Damian must have been very pleased with her.’
At that moment, the carriage from the count’s mansion arrived. The coachman was the same one who had been near my mother when departing for the ball.
“Move a few of the jewelry pieces from my room to Mrs. Becker’s room.”
I overheard my mother whispering these instructions to the head maid directly.
It seemed the plan was falling into place far more perfectly than I had expected.
I smiled to myself as I climbed into the carriage.
“You’re back, Master!”
As soon as the count removed his coat upon returning to the mansion, his servant reported the troubling news.
The Countess had gone to the ball.
‘This woman… dare to go to the palace without my permission?’
But that wasn’t all that made him angry. The servant also reported that the Countess had locked Mrs. Becker in the underground prison at will.
“What on earth did you do while I was away?”
According to the servant, Mrs. Becker was imprisoned for theft. However, no evidence had yet been found.
‘How dare she tarnish my honor in front of Vanessa? Lock her in the underground prison without proof. Shows her low-class origins!’
The Count was furious at his wife for rummaging through the house and locking his beloved in the underground prison.
“Father! I’m going to the palace to keep an eye on Odet. Mother is trying to match her with another man, and she went to the ball with her!”
Fernand spurred his horse and left for the palace. Normally, the count would have stopped him, but in this situation, it was better to let him go.
‘Vanessa, who had been imprisoned, might spill the truth about our relationship out of anger.’
Even though it was obvious that the Countess wouldn’t introduce Odet to another man, it was still a good thing that his son disappeared for now.
“Fetch Mrs. Becker immediately!”
The count was more worried about whether Vanessa had carelessly spoken about their relationship over the past two weeks than her actual safety.
When brought before him, Mrs. Becker began sobbing immediately upon seeing the count.
“Count, huuuhhh…”
“Vanessa.”
“How could Madam do this to me? I’m innocent! How could she accuse me of theft when I devoted myself to her…!”
Mrs. Becker was confident that Odet had handled everything perfectly. She had carefully prepared a string bracelet for her wrist, allowing her to cry so boldly and shamelessly.
‘Giving her a bit of recognition isn’t hard. Once I’m completely out of this crisis, I’ll get my revenge.’
The count completely fell for her performance.
“Vanessa, I shouldn’t have left. I didn’t expect that woman to mistreat you so.”
He comforted her firmly.
“But, Vanessa… you didn’t happen to tell Sasha anything useless, did you?”
“Count!! How dare you think that of me?”
Vanessa questioned him with a face full of indignation.
“Do you think I’m as foolish as Sasha? I’m not a recognized mistress… I can tell the difference! I haven’t said a word about us!”
“…Vanessa.”
“And why start with such thoughtless questions when I’ve gone through so much?! Do you really love me?!”
The count quickly reassured her to stop her from talking further.
“Yes, yes. You’re right, Vanessa. I was wrong. Of course, I trust you. You’ve been through a lot. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with Sasha thoroughly.”
After calming her down, Vanessa raised a worry.
“But no matter how innocent I am, it’s Sasha’s right to replace the maid… What if she uses her authority to fire me?”
“Don’t worry. There’s a way to prevent even that minor authority from being used.”
