[…You may have been able to deceive my naive wife, but it seems you didn’t realize you couldn’t deceive me.
This time, I will let it go quietly out of consideration for your past friendship with my wife, but if you try to approach or deceive her like this again, you had better be prepared for the consequences.]
Helena’s hands, holding the letter, trembled with shame and fear. The maid who had delivered the letter cautiously placed the jewelry boxes down, watching Helena’s reaction.
“That’s enough. You can leave.”
Helena commanded in a low, sunken voice. The maid bowed hastily and fled as if to escape. Left alone, Helena shrieked, dropped the letter, and clutched her head with both hands.
I thought that since she’s a girl who goes crazy for jewels, she would readily accept my proposal just because she coveted them! I never thought she’d discuss it with the Grand Duke!
Helena grabbed her well-kept hair and tugged at it wildly. She had boasted to her brother, Richard Strand, and her father, the Marquis of Strand, that everything would go well. By now, the two of them must be excited, putting everything aside to prepare to bestow blessings on the recovery potions and buy a large quantity of herbs for the ointment.
It was obvious their resentment would fall on her when she told them the Ducal House of Alberic had refused her proposal.
I have to persuade Daniela again somehow so she accepts our proposal!
What should she do? As her mind was getting tangled with these thoughts, a knock sounded on the door, and the Marquise of Strand entered, dressed in luxurious clothes. She frowned slightly and spoke.
“My goodness, Helena. What are you wearing?”
“…Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are you still in your indoor dress? Oh, did you forget? We were supposed to go to the opera tonight!”
At that, Helena let out a short gasp as if she had just realized something. It was true, she had made that promise, not knowing things would turn out like this. She let out a soft sigh and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for that today. Please go to the opera by yourself, Mother.”
“What are you talking about? All the more reason to go out and cheer yourself up!”
“…Mother.”
“Do you know how hard it was for me to get these tickets? Don’t argue and go change quickly!”
The Marquise insisted stubbornly. Seeing her mother standing firm in the doorway of her office, Helena rose from her seat as if she had no choice.
The front of the opera house was crowded with people. Most of them were wearing extravagant formal wear and masks. Helena, with her sharp eyes, had no trouble recognizing the identities of those wearing masks.
‘Isn’t that the Marquis and Marquise Parkerpan? And those people behind them look like the Princess of Fichbert and her fiancé… Oh my, there’s even Lady Milford, Princess Elizabetta’s new companion!’
Just looking at the people gathered, it would not have been strange to call this the Imperial Palace’s banquet hall instead of an opera house.
Helena went inside, regretting that she couldn’t acknowledge them. Though the hall was spacious enough to hold hundreds of people, most of the seats were already occupied. The Marquise of Strand sat down next to Helena and said in admiration, “My goodness. Look at all the people! I don’t know which noble is the patron of this troupe, but they must be making a killing.”
“…I suppose so.”
Helena replied with a voice full of envy. How wonderful it would be if this troupe belonged to her, just as her mother said. If it did, she wouldn’t have had to make a humiliating plea to the Duchess or be shamed by the Grand Duke.
‘What if I subtly ask the troupe’s director if they need another noble patron?’
She would mention her brother, Richard, a high priest, and offer to be their backer in exchange for a small fee. The director would surely be intrigued by this offer.
‘I heard the Duke of Rodian, the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle, is raging about this opera… If I offer to help him avoid a religious trial by finding fault with the opera’s content, he’ll definitely be tempted, won’t he?’
Helena, a meaningful look on her face, rose from her seat. Using the excuse that she was going to fix her makeup, she left the theater and approached a young troupe member who was patrolling nearby.
“I have something urgent to tell the director. Where is he right now?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
The member shook his head, looking troubled. Helena took off one of the gold rings she was wearing and put it in his hand, speaking in an insinuating voice.
“Please, just tell me? I promise I won’t say you told me. Just a little hint.”
“Oh, goodness. This is difficult…”
He hesitated, fingering the heavy gold ring. Then he lowered his voice and spoke.
“…Go to the end of that corridor and up the stairs across from it. The director’s office is there. He’s probably in there.”
“Thank you.”
Helena replied with a wide smile. She followed the member’s directions, went down the corridor, and climbed the stairs. There, she saw a single firmly closed door. It seemed everyone was busy preparing for the performance, as there was no one around.
Helena thought this was very fortunate and stealthily approached the door. Just as she was about to knock, she heard faint voices from inside.
“…He received it well. My lady was very pleased.”
“Haha, I’m glad to hear that!”
The voices belonged to a woman and a man. The man’s voice seemed to be the director, but the woman’s voice was completely unfamiliar to Helena. Filled with an unbearable curiosity, Helena put her eye to the keyhole.
The sight inside the room came into view. Helena gasped as she saw the man who seemed to be the director and the woman sitting across from him.
‘That woman…! She’s the Baroness who was standing behind Daniela that day!’
Though she was wearing a long, hooded robe, Helena, with her sharp eyes, easily recognized the woman’s face. There was no mistake. That faint impression, that ordinary-looking face, belonged to Baroness Gray, Daniela’s administrator.
‘The Duchess’s administrator is talking to the director alone in his office… Could the Duchess be the patron of this troupe?’
Helena narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on Gray. Soon, she smiled with satisfaction.
‘If I use what I’ve seen well, I might be able to get the medicine supply deal back on track!’
Helena smiled brightly as she pictured a rosy future in her mind.
“…I sense a suspicious presence.”
“Pardon? What are you suddenly talking about?”
“…!”
Suddenly, Gray’s eyes turned cold, and she turned her head toward the door. Helena was so startled that she jumped away from the door. Then she took off her shoes to avoid making noise and hurried down the stairs.
When she got back to the main theater entrance, Helena finally let out a sigh of relief. She quickly tidied her clothes and entered the theater with a nonchalant face, as if she hadn’t just done something suspicious. She didn’t notice Gray’s gaze watching her from a hidden spot.
That night, after returning to her mansion, Helena immediately wrote a letter to Daniela. The letter stated that she had something urgent to tell her and wished to meet as soon as possible.
The next morning, Helena received a reply from the ducal house. It said that any time was fine and asked her to come to the ducal house as soon as she received the letter. Helena hurried to get ready for her outing.
About an hour later, Helena was guided by the head butler to the ducal house’s reception room. Her attitude was completely different from when she had come with the jewelry boxes a few days earlier; she was triumphant.
The door soon opened, and Helena entered the reception room. Daniela was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea, just as she had been that day. Behind her stood Baroness Gray, who had a cold expression.
Helena bowed slightly in a haughty manner.
“Helena Strand greets the Duchess of Alberic.”
“You said you had something urgent to tell me, Marchioness. What is it?”
Daniela asked bluntly. Helena felt a subtle sense of aversion to Daniela’s seemingly relaxed demeanor as she began to speak.
