Chapter 42
When she opened her eyes, it wasn’t an unfamiliar ceiling—but it felt strangely familiar.
When she turned her head, the wet towel that had been on her forehead slipped off and fell to the floor.
“Ah, this is my room in the Beers estate.”
Calling it her room sounded a little odd, but there wasn’t really a better way to put it.
Marienne picked up the fallen towel and placed it back on her forehead, though it didn’t feel very cool anymore.
“Guess the fever’s gone.”
She half-sat up, leaning her back against the cushion. That made it a bit more comfortable.
Just then, someone quietly opened the door and came in.
“Oh my, you’re awake?”
The maid, upon seeing Marienne sitting up, was so overjoyed she nearly cried. She immediately said she had to tell everyone and ran out, leaving the door open.
Moments later, Cloise burst in first.
“Advisor!”
With teary eyes, Cloise threw herself dramatically at the foot of the bed. Her trembling voice and expression were overly theatrical—but apparently, she had reason to be.
Marienne had been unconscious for four whole days.
“All the royal physicians were called here to the mansion. The diagnosis was just a simple cold and fever, but your temperature just wouldn’t go down…”
“Four days?”
Marienne muttered in disbelief.
“At that point, I basically came back from the dead.”
“It really looked that way. Your fever was burning, you couldn’t even swallow water, and the doctors kept saying it was just a cold. Watching it was torture.”
A maid entered with a tray. On it was a thin, watery soup, some lukewarm milk mixed with honey, a small white bread roll about the size of a child’s fist, and a slice of orange.
Marienne stared silently at the meal laid out on the side table.
“Do you think you can eat, miss? Even if your mouth feels dry, you need to have a little to regain strength.”
At the maid’s words, Cloise nodded fervently. Still, Marienne didn’t pick up the spoon.
“Even just a sip of milk…”
“I’m starving.”
What on earth was in that soup? It looked pale and thin, but the smell was divine. If only it had some big chunks of vegetables and bacon, it’d be perfect.
“You said I was unconscious for four days, right? Then that means I haven’t eaten in five! This isn’t nearly enough!”
The maid looked flustered. Cloise tried to soothe her, saying she needed to start with soft foods or she’d upset her stomach.
So Marienne promptly lifted the bowl and drank the soup straight down. Eating a liquid like that with a spoon felt like an insult to spoons everywhere.
Then she soaked the bread in milk and swallowed it in one bite, drained the rest of the milk, and made the orange slice disappear as if by magic.
“If this is all I can eat for a while, then please bring me this exact meal three more times.”
“Just once more,” Cloise corrected firmly.
The maid hurried off to follow instructions. Marienne pouted.
Cloise comforted her, promising she could have a proper dinner later. And if she digested that well, she’d even get green grape sherbet as a treat tomorrow.
Just the thought of that crisp, icy sherbet made Marienne’s mouth water.
She’s literally treating me like a child, Marienne thought, but she still nodded eagerly at the promise of sherbet.
◇ ◆ ◇
Marienne wiped her mouth with a napkin. Thanks to the maid’s thoughtfulness, she got a slightly larger piece of bread and more orange this time. Cloise pretended not to notice.
“I know this feels harsh, but it can’t be helped,” Cloise said, glancing at the empty dishes being cleared away.
“If anything happened to you, I’d never be able to face my brother again.”
When Marienne asked what she meant, Cloise straightened her posture.
She warned her not to be too shocked—she was about to tell her what had happened over the past few days.
Just what could have been so serious it required a warning?
“On the first day, my brother took leave and stayed by your side. Then, the next day, he went to work looking absolutely terrifying—and ordered all the water drained from the western palace pond.”
Cloise pointed at Marienne with her chin—meaning that pond you know of.
Marienne nodded faintly, understanding.
“He told them not to leave a single drop and stood there glaring at the water until it was gone. His expression was so cold the caretaker begged him to forgive ‘that tiny little advisor’ several times.”
“Oh dear…”
“Can you at least tell me in secret what you dropped in there? Oh—wait, that’s not even the best part.”
Cloise clapped her hands, clearly thrilled.
“I should start from what happened after my brother visited the Fourth Princess’s palace.”
“The Fourth Princess’s palace? Why did he go there?”
“Hehe.”
Cloise let out her signature sly giggle.
“Apparently, after my brother left, Her Highness summoned the Duke. It wasn’t quite a quarrel—Her Highness was the one pressing him. No one knows exactly what they argued about, but the last line was loud and clear.”
Cloise paused dramatically to maximize the impact.
“‘Stop being petty and just hand over the money! What, you got engaged to me without being ready to pay the price?’”
Marienne’s jaw dropped. Cloise looked delighted at her reaction.
“Oh, that line was the princess’s, by the way.”
“Of course it was. Since she said fiancé… Wait—what in the world?”
Marienne’s head started spinning.
Odette and the northern duke had fought—loudly, even! Odette was furious.
It was exactly the scenario Marienne had been wishing for…
“But how do you, Lady Beers, know all this? You weren’t hiding in the Fourth Princess’s palace, were you?”
“Oh no. One of Her Highness’s guards—very handsome, by the way—is a married man of three years and very tight-lipped. Except with one person: his beloved wife.”
Handsome. Love. Marriage. Wife.
Every word on that list was pure catnip to the matchmaking-obsessed Cloise. Marienne could already guess what was coming.
“Don’t tell me that wife is—”
“Exactly! My close friend. That couple is one of my finest matchmaking achievements from three years ago!”
Cloise called her friends “achievements” without a hint of irony.
“Oh, right—about the money thing the princess shouted. Since the day before yesterday, my brother’s been bleeding the Duke of Blackwood dry.”
Marienne blinked in confusion. Cloise’s storytelling today was particularly chaotic—jumping from one topic to another.
Maybe she was just too excited. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks flushed with glee.
“Could you maybe… tell the story a little more slowly?”
Of course, that reasonable request went nowhere.
Unstoppable, Cloise’s eyes gleamed like morning stars as she continued.
“It’s my brother’s version of revenge. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Welfare had some projects canceled due to lack of funds. My brother casually mentioned in a meeting that the Duke planned to sponsor them under the Fourth Princess’s name. Naturally, both departments were thrilled!”
“But the Duke…”
“…never said any such thing. But too bad! The rumor’s already spread throughout the entire palace. If he denies it now, his reputation will be ruined—along with the princess’s.”
Marienne could only gasp.
Lord Baileon was actually dragging the mighty Odette down with him. What was the world coming to?
“But knowing the Duke’s temper, wouldn’t he just deny it anyway? In that case, wouldn’t Lord Beers—”
“Ah, and that’s the best part.”
Cloise smiled like a mischievous villain.
“Even if the Duke screams that he never made such a promise, everyone will believe my brother. Even Her Highness the Princess will. Because Baileon Beers doesn’t lie.”
She puffed up proudly. “My brother’s the very embodiment of honesty and integrity.”
“He can’t defeat the Duke in brute strength or social rank—but when it comes to trustworthiness, it’s another story.”
Cloise let out a low, gleeful laugh. This time she didn’t look like a villain—she was one.
“By noon today, the assets the Duke’s coughed up could probably buy a small country.”
“Good heavens…”
“My brother’s furious. And honestly, I’m having the time of my life.”
Yes, Marienne thought, I can tell.
“Don’t accept my brother’s confession too soon, okay? Your recovery comes first—and besides, he’s not done squeezing the Duke dry yet. You both need a little more time.”
“W-wait a second.”
Marienne’s defenses went up.
“Lord Beers… confessed to me?”
“Oh, come on. Who are you trying to fool?”
Cloise flipped her brown hair with a knowing look that screamed, I’m Cloise Beers.
“You didn’t see how he’s been these past four days. I did. Even little Daisy’s worried that the moment you wake up, he’ll drag you straight to the wedding hall.”
Marienne shook her head so hard she nearly fell over. Cloise patted her shoulder sympathetically.
“Too soon for a wedding, huh?”
Another vigorous shake.
“But do you think the Chancellor of the Realm would agree with you?”
“…”
“If you ask me, he’s already imagined the two of you sharing a grave. But don’t worry—he’s good at hiding his feelings. He won’t let it show in front of you.”
Cloise ended her outrageous declaration with a cute wink, as if that balanced it out.
No, wait! Don’t you dare add me to your ‘achievement list’ just yet!
Marienne screamed inwardly.
I literally just woke up!
“Huh—he’s here.”
Before she knew it, she’d yanked the blanket over her head like a kid caught misbehaving.
She counted to five before she heard Baileon’s voice from the door.
“Cloise, were you bothering the patient again?”
Even through the thin blanket, Marienne could feel Cloise’s pleading gaze begging for help. After a short hesitation, she lowered the blanket just below her eyes.
“Lord Beers.”
“Mar—Deputy Advisor,” he corrected himself, mindful of his sister’s presence.
“I want to have green grape sherbet tonight.”
“…”
“Your sister said you have some.”
