Chapter – 26.
The Marquis’s Suspicion
“Ugh, it’s hot enough to kill me, and why is the marquisate so far out in the middle of nowhere?”
Harber grumbled as she stepped down from the carriage.
Before her stood the mansion of House Dallen, its main gate embossed with a laurel emblem molded from pure gold.
“Who goes there? We weren’t informed of any visitors today…”
The gatekeeper on duty noticed Harber and came forward.
Harber glanced sideways at the shabby-looking guard and suddenly flew into a rage.
“Do I really have to explain myself to the likes of you? You’re just a gatekeeper—how dare you treat a close maid of Her Majesty the Empress like this?”
“A-ah! My apologies! I didn’t realize you were from the Imperial Palace.”
The slightly hunched old gatekeeper noticed the imperial crest engraved on the carriage and hurriedly bowed his head.
“But still, for Her Majesty’s maid to come all the way out to such a remote place without notice…”
“Why don’t you say Her Majesty herself should have announced her visit in advance? Are you prepared to take responsibility for those words?”
“N-no! That’s absolutely not what I meant.”
“Her Majesty has personally sent a letter to Marquis Dallen, so hurry and take me to him.”
Harber looked down arrogantly at the gatekeeper, who was old enough to be her father.
“Y-yes, this way, my lady.”
“Not ‘my lady.’ Call me Harber of the Empress’s Palace. Do I really have to teach you even that?”
The old gatekeeper’s face fell as he meekly led the way.
He immediately went to inform the head butler of Harber’s visit.
Unlike the gatekeeper, the butler looked quite pleased.
“The marquis has been waiting for you.”
Harber frowned slightly at the unexpectedly warm reaction.
It was as if he had known in advance that she would be coming today.
The butler led her straight to a reception room deeper inside the mansion, its walls covered in red wallpaper.
“Welcome, Miss Harber.”
A young man seated at the center of the room greeted her in a refined voice.
“It’s quite a distance from the Imperial Palace. You must have had a difficult journey in this heat.”
“Not at all. I trust you’ve been well, Marquis? Her Majesty the Empress was curious about your well-being.”
Marquis Dallen was a tall, long-limbed young noble.
Even now, the social scene was filled with noblewomen who admired the young marquis.
“I believe I should be the one asking after Her Majesty instead. After all, she suffered a serious injury because of me.”
At the mention of Josephine’s injury, Harber flinched inwardly.
“On Her Majesty’s behalf, I thank you. Thanks to your concern, the Empress has recovered quite a bit.”
“That is a great relief. In fact, there were some strange aspects to the accident, and I urgently wished to request an audience with Her Majesty—but every time, she was unavailable, which put me in quite a difficult position.”
“S-strange aspects? What do you mean by that?”
At his words, Harber felt her heart drop once again.
“That crossbow was a handcrafted piece by a master artisan. I personally tested it before presenting it to Her Majesty. There is no possibility it was defective.”
The marquis took a sip from his teacup, the fresh scent of rooibos filling the air.
“Come to think of it, when I came to deliver the crossbow, Her Majesty was also absent. You were the one who received it in her stead, were you not, Miss Harber?”
“Y-yes… that’s right.”
Harber answered stiffly.
“It seems that someone tampered with the crossbow before it ever reached Her Majesty.”
The marquis concluded, gazing at the concentric ripples in the hot tea.
“Do you, by any chance, have any suspicions, Miss Harber?”
Harber almost clapped a hand over her mouth.
Does he suspect me?
But facing the marquis, she quickly composed herself.
“Of course not. Even now, I have no idea how that accident could have happened.”
“I see…”
The marquis trailed off and fell into thought.
Harber restlessly rolled her eyes, carefully watching his expression the entire time.
“Oh, actually, Her Majesty also seemed to find that point puzzling.”
“The Empress herself?”
“Yes. That’s why she formally invited you—she even sent an invitation through me.”
Harber hurriedly took out the invitation and placed it on the table.
“Ah, so that’s how it is.”
The marquis looked genuinely delighted as soon as he saw it.
“I thought Her Majesty must have completely misunderstood me. Yet for her to invite me first—her magnanimity leaves me deeply grateful.”
“Think nothing of it. Her Majesty seems eager to see you as soon as possible. What answer should I convey to her?”
Harber laughed lightly, doing her best to steer his attention toward the invitation.
If she didn’t at least make it clear that she was on the Empress’s side, Marquis Dallen would surely retaliate once he learned the truth.
Moreover, Harber had already lost Josephine’s trust once. She had to carry out whatever Josephine ordered flawlessly now.
“I’m afraid that will be difficult for the time being.”
The marquis’s reply was not what Harber had expected.
“Pardon? But Her Majesty wishes to see you as soon as possible.”
“Isn’t Her Majesty currently in quite a predicament? You must have heard the rumors circulating in the capital.”
Rumors? Ah. Harber nodded vaguely.
“They’re nothing but baseless gossip. Surely you don’t believe them, Marquis?”
“No. I respect and trust Her Majesty more than anyone.”
Shaking his head, the marquis continued.
“However, I myself am entangled with Her Majesty in various scandals. This is not an appropriate time for me to meet her.”
“I see…”
Harber felt genuinely dazed.
What? Was Marquis Dallen always this favorable toward the Empress?
Throughout the empire, there were hardly any nobles who welcomed Josephine, the lowborn empress.
Yet here Marquis Dallen was, showing her unwavering trust.
Why? Could the rumors be true—were the two of them really acquainted behind the scenes?
Though he was a young noble from a rising house, this reality felt far too sudden to Harber.
“So please convey my apologies to Her Majesty. I would like to formally request another date and time in the future to pay her a proper visit.”
The marquis seemed quite resolute. With no other choice, Harber forced an awkward smile.
“Very well. If that is your wish, I will deliver your message.”
“Her Majesty is a woman of deep insight. I’m certain she will understand my intentions.”
“Yes, it seems I pressed the matter without fully grasping your reasoning.”
“Please don’t worry about it. Ah, by the way—we’ve recently acquired some excellent black tea through our trading company.”
Marquis Dallen called for the head butler who had escorted Harber earlier.
The butler placed a luxuriously wrapped set of tea leaves where the invitation had been.
“I would appreciate it if you would present this to Her Majesty as a gift—an apology for not being able to see her today.”
Harber felt as though she were still dreaming.
What on earth is he plotting?
Setting aside her own guilty conscience, Marquis Dallen’s attitude was deeply suspicious.
He clearly seemed unaware of the discord she had sown.
Then why was he now defending the Empress? Hadn’t he been firmly on Elisabeth’s side? No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t find an answer.
“Ah, forget it. I’ve only done what I was told.”
Pushing her thoughts aside, Harber entered the inner chamber where Josephine was resting.
“Who is it?”
“Miss Harber has arrived.”
But something was off.
“Huh?”
Standing beside Josephine was not Harber herself, but another attendant maid.
It was Harriet, a palace maid who, until just yesterday, had been sweeping the courtyard outside.
