Chapter 20…………………………………………………
“Are you sure this is okay?”
Jane asked, worry written across her face.
“Marchioness Devon will be arriving soon. I’m just concerned this might get out of hand.”
Jane wasn’t wrong.
It had been a week since the letter cutting off the maintenance allowance was sent, so it was only a matter of time before Marchioness Devon showed up.
“Wouldn’t it have been better to wait until after she returned from her trip?”
“No, if that were the case, Aunt would have enjoyed her travels without a care.”
By then, the Emperor’s anger toward Marchioness Devon for orchestrating this would have likely cooled somewhat.
We couldn’t let that happen.
“Aunt must return to the capital as soon as possible.”
The stage was set; as soon as Marchioness Devon arrived, the curtain would rise.
Tricia smiled faintly.
“More importantly, how’s the task I assigned going?”
“There were no buildings of interest in the northern or western districts of the capital.”
“Then that leaves only the eastern and southern districts, I suppose?”
Jane nodded.
Tricia paused in thought.
“I’ll instruct them to search the east and south without delay.”
“No need. We’ve already narrowed the scope enough.”
Tricia shook her head.
“Make sure those who participated in the search are adequately compensated. We might see them again.”
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
Jane lowered her head, then glanced up cautiously.
“By the way, Your Excellency, why are you suddenly looking for the Information Guild?”
Tricia was silent for a moment.
Jane immediately bowed her head.
“I’m sorry if that was an impertinent question!”
Tricia shook her head. There was no need to hide this from her loyal aide.
“I need a safe place to meet without attracting attention.”
That meant someone required a discreet meeting.
“And to proceed, various pieces of information are essential.”
To do this, they first had to locate the building where the Information Guild operated.
It wasn’t difficult.
Tricia already had a clue about its location.
“But usually, you need an introduction or a code to access an Information Guild, right?”
“Exactly. And the guild we’re seeking is no different.”
Tricia knew how to access the largest Information Guild in Efelberno.
“In my past life, when I was humiliated in the social circles because of Regina, someone took pity on me and gave me the information.”
At the time, I didn’t know who that person was, but now I had a good idea.
Tricia’s eyes darkened with a hint of melancholy.
Noticing it, Jane cautiously spoke.
“By the way, it seems Princess Hestia has been secluding herself since the dinner.”
“Princess Hestia?”
Tricia’s eyes narrowed.
Seeing her master’s melancholy vanish, Jane silently felt relieved.
“Yes. The rumor is that she was shocked by the poisoning incident.”
“Really? That’s an interesting speculation.”
But Tricia’s thoughts were elsewhere.
Hestia wasn’t the type to be shocked by a mere attempt on my life.
“A princess who grew up openly as the Emperor’s heir wouldn’t be so fragile.”
Perhaps she’d been shocked by something Tricia revealed about the Empress, but even then, that wasn’t the immediate concern.
“There’s nothing to handle regarding the princess’s quarters.”
Hestia would regain composure with time.
“Until I acquire what I intend to give Her Highness, I’ll leave her be.”
Tricia’s red eyes gleamed coldly.
I knew it! Nobles never treat people who lent them money like anything but cattle!
Baron Berkshire, Edwin’s right-hand man, had headed straight to the Mason Marchioness estate upon arriving in the capital.
Through the lobby, the baron was muttering angrily the entire way.
Returning from a remote island in Efelberno, he was unaware of the current situation in the capital.
“If you had money for chandeliers and floral decorations, you’d pay back what you owe me first!”
Baron Berkshire had originally been a commoner.
But he earned a fortune by acting as a banker for the nobles.
He purchased his title with the wealth he accumulated.
Then, at the night social events, he met Edwin, the Mason Marchioness, and rose rapidly in influence.
It was humiliating to be treated like a wallet by Edwin, but no one could block his path—and he had no competitors.
“But now that’s over.”
Edwin Mason was dead.
Three years lost at sea said it all.
“If the Marchioness were alive, it’d be different. But with a puppet Marchioness holding the Mason estate alone….”
To Baron Berkshire, it was an easy target.
Grinning, he licked his lips.
“After devouring the Marchioness estate, maybe I’ll take the Marchioness herself as spoils.”
A foreigner with black hair and red eyes might seem ominous, but with her beauty, it hardly mattered.
“A few threats and intimidation—what can a woman without a husband do?”
Thinking this, he headed to the garden.
The garden was in full bloom, with the scent of desserts and the laughter of ladies filling the air.
“Looks like she’s hosting a tea party on borrowed money with no fortune of her own.”
The baron’s mouth twisted.
He pulled out a promissory note.
If Edwin were alive, he could never collect this, but now the only one in the Marchioness estate was this foreign woman.
Greed oozed from his face as he prepared to intimidate Tricia.
And who is that sleazy-looking man?
Regina frowned.
In the Mason Marchioness greenhouse garden, the ladies’ tea party was in full swing.
Due to a recent family heirloom theft, Regina’s honor had plummeted—even though she hadn’t debuted in Efelberno’s social scene.
Worried, Edwin had advised Tricia to host this tea party.
But…
“The Marchioness wouldn’t invite a man like that to a ladies’ tea party unless she were insane.”
Whispers of similar thoughts spread among the attendees.
“What brings you here?”
The man was stopped at the garden entrance by a footman.
“Today is for the ladies…”
The footman’s words were cut off.
Slap!
The man struck the footman across the cheek.
“How dare a mere footman block my way? I’m here to see the Marchioness!”
The garden erupted in commotion.
“Who is this man claiming to see Her Excellency?”
“Isn’t he Baron Berkshire? The one involved in banking…?”
“Could he have come because of the Marchioness estate’s debt?”
“Still, what an insolent man.”
Naturally, public opinion turned against Baron Berkshire.
Everyone frowned in disgust, but Regina’s eyes sparkled.
“Things are starting to get interesting.”
Although she was at the tea party, the other ladies ignored her, leaving her feeling unmoored.
Even if Edwin arrived, she couldn’t just wait passively—he’d disapprove if she relied entirely on her.
“I should prepare the gift for the Marchioness before Edwin arrives.”
A scandal so immense she could never show her face in society again.
Having made up her mind, Regina approached Baron Berkshire.
“Seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Speaking kindly, like an angel, she helped the fallen footman to his feet.
Even the baron, still sulking, paused at the sight of her face.
“Who… are you?”
“I’m Regina.”
She deliberately didn’t mention her family or origin.
It might have seemed rude, but to a man who only sees a woman’s face, it didn’t matter.
“Regina, huh.”
As expected, the baron asked no further questions.
Regina, maintaining her gentle demeanor, sent the footman to the doctor and faced the baron.
“I heard you came to see Her Excellency. May I ask your business?”
She smiled warmly, keeping a polite distance.
Everyone watched, but none dared come closer.
Seeing the footman just slapped, they wisely kept their distance.
“Even if I later tell Baron Berkshire about a scandal involving the Marchioness, no one could dispute it.”
Even if others didn’t believe the scandal, it didn’t matter.
After all, truth was never the important part.
