CHAPTER 80………………………………………….
[“It’s been a really long time, Madam. Have you been busy?”]
“Yeah. Here and there, I’ve been a bit busy.”
I had contacted him without much thought, but hearing his voice made me worry a little.
With my suspicions about Blake now, could I really talk to him as naturally as before?
But I quickly realized that such concerns were pointless.
‘Right, Blake has always had a humorous personality.’
Thinking back, most of our conversations had been led by him.
Before I knew it, I found myself speaking with him naturally, swept up in his style.
At the same time, I was secretly waiting for the right moment to ask about my doubts.
[“By the way, Madam, you went to the Information Guild yesterday, didn’t you?”]
The sudden topic change made me flinch.
I had thought he might not know, but I never expected him to bring it up first.
‘If I act awkward, that’ll just make things more suspicious, right?’
I deliberately played it off as if it were no big deal.
“Yeah… I was curious about a few things.”
[“I’m disappointed. You even requested a dedicated informant, yet you wasted a high-level operative like me. So, what were you curious about?”]
“Well… just a few things. Sometimes I want to keep certain things secret, even from you.”
Fortunately, it seemed he only knew that I had gone.
But then…
[“Really? Finding that person called ‘Kan’… was that what you wanted to keep secret from me?”]
A chill ran down my entire body.
‘That sly little snake.’
I hated how he was digging in even though he already knew everything.
‘…Still, maybe it’s for the best.’
It was something I would have to reveal eventually anyway.
[“Come to think of it, Madam, you’ve been looking for him for a long time. But how do you know about him? There’s no way you could know.”]
His voice sounded thoughtful, but it didn’t feel sincere.
“No way I could know?”
‘What does that mean?’
Judging by his tone, he clearly wasn’t ignorant of Kan. I asked cautiously.
“…Why can’t you know?”
Blake answered casually.
[“Because he doesn’t exist.”]
…Doesn’t exist?
“Y-You don’t mean he’s dead?”
[“What? Hahaha! Madam, your imagination never fails to surprise me.”]
“…If he’s not dead, then what? Why say he doesn’t exist?”
I asked somewhat desperately. I had a feeling I was missing something important.
[“No more questions. I couldn’t tell you even for a fortune.”]
The more he teased, the more frustrated I felt. I replied sharply.
“I don’t have a fortune to give you.”
[“I know. I know your finances inside out.”]
Well, of course—my money was all in your hands.
Wait, is he threatening me with my own money?!
[“Ah, of course, I have no intention of touching your money. You know? This is our business. Mutual trust is our relationship.”]
Trust, huh?
After saying so many things to make me doubt him…
“Blake—”
[“By the way, Madam, how do you know about ‘Kan’?”]
“…”
[“I just realized I’ve been doing all the talking. Business is supposed to be a two-way street, right?”]
That was one of Blake’s habitual phrases.
A two-way street…
He acted like he thought I was hiding some huge secret.
What I knew was really just a simple truth.
‘Of course, no one else would understand it anyway.’
I briefly considered using this as leverage to negotiate with him, but I quickly dropped the idea.
‘If I go in carelessly, he could take everything I have.’
Truth sometimes loosens someone’s guard.
I decided to speak honestly. After all, he wouldn’t understand even if I explained.
“…Earlier, I told you I had another informant besides you, right? That’s who told me.”
[“Really? The informant you occasionally mentioned? But does this informant even exist?”]
That stung a bit.
“Of course. If not, where would I have gotten the info?”
[“…True. But still, it’s strange. ‘Kan’ really has no connection to you. Back then, or now.”]
“Back then…?”
[“Ah, slip of the tongue. Forget what I just said.”]
Forget what he said? How is that possible?
“Blake, what exactly are you—”
[“Shh.”]
He loves ‘shh’.
[“That’s enough. Knowing too much could get you hurt. I don’t want you to get hurt, Madam.”]
His patronizing tone made me flare up.
“What do you mean?”
[“We’ve been having such an uncharacteristic conversation for too long. Let’s go back to normal, shall we? So, Madam… when are you getting a divorce?”]
“Don’t try to brush it off casually. It won’t work.”
[“But think carefully, Madam. I won’t bring it up again. Is it really worth wasting time?”]
“That is…!”
[“Besides, me keeping a secret doesn’t mean I betrayed you. And surely we don’t throw away seven years of effort over something like this.”]
‘Something like this,’ huh. That stung, but he wasn’t wrong.
‘Come to think of it, he’s right.’
Truthfully, my curiosity about Kan was trivial.
Divorce, on the other hand, was crucial to me.
[“So, when are you going to divorce?”]
“Well…”
Before answering, I glanced around the room.
I had deliberately come to an empty room, but being cautious couldn’t hurt.
Seeing no one else, I continued.
“I think I’ll hold off on the divorce… for now.”
“Why?”
That simple question left me momentarily speechless.
Why? Well, why indeed.
I quickly found the answer.
It was probably because I had some attachment to life here.
“…I have things to sort out.”
[“Want me to help you sort them out quickly?”]
Huh?
“How?”
Does he know what I’m sorting?
[“You’ll see in time.”]
Blake said in a voice that sounded strangely amused.
It took me only a few hours to resolve that question.
“Blake really gave this to me…?”
I asked warily, looking at the potion Mary handed me.
“Yes! He stopped by briefly this morning and told me to deliver it.”
“Then why now…?”
“Um. He specifically said it should only be delivered after six o’clock.”
Quite a meticulous effort.
“What on earth is this?”
I eyed the pink potion in the glass bottle suspiciously.
The bottle was a flask shape with a thin neck, tied with a red ribbon.
‘Could it be a poisonous potion?’
If it had a skull sticker on it, it would be exactly what I feared.
“Oh! He also told me to give you this.”
Mary rummaged in her pocket and handed me a note, remembering it at the last moment.
I opened it carelessly.
「Madam, sometimes it’s nice to have a little distance between us, so I prepared a surprise event! How’s that?」
How’s that…? Useless.
「So don’t dismiss it as trivial and belittle my effort, sob sob.」
…How did he know?
I kept reading. More trivial content.
Yes, useless.
Finally, near the end, I found the part about the potion.
「Oops, I forgot to explain the potion. It’s a love potion.」
Forgot again? And the name… the name itself is unsettling.
「You know what it does, right? It’s harmless, so no worries!」
…Can he really be this sloppy?
Harmless to the body, sure, but how can I trust that?
‘It’s not like it’s certified by the health authorities.’
Is that it?
It ended there. The postscript just said to give it to Cidheron while I’m with Adrina so my divorce progresses faster.
‘A love potion…’
“Madam, what’s this potion?”
Mary asked curiously.
“Hmm… it’s a love potion, apparently.”
“A love potion? That really exists?”
“Right….”
I was doubtful too.
‘If this existed, why didn’t they sell it already?’
It seems like a good business opportunity. Strange that Blake just left it.
Still in the experimental stage, perhaps?
‘…Giving it feels a bit unsettling.’
If anything went wrong, it could become a huge problem.
He’d want to trace its origin and intended use.
‘But Blake probably won’t let that happen.’
Ugh. What now.
“Madam, could I have just a little of this?”
Mary asked nervously.
“Huh? This potion? Why… for Sir Richard?”
Just hearing his name made Mary’s lips curl into a grin.
She pressed eagerly.
“Is it okay?”
“It’s not impossible, but….”
Is this okay?
‘But I am a little curious.’
Will it really work?
After some thought, I made a decision.
“Excuse me, what’s this?”
“Oh, um… it’s a newly released tea. I really wanted to give it to Sir Richard who works so hard outside…”
Mary presented the tea enthusiastically.
Richard seemed oblivious, which was typical.
‘Will this be okay?’
A few drops of the love potion were in the tea.
Since he’s an inspector, he should be stronger than most, I reasoned.
Also, the exact dosage wasn’t indicated, so I only planned a few drops.
It could be harmful, contrary to Blake’s claim, so better safe than sorry.
I watched them from behind the wall.
Richard hesitated slightly, then took the tea and drank it in one go.
Yes!
“Ugh…!”
Did the effect already kick in?
Richard groaned after drinking the tea.
Then, with trembling hands, he handed the cup back to Mary.
“The tea…”
“The tea…?”
“It’s… really hot.”
…Effect? What effect?
