Chapter 48
“Oh my, Brother. Did your visit to the imperial palace go well?”
I looked at Fernan’s appalled face with an innocent, clueless expression.
“Why are you sitting out here alone without a guard?! Huh? Who gave you permission?”
He must be returning from a visit to the imperial palace to see Sion.
Sion’s manipulations truly had no end. After giving my father false hope and then abandoning him, he brought up a marriage alliance with the imperial princess to Fernan. Just to toy with him.
And this idiot, whose lifelong dream was to become the Emperor’s son-in-law, fell for it completely. Thanks to that, I was able to keep my supposedly injured leg hidden.
“Though ever since that engagement talk with the princess, the way he looks at me has become even more disgusting.”
As if I were some mistress of his or something.
“Where are the head maid and the housekeeper? Why are you out in the garden alone?! Huh?! At least Paula should—”
“Oh my. It’s such a relief you came, Brother.”
While cursing Fernan in my mind, I started acting on the outside.
“I was feeling uneasy being alone in the garden. I’m not used to it.”
I spoke in the most pitiful voice, as if I had been rescued from deep anxiety.
“I even wore that damn metal corset just to run into you.”
I had also picked a bright mint-colored dress—exactly Fernan’s type, among those Rije had made.
“Now that you’re here, I feel reassured. I haven’t been alone for the past three years, and now that I suddenly am, it’s so frightening.”
Trying to placate Fernan worked—his tone softened slightly.
“How did you end up here?”
“Mother called me out to the garden, but when I got here, no one was around. I was just standing here confused. I couldn’t disobey Mother and go back into the mansion alone…”
As I spoke, Fernan’s expression twisted as he glanced around the area.
A mother preparing tea in the beautiful garden and calling her daughter out… only for the daughter to be alone when she arrives?
That’s usually something noblewomen do when they want to introduce their daughter to a potential suitor.
There was no risk of being caught in a lie. Ever since the incident with the alchemy, Mother had been bitter and was in a cold war with Fernan.
And Fernan, far from swallowing his pride, found her behavior outrageous.
I pretended to fix my dress and sent a signal toward the bushes.
At that moment, a rustle came from the shrubbery along the path, and a man emerged.
“Oh, excuse me.”
Not bad. He had a decent appearance too.
There was a reason Goetz had recommended him. His awkward smile was perfect.
“I was invited by the Countess, but it seems I may have misunderstood something.”
Goetz’s nephew—Damian.
He was the only person who knew Goetz’s true identity and had helped fake his death.
Goetz had raised him as a disciple since he was five. His skills were impressive.
In his late twenties, Damian had many talents, but his most astonishing was his ability to sneak into places unnoticed.
Apparently, no wall was too high. Seeing him slip past the Count’s estate walls, I could believe it.
“And his acting is great. He’s definitely conned people before.”
Grit. I heard Fernan grinding his teeth before he shouted at Damian.
“You bastard! Get out now! If you speak to Odette again, I’ll kill you!”
“Did I do something wrong? I apologize, but could you explain—”
“Get out, now!”
I discreetly signaled to Damian with a glance. He took off his hat, gave a polite bow, and disappeared back into the bushes.
Fernan grabbed a passing footman.
“Bring me the gatekeeper, now!”
He screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Of course Fernan would come to that conclusion.”
There was no way that man could have entered the estate without the gatekeeper’s approval. Which meant Mother had given permission and the gatekeeper had let him in.
Naturally, Fernan would plan to interrogate the gatekeeper. But once he sees the faces of the two new gatekeepers, he’ll be enraged before he even gets that far.
“…You sons of bitches.”
Because he’ll realize that Mother changed the gatekeepers just a few days ago.
After losing control over the estate’s finances, she had begun to feel her authority slipping. So she started wielding her control over personnel instead.
Starting with the lowest-ranked servants Fernan wouldn’t notice.
“The gatekeepers always bow their heads before Fernan even arrives, so he probably didn’t recognize the switch.”
Mother likely counted on that and boldly replaced them. To Fernan, a gatekeeper was just some thing that bowed to him.
Though Fernan didn’t care enough to remember subordinates’ faces, he was insecure enough to notice if they were taller than him.
So when the new gatekeepers—two tall, good-looking young men—showed up, he noticed immediately.
Just as expected, Fernan’s face turned purple with rage.
“Who the hell hired you?!”
“L-Lord Fernan. It’s an honor to meet you. We were hired by the Countess—”
“That damn old woman.”
Fernan immediately began beating the two gatekeepers.
When Fernan was that angry, he lost all reason. He even forgot the fact that I’d been wandering alone—or that he should be interrogating Mother about the man from earlier.
“Odette, go back to your room!”
See? Normally I’d be locked in the attic, but since his rage had redirected toward Mother, I was pretty much free.
“So predictable.”
I gave a slight curtsy and headed to my room. When I looked out the window, I saw Damian giving me a thumbs up.
He silently mouthed, ‘Good job?’ then slipped away while the gatekeepers were distracted.
“Very skilled. He’ll be useful.”
From downstairs, I could hear Fernan yelling at the staff.
“Fire all these bastards and strip Mother of her authority over personnel! From now on, Madam Becker will handle all staffing!”
I had achieved both goals for today’s tea session. I closed the window and turned away.
The first goal: to drive a wedge between Fernan and Mother and strip her of her hiring authority.
This incident would surely worsen their relationship. If I could keep stoking Madam Becker’s vanity, I’d gain more freedom. I didn’t want to sneak through the underground passage forever, after all.
And the second goal: to analyze the ingredients in the lemon tea that Madam Becker drank regularly.
Mallea had brought me the tea leaves from the palace, and I gifted them to Madam Becker in return, receiving a sample of her usual blend.
“Father’s ridiculous. Giving alpha ridillium to his mistress?”
Alpha ridillium was a well-known contraceptive herb. When combined with lemon, its effects were even stronger.
Actually, calling it a herb was misleading. For women, it was practically a poison. Frequent consumption often caused repeated miscarriages and permanent bodily harm.
“No woman in her right mind would voluntarily brew that for herself, so Father must’ve added it secretly.”
If Madam Becker had agreed to take contraceptives, there’d be no reason for him to hide it. Which meant the whole idea of avoiding pregnancy wasn’t something they had agreed upon.
Madam Becker, caught up in ambition, was likely hoping to get pregnant.
“What a pathetic man. If he didn’t want a child, he could’ve taken precautions himself.”
Albrecht Pharmaceuticals had a male contraceptive called Zendalusa—safe and with no side effects.
“Treasure your own body so much, yet treat your lover’s body like it’s disposable?”
If it were truly love, he’d never feed her something so harmful. Even if it was affection, what was the point if it came with poison?
Rije was planning to replace her lemon tea soon. I’d make sure to include an herb that neutralized the effects of alpha ridillium.
I was more than willing to help fulfill Madam Becker’s vain ambitions.
