Chapter 63
After I Die, the Little Groom
Since Nadia had drawn the attention and scrutiny of the Desmond Marquisate, Conrad purchased several diamonds through various channels.
Nadia entrusted the diamonds to an appraiser, and the results were exactly as she had expected.
Sitting across from Conrad in the study, Nadia placed several appraisal reports on the table.
“As expected, they’re all low quality. Not enough to call them fake, but definitely far from anything suitable for delivery to the royal family.”
“No one would have thought the goods bought from the Desmond Marquisate would be subpar. After all, they’re a family that contracts directly with the royal court.”
“Exactly. And every diamond they sold is small. When I checked at Marquis Maren’s party, any slightly larger stones were all from five years ago.”
“So they never put out anything that could be distinguished with the naked eye.”
“No matter how minor the target nobility is, they’re still nobles. If they put out diamonds that could easily be recognized as substandard, someone would notice. Even if it’s from the Desmond Marquisate, suspicion would lead to appraisals—and then they’d be branded as scammers.”
Conrad nodded at Nadia’s words.
“Now that we’ve confirmed the facts, it’s time to plant some doubt among the people.”
“The Desmond Marquisate won’t have much time left before they’re inundated with refund requests or lawsuits. The faster the rumors spread, the better. Let’s get started immediately.”
As Conrad stood up, Nadia waved her hand to make him sit back down.
“Not yet. There’s a big banquet coming soon. Wouldn’t it be a shame if the work leaked before then?”
“The big banquet… you mean the Harvest Festival?”
Nadia nodded with a smile.
“At the Harvest Festival, people tend to get extravagant. Since the emperor has put us in his game, we should take the appropriate advantage, shouldn’t we?”
Conrad nodded in agreement—it wasn’t an unreasonable point.
The emperor had given Baron Hess three months. That was far too short a period to expect the baron to take on the Marquisate in earnest.
But the Harvest Festival was only half a month away, so this matter would soon reach its conclusion. In effect, they would have used only a third of the time granted by the emperor.
If they didn’t get an appropriate reward, it was obvious how other nobles would view the emperor.
“Then I’ll take measures to ensure the rumors spread quickly.”
“Yes, always thank you.”
Conrad paused at Nadia’s affectionate words. Since Vivian had momentarily left the room, he decided to voice a thought that had been on his mind.
“Nadia, if you ever want a different maid, please let me know at any time.”
Conrad could tell that Vivian’s attitude toward Nadia had changed recently.
There was no lack in the way Vivian attended to Nadia. If anything, she was even more diligent than before—following her mistress like a shadow, speaking up at the right moment, assisting when needed. That was the role of a maid.
However, Nadia didn’t seem pleased when Vivian erased all emotion from her face and refrained from even a single joke.
Even though Vivian couldn’t be unaware of this, the situation continued. From Conrad’s perspective, Vivian had essentially lost her qualifications as a maid.
Yet Nadia smiled and refused outright.
“Again with that? If Vivian heard you, she’d be upset with you.”
“…Nadia, I’m not saying this lightly. Vivian is a maid, and rather than reducing the things you need to concern yourself with…”
“Conrad.”
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Nadia stopped smiling. She cut him off with a firm expression and shook her head slowly.
“I know what you mean. Yes, if I were Libenya Baldwin, I might not have kept her by my side. But I’m Nadia Hess. I’m not someone who needs to enforce a perfect master-servant hierarchy.”
“But as Baron Hess’s position strengthens, the role of a close maid will become more significant.”
“Vivian does her work diligently when needed. I’ve never worried about leaving things to her. And more than that… I want to know why Vivian was disappointed in me. If I understand that, I can take another step away from Libenya.”
Conrad remained silent. He had fully grasped his mistress’s earnest desire to live a new life. Nadia saw the shadow of seriousness on his face and gently took his hand.
“I want to see Vivian smile again. I get bored if she doesn’t chatter by my side anymore.”
“…Understood. I won’t bring this up again.”
“Thank you for respecting me, Conrad.”
Another gentle word was offered.
Conrad bowed deeply. Nadia said she wanted to change herself, but from his perspective, she had already changed considerably.
Libenya, as a high-ranking noble, ruled her subordinates with strict charisma. She trusted Conrad enough to keep him close, but she was never this warm or affectionate.
Nadia, however, was living her own life and evolving naturally. Conrad simply kept silent, believing it was not his place to judge his mistress’s life.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
Conrad bowed deeply and opened the study door, only to encounter Vivian standing there.
Vivian was startled, her eyes wide, before lowering her head and stepping back.
She must have expected Conrad to speak.
But since Nadia had said it was fine, he could not scold her.
“Good work.”
As Conrad quietly withdrew, Vivian looked puzzled, then realized something and glanced toward the interior of the study. There sat Nadia, leisurely drinking tea.
It was obvious who had silenced Conrad.
Biting her lower lip to hide her frustration, Vivian kept her feelings contained.
Sensing her presence, Nadia lifted her head and smiled warmly.
“Vivian, the tea you brought smells lovely. Shall we drink together?”
Vivian hesitated but didn’t refuse, sitting down across from Nadia. Despite Vivian’s protests, Nadia personally filled her maid’s teacup.
Vivian gazed at the warm tea and softly spoke:
“Miss… you’re really… foolish.”
“What? That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”
Nadia looked genuinely surprised and chuckled. She seemed completely unbothered by Vivian’s impertinent tone.
Nadia looked Vivian in the eye and rolled her own eyes once.
“Are you already trying to forgive me? I’m still looking for an answer—have you given up?”
“…Given up? How could I possibly…”
Vivian couldn’t fully understand Nadia. She was more elegant than any high-ranking noble, as learned as a scholar, yet she could laugh heartily while working alongside miners, smudged with coal.
She also made time for the estate’s workers while training the maids to maintain the baron’s authority.
And she genuinely agonized over how to win the heart of just one maid.
Even if she sometimes acted a little absent-minded, it did not erase the fact that Nadia was a good person.
“I’m sorry, Miss. And thank you for tolerating my fuss. I’ll reflect and won’t do it again.”
Nadia listened calmly, then hummed thoughtfully.
“Yes. I like that you’re not standing there with a frightening expression. But I’ll think about it some more—why you felt disappointed.”
Because she was such a good mistress, Vivian wanted to become someone special to her.
Instead of speaking her desire aloud, Vivian remained silent. Since Nadia said she would consider it, she was willing to wait for that moment—no matter if it took years, or decades, Nadia would not forget and would seriously contemplate it.
The next day, Nadia visited the noble prison once again.
She knew the guards would likely refuse entry, but merely leaving a message with Baron Hess—that she had come—would provide him comfort.
However, something unexpected occurred: the guards even refused to accept her letter.
“Baron Hess, my father, hasn’t been deemed a criminal yet. Can’t you at least deliver one letter?”
Nadia spoke softly, but the guards, true to principle, did not budge.
‘Father tends to worry…’
If the letters were cut off, he would surely lose sleep at night.
As she faced this predicament, someone approached from behind.
“What’s all this commotion?”
It was a beautiful voice, as if it belonged in an opera. The guards immediately bowed, and Nadia stepped aside, examining the figure.
A man with a handsome face and finely textured silver hair that perfectly matched his voice. Beside him walked a noble-looking attendant and a knight.
Nadia immediately recognized him.
The emperor’s illegitimate child, the son of the emperor and Siren—Prince Epion.
