Chapter 26
From early evening, the Beers household was buzzing with excitement.
That night, Vaileon and his younger sister Chloise were attending the opera at Odette’s invitation.
It was their first public outing together since the engagement of the Fourth Princess and the Duke of Blackwood — making tonight a particularly special occasion.
Tickets sold out instantly, not because of the performance itself, but because everyone wanted a glimpse of the royal couple’s neighboring box seat.
“I heard scalpers have been swarming around the theater for days,”
said Daisy, the youngest sister, as she stroked her cat.
“They say even ten times the original price won’t get you a seat on the first floor.”
“Even if you buy from scalpers, you’ll just get kicked out once you’re inside. They’ve probably sold the same ticket to several people.”
“So where are your seats again?”
Chloise grinned so wide it looked like her mouth might split in half.
“Right next to Her Highness the Princess’s box.”
“Then you should switch to a more dazzling necklace, Chloise Beers. You’ll have hundreds of eyes on you tonight — go all out.”
“Ah, should I?”
Taking her sister’s words seriously, Chloise declared she’d wear the sapphire necklace inherited from their grandmother and dashed upstairs.
Daisy’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t expected her bookish sister to take her teasing literally.
“She’s already decked out like a pirate who’s raided a jewelry ship. Grandma’s sapphire necklace? The one so heavy your neck cramps just looking at it? She’s really putting that thing on?”
“…A pirate?”
Marienne stepped out from the kitchen. Daisy gave her a look that said, “Why is the aide here?” Then her eyes scanned Marienne from head to toe.
“Why are you dressed so plainly, Ms. Aide? You look like a lady whose jewels got stolen by her sister.”
Unlike Lady Beers, I must always be ready to sprint at full speed.
After all, I never know where I’ll be, what I’ll be doing, or who’ll be chasing me.
Marienne answered inwardly. She wore a simple, solid-colored dress without a single frill and a coat with pockets. She had no brooch—anything that could be grabbed and torn off was out of the question.
Who would grab her? She couldn’t predict that either. Regardless, tonight she intended to fulfill her role as Vaileon’s aide perfectly.
At that moment, Garrett’s giant parrot swooped down the hallway squawking:
“Serves you right!”
“…”
“Serves Dee-Dee right!”
The fire of determination in Marienne’s eyes flickered uneasily. She turned to Daisy and asked if that was supposed to be a compliment.
“Detectives don’t have ‘compliment’ in their vocabulary.”
“A grave oversight by the dictionary’s editor.”
“Exactly what I’ve been saying.”
Daisy glared theatrically toward her brother Garrett’s room upstairs. Soon, Chloise descended the stairs wearing a necklace strung with enormous sapphires. Both she and Marienne fell silent at the sight of each other.
“Ms. Aide!”
“Careful walking down, my lady. That thing looks heavy enough to break your neck…”
“You can’t possibly go out the door dressed like that! People will think House Beers mistreats its guests — the rumor will spread to neighboring countries!”
Even though only Vaileon and Chloise had been formally invited, Chloise was adamant. She even threatened to give Marienne her own necklace unless she changed.
“F–fine! I’ll change!”
Marienne darted upstairs and came down wearing a pale sky-blue gown studded with snowflake-shaped crystals — the same one she’d seen on her first day. Only then did Chloise’s expression relax.
“It’s a shame you’re not wearing any accessories, but… you don’t seem to like things hanging off your body anyway.”
What are you saying?
I love jewels. They just get in the way when I have to run.
Marienne only prayed that if she did have to run tonight, the crystals wouldn’t fall off.
Of all the dresses, why this one? One glimmer of light and they’ll trace it straight to Marienne Dee-Dee.
At least she’d managed to keep her coat. She rolled a small vial inside its pocket as she stepped outside.
“You’re dazzling, Chloise,”
Vaileon said, helping his sister into the carriage. She winked.
“Not as cute as the aide, though. I bet plenty of men will fall for our guest tonight.”
Marienne shook her head quietly. She already knew Chloise’s hopeless fixation on matchmaking.
But she didn’t expect her to say it loud enough for everyone to hear.
Not to brag, but—look at Marienne Dee-Dee. No matter what filthy thoughts run through her mind, she never says them aloud. Isn’t that impressive?
No one would ever guess how twisted I am inside.
Vaileon extended a hand to her with a strangely conflicted look. He was remembering the engagement party — when a nobleman had asked Marienne to dance. She, of course, had no idea what he was thinking.
Why does even his tired face look so handsome?
She found herself once again drinking in every detail of his features.
“Aide Dee-Dee, today…”
His voice caught. What? That tone gave her chills.
“Watch your step.”
“Ah—yes, sir.”
Marienne carefully avoided stepping on her hem as she boarded the carriage. Vaileon sat across from the women.
“A box seat at the opera house… my hands are shaking. Look, see?”
Chloise held up her trembling hands right in front of Marienne.
“Hehe… all sorts of things happen up there, you know…”
“You’re the first person I’ve ever seen actually say ‘hehe’ out loud.”
“Hehe, hehe-hehe.”
Does this girl even realize her brother’s been pining for the same woman for ten years?
And does she know that tonight, in that “all sorts of things happen” box, her brother will sit beside his unrequited love — the Fourth Princess?
Marienne stared at Chloise.
Maybe she doesn’t know…
“Hehe-hehe.”
Or maybe she knows and just doesn’t care.
Marienne wished she could open Chloise’s head and look inside. How were the tangled lines of her “crazy love” even connected?
If contact alone makes a pair, then I guess her brother and I could count too.
Ahaha. The thought alone made her laugh. How dare she, of all people, dream of being Odette’s true partner?
Then she remembered — Vaileon had tried to say something earlier.
“Lord Beers, when I boarded the carriage earlier… you were about to say something?”
He looked out the window and gave a faint smile.
“It was nothing.”
The streetlights streaming through the glass cast shifting shadows across his elegant face. As the carriage jolted, his brown, branch-like hair swayed softly. He coughed a couple of times.
◇ ◆ ◇
Once they arrived, the greetings were endless.
Everyone wanted to make an impression on the prestigious Beers siblings — children of the imperial chancellor.
Even Marienne, as their companion, drew plenty of attention. People’s reactions were fascinating when they learned she wasn’t a noble relative but a subordinate.
Some, like the young noble from the engagement party, didn’t care. Others seemed uncertain how to treat a commoner so close to such highborn company.
“Chloise and I are going to greet Her Highness. Would you like to join us, Aide Dee-Dee?”
“Ugh… that means I’d have to see him too, right? The Duke? I’ll wait here.”
“All right.”
Vaileon’s voice was rougher than it had been when they left home — naturally. Ever since Marienne began accompanying him home after work, he’d stopped working late at the office.
As a result, his work began to pile up. He should have complained about the workload, but instead, he tried to fix it another way — by bringing his paperwork home.
After cheerful dinners with his family, he would stay up working alone in his room late into the night.
According to the original story, Vaileon was supposed to come down with a fever starting tonight — from overwork.
He’d recover after some rest and medicine at home, but there’s no way he’d cancel on Odette last minute.
When they left the house, he only felt a bit sluggish — enough to push through. But inside the dry, heated opera house, his condition would quickly worsen. His head and body would grow heavy, and he’d fail to perform a task he could normally handle with ease.
And who would swoop in to take the credit? Anyone who’s been paying attention knows — that cursed northerner.
Why did Vaileon overwork in the first place?
Because he was sacrificing himself for Odette and the Empire.
He worked like an ant until he collapsed, and then that idle man seized the perfect chance to shine.
Well, not this time.
Marienne was determined to fix that tonight. When Vaileon returned to his seat, still unaware he was ill, she quietly offered him a steaming cup of tea.
“Lord Beers, doesn’t your throat feel a little scratchy? Please, drink this.”
“Where did this come from?”
He looked surprised at the magically appearing teacup. Marienne smiled sweetly.
“The box seats are convenient. There’s an attendant in the hallway, so I asked for some hot water.”
Steam rose from the cup, carrying the scent of lemon.
Vaileon, ever courteous, offered the cup to her first. As expected, Marienne shook her head and urged him to drink — it was for him.
“Brother, if a lady offers you something, you should drink it gladly — even if it’s poison.”
Chloise Beers: the romantic lunatic addicted to matchmaking.
She meant it as gallant, but it sounded terrifying.
In any case, Vaileon thanked her and took a sip.
“It’s a bit bitter…”
He stopped himself. Being a gentleman, he wouldn’t criticize something his aide had gone to the trouble of preparing.
But he was right — the lemon tea was bitter. Because Marienne had mixed in powdered medicine.
“A little astringent, isn’t it?”
Marienne frowned as if apologetic. Vaileon quickly denied it and finished the tea to the last drop.
Such a good man. Lucky for you, that was cold medicine — if it had been poison like your sister said, you’d be dead already.
The dim theater lighting perfectly hid the trace residue left at the bottom of the cup.
Mission complete.
Marienne casually wiped the rim with her finger and handed the cup back to the attendant.
Right then, all the lights dimmed, and the stage curtains rose. Perfect timing.
Now, all she had to do was keep an eye on Odette’s ears until the end of the show.
Tonight, Odette was destined to lose one of her earrings — not just any earring, but one personally gifted by the Emperor.
Marienne had sworn she would witness the exact moment when Vaileon found it and gently fastened it back onto Odette’s ear.
