CHAPTER 45……………………………………………..
“Whatever kind of relationship, it’s just….”
Tricia trailed off, genuinely at a loss for words.
“Just… say it properly.”
But to Millard, it seemed to sound differently.
“Did that guy confess to Master? And the note you gave him… was that your reply to him?”
Millard continued, his gaze cold enough to pierce even through the mask.
“Do you two really have something going on?”
“Millard.”
Tricia, having called his name absentmindedly, suddenly realized something.
She let out a dry laugh and crossed her arms.
“What, do you think I’d side with my aunt’s lover and betray Her Highness the Princess?”
“……”
Millard remained silent, but his eyes revealed confusion and displeasure.
“If it’s not for that reason, I can’t make sense of why you’re acting like this toward me. Understand?”
“Right, of course.”
Millard nodded obediently.
Having regained his composure, he spoke calmly.
“To be honest, it bothers me.”
Tricia felt her energy drain at that single sentence.
Even after everything she had done, she realized she still wasn’t fully trusted.
But Millard gave an unexpected answer.
“I mean… Master bothers me.”
“…What?”
Tricia paused. Millard awkwardly averted his gaze.
He coughed, as if trying to hide his embarrassment.
Just as Tricia began to feel flustered herself, Millard subtly shifted the topic.
“I came to apologize for what I said earlier.”
Tricia’s expression of surprise prompted him to continue.
“I apologize for acting like a brat. Not exactly the time for throwing tantrums, huh?”
He glanced at Tricia, then twisted his eyes slightly in a smirk.
Tricia’s heart fluttered as she met the violet eyes visible behind the mask.
“…It doesn’t suit you.”
“What?”
“Pretending to be mature doesn’t suit you.”
Tricia shivered as she brushed her arm, and Millard chuckled in disbelief.
“Yeah, well, if that’s what Master wants…”
Still smiling, Millard crossed his arms.
“I’ll try being more of a brat from now on.”
At those words, Tricia couldn’t help but laugh.
For the first time since facing Millard, she felt as if she had returned to the past.
So she spoke aloud something she had deliberately avoided mentioning.
“Thanks for telling me to apologize back then.”
“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”
Millard paused, thinking over Tricia’s words.
After some thought, he had a vague idea.
She must be referring to the incident at the New Year’s Festival when he had asked her to apologize to Lizaina.
“No need for thanks.”
Millard shook his head.
“You didn’t even get an apology anyway.”
“But still, having someone say that to me…”
Tricia paused mid-rebuttal. She suddenly realized she was doing something rather embarrassing.
“Right, fine. Didn’t even get the apology anyway.”
“What, you’re changing your mind that easily? Unbelievable.”
As Tricia obediently nodded, Millard frowned.
Which only made Tricia burst into laughter.
“Exactly. Why do I say things I don’t even mean?”
After the time travel, this was the most meaningless and peaceful moment.
A few days later, Tricia heard that Bill had been dragged to prison.
She immediately felt certain upon receiving the report from Jane.
“Millard did this.”
It was obvious, seeing how he had meticulously gathered evidence of Bill visiting the casino and filed a report.
Bill, a servant of the Princess’s Palace, having gambling debts at a casino, was a huge scandal.
A palace employee was, by extension, under the Princess’s authority.
Could they keep employing someone who had tarnished their master’s reputation?
“This must be a measure for Her Highness the Princess’s sake.”
Whatever way Tricia might have used Bill, it could have harmed Hestia, so Millard had spared her the trouble.
“In fact, it’s for the better.”
Tricia had been considering how to move Bill without harming Hestia, and now Millard had handled it for her.
She didn’t care if Bill was expelled from the palace.
His only use was as the lover of the Marchioness of Devon.
But Jane seemed to have a different opinion.
“Is this… really okay?”
“It’ll be fine. Things might even resolve faster this way.”
“…Resolve faster?”
Tricia nodded and explained.
“Once he’s been in prison and out, he’ll naturally feel rushed.”
Bill, facing Tricia, seemed not only to distrust her but also lacked the courage to break free from the Marchioness of Devon.
“But if the Marchioness can’t rescue him this time, unlike before…”
“His heart will inevitably waver, won’t it?”
Tricia nodded.
Since Millard had set the stage himself, all she had to do was watch the situation unfold and snatch the target at the right moment.
After the New Year’s Festival, Lizaina had been keeping a low profile on her own.
Although she had somehow managed to smooth things over, she had clearly incurred Edwin’s anger, so she was keeping her distance.
‘Better to stay quiet than wander around, get noticed, and get scolded.’
The problem was, she didn’t know how long she should remain in seclusion.
Considering that Princess Hestia’s birthday banquet was approaching, she couldn’t stay hidden forever.
‘I need to recover my reputation after the New Year’s Festival incident.’
To do that, she needed to attend the birthday banquet—but the problem was, Lizaina wasn’t invited.
Until now, Lizaina had attended social events mainly as Edwin’s partner.
She didn’t need a formal invitation for that.
But Edwin, furious with her, was unlikely to bring her as his partner to this birthday banquet.
‘If I’d maintained ties with Nepheli’s group, maybe I could have used that connection…’
Those bat-like creatures had immediately pointed fingers at Lizaina after the Adeline Count’s affair scandal and coldly abandoned her.
Lizaina gritted her teeth.
They were eager to pry out information from Solton’s crafts, but once it was no longer useful, they tossed her aside—disgusting.
“Sigh… what do I do, Leona? If this continues, I’ll end up merely as a mistress, not a Duchess.”
This wasn’t why she had come all the way from Solton to distant Epelverno.
As Lizaina muttered in frustration, Leona thought seriously.
Then she spoke.
“Princess.”
Even when alone together, Leona, always attentive, spoke up, and Lizaina’s eyes widened.
“You… what wind blew through you?”
Leona replied kindly to the surprised question.
“It seemed the Princess was very upset.”
“Just hearing your voice makes it okay if I get upset a few more times.”
Lizaina smiled brightly like a child and leaned on Leona.
The deep tone of his voice, heard after so long, resonated sweetly in her heart.
“When I become Duchess, I’ll get rid of Edwin first.”
Lizaina continued, almost singing softly.
“And Leona, I’ll make sure you can stay proudly by my side as my lover, not just a maid.”
Indeed. Leona York’s real name was Leon York.
The maid Leona had been since Solton was actually a man.
Using his small, slender build to deceive everyone, he had pretended to be a woman and stayed close to Lizaina.
Leona was both Lizaina’s lover and occasionally her strategist.
“Shall we look through Her Majesty the 7th Empress’s diary?”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
Honestly, Lizaina had completely forgotten about the diary.
She had found it after dinner at the 7th Empress’s palace, using the key left to her before the Empress left Solton.
Wondering if it might contain useful information, she had glanced at it, but since it held little of note, she had barely read it and closed it.
‘But could it help now?’
Lizaina tilted her head, and Leon nodded.
“Her Majesty the 7th Empress would have recorded the enemies’ weaknesses.”
“True, she’s certainly that kind of person.”
Lizaina nodded and brought the diary over, carefully reviewing it again.
This time, she noticed that some pages felt unusually thick. Curious, she grabbed a letter knife and slid its sharp edge into the gap between the pages.
The pages split in two, revealing hidden content.
Most of it was written in Epelverno’s language, but the key parts were in Solton’s language.
“Leon, you’re a genius!”
Lizaina hugged Leon and kissed him while reading the diary.
Leon gently pushed her away.
“Someone might see this.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful again for now.”
With that, Lizaina excitedly showed him the diary.
“Knowing just this information will make restoring my reputation a piece of cake.”
“Indeed, very useful information.”
Nodding, Lizaina sat at the desk and began writing letters.
“The target is… of course…”
She pondered what to request, then made up her mind.
“Hestia Princess’s birthday banquet would be ideal.”
