Chapter 5
“Ah, ah!”
Mixed with tension, fear, and exhaustion, Edel couldn't think of anything. She closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the shock she was sure was coming.
But as her body began to swing forward, a large hand caught her, and her face, which was about to hit the ground, collided with something firm but flexible.
Idyll felt dizzy when she was suddenly surrounded by the unfamiliar smell.
When she realized her forehead had touched Laszlo's chest, she instinctively pushed him away. Fortunately, she didn't scream.
'Why does my life have to be so awful?'
A long time ago, during a cultural class, the class teacher said several times: “Pretending to be dizzy and clinging to a man is really a vulgar form of seduction. It is something a lady should never do.”
She never intended to do that, but it was a situation that anyone could easily misunderstand.
With trembling legs, Idell tried to stand up straight and apologized.
"I'm sorry."
She ended her statement with only one word of apology, because any explanation would have seemed like a flimsy excuse.
She tried her best not to upset him with her apology, but she couldn't even tell if her voice came out correctly or not.
But Laszlo, with an unreadable expression on his face, looked at her and then turned away.
“Follow me.”
Idil followed him, suppressing the urge to cry, in the palace that was sure to become a living hell.
* * *
“Meanwhile, Lord Crises personally took the prisoner to jail.”
Upon receiving the report from the messenger, Emperor Demarcus smiled broadly.
“I thought the same thing.”
Although he was still hungry, he wasn't in a bad mood. Everything he had planned yesterday had gone exactly as he had intended.
One of those plans was to hand Edel Lancaster over to Laszlo.
“Lord Crises would only show interest in Edel Lancaster.”
DeMarcus Laszlo recalled looking at Edel during the reception two years prior.
Laszlo, famous as the king of mercenaries, made a contract with him, and in the last war of conquest he fought with his mercenaries, Laszlo made a significant contribution that the noble knights could not match.
To exaggerate a little, it was as if he had won the victory all by himself.
But Laszlo was not greedy.
"Say what you want. Everything is fine."
"The amount I will receive is detailed in the contract, Your Majesty."
DeMarcus, who ascended to the throne at an early age under unfavorable circumstances, made an offer that was almost like a blank check to restrict talented people, but Laszlo flatly ignored it.
In addition, driven by ambition and curiosity, DeMarcus immediately bestowed upon him the title of Count.
Of course, he added a convincing persuasion, but Laszlo must have known that refusing the emperor's offer would be tantamount to losing his life.
“Tsk. I wasn’t originally going to contract with Your Majesty.”
Laszlo, who sent a look of contempt without fear, must have been very pleased.
“Ideal for parenting as a supervisor.”
But after investigating Laszlo, DeMarcus's ideas changed slightly.
Laszlo was a man who held an interesting secret.
It was uncertain whether this secret, when revealed, would be a boon to Demarkus' enemies, but even if he had to take that risk, Demarkus wanted to put Laszlo in his hands.
“Using him merely as a hunting dog would be a waste of time. He is a man who could become a reliable support if he is raised properly.”
But DeMarcus thought of the temptation that could capture Laszlo's heart.
“Anything that others cannot have, he does not care about…”
The money was already sufficient for him, and the number of mercenaries in his mercenary guild, Calliope, exceeded the number of soldiers the Duke could muster.
Therefore, titles meant nothing to Laszlo. Most nobles could not match him in wealth, military strength, or power.
In the end, DeMarcus tried to entice him with women, but even that was unsuccessful.
Although he sent his best girl, Laszlo simply rejected her with contempt.
"Hey kid. Have you ever been beaten up in an unpleasant place while working as a mercenary?"
"If by 'the place is not pleasant' you mean...?"
“Exactly, “there.”
“…No. I’m not sure why you’re curious about that, though.”
Although Laszlo looked at him with disdain, Demarkus couldn't help suspecting that Laszlo hadn't revealed everything.
Then, DeMarcus discovered by chance that Laszlo was showing a slightly different interest in Edel.
“Look how those who opposed the war of invasion changed their stance. Isn’t that interesting?”
“….”
“Lazlo…?”
Muttering to himself as if he were at a party, DeMarcus turned his head when he realized that Laszlo, who usually responded frankly to his words, was silent.
He noticed that Laszlo's gaze was directed towards a woman, with a slightly displeased expression.
But Laszlo wasn't listening to him; he was looking at the woman.
DeMarcus stared.
“Huh? Isn’t this Mr. Kanyan’s daughter…?”
Standing there was Edel Kanyan, who was famous for being the top beauty contestant.
Rumors circulated that she would soon marry the elderly Duke of Lancaster, and while everyone knew this, she still smiled with impeccable grace.
DeMarcus clicked his tongue.
'Well, I can't take a woman who will be a duke's wife…'
That would cause a huge uproar.
Although it was unfortunate, it was an unavoidable situation, so his interest waned and he forgot about the woman, until he heard intelligence indicating that the Duke of Lancaster was preparing for independence.
"Does Laszlo know that I brought my daughter, the Duke, alive just to give her to him?"
DeMarcus laughed as he drank the water.
In his heart, he wanted to show indifference to Laszlo for causing this unpleasant situation, but if he did that, the strangely stubborn Laszlo might reject Edel.
He felt no jealousy, but he only bet on the look that didn't move from her.
DeMarcus was watching how the dice rolled in this gamble.
"Will Edel Lancaster be able to ignite Laszlo's passion?"
Since he had never lost at gambling, DeMarcus rose from his seat with a meaningful smile.
It was a sunny morning in late autumn.
—
“Marsha!”
Upon entering the palace and being followed by Edel, Laszlo called the housekeeper without hesitation.
Marsha, who looked to be in her mid-forties, tried to hide her discomfort and approached quickly.
"Did you need anything, my lord?"
"Was there anything unusual?"
“How could anything be unusual? Marsha takes care of everything in the palace, so don’t worry. Ho ho ho.”
It was strange that no one came out despite the master being here. Idil doubted her ears when she heard that a head butler, not even a chief butler, was in charge of everything in the palace.
What on earth does this mean? Is the head maid exaggerating?
The situation was completely incomprehensible to Idel, but Laszlo, as if he were used to it, immediately moved on to the work at hand.
"Did you say there was a shortage of maids?"
“Yes, my lord. I mentioned that before, but you must help Miss Linnea a little, sir. If the maids continue to resign in this way, even though I am one of the old maids, I will not be able to maintain the palace…”
“Here, some additional manpower. Arrange them as you see fit.”
When his words surprised Idil, she was suddenly bewildered by the new situation.
'Are they really going to use me as a maid?'
While Edel was surprised, the head maid turned to Laszlo and asked.
"Extra staff? Oh my God...?"
"Are you blind? She's right here."
Laszlo pointed to Edel and said.
The head maid looked at Edel once and asked again.
"This... this woman as a maid?"
“She is not ‘this woman.’ She is merely a prisoner of war presented to me by His Majesty the Emperor.”
"Yes!"
She nodded now as if she understood. At that moment, she directed questions to Laszlo, driven by her curiosity about Edbel's circumstances.
“But how did this woman become a prisoner? What was her original status?”
But instead of answering, Laszlo walked away.
“First, let her bathe, feed her, and then put her to bed. Give her any available space between the servants’ quarters, and we will begin assigning her tasks from tomorrow. There may be a lot she needs to learn at first.”
And with that, he went up to the upper floor.
When Laszlo disappeared, Marsha's attitude changed suddenly.
“Hmm… From a noble lady to a maid…”
Idil lifted her chin and laughed.
Edel felt embarrassed but maintained her calm expression as she looked into Marsha's eyes.
Marsha turned Idle's face to the side and burst out laughing.
"Do I really have to put this pretty face on to work as a maid?"
At that moment, a young maid rushed over and whispered something to Marsha.