Chapter 77
When Linnea got down behind Laszlo, the change became even more apparent.
"wow!"
"Was Linnea Crisis really this beautiful?"
"How old is this woman? Has anyone proposed to her yet?"
Linnea Crisis was the kind of woman who always wore vulgar country clothes, adorned herself with huge jewels, hid her tired face in shame, and was always watching others. That was Linnea Crisis.
But today, Linnea was completely different. She was so confident and beautiful that it was hard to remember her old appearance.
Her straight body and broad shoulders were on display, her chin was slightly raised, her dress and accessories, which although not luxurious, suited her perfectly, and her bright blue eyes showed no interest in the looks of others…
"This really surprises me. Did the imperial family get involved here?"
Edmund wanted to scream in anger at the sight of the Crissis brothers, who had attracted attention, but he was restraining himself.
His suspicion was then confirmed when the imperial envoy arrived with the emperor's letter.
With the sound of booming trumpets, the imperial envoy descended and knelt before Laszlo to read the message aloud.
“I congratulate you on the first party held by the faithful guardian, Count Laszlo Crises, and I present a modest gift, wishing you a successful party, with one gift to be distributed to all attendees.”
Upon hearing this, the attendees witnessed the arrival of a cart carrying a large basket of flowers, but the flowers were made of cut crystal pieces.
"Wow! Flowers made of crystal?"
“I knew that the Emperor was looking after Count Crisis, but this…”
Everyone is now certain of what the emperor is planning.
'The next pillar of power is Count Crisis!'
Everyone's expressions in the hall changed, including Edmund's.
'Damn it! This is unfair!'
Edmund began to feel despair and defeat. He knew he could not face the emperor who had so brilliantly thwarted his plans.
At that moment, Edmund caught a glimpse of someone else in the corner of his eye.
"Huh? This...?"
Everyone was so preoccupied with the Emperor's gift that they didn't notice, but Edmund was certain he saw Edel in the passage between the hall and the preparation room, where she was observing the situation. He couldn't mistake her beautiful features even from afar.
But surprisingly, Edel was wearing a servant's uniform, not an ordinary maid's uniform.
Suddenly, Edmund remembered what Marsha had said.
“…a woman weakened by power! When I was there she was a novice servant, but now, perhaps she possesses more power than she did when I expelled her.”
Edmund laughed sarcastically.
“What she said was true, wasn’t it?”
Edmund observed that Edel was giving instructions to a woman who appeared to be a maid, which meant that she might have become a supervisor of the servants, perhaps in her capacity as a housekeeper.
'A housekeeper… so, she can stay as long as possible near me while pretending to be a maid. Maybe she has other plans behind that.'
Remember what Marsha said about Edel's first entry into the palace, and how she had tricked László into paying attention, even feigning illness, which made László feel guilty. After that, she was promoted to kitchen maid, and then to a maid assigned to his sister.
“Now she’s a housekeeper, not just a maid… she really knows how to get close to power.”
Marsha's other words were probably true as well.
“If you are handsome, you will look more appetizing than Count Crisis, and she will stick to you immediately.”
If that happens, it will be fantastic news. He could use Idel to exploit Laszlo's weakness, spread misinformation, or even plant an assassin or informant inside the house.
“Furthermore, her appearance isn’t bad enough to be a wife.”
Of course, she may have had a relationship with an elderly man over 60 and a mercenary, but if her face is this beautiful, it's okay to overlook that.
Edmund decided to wait until the party became more lively and Adele was alone. But he never considered the possibility that the person who had helped change Crissis's family might be the "former Duchess."
***
Idil was worried about Linnea, but in reality, she was the one most afraid of having the party.
'People will recognize me. I can't just be at the party as a maid…'
When she imagined it, her throat went dry and her back shuddered.
Edel knew there were plenty of people who might insult or belittle her, whether it was out of hatred for the Crisis family, mere cheap curiosity, or an old sense of inferiority…
She was trying to be composed, but if she was being ridiculed by several people at the same time, she wasn't sure she could smile calmly as she usually did.
'I think I'll feel like dying…'
Although she put a lot of effort into preparing for the party, training the servants, and teaching the Crisis brothers how to behave as organizers, her stress increased day by day.
But there was no way out. Every day, Idil repeated to herself:
“Let’s consider myself dead. Whatever people hear, I’ll consider myself dead and I won’t care.”
While she was trying to calm herself down, she heard an unexpected word from Laszlo during the last review of the preparations.
“You won’t be able to hide forever. There may be lots of people who know you, but…”
“I won’t make a scene in front of the Count and the Miss. I’ll try to stay out of sight as much as possible. But once people start drinking, some might start talking about me… and I’ll try to sort that out as best I can.”
Edel answered, trying to hide the anxiety in her heart. But Laszlo looked at her strangely, with a sullen expression.
"You have a habit of understanding speech in reverse."
"What…?"
“I’m telling you not to hide yourself, why do you want to stay hidden?”
Suddenly, Idil felt her silence as if the words had stopped in her mouth.
How do I explain that? Should I tell him that being his servant will damage his reputation? Or should I tell him that I don't want my old friends to see me humiliated in front of him? Should I tell him that I'm afraid of the uproar I might cause?
But none of these thoughts came out of her mouth.
Then Laszlo lightly tapped Edel's forehead and said in a firm voice:
“If someone knows you, don’t be afraid, be confident. If anyone tries to harm a maid of the Crisis family, I will consider it an insult to me and I will not let it go.”
Even though Laszlo was pretending to be stern, Idil burst out laughing, as if the barriers had fallen off her.
Whether he was boasting or not, this was the first time she had heard someone say to her, “I will protect you.”
She had always handled everything on her own, so the feeling of "someone supporting me from behind" was completely new to her. It was enough to bring tears of gratitude to her eyes, and she felt that flutter in her heart.
Thanks to that, Idil's tension faded away like snow melting.
“Thank you for your kind words. I will do my best to avoid any problems, but if something does happen…”
“No, no. You haven’t understood me yet. You don’t have to make any effort. If a problem occurs, just come and tell me immediately. That’s an order.”
Although Laszlo looked angry, Edel knew that behind his stern expression lay a kind of care and concern.
'You always add the word 'order' when you say something that sounds like it's for my own good.'
But she felt she had to match his tone now.
“Yes, I will do as you said. Also, as a precaution, I would like to say that you should avoid using profanity at the party. Is it possible for you to forget those words completely? I can’t take your brain out and wash it, so… really…”
"Oh, so that's it! You're good at speaking calmly, aren't you?"
At that moment, a slight smile appeared on Laszlo's lips.
Idell smiled in turn and nodded her head.
On the day of the party, feeling nervous was considered an unaffordable luxury.
She was checking everything: were the guests being well received? Was there anything broken or crooked among the interior decorations? Was the food ready? Was there a readiness to clean up the broken glasses quickly? Was the sound of the music appropriate? Was anyone feeling uncomfortable? Did Laszlo and Lenia's appearance look perfect? She was following up on all these details so that she didn't notice anyone approaching her.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you."
Edel's heart stopped when she heard those words from a strange voice beside her. Despite her anxiety, she felt her heart suddenly calm down when her fears were confirmed.
“Ah, Mr. Milton. Thank you for coming to the party.”
"Do you know me?"
“You’ve been ranked as the best knight, how could I not know you? We’ve met several times at parties.”
Although she met him at parties, Idell never greeted him directly. She only saw him from afar.
'I thought it was just a normal distancing at the time, but why is he adding this now? Maybe he wants to have a bigger role in my life?'
This may be a guess, but it is not entirely out of the question.