In this Empire, there is no noble who does not know that the Countess of Magrid is Katrina's most trusted maid.
Since he began treating Blair, Herdin had already anticipated that Katrina would find out sooner or later.
And he had hinted as much to Agnes.
That you're treating his daughter, and I don't think I can say much about it.>Herdin had said that, and added:
Don't forget that Delmarck is behind you.>Remembering those words, Agnes smiled.
He became aware that the boy who had been so unprotected after losing his parents had grown to reach a position in which no one could look down on him.
And also that that person was his lord.
Agnes, recording those words well, went to the living room and ordered the butler:
—Bring tea.
—
In the guild, like every day, there was bustle.
Although it was the time when everyone should be sleeping, the party atmosphere was reaching its peak.
Mikhail, as always, behind the bar, skillfully prepared cocktails and served them to the customer in front of him.
—Oh, the drink a man gives is not good.
Are there no women?
A pretty sister.
While Mikhail was serving a drunk customer, another waiter entered the bar.
—Mikhail.
It's time for change.
He spoke to him without respect, but his gaze towards Mikhail was respectful.
Because in this guild, no one dared to put themselves above Mikhail.
Mikhail left the bar and went up to the second floor.
The affable smile that he showed as if painted in front of customers disappeared, and behind his glasses, his eyes shone coldly.
As if he had been waiting for him, a subordinate approached and handed him some documents.
—They are the personal documents of the subject of the investigation.
It took a while because we had to go to Delmarck territory, since he is a gentleman from Delmarck.
-Well done.
The subordinate bowed his head deeply and walked away.
Mikhail leafed through the documents he had received.
The documents were about the personal data of "Caligo Elpharind", which Blair had commissioned him to investigate a fortnight earlier.
[He was found abandoned in front of a newborn temple by a priest who took him in and he grew up in the temple's orphanage.
He lived in the temple until he was thirteen, when he entered the Delmarck Knight Corps on the recommendation of Pope Gerald Rumielle.
Later, he participated in the war with the Duke of Delmarck…]
Mikhail, who was reading the documents with a normal expression, gradually frowned.
Caligo Elpharind was related to a person that Mikhail did not like very much.
Would this be a coincidence?
After reading the documents to the end, he became curious.
Why was Blair investigating this man.
—
—Dance?
Blair, strolling through the backyard in the noticeably warmer weather, widened her eyes at Mason's unexpected proposal.
-Yeah.
—Ah…
—It seems that the lady has already adapted to the life of the ducal family, so I thought if she would like to hold a ball to welcome spring.
The dance is not a day to simply have fun, but it is a day to show everything about that family to outsiders.
Not only the wealth, but also the atmosphere of the family, the relationship between the spouses, and even the influence of that family in the Empire, which can be deduced from the attendees.
It is literally a sample of everything in the family.
And the first dance held after the mistress changes has even greater meaning.
Because it is an occasion in which not only outsiders, but also the family's own vassals, evaluate and judge the new lady they are going to serve.
Therefore, it was an event that placed greater pressure on Blair.
When she was a princess, she never had to prepare a dance herself.
Because she was not one of those who enjoyed noisy parties, and important events such as her birthday or coming of age were prepared by the Imperial Family itself.
The princess didn't need to do anything.
No matter how much the princess prepared a party, who would dare to judge her or criticize the wealth of the Imperial Family?
For Blair, who had lived in that world, preparing for the first dance could only be difficult and clumsy.
It was a dance that he prepared with so much effort and sacrifice.
At that ball, Blair overheard the family's vassals criticizing her.
The reasons were several.
Because the princess had prepared a dance, spending a lot of money without thinking, because what she had served was white wine instead of red, because she had not prepared a dance for the children...
Those words tore his heart mercilessly.
More than the criticism of his efforts, it weighed on his chest to think that he had tarnished the reputations of Herdin and Delmarck.
But now he knew.
No matter how perfect the dance was, they would criticize her in the end with any excuse.
What they didn't like wasn't the dancing.
It was her, the daughter of the Imperial Family, from Katrina.
And she also knew that she didn't need to feel hurt by each of those words.
—The lady has made the last month of the ducal family work with the budget she prepared.
That's why I think you will also be able to carry out the dance preparation without problems.
Noticing that Blair was hesitant to respond, Mason, thinking she was shrinking, praised her ability.
Blair, who sensed the meaning of that abrupt but sincere encouragement, responded without reservation:
—Okay, it's time to have a dance.
Plus, personally, I had a reason to do it.
That time, the dance had left a bittersweet taste in her mouth, and this time she wanted to do it right to make up for that.
—Prepare the materials from the past for me to consult.
—I'll have them tomorrow.
Just as Blair finished talking to Mason, footsteps could be heard approaching.
It was Meli.
—Madam, it seems that the Dowager Empress is calling for you.
It was unexpected news.
—
—Still no news?
In the first personal meeting with her daughter after the wedding, the first thing Katrina asked was about the news of the pregnancy.
Blair was not surprised.
His mother had always been like that.
Blair replied calmly:
—No, not yet.
—And do you do the marital act regularly?
-Yeah.
Katrina, as she raised the already somewhat cold cup of tea, introduced the topic.
—Men are fools who only know how to see the reality in front of them.
Only when they have a child hanging around their neck do they learn to be afraid and take care of themselves.
The subject of that sentence is Herdin.
Blair, who had been his daughter for twenty years, realized that he wasn't saying that for no reason.
Then he became curious.
At Katrina's birthday party, what did the two of them talk about alone?
—Has something happened?
—You've been seeing the Countess of Lauraelain regularly lately, right?
Blair, who was picking up her teacup, stopped.
At no time did he think about hiding that matter.
Because he is not doing anything prohibited.
You're just doing something that sooner or later you should do to fix it.
But knowing that it was a sensitive subject for Katrina, he simply hadn't told her.
—And you plan to try hypnosis?
The fact that he knew that the Countess of Lauraelain had not yet tried hypnosis meant that he was also aware of the details of the therapy.
And that to control those details, he must have infiltrated someone in the ducal family.
—…Has he infiltrated anyone?
—Because you worry me.
How would I know if the duke despises you?
Katrina didn't even bother to hide that she had been spying on the ducal family.
Rather, she seemed proud.
As always, under the excuse of motherly love.
What hurt him the most was that what was in his gaze was sincerity without an iota of doubt.
The old resentment, like a chestnut hidden under the blanket, peeked out from time to time, pricking.
Blair, as if swallowing that sharp chestnut, repressed her emotions.
Katrina put down her cup of tea after moistening her throat and said:
—Go and tell him to leave it.
It bothers me that you distrust your mother like that.
—I don't distrust my mother.
I'm just reviewing once again those aspects that were not clear then.
—But you are doubting my testimony, aren't you?
…To be continued