Despite the rumours, they haven't resorted to torture...yet.
But this was only temporary, and there was no guarantee that it would stay like this forever.
the curse. It's all because of that woman.
He thought she was quite into him.
But the moment her husband arrived, she was transformed as if she had become a completely different person.
How did you know that?
Since his imprisonment, he had relived the events in his mind countless times.
But he still cannot understand how Camille discovered the connection between him and Duke Gerard.
It is true that things were going smoothly, and perhaps I was a little negligent...but I did nothing to harm Gerard's reputation. I'm sure of it.
They didn't exchange anything incriminating like letters, and he barely touched alcohol in front of Camille to avoid slipping up.
The only possibility is that she had somehow witnessed his meeting with his contact...
No, this is not possible. Even if I missed something, Gerrard's team was professional. If someone had been spying, they would have noticed.
Unless Camille is some kind of expert, skilled enough to fool even the best.
It can't be, it's impossible...or is it?
By then, he wouldn't be surprised if Camille turns out to be a secret royal agent. He felt like a ghost was chasing him.
Until now, he feared that Camille would conjure up some magical evidence out of nowhere.
At that moment, the sound of the cell door surprised him.
He turned to see Mr. Mayle, his usual detective, entering the cell.
His thoughts racing, Liam tried to look calm and held his head high.
"Here you are again, I see. I told you, no matter how much you press, it's no use."
Mile ignored Liam's words and looked at the guard and said: “Release him.”
"What? Did you just say to let him go?" The guard asked in surprise, and Mile nodded.
Liam was confused.
He blinked in surprise as the guard opened his restraints.
“Baron Liam Bernard, you are free now.”
“Free…?”
“Yes. However, regardless of the details, there is no doubt that you have had an inappropriate relationship with the Duchess. You will be released on the condition that you never set foot in the capital again. These are the Duke’s orders.”
Mile's tone was unnervingly calm and collected.
“You have three days. By sunset on the third day, you should have left the capital. If you don’t comply, prepare to never see daylight again.”
“……”
“Bye.”
With that, Mael turned around and left the cell.
Liam stood there for a long time, stunned, unable to process what had just happened.
***
I watched from my room window as Liam Bernard stumbled out of the annex.
Ethan followed my advice and was released.
“It's working faster than I expected,” she whispered.
Mary, who was pouring tea, raised her head and said: “What did you say, madam?”
"nothing"
“If Duke Gerard wanted to ensure that Bernard would not divulge anything, he would most likely take care of it. So, release him and have someone track him down.”
In the original story, Duke Gerard eventually kills Liam to silence him.
Although the sequence of events had changed with Judy, the outcome of Liam's failure to steal the notebook and his capture and release by Duke Dumont remained unchanged.
There was no reason why Gerard couldn't try to assassinate Liam now.
In fact, I depend on it. For me.
I brought the cup of fragrant tea to my lips.
The problem was that Gerrard didn't move quickly.
'Originally, he waited for about a month before making his move, avoiding Ethan's suspicions.'
Ethan told me that I would remain under house arrest until he was completely convinced of my innocence.
This means that I will be stuck in the palace for at least another month.
This is starting to get boring.
At first, I was busy with survival plans and various tasks, but now I have accomplished most of them.
Although I didn't mind staying home, in my previous life I spent my weekends relaxing in bed.
But even that gets boring after a while. There are no smartphones, no e-novels, and no Netflix.
The activities available in a noblewoman's room were limited. Maybe embroidery or playing the piano, even though the piano was in the basement.
Now I understand why noble ladies always go to tea parties and dances. There's nothing for them to do.
In this situation, I only thought of one thing to pass the time.
“Mary, can you get me some books?”
"Books? What kind of books, ma'am?" Mary asked, her eyes wide.
“Bring any kind. Staying in this room is boring.”
Besides passing time, I had another reason.
My knowledge of this world was very limited. Reading is the best way to gather information and understand the world better.
Fortunately, whether thanks to reincarnation or otherwise, I naturally understood the language and texts of this world. Reading was not a problem.
“Do you want to read, ma’am…?” Mary seemed even more shocked than she was when I pointed out her betrayal.
“Is this so surprising?”
"Yes! You were having seizures just looking at the letters!"
Was it that bad?
Despite being a high-ranking noblewoman, Camille must have had a basic education.
Well, in my previous life, I knew people who didn't read one book a year.
I thought I'd get used to it.
Ethan likes to read, anyway.
In fact, reading was Ethan's favorite hobby.
It has been proven in the story that Ethan's library contains a large number of books beyond the usual number found in the collection of nobles.
Elodie was also fond of reading from a young age. Their shared passion for books is what led Ethan to adopt them in the first place.
“Hmm... Yes, but all the books are in the Duke’s library...”
“Can't we get some from outside?”
“I am also under house arrest like you, ma’am. Even if we ask someone else, sneaking the books in might get us into trouble.”
She was right.
I sighed lightly, “Well, I guess it’s inevitable.”
“See? Books are boring anyway. If you're alone, I'll accompany you anytime...”
“I'll ask Ethan directly.”
“Yes, that would be... an excuse?” Mary froze, her mouth open.
***
Ethan sat at his desk, staring at me, “What did you just say?”
“I asked if I could borrow some books from the library.”
“……”
Doubt was evident in Ethan's eyes.
I shrugged and added, “Don’t worry. I’m not planning to smuggle anything. If I had, I wouldn’t have asked for permission.”
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
My attempt at a joke seemed like a failure.
"It's simply that staying in my room all day is boring. I will make sure not to damage or soil the books," she reassured him.
Ethan raised an eyebrow, "I don't really care. I didn't know you were interested in reading."
"I wasn't. I thought I'd start now," I replied.
“I'm not sure there's anything you want to read,” he said, his skepticism evident.
“Well, I can at least try, right?”
Ethan thought for a moment, then got up, “Okay. Let’s go together.”
“It's not really necessary.”
“I don't go because I want to,” Ethan answered curtly.
“Oh, sure,” I thought, and showed a face behind his back where he couldn't see.