Gemma suddenly stopped and stared at the man named Arnold as if she wanted to kill him.
“Don't call the Duchess by name like that.”
“…”
"It's not just us who bear the responsibility here. You're not the only one who holds the cards."
“But the truth is that the situation is more beneficial for me.”
Jemma gritted her teeth, and the man shrugged gently.
"I'm not planning to do anything. I just want you to listen to my offer."
Gemma turned nervously and started walking again. 'So, the situation is…'
This man wants to enter the Duke's castle, and the Duchess seems willing to let him. ‘He must have something against the Duchess.’ What could it be? ‘He even calls her by her first name so simply…’ Is there a secret relationship between them? ‘But it’s not like there’s anything they need to hide.’ Since the Duke has Amelia as a second wife, he will probably overlook the Duchess’s affairs. They're not in love, so he'll probably pretend not to notice. So, there must be another weakness involved. She followed them closely, but after the man spoke, Gemma said nothing else.
The corridor was very long. I didn't know how much time had passed, but it had been a long time. ‘Could this be a corridor leading outside?’ They made the corridor long for a reason... As I was trying to catch up to them to check it out, Gemma stopped and put her hand on the wall. The door opened, and Gemma stepped aside and said to the man.
“It will take a little while, but...”
Suddenly! Before I could hear the rest of her words, I was suddenly taken to the wardrobe. …..I just left the berry bag in my hand. “Ah! At the decisive moment!” I should have at least been allowed to hear the rest of it! She tried to squirm and kick inside the closet, and the door opened. Deidrick was there, trying to hide his confusion at seeing me in this state.
"...Where have you been? Why were you so late?"
“I was about to discover their weaknesses!” I muttered as I groaned, and Diedrick sat on the dresser and gently pulled me up while I was lying down, holding my hand.
"I was worried you were late. What happened?"
She held out the berry bag to him and whispered sadly, “I lost the opportunity to discover the Duchess and Gemma’s weaknesses...”
Deidrick took the bag and examined the berries. He laughed softly.
"Tut? Are you trying to keep my gaze strong?"
“Yes, they say berries are good for the eyes.”
“Exactly. What a good student you are.”
He patted my head and smiled shyly.
"Didi told me that and I was worried because you were studying all night. You should eat and improve your eyesight."
“Okay, I'll do it.”
After I calmed down, Deidrick finally asked me why I was upset.
“So, about the Duchess and Gemma’s weaknesses? Did she do something dangerous?”
"no." What does he think of me? He is very protective.
“A man came to visit the Duchess. Secretly. He made an offer, and it seems the Duchess will accept it.”
“Did it seem like she had no choice but to agree?”
“Yes, they both seemed to have something against the other. The man wanted to enter the duke’s castle. I was going to hear more, but I was suddenly transported...”
I sighed in disappointment. Diederik offered me a raspberry, and I automatically opened my mouth. Put it in my mouth. It was sweet, and helped lift my mood a little.
“Then we have to follow the new guy.”
I nodded and said, “I don’t think he will come soon, but we still have to keep an eye on him.”
“Is there anything else?”
“His name is ‘Arnold’.”
“‘Arnold’…”
“Do you know him?”
Deidrick shook his head.
“I've never heard of it before.”
“He looked like a knight. I noticed a sword under his robe.”
“Knight...”
He seemed lost in thought, but nothing occurred to him. If Dedric, who is smart, doesn't know him, the guy is probably hiding something good.
But who could this man be? ‘A man who has a weak spot for the Duchess.’ Jemma seemed very cautious and even spoke to him kindly, which was unusual for her, as the Duchess, being a noble, did not speak kindly to those of lower rank than her. So this man must be from a noble family? Anyway, whether there was a connection or not, I was glad that the Duchess had a soft spot. Just knowing that means Dedric won't have to be as keen on me until he's an adult. It's probably a big secret that the Duke shouldn't know. ‘But she is so bold as to bring a man like this into the Duke’s castle…’ Does the Duke really not know about this?
Daedric asked lightly, “Should we tell the Duke?”
“I think we'd better tell him.”
"That's what I thought. It's good to know their weaknesses, but if they're up to something, it might not be good for us."
Since I couldn't tell the Duke myself, I decided to leave that to Daedric.
“When the time comes, tell him, ‘Didi.’ Oh, and there’s a secret passage in the fruit storeroom. It seems to lead outside.”
Gemma seemed to be using it a lot as she deftly opened the door.
"I want to go check it out again sometime. Curious to see where it leads. I wonder if it really leads outside or not."
Since I can't leave the Duke's castle in the novel or now, I may not be able to check it properly.
“Let's go together.”
She rejected Dedrick's offer immediately.
"No way. If I'm taken to my closet alone, what will you do? What if I run into Gemma?"
I shudder at the thought of something terrible happening.
“This is one of those things that can't happen.”
“Am I in danger?”
“Yes. We must ask the Duke to block this secret passage.”
This is the way to get revenge. If they're planning something through this corridor, we can simply block it. I smiled slyly, and Deidrick showed a sign of amusement from my facial expression.
"By the way, how are your ankles and wrists? Are they okay?"
It's been a long time, but I noticed that sometimes he still relied on me, so I looked at him worriedly.
“Yes, I think they are completely healed.”
“Thank goodness.”
I examined his face and the back of his hand. Thanks to the ointment I applied regularly, there were no traces of wounds.
_________________
Finally, the day came. She held Deidrick's hand when he returned from his exercises and spoke with determination.
“We have to go to the training ground today.”
“I was planning to study in my room today...”
No! This kind of good work is not what we do! I immediately stopped him from doing anything logical.
“No way! We have to leave right after lunch.”
“Why?”
I stood tall, as if I had obtained amazing information.
“Duke Blackwood will pass by!”
"…so what?"
Daedric looked indifferent. Does he not understand what this means? I felt frustrated and beat my chest dramatically.
“It's the perfect opportunity to gain some credit! Now is the best time since Somerset is already on the Duke's bad side!”
“I'm not really trying to gain any credit...”
He answered unexpectedly, making me widen my eyes in surprise and scream.
"What?!"
“Haha.” When he surprised me, Deidrick burst out laughing.
“It's funny when you talk in a way that's unusual for you.”
“I think I've heard a lot of things… No, what I mean is that we have to protect ourselves! Just look at the fake sword incident! Things were fairly easy for a while.”
So you should be noticed by the Duke! No matter how indifferent he may be, he will not ignore his son, whom he considers his successor. But then Dedrick surprised me with his words.
“Even if he noticed me, the Duke would not protect me.”
Wait, why? She was silent for a moment. While Dedrick was always right, I couldn't understand this.
“Of course… If you show that you are talented with the sword, he will want to keep you close to him...”
“That man sees people as chess pieces.”
“Chess pieces?”
"If you do well, you get points. If you fail, you get nothing. That's all."
Seeing Deedric speak so coldly and decisively made me unable to press the topic any further.
“And if you show skill with a sword, the Duchess will become more wary of you.”
“…”
He was right. If the Duke wasn't really going to protect Daedric, there was no point in making the effort to appear prominent. 'It will make us a bigger target.'
“Then I don’t have to go, right? Even if I were on the Duke’s side, I wouldn’t be protected.”
Deidrick grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the desk. “So, let's finish the day together. I want that.”