Chapter 118: Chapter 117

“Well. About a month ago. That’s why I came to Milan. I wanted to help the emperor.”

“The reason you decided to help the emperor was because you realized that Marquis Chester regarded you as an expensive doll like you said? I’m sorry to use that expression, by the way.”

“Yes. He intends to kill me and my father after using us.”

“I understand the weight of political promises. Sometimes they are more powerful than any oath or command. That’s the nature of power. Of course, I think the emperor has decided to accept you as his wife because he trusts you, but I can’t rule out the possibility that the emperor must have taken into account your father’s honor and forces when he made the decision to marry you. Maybe, the realistic power is the force that strengthened the union of the two more strongly.”

Marianne nodded gently. In her previous life, she would have regarded Mrs. Renault’s remarks as too harsh, but she could take it casually as if it were not a big deal.

“But every promise is a mutual commitment. No matter how strong the promise may be, it is made by humans anyway. In other words, you can change your mind easily in the turn of a hand, depending on your interests and mood.”

“That’s the same for the emperor.”

“You bet. However, I have watched the emperor for a long time since I served the late empress. As far as I know, the emperor is not the type who can easily break promises even for political interests. But from what I have seen and spoken with you today, I feel you are a remarkably flexible person.”

“You’re afraid that I will betray the emperor, right?” Marianne said, grinning faintly.

“Lady Marianne!” Mrs. Renault’s voice became more serious.

“I also heard what happened in Roshan. On the day of his return to the palace, I saw how he treated you. When I think about it now, I think the accident was an agreed plot…”

She recalled Eckart on the day he returned to the palace.

She vividly recalled his behavior, for example, when he looked at someone only, his glance became softer and he quickened his pace as well as his unprecedented hostility. She also heard that as someone who always stuck to formality and procedure, he even tried to behead the horseman in person.

“Don’t you already know that the emperor doesn’t depend on political tactics alone?”

Marianne slowly blinked her eyes. If she had heard it the day before, or even this morning, she would have been pleased with that.

“I hope the emperor won’t hurt anyone again under the label of political schemes. Of course, the emperor has a strong mentality, but he won’t endure it if he is hit twice. And I myself am not sure if I can watch him stand up to that.”

“… Again? Twice?”

Mrs Renault shut up in a hurry when Marianne asked.

Marianne wanted to ask immediately what Mrs. Renault was talking about, but she put up with it. Given the countess’s character, it was obvious that the more Marianne asked, the more she would try to hide her reply. When pushed further, she might not be able to tell Marianne the whole truth.

‘Why are there so many people around me who have secrets? I think I’m the only one who doesn’t know anything.’

Lamenting to herself deep inside, she changed her facial expression and shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“It seems that you speak of serious and difficult stuff triflingly.”

“Well, I’m serious. Apart from the political reason…”

Marianne hesitated for a moment not because she had to lie but because she wanted to show Mrs. Renault her sincerity.

“I love the emperor too much for that…”

The countess made a very strange expression at that. She tried to open her mouth as if to say something, then slowly squeezed her lips again.

A darker shade than the shadow hung over her face against the sun. She gazed at Marianne with a very sad look.

Marianne said, “Let me have these pots as your gifts. If you are thinking of trusting me, please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope you can act as fast as possible. It’s not just for me, but for the emperor. Too many thoughts sometimes make you miss the right timing.”

Marianne was handed a Verbena pot and she held it preciously. Stroking its fragile petals, she felt she wanted to ask more, but she held back.

“… Thank you for your advice, ” Mrs. Renault replied, looking at her green eyes.

Complicated feelings began to eat at her mind at a frightening pace.

* * *

That evening, a guest visited Duke Hubble’s mansion.

He was an intruder who came without any appointment. However, the duke’s butler immediately sent a notice to his master. The servant who ran to the duke’s study came back after a while.

“He told me to escort you to the parlor. I will guide you there.”

The guest sitting in the temporary space at the lobby drinking tea casually did not get up right away. After he finished drinking another cup of tea, with his servant standing next to him, he got up from his seat and had his servant walk ahead. Even the sound of his walking in the hallway was far from impatient.

“I’m honored to see you, Duke Hubble.”

Finally, the guest standing in front of the duke greeted him gracefully.

“Who is this? Welcome, Mrs. Chester! As you’re a very well-mannered woman, you usually visit my house after making an appointment. As you’ve come here without any appointment, it looks like you’re on an urgent mission today.”

Duke Hubble greeted her with a cynical smile. He didn’t even look at her when she stepped in. The sound of his turning over the book he had been reading broke the silence in the room.

“Of course. The matter is so urgent that I rushed to your place rudely like this.”

Not daunted at all by Hubble’s rebuking, she sat down on the couch opposite Hubble, adjusting her long hem casually.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No thanks. I already drank enough tea because of your stupid servant.”

She replied annoyingly, displeased with his cynical question.

“I think you had better fire that servant. If you continue to keep him, your friends may misunderstand your discerning eye. So, please make a wise decision. Does it make sense for a mere servant to disgrace the duke’s honor?”

Mrs. Chester smiled brightly. Although she was now advising Hubble who was around her father’s age, about his own domestic matters, she didn’t show any hesitation or reluctance.

Only then did Hubble finally lift his gaze from the book. Perhaps it was because of his focus on reading, or because of his uncomfortable feeling that he knitted brows over his small glasses.

“… Did you leave the maid behind?”

“All the maids at my mansion are clever. They’re not as stupid as your maids here.”

“Oh, I agree with you on that. We all know that Mrs. Chester is the strictest woman in the capital. Well, they would be just be content with being kicked out of my house if they had to. The thing is they can’t get a job, and you know that, too. I don’t think you want to see them dying, cursing you to the end.”

“Oh, how terrible things can you say to me like that?”

Mrs. Chester covered her mouth with a handkerchief, shuddering at his reply.

“Well, as far as rigour is concerned, you’re stricter than me. I know you sent your pet dog that you had stayed with for 20 years to the slaughterhouse, right? Oh, your son, who you have raised for over forty years, still doesn’t meet your expectations. That shows how strict you are.”

When she put down her handkerchief that covered her mouth, she blatantly showed her cynical smile at him.

Duke Hubble covered the book with a thump, which he had been holding until now.

“Let me tell you this: one must know one’s place.”

“Of course. You’re right. ” Mrs. Chester seconded gladly.

“So, that’s why you set the trap on my way to Roshan?”

“… ”

“Was it because my son Ober and I didn’t know our places?”

Hubble took off his tiny glasses, keeping his mouth shut. A strong muscle line appeared in his jaw at that moment, as if representing his character. It was a sign that could not appear without him clenching something hard.

“Madame.”

Mrs. Chester did not avoid his eyes.

“The more cards you have in any game, the more fun you have.”

She touched the sealed ring in her right hand, hearing his answer that gave her a feeling of intense pressure. Chiara, the symbol of darkness and poison, which was inscribed on her ring,

tickled her fingertips.

“The cards kept changing hands and finally my turn came, but sometimes the card in my hand didn’t look good. Last time I didn’t think it was bad, but once the card changed hands, it wasn’t as good as I expected.”

“… ”

“What should I do then, Mrs. Chester?” Duke Hubble kindly asked.

His olive-colored eyes naturally suppressed her surging rage.

“In that case, you have to take out a new card and boldly discard the one that can ruin the good one.”