Chapter 36
36. First Piece of Intelligence2022.01.02.
“Please don’t send me to the young lady.” Brody was earnestly watching Reina’s reaction.
“It’s not that…….”
Reina started to explain to Brody but clamped her mouth shut, realizing she couldn’t mention that she needed Marina for makeup. Brody and Marina both seemed to already know about her and Lady Christina switching places, and they’d probably been ordered to keep quiet about it…… But honestly, wasn’t it safer not to know the details? Reina lowered her voice cautiously.
“It’s not like that. It’s just that for today only, there’s a reason I need Marina for makeup…….”
But Brody, who already had an aggrieved look, grew even more pitiful.
“……You’re trying to replace me, aren’t you……?”
What? Reina panicked. Replace her? No way? She didn’t even have a say in it anyway? If Lady Christina picked Brody, then Marina came to her, and if the lady picked Marina, then Brody came? Just because she’d asked Marina once and called her over briefly didn’t mean Christina would want her and switch her attendant maid. But Brody seemed so desperate not to go to the lady that she wasn’t thinking rationally anymore. Reina hurriedly stopped Brody, who was on the verge of tears.
“W-Wait, on second thought, Marina doesn’t have to come. Could you just…… make my makeup a bit more glamorous, like the lady’s? To make me look more like Lady Christina…….”
Brody’s eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly.
“Yeah, I can do that!”
It really didn’t feel like someone else’s business…… Reina smiled apologetically at Brody.
“Thanks, I’m counting on you…….”
……Right. Once she passed the note, the Marchioness would figure something out. What good would it do for her to fuss over makeup anyway…… She’d already shown her face to the Crown Prince multiple times. And from quite close up, too……. Unless His Highness had eyes like knotholes, no mystical makeup could fix it now. She was just doing this to reduce the risk even a little. It was nothing but futile struggling that might or might not mean anything. Reina’s life didn’t really depend on her efforts. All she could realistically hope for—to return safely to her grandmother—was that the Marquis and Sir Arthur would wrap things up peacefully.
“…….”
What if later it became a problem, everyone involved got sentenced to hanging, the imperial family turned the place upside down searching for the maid who’d committed fraudulent marriage against Sir Arthur, and she ended up on the run……? She could manage alone somehow, but running away with her grandmother would be impossible……
“…….”
Even if it came to that…… Sir Arthur…… might show mercy…… and spare at least her life?
“…….”
Reina stood there blankly, then squeezed her eyes shut in disbelief at her own shamelessness. ……What a nerve. Thinking of the note hidden under the bed to pass to the Marchioness, Reina sighed with a gloomy face. * * * Having changed into comfortable loungewear and perched on the edge of the bed, Reina watched as Doctor Lorenson approached with his dressing tools. It was time to disinfect the wound on her forehead and apply medicine. Over the past week, the cut on Reina’s forehead had faded. There was no longer even the faint sting when he removed the gauze with tweezers. As she sat still receiving treatment from the family physician, she glanced sidelong at Sir Lionel standing by the door and thought about the note hidden near the bed headboard. In her current position, sitting sideways on the bed, she could retrieve the hidden note with just a slight lean and a hand under the cushion.
“…….”
When Doctor Lorenson stood in front of her to check the wound, Reina was shielded enough from Sir Lionel’s line of sight to move without notice. Now…… right now.
“…….”
Reina’s vision went dark, and she couldn’t move a muscle. She hadn’t written anything harmful about Sir Arthur. Even so, the guilt of trying to do something sneaky froze her body. That she’d met the Crown Prince…… that she’d received an invitation. That His Highness had seen her face and thought she was Lady Christina. She had to convey it. She had to……
“…….”
I can’t move. At that moment, Doctor Lorenson, who had examined her wound, cleared his throat and spoke.
“The forehead wound has healed well. No scar, perfectly mended. We can stop the dressings now.”
“…….”
His everyday words momentarily eased her tension. After a brief pause, Reina replied.
“Thank you, Doctor Lorenson.”
Sensing Reina’s unusually stiff expression today, Doctor Lorenson felt a twinge of pity for her. He had come at the Marchioness’s order to poke her side and apply some pressure. Feeling both sorry and apologetic, he tried to lighten the mood with casual words.
“……Be careful not to get hurt. The young lady’s face is the empire’s treasure, isn’t it?”
“…….”
It didn’t seem to have much effect. Reina just forced a smile with her rigid face. As Alvin Lorenson packed up his kit, he got to the point.
“Next time, my son could come check on you instead. I have an out-of-town lecture next week…….”
“……Pardon?”
As Doctor Lorenson tidied up the remnants of the treatment, he continued.
“While I’m away, he can look after you and give his thanks too. I told him to visit. You trusted him enough to give him a job, but we haven’t properly thanked you yet.”
Reina’s eyes widened. It was about her grandmother.
“I saw her just yesterday, and she’s adapting quite well at work.”
In that instant, Reina forgot everything. Even that Sir Lionel was watching. Struggling to keep her voice steady, she asked carefully.
“That’s…… great. No difficulties, then?”
Doctor Lorenson turned his back to her as if it were unimportant small talk, removing his gloves as he replied.
“Yes. Especially since the patient always treats her kindly, she says it’s not hard at all.”
“…….”
When Doctor Lorenson turned around, relief washed over Reina’s frozen expression, pushing everything else aside. He gave the poor maid girl a slight smile, then hesitated with the dark red liquid in hand.
“…….”
Thanks to a full week of rest to recover from fatigue, plus his antidote pills, Reina had been taking the dark red brew relatively well. But it wasn’t medicine for a young woman to take long-term. Even with the antidote, keeping this up would surely ruin her health. He knew that best as a doctor. Doctor Lorenson ventured lightly.
“Young lady. You slept in late—feeling under the weather today? If so, maybe skip the medicine tea…….”
“No. Give it to me. I’ll drink it.”
Reina extended her hand without hesitation, as if she knew reassuring the Marchioness was her duty in return for the kindness shown to her grandmother.
“It feels empty without it.”
She even smiled as she said it.
“…….”
Lorenson handed her the cup on the tray with a bitter expression. Well…… her health wasn’t the issue here anyway. He’d momentarily thought only of the Marchioness’s orders. Better for her to take medicine for a while than ruin her life bearing a bastard child. If she hadn’t shared a bed last night, she wouldn’t have needed the dark red brew…… Seeing her insist on drinking it, it looked like she had. What to do with this girl’s life…… As Reina’s gaze dipped slightly, briefly hiding her expression, and as she took the tray, something slipped subtly onto his fingertips from under it. Reina had passed him something.
“…….”
Doctor Lorenson calmly tucked it into his sleeve naturally. It was the intelligence note the Marchioness had been waiting for. * * *
“Finally……!”
The Marchioness clutched the first intelligence note from Doctor Lorenson triumphantly. She shot him a glare as if to say “See?”
“Hmph. Clever girl. Pull out the grandmother card, and she brings it right over?”
Doctor Lorenson smiled to avoid offending her, defending gently.
“It wasn’t like that. She already had it prepared to hand over. Still, mentioning her grandmother clearly cheered her up. She’ll probably try even harder next time.”
The Marchioness, already thrilled with anticipation, unfolded the small note. Worried she might be let down by her high expectations, Doctor Lorenson added cautiously.
“……Don’t expect too much. It might not be anything groundbreaking from the start……. But that girl does try her best at whatever you ask, doesn’t she?”
The Marchioness half-listened as she fully opened the tiny note and began reading.
“!”
Her breath caught in shock, her expression changing. 【 I met the Crown Prince. 】 【 He came to the mansion suddenly. No time to hide. 】 【 He’s inviting Christina to the debutante. 】 【 He saw my face—what do I do? 】 【 His Highness thinks I’m Lady Christina. 】
“……!”
It was nothing like what she’d expected. The Marchioness stared at it in bewilderment, then read it from the beginning again. 【 He saw my face—what do I do? 】 【 His Highness thinks I’m Lady Christina. 】 Reina had met the Crown Prince? He’d seen her face? Invited her to the debutante? Reina?
“……!”
Her face paling, the Marchioness gaped before frantically looking up at Doctor Lorenson.
“What? Is it something important?”
Seeing her grave expression, Alvin Lorenson stiffened and asked. The Marchioness shot back urgently.
“Did Reina say anything else when she passed this?”
Had she written something truly serious? Doctor Lorenson shook his head in confusion.
“No, nothing else. Sir Arthur’s close knight is always watching inside the room. She can barely pass a note—no chance for other talk. Why?”
The Marchioness gasped. Then stammered rapidly.
“Reina…… Reina met the Crown Prince.”
“Pardon?!”
Wh-who? The Crown Prince?
“He saw her face and thought she was Christina! And he even invited her to the debutante!”
Doctor Lorenson’s mouth fell open. Where? Here? When?
“I told her not to wander—what mess is she making!”
Her face flushed, the Marchioness shot up from her seat.
“I need to talk to her. How did it happen?”
Since the chaos a few days ago with that knight Lionel, neither she nor the Marquis could enter the space Arthur had assigned without his permission. Should she ask Arthur for a meeting? But she needed to see Reina, not Arthur.
“I-If I say I urgently need to meet Reina now, will Arthur allow it?”
Lorenson looked incredulous.
“No way……. You’re using her as a spy, right? Sir Arthur knows she’s your spy, doesn’t he?”
“It’s an emergency!”
Lorenson raised his voice in exasperation.
“It’s an emergency for us—not for Sir Arthur! Just do what he asks already and get the lady back to normal! What kind of farce is this!”
She was going mad! Who didn’t know that? The best way, as Lorenson said, was to apologize to Arthur for the fraudulent marriage, the shoddy supplies, all the past grievances, get his forgiveness, and then openly discuss solutions. But……! Her face beet red, the Marchioness shouted.
“The compensation for the shoddy supplies he demanded was a bigger hit than expected! And his demands don’t end there!”
She poured out what she’d been holding back.
“The scope of ‘veterans’ and ‘bereaved families’ he wants is way broader than we thought! If we give him everything he asks, we’ll be broke!”
Even House Julius couldn’t fulfill all that. What to do? In their disadvantaged position, negotiation wasn’t immediate. They needed to find some weakness or leverage…… The Marchioness stomped in frustration.
“That wench Reina—we’ve done so much for her, and this is the ‘intelligence’ she brings! Just causing trouble! I told her to bring Arthur’s weaknesses, not this nonsense!”
At that moment, Christina approached, lightly grinding out her cigarette in the ashtray, and extended her pale fingers to pick up the paper from the floor.
“…….”
Christina silently read what her mother had. Then she flicked it over to check the back.
“……Well. She did find a weakness. It’s separate here.”
“What?!”
The Marchioness whipped her head up and snatched the note. She urgently read the short line on the back she’d missed.
“……!”
Her face turning purple with rage, she shrieked and flung the note away.
“This is her ‘weakness’?!”
【 — Sir Arthur is picky about mushrooms. 】
