Ch#21
While Edel was lost in such thoughts, Laslo, who had been staring at her while thinking of something, spoke.
“Overkill.”
His apparent colleague, a young man, frowned at the perfunctory response. But Laslo kept his eyes fixed on Edel and asked,
“What are you doing here?”
“I was on my way to fetch the laundry from Your Lordship’s room. If it bothered you, I’ll take another route next time.”
Edel answered without the slightest hint of agitation or trembling. She knew it might seem suspicious, but having been trained in such situations since childhood, it was hard to feign surprise.
Laslo examined her closely before nodding faintly.
“No need for that. You can go.”
*Spoils of war*
“Yes, my lord.”
Edel bowed her head slightly once more in greeting, then pushed the cart toward Laslo’s bedroom. She felt relieved that she seemed to have avoided any unwarranted suspicion.
*Duchess*
Truly written by Lemon Frog
Laslo silently watched Edel’s retreating figure, but Nathan, his right-hand man standing beside him, frowned and asked.
“Who’s that?”
“Didn’t you hear? Laundry maid.”
“Come on, boss. My eyes are still fine.”
Laslo gave an unfriendly reply, but Nathan eyed his profile suspiciously.
“Looks noble-born at first glance. And not from some minor house either… Wait a minute.”
- 2 -
.
The quick-witted and perceptive Nathan soon recalled who she was.
“That woman from the emperor? No way.”
As he scratched the back of his head with a groan,
“Who’s that woman?”
“You messing with me? Edel Lancaster!”
“Why’s she out there right when we’re talking about the Canyon Count’s house? Creepy. Did she really hear nothing?”
…Only a select few knew that ‘red rat’ referred to the Canyon Count’s house. If that woman knew, well… he’d have to recruit her as our guild’s codebreaker!
Laslo didn’t respond and reentered the study.
But Nathan lingered at the doorway, still staring in the direction Edel had gone.
Laslo chuckled softly to soothe his worried subordinate.
However, the unexpected encounter with Edel did draw him deeper into thoughts about the Canyon Count’s house.
“Guess I’m getting rusty too. Forgot about that woman.”
“No reason you’d need to remember her.”
Yes, the Canyon Count would grow even more cautious than before, but he was the type who’d never abandon his greed.
“We’ll see. Depends on how you use that woman, boss.”
Not content with marrying off his promising young daughter to an old man without hesitation, he’d handed her over to save his own skin.
He shut the study door firmly with a cold expression.
After taking Edel in, he’d secretly waited for covert contact from the Canyon Count’s house, but no letter had come so far.
“A former duchess as a laundry maid? Has she ever even dipped her hands in water?”
Even the Celestine Marchioness Dowager, no blood relation, had written pleading for her to be treated well, yet her own parents and siblings didn’t even wonder what had become of her.
“You sure your eyes are fine? If you’d seen her hands earlier, you wouldn’t ask that.”
Nathan paused at Laslo’s retort. Earlier, he’d been too focused on the odd atmosphere from the woman lingering outside to notice her hands.
She might have been deceived by her father into marrying the Lancaster Duke. And perhaps, even before that marriage, she hadn’t been particularly happy.
But Laslo had noticed Edel’s roughened hands right after her face.
Those hands, now red, swollen, and peeling pitifully unlike before.
Anyway, Edel—that woman—needed to be able to abandon her family too.
“She seemed almost grateful even for the laundry maid position, probably thinking she’d end up attending him at night if brought here.”
Believing the Canyon Count’s house would one day vanish from the noble registry, Laslo hoped Edel had fully severed ties with her past and returned to business.
“No way. Noble girls would rather become sex slaves than get their hands wet.”
“How many times have I told you not to buy into those prejudices? If you wanna see things your way, go work at a newspaper!”
“To wrap up what we were saying, we’re keeping a close eye on the red rat. If the yellow fox moves, the red rat will surely show different behavior than before.”
“Got it. I’ll trust your instincts this time, boss.”
Nathan clammed up, chastened.
In truth, Laslo inwardly mocked himself too. He’d thought the same as Nathan at first.
Nathan nodded. Laslo’s instincts always proved right, so this time wouldn’t be different.
Of course, it was still too soon for a precise judgment.
But on the other hand, he mulled over the lingering unease.
*My side’s not easy either, boss. That woman rubbed me the wrong way earlier.*
She no longer seemed intent on dying, at least. That was worth acknowledging.
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