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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reunion
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Just as I was starting to regret coming along, Emil emerged, his face pale and drained of color.
"Anyway... um... where were we?"
I figured he'd just put on a brave face if I showed any concern, so I asked a different question.
"Does the Marquis not know who you are?"
Emil shrugged.
"He might know my name, but not my face. Believe it or not, I'm quite shy and don't meet just anyone."
He stretched lightly and then bid me farewell.
"Well then, I'll be resting in my room. You should stay here for a bit, little lady."
Emil called over a maid who was waiting at the end of the hall and had her guide him away.
He looked like he could barely walk straight. I wondered if he'd be okay.
And he told me to just wait here for a bit?
Finding myself suddenly alone, I glanced around the empty hallway.
The corridor had been deserted just a moment ago, but a voice suddenly spoke from right beside me.
"Lady Del."
"Aah!"
He scared me!
I jumped back, and my eyes fell on his black hair and a piercing on his lip.
Cheshire was dressed in the ill-fitting uniform of one of the marquis's servants.
He twitched an eyebrow as if to say I had startled him too.
"Why are you screaming?"
"B-Because you appeared without a sound! And what's with those clothes?"
Cheshire puffed out his chest proudly.
"I knocked a guy out and swapped clothes. This place is seriously lax."
I unconsciously took a step back from Cheshire.
"Why would you do that?"
"Well, I'm an informant, you know? I heard you were coming to the marquisate, Lady Del. I missed you! You've finally come to retrieve me this time, right?"
What a strange conclusion to jump to!
I didn't even know where to begin correcting him.
I started with the most important thing.
"First of all, my name is Cheria now."
He grinned and promptly called out my name.
"Yes, Lady Cheria!"
He's still as obedient as ever.
He also smelled of alcohol.
As I sniffed at his clothes, Cheshire explained.
"I bathed."
"Then why do you smell like alcohol?"
"Because I drank after bathing?"
I don't deal with drunkards!
I turned away without a second thought, and Cheshire nonchalantly followed.
"I'm a connoisseur, so I only have the best liquor. Would you like some, Lady Cheria? I wouldn't mind at all! I can give you all of it!"
I was dumbfounded.
"You just said you were an informant. Don't you know I'm eleven?"
Cheshire looked puzzled.
"Eleven-year-olds can't drink? The world's gotten so harsh these days."
"..."
I was just beginning to understand why Del had sent Cheshire away on a difficult mission.
Footsteps sounded nearby.
Yikes, where should I hide?
Oh, wait, I don't need to hide, do I?
Marquis Ingram hadn't exactly been welcoming, but Menelik and I were still honored guests who had brought gifts.
But my decision not to hide was rendered moot when Cheshire pulled me back.
He lowered his voice meaningfully.
"Stay still."
I thought he might pull out an artifact to make us invisible, but instead, Cheshire struck the approaching servant, knocking him out cold in a single blow.
Gah!
"W-What are you doing?!"
Ignoring my shock, Cheshire stripped the unconscious servant of his outer coat.
"This guy's clothes are nicer. I'll change into these."
"What if you get caught...!"
Cheshire spoke as he changed his coat.
"I've infiltrated this place three times and even created an identity for myself without ever getting caught. They're up to all sorts of shady business, but their security is a joke."
Then, Cheshire shoved the limp servant into an empty room.
I could tell this wasn't the first or second time he'd done something like this.
I sighed, calculating the probability of being mistaken for Cheshire's accomplice.
"Shady business? Are you finally going to give me some informant-worthy information?"
"I'll tell you anything you want, Lady Cheria. But even if you don't do anything, it'll all be revealed soon anyway. So, Lady Cheria, you should hurry up and get a divorce."
Another strange conclusion.
But since I'd already spoken with Kivrin, I opened my mouth to speak.
"About that..."
Cheshire suddenly clamped a hand over my mouth.
"Shh, someone scary is coming. See you later!"
Without waiting for my reply, he leaped out the window.
His attitude was completely different from when he'd knocked out the servant.
Abandoning his master just because someone scary was coming?
Is he really Del's trusted subordinate?
I shook my head.
The person who appeared was Menelik.
"Why are you alone?"
...Menelik is the scary person?
A strange feeling left me speechless.
There were rumors that my father-in-law suffered from madness, but was he scary enough to frighten a transcendent being who had lived for a thousand years?
Menelik glanced at the window Cheshire had jumped from, then held out his hand to me.
"You shouldn't wander around alone in a place you don't know."
He wore his usual relaxed expression.
I took Menelik's hand.
"How did you know I was here?"
Emil must have known Menelik would come looking for me and told me to wait.
"Swordmasters can know anything."
A small question popped into my head.
In the novel, when the male lead became a swordmaster, the celebrations lasted for nearly a month.
It made sense, since he was the crown prince.
I wonder if Menelik received many congratulations.
"Father, when did you become a swordmaster? Did people congratulate you when it happened?"
"No, my family tried to kill me."
"What?!"
I shouldn't have asked!
Just as I thought I'd made a huge blunder, Menelik spoke nonchalantly.
"It's fine, because I won."
...I really don't know how to react to that.
"What about that family member?"
"They left the empire but are still alive and well. We cut ties a long time ago, but it seems they still write to Winter sometimes."
This was a story that never appeared in the novel.
"Will I ever get to meet them?"
Menelik chuckled at my question.
"Who knows... Well, they might agree to meet you. They like kind people."
Which also implies that you're not a kind person, Father...
As we went down the stairs, servants began to follow us.
There were ten of them, including maids.
Menelik paid them no mind, but I felt like we were being watched.
He escorted me to the guest room.
"Cesar will be here soon."
I thought deeply.
How many servants could Cheshire knock out in an hour?
And what were the chances he'd have the sense to pretend he didn't know me in front of the marquis?
"..."
Zero!
I'll definitely be suspected as an accomplice!
I showed the courtesy of waiting quietly for five minutes before peeking my head out the door.
All those people had followed Menelik and were gone.
So I'm getting the cold shoulder. That's actually better for me.
There was no way Cheshire would just leave the estate.
I left a note on the table saying I'd be back soon, then tiptoed out of the guest room.
Where did Cheshire go?
I peeked out a window overlooking the garden.
I saw one maid stumble and another help her up.
The stumbling maid's face looked familiar.
It was the maid who had almost gotten her hair pulled by Sabrina and had guided me to Cesar.
I wondered if she had seen Cheshire.
She might even know what was happening in the marquisate.
Cheshire had said that whatever Marquis Ingram was doing would soon be revealed, even without my help.
That must have meant that most people had already noticed something was wrong.
I scurried down the stairs.
The maid was sitting on a bench, resting by herself.
"Hello. We meet again!"
I spoke with an innocent expression, and the maid's eyes widened.
"Your Ladyship?"
"It's all right. Please, stay seated."
The maid fidgeted, watching me nervously.
Her face was pale.
"You're breaking out in a cold sweat."
"I apologize. My nerves... that is, I have a bit of a cold."
It sounded like she was about to blame her nerves.
In any case, I pulled a handful of chocolates from my pocket.
"Here, take this. I get sick often too, and eating something tasty always helps me feel better."
"I don't know if I should accept..."
"Take it!"
I shot her a meaningful look.
People who give you food are never bad people!
Besides, the ducal chef made these himself, so their taste and quality are guaranteed!
The maid cautiously accepted the chocolates.
"Try one. Please?"
She reluctantly popped a chocolate into her mouth.
But after only a few chews, she began to sob quietly.
