207 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 207
==========
There are two reactions I could show here. Either waver, or steadfastly support Roena.
Either way would lead to unfavorable results, but at least in terms of morality, there was nothing better than the latter.
Hadn't I learned it definitively in my previous life? That in order to fight someone like Roena, I had to hide my emotions and properly circumvent them.
Moreover, there was no place as sensitive to threats to legitimacy as the aristocratic world, so it was necessary to prove that I had obtained the Bishvarts Family in a humane way.
The reason Roena's maternal family and high society hadn't interfered with my position until now and had been holding their breath was because of the imperial family's approval and the time limit that had been set.
They thought I was temporarily taking care of her until Roena grew up. Of course, even this had lost its effectiveness due to Roena's kidnapping.
Above all, the place where the Grand Duke and I were talking had a wall behind it, and there was a space where someone might be eavesdropping. Therefore, I had to be more careful about what I said regarding Roena.
I looked at the Grand Duke, who was looking at me with subtle expectation, and spoke with force. As if I believed in Roena without a doubt.
"I don't know what the young lord's intentions are in saying such things to me. Please stop. She's a child who's already caught up in a tragic event and whose life cannot be guaranteed. Don't you feel sorry for her? Instead of adding to my desperate feelings for Roena, you're encouraging me to doubt her. How cruel. Is this how you treat a close friend? If so, then stop it."
Despite the accusations I threw at him, the Grand Duke replied, "Is that so?" without showing any displeasure. His face, devoid of a smile, was not expressionless but rather searching for something; he didn't believe my words.
But he seemed to judge that it was difficult to persuade me any further due to my stubborn attitude, so he shrugged his shoulders once and nodded.
"It was just a small piece of advice for the young lady. It's a pity that you see it that way. Excuse me, young lady, I have no shame or regret for my previous remarks. But since you feel it was rude, I think I should stop here. It's important to know when to step back, no matter where you are. So, how about you let go of your anger and accept my greetings?"
It was I who felt suspicious at his strangely confident attitude. An ordinary person would have apologized for saying something wrong, but he didn't retract his words until the end.
Rather, the implication that I shouldn't regret it later made me wonder if he had some ulterior motive. The very fact that he could speak like this meant that he had seen something in Roena's attitude.
For example, if she was full of resentment towards me—for taking what was hers—and willingly accepted the kidnapping to make things difficult, then maybe. Even just considering Margo's case, there was enough reason to hate me.
Perhaps that's why. I wondered why he had to meet me and create distrust in Roena.
It would be easier to go to Roena and falsely whisper that I hated her. Wasn't he trying to drive me out anyway?
If that wasn't the case, there was no reason to use such a trick. Or perhaps he wanted Roena, who had returned safely, and I to fight and self-destruct.
Because in the sentiments of high society, they would never take the side of the newcomer, and he was expecting that. Or maybe there was another hidden intention.
Anyway, I had to accept his greetings, so I nodded and stepped away from him. The Grand Duke, who would have disappeared first in the past, strangely seemed to want me to move first today. So, pretending not to know anything, I moved my feet and naturally entered the store next door and exited through the opposite door.
Then, I went into another store next to it and carefully looked out the window. Just then, someone wearing a cloak pulled down low, emerged from the secret alley in the wall where I had been leaning, and spoke to the Grand Duke.
Because the person was completely covered, I couldn't tell their gender, but it was undeniable that they had been eavesdropping on the conversation between the Grand Duke and me.
If that person was the missing 'Roena,' then it all made sense that the Grand Duke had spoken to her when she was passing by that wall, and that he had encouraged suspicion about her.
Perhaps the Grand Duke wanted to give Roena confidence. That her actions were justified. He must have already learned through her that Sir Halberd had come over to my side.
Isn't it truly absurd? He pretended to help me find Roena and offered a reward, and he incited conflict through this kind of manipulation and offered cooperation to her.
Either way, the Grand Duke had nothing to lose. It would have been even more so if I had pretended to follow his words and expressed my anxiety about Roena.
The problem—assuming that the person in the cloak was Roena—was whether she could believe my answer, but that was something that would appear later, so for now, I had no choice but to prepare in advance.
I was fortunate that the Grand Duke underestimated me more than the Crown Prince did. Otherwise, he wouldn't have talked to the person presumed to be Roena as soon as I disappeared. Even in the middle of the city, where there were so many people trying to find her.
"If Jack were here, I'd tell him to follow them, but it's a shame I can't."
I pretended to look at the items in the window for a while, and only after the Grand Duke disappeared did I leave the store. Then, I headed towards the maids who had come out with me to put up flyers.
I had briefly separated from them due to my complicated feelings, and the Grand Duke had followed me, which was fortunate because it gave me a chance to understand some of his intentions.
If I told the Crown Prince, he would be very interested and would be more eager to find out the Grand Duke's location. Then finding Roena would be faster. Beasts have to fight each other.
All I can do is turn the given game over to them and try to protect myself as much as possible without causing any damage.
So, should I call Jack first and talk to him?
I told Marie to call Jack and returned to the mansion with the others. I was thinking of using the information guild he belonged to and digging into the location of the Witch that I had mentioned before.
Normally, I would separate the Witch and Roena, but in the capital, where the Crown Prince's eyes were watching, I had to be more careful.
A little later, I arrived at the mansion, changed into comfortable clothes, and was having tea when Jack arrived. I asked the child a few questions about his recent activities and then took out a ring from the drawer and gave it to him.
"This is an advance payment. If there's an empty mansion around the house where the Witch lives, or if you see people you haven't seen before going in and out of there, please let me know. It would be even better if it's a place where women frequent."
If I were the Grand Duke, I would imprison or monitor some of the maids Roena had taken. And I would assign my own people to Roena.
But serving a noble lady like her wasn't easy, so they would have to go outside often to get the right items or food. All the information guild had to do was detect this.
Of course, this was possible because the Grand Duke came to see me today and talked to the person presumed to be Roena. Otherwise, I would have continued to send people to the provinces and search in the wrong places. So, should I express my gratitude to him? He's qualified to be a close friend, too.
Jack fiddled with the ring and said to me.
"Is that enough? You're giving me too much for what I'm doing. I still have money left over from before. And I haven't finished the Witch's case yet."
"Just take it. Because you never know. Besides, this time, there's a condition that someone other than you has to do it, so I have to give you an advance payment, right? Instead, I need someone who won't say that I commissioned them even if they get caught."
"...Someone who keeps their mouth shut, right? I understand. I'll do that. But miss, you're not doing anything dangerous, are you? I didn't tell Arina because she'd worry, but I keep feeling uneasy."
"What do you mean?"
"About you, miss. Other people don't make these kinds of requests. At most, they ask me to find their lover's affair partner. I'm watching as you ordered, but the atmosphere is unusual. So I'm worried. If something happens to you, we'll be really sad."
"Jack, come closer."
I called Jack. The child, who would have been sulky and asked why I was calling him in the past, was strangely docile today. He was quiet even when I stroked his cheek and said, 'Thank you.' It was unlike Jack.
"It's something I have to do. Thank you for worrying about me."
"Do you really have to do it?"
"Yes. I have to."
At my answer, Jack suddenly threw out an irrelevant remark. It was such a far-fetched topic to change the subject that it was even questionable.
"...Miss, I heard that a young lord was born in the mansion. Congratulations. Is he very lovely?"
"Yes."
"What about Arina and me?"
Instead of answering immediately, I looked at Jack. The child was holding onto his clothes tightly, and he was trembling, probably because he was nervous after saying it himself. I gently kissed Jack's cheek. And I whispered in a soft voice.
"If you can only feel it when I say it, then I've really been treating you badly all this time. Goodness, how could you not be lovely? Meeting you and listening to your stories is the greatest joy in my daily life."
"...That's enough."
"Jack?"
Jack smiled at me as I called his name. But strangely, it was the same smile I always saw, but it looked like he was crying. The following sudden action was also unusual.
"Miss, please forgive my rudeness. I won't show you this side of me again."
The child came into my arms and hugged me tightly. And he rubbed his cheek against mine, as if waking me up from my frozen state of confusion.
It was the first time Jack had acted spoiled, so I couldn't say anything, and the child whispered. His voice that flowed into my ear was very low and wet.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time. It's good, this is enough. I'm satisfied."
Jack continued to mutter incomprehensible words while still in my arms until the maid said she was going to open the door and come in.
After coming out of my arms, the child's face was filled with an unknown determination, as if he had made a big decision. He didn't answer even when I asked him why he was suddenly like that, feeling something was wrong, and just smiled brightly. And he immediately greeted me and disappeared as if running away before I could catch him.
Enough, satisfied, it's okay.
I didn't know why those words came out when I had simply made a request, but there was an uneasy feeling that I couldn't just let it pass.
But it wasn't long before I realized the meaning of those words. Until then, I had no idea why Jack had said those things.
Since it was common for the child to disappear for weeks after being commissioned, I tried to dismiss the unpleasant thoughts, thinking that it would be the same this time. Very naively.
