Episode 15. Brazen Stroll
Adel ground her teeth and lowered her voice further.
"What bullshit is that?"
"Then why are you just standing there? Why aren't you avoiding that wastrel when he clings to you like that?"
Adel snorted. It wasn't even worth answering.
"How many women does that wastrel cling to like that? Does that mean all of them like the young master?"
Knox stared down at Adel blankly. As if telling her not to spout nonsense. But in the end, he said nothing and released her arm with a shove.
"Let's not talk. It's meaningless anyway. I'm getting married soon, after all."
For a moment, Adel's shoulders twitched.
"Married?"
"Yeah. Didn't you hear? Gray's getting married."
Seeing Adel's startled eyes, Knox sneered as if he'd expected it.
"What? Even as his favored aide, you didn't know? Hallock's grand duchess declared she'd get engaged to young master Gray in exchange for introducing duty-free trade between our kingdom and Hallock."
Knox's usually rigid features looked striking rather than vile even when sneering. That's how Adel saw it. No, that's how it had always been. But….
"You know they dated quite a while in Hallock, right? Word is already widespread that Hallock's grand duchess couldn't forget him and worked our royal family directly."
Ah, since when did this guy start smiling so vilely?
Why'd he turn out so ugly?
"Hey, you listening?"
"Huh? Yeah. I'm listening."
Adel focused her dazed gaze on Knox.
"I see. But so what?"
"You think Hallock's grand ducal family will just sit back and watch their daughter while their son-in-law keeps a mistress?"
Adel's brow furrowed.
"More bullshit."
Knox scowled too.
"Forget it. You don't even know yourself."
"What don't I know?"
"You… ah, whatever."
Knox shoved Adel's shoulder.
"Go, get lost."
"You go first."
"Ha."
Knox turned without hesitation.
"And don't sing that damn song anymore."
A bit further on, he tossed the sandwich and ointment to the ground.
Adel said nothing. She just watched Winter walk away.
All she could do was think it was the fate of a sister with a dirty, petty little brother.
What could she do? It was her fault for sending her siblings away like that when she shouldn't have.
So… it's my fault, isn't it?
Adel sighed softly.
***
Afterward, Adel often fell into thought.
Late at night washing away the day's fatigue in hot water, while delving into countless foreign farming treatises amid absurd territorial peasant demands, even while writing urgent business letters.
"Hallock's grand duchess declared she'd get engaged to young master Gray in exchange for introducing duty-free trade between our kingdom and Hallock."
"You know they dated quite a while in Hallock, right? Word is already widespread that Hallock's grand duchess couldn't forget him and worked our royal family directly."
She couldn't fathom why such earnest, boring words kept resurfacing with that guy's ugly face.
It must be because he'd gotten so ugly.
That was so startling that whenever his face popped up, the words she'd heard then naturally came to mind too.
Adel set down the farming treatise she'd been reading intently and looked around. The office where she worked alone was filled with silence.
Beyond the small window, the forest surrounding the ducal residence looked worn away in the intense sunlight. It was nearing noon.
Adel stood.
The estate bustled at this hour. A bustling estate meant fewer places devoid of people. For instance, the duke's office, the sub-duke's agent's office, or LeRoy's office.
Thus, Adel looked forward to this time. Perfect timing for a stroll inside the ducal residence.
Confirming no one in the corridor to the duke's office, Adel quickly picked the locked door and slipped inside. Her movements were silent and deft, even relocking from within.
She went straight to the desk and scanned the documents the duke had left spread out.
Various agenda items for regular noble meetings, dinner invitations from the king and queen, status reports from the duke's eldest son and sub-duke Hudson, who governed the territory.
The last bundle piqued curiosity, but she knew well that the sub-duke's reports sent this way contained only superficial statistics tailored to fit perfectly.
So she ignored it. Opportunities to rummage the duke's desk were rare, so today she'd aim for more core information.
Adel grabbed the end of her long dress skirt and hiked it to her thigh in an instant. She pulled out two large needles pre-inserted into her undergarments.
Without hesitation, she jammed the two needles into the desk drawer's keyhole, twisting and probing the lower one. A skill learned for a fortune from a former master thief turned bosun—worth every penny for such utility.
Click. The lock gave way under the needles' force.
This drawer held the duke's key correspondences. How did she know? She'd opened it this way several times before, of course.
Adel quickly opened the top one, signed by the king himself.
[To my dear partner, Duke Valoneck.
You may wonder at a letter between us who meet daily, but I hope you understand my intent in writing, knowing this matter could cause conflict between your deep assets and loyalty to the nation.
You know of my recent close meeting with Hallock's ambassador, Marquis Montua.]
The rest was already known to Adel.
Hallock proposed a duty-free trade agreement with Karl, designating Duke Valoneck to oversee it, and as proof of mutual trust, wished the responsible vassals of each nation to unite through marriage.
Wordy, but simple: Marry Hallock's vassal's daughter to your youngest son.
The letter closed noting Valoneck had a marriageable gentleman, Kaufman grand ducal house a beautiful lady—what heavenly fortune.
'What bullshit.'
Ridiculous. It omitted their famously long-term relationship.
Embarrassing for them too. The royals matching the grand ducal scheming.
Adel resealed the letter perfectly and replaced it. Wondering if the duke replied, what he said—curious, but not her concern.
The next was from border count Donchard, guarding Karl's northern frontier.
"What is this?"
The sealing wax imprint was intact. But closer look showed signs it'd been opened before.
High chance the duke read and resealed it….
"Confidential, huh."
Adel desperately wanted to read it. She quickly sought candle and flint to melt the wax.
Candle always on desk—no issue. Flint probably in a drawer?
As she reached for a regular drawer, suddenly head steward Ivor's voice rang from outside.
"This is His Grace's office. Please wait here a moment…."
Footsteps indicated a companion.
Adel swiftly replaced the letter and shut the drawer. No time to relock the correspondence drawer with needles.
"Yes. We'll wait then."
The unfamiliar companion replied to Ivor. Ivor would open the office door soon.
Adel abandoned locking and darted to the corner bookshelf, slipping behind the curtain.
She'd thought the space narrow, but behind the desk it was tighter. Realizing someone was already there, she couldn't help but be startled.
Her shoulder bumped the occupier's chest.
"Huh?"
A man's arm extended, swiftly wrapping and steadying her wobbling waist.
Adel froze the instant her eyes met sparkling blue ones. Very familiar eyes. Playboy master, Gray.
"Shh."
Gray pressed a long index finger to his lips.
Even seeing dazed Adel, he was leisurely as always. As if he'd witnessed everything she'd done in the office.
'Damn. Of course he did.'
Adel swallowed a reflexive curse and ducked her head. A soft snicker escaped above. Gray laughing.
As she tried to pry the firm arm from her waist—uncomfortable—he lightly smacked her hand. Simultaneously, the office door opened.
