Chapter 162

Petronilla bowed elegantly, and went up the stairs in a hurry, as if she really was someone who had to use the toilet urgently.

While she was away, January was eating the delicious snacks she had brought, when she suddenly felt a bit suspicious.

Wait a minute… There is a bathroom on the first floor as well?

January realized that, and hastily stood up from her seat. Was that woman possibly… January hurried upstairs to her room. No one was in her room. She looked inside the jewelry box quickly.

“One, two, three, four…”

There were a total of seventeen letters, and fortunately nothing was missing. January let out a sigh of relief, and closed the lid of the jewelry box. Then a voice came from behind her, “What are you doing?”

Surprised, January let out a scream. She calmed her heart that had almost stopped, and looked at Petronilla, who was staring at her with a mysterious gaze. Petronilla asked her, “Why not eat more of the sweets?”

“Ah… had to check out… something of mine.”

“Aah.”

‘That was what it was,’ replied Petronilla. January asked Petronilla with a detached voice.

“There is a bathroom on the first floor…”

“… Ah.”

“Why did you go up to the second floor?”

January forced a smile and asked.

Petronilla replied with amazement, as if she had just found that out, “Oh my, I did not know, Madam.”

“…”

“It is just that the location on the second floor was the one I knew about because the Duchess had shown it to me… I do not know what is on the first floor.”

“…”

“I did not want to ask a question regarding something like this… If I had offended you in some way… ”

“Not at all. No.” Only then, did January smile naturally, and said to Petronilla, “That could not be, my Lady. Do not worry about that.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Madame.” Petronilla gave January a pretty smile, and approached her while pretending to be on friendly terms. “Alright then, shall we go down and continue our conversation again?”

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“Where did Nilla go?”

Patrizia was handling some documents in the Empress Palace when she asked Mirya that.

Her maid replied without delay, “She went to the Duke of Efreni’s estate.”

“Ah,” Patrizia muttered to herself as if she knew the gist of it. “She must be busy ensuring the job is complete.”

“I am sorry?”

“It is nothing.” Patrizia responded in a nonchalant manner, and asked Mirya, “More than that, is there any news from my home? I have been so indifferent to my family these days.”

Patrizia’s father, the Marquis of Grochester, was certainly a high-ranking noble who participated in central politics, but he did not reveal himself with great presence. He was a man with that sort of personality, and since his daughter became the Empress, he had become that much more careful. Patrizia was grateful for her father’s attitude, and at the same time apologetic toward him.

“Come to think of it, it will be my mother’s birthday in a few days.” Patrizia thought for a moment, and then asked, “Will I be able to attend?”

“There is no reason why there would be a problem, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm.” Patrizia pondered about it, and gave a small nod. “Rafaella, then will you be in charge of the preparations to go out, starting tomorrow?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Patrizia smiled and instructed in a slow voice. “Mirya, send a message to my father. I will be visiting in three days.”

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“I cannot allow her into this house anymore.” January muttered to herself as she walked around the room.

Lady Petronilla, that woman is dangerous. January’s intuition was telling her. It was the same feeling she had when she first met Duchess Efreni. That kind of feeling was rare. Moreover, the Duchess of Efreni openly showed hostility, but this woman did not even do that.

Like someone waiting for a prey to be caught in a trap… January paced around the room with a frustrated expression on her face, and soon hid the jewelry box out of sight with an irritated face. After a while, she fell into deep thought, a serious look on her face.

“When does Duchess Efreni plan on returning?”

Really, it was truly difficult for the mistress to become the actual wife. January was letting out heavily agitated sounds, when she was surprised by someone suddenly opening the door and entering the room. An unexpected person was standing there. When January confirmed who it was, her face became brighter.

“Oh my, Jacob.”

It was her young son. January quickly went up to Jacob, lifted him up high, and hugged him. She asked him tenderly, “What is it, baby? What is the reason you are in your mother’s room?”

Even as a child of the mistress, Jacob had to grow up in the hands of a nanny, because half of his blood belonged to that of a high-ranking noble. As someone who originated as a commoner, January did not understand such a situation, but she was obedient and followed the rules for the future. Jacob, who was still young, whined to his mother, “The nanny is suddenly crying, Mother.”

“The nanny?” she asked him in a puzzled voice. Elena, Jacob’s nanny, was a woman without any tears. She asked him, “Why?”

“I do not know?” Jacob shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Intuitively thinking that something big had happened in the household, January opened the door and went out.

“What is going on, butler?” she called out to the butler with a coy look on her face. The butler looked at January with the same facial expression he always had. January did not like that face for some reason, so she asked again with a slightly sharpened expression. “I heard Elena cried in front of the child. She needs to be careful, still a young child…”

“Please understand, Madam.” There was an edge in the butler’s voice.

At his response, January flinched involuntarily. She instinctively knew something was wrong, and asked him, “…Is there something going on? There is, right?”

“…” The butler said nothing. Looking closely, the butler’s once white eyes were now red. January patiently waited for the butler to respond. After a while, the butler opened his dry lips.

“The Young Master…”

There was only one person in this family that could be called “The Young Master,” Henry, the child of the Duchess of Efreni. She intuitively predicted what was going to come next, and urged the butler to speak further.

“The Young Master…? Why, what has happened?”

“…has closed his eyes forever.”

At the end of those words, January had to force down the laughter that almost burst out of her in that moment.

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Translated by Haeli

Edited by RED