Chapter 149

‘……Nanny?’

It was ridiculous.

‘From now on, you will have to listen to me. Drink tea, then eat rice.’

‘It’s the master consideration to feed and clothe you, who do not even work. Always be grateful.’

‘Did you ever try to run away? If you disappear, your sister will be punished in your place.’

Hilda Volladi, the nanny when she was with Count Orbia. She was abusive and vigilant to stop Luciel from escaping.

The Count’s crony used to punish her excessively if Luciel didn’t listen to her. She had a face that looked exactly like that Hilda. Luciel pressed her startled heart down and shook her head.

She calmly organized her thoughts.

‘If it’s really Hilda Volladi, why is this woman here? And even as the Marquise of Baluk?’

Or have I mistaken her for someone else?

Although her hair color, outfit, and mood were different, the face looked so similar that one would believe that she was the twin to Mrs. Volladi.

At that moment, the Duke grabbed Luciel’s small hand tightly and glanced at her.

‘Dad seems to know something, too.’

“Finally, it is the first time I see a member of the veiled Marquis of Baluk. Shall we take a break first and then proceed with the salon after?”

At the words of the Empress, people rose up, rested freely, and gossiped around. The atmosphere that had been bleak was gradually dissipating. But not on the side of the Marquise Baluk.

All rose up and naturally moved about, but only the Marquise, Penelope, and Prince Reynold, who sat next to her, remained frozen as if their souls were elsewhere.

The Duke, who had moved slightly to a secluded place in the garden where there were no people, murmured to Ellington.

“How did this happen? Was something wrong with Jarga’s work? Let’s check to be sure.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ellington also moved to a more distant place to use the communication port with a serious face. The Duke confirmed that Ellington was moving away and said while holding Luciel in his arms.

“Luciel, let’s take a walk around for a while?”

“Yes, I like it.”

Noticing that the Duke had something to tell her, Luciel quickly nodded her head.

He walked around while holding Luciel, and in an instant, he took a mobile portal and moved to Bellstein’s townhouse, before opening his mouth.

Ellington had also moved there.

“Luciel, there is something I didn’t tell you beforehand. Do you know a woman named Hilda Volladi, who worked for Count Orbia?”

“Yes, of course. She was the woman who watched over me.”

“In fact, she is dead.”

The whole story was long, but the fact that Count Orbia is now being held in the Duke’s prison was meant to be told when Luciel was a little older.

“We took that woman away to reveal Count Orbia deeds, and when we set her free, she met Palos, the aide of the prince.”

“……What? So where is Count Orbia?”

Luciel asked in anger.

“I have made sure that he can’t move. Don’t worry.”

When he was bored, the Duke was periodically tormenting the Count of Orbia, and the recently skinny Count now seems to have lost his voice.

Luciel nodded her head at the Duke’s gentle pat.

“Yes.”

“Anyway, Hilda Volladi tried to hand over the information that you were a Crystal Fairy to the prince. I dealt with her to stop it.”

“My dad stopped her for me and I didn’t even know about it. thank you.”

At Luciel’s greeting, the Duke lightly hugged the child’s shoulder and said.

“It’s our job, it’s something that concerns you, not anyone else. This is a matter of course. But I can’t believe that she’s alive when she was supposedly dead……”

“I thought it might be someone else, but I guess I was right enough if Dad thinks so, too.”

After a while, Ellington came over and said,

“He will report to you directly.”

Soon, a light shone from the Duke’s communication port. The Duke quickly received the call as soon as he verified it was Jarga.

―Sir, this is Jarga. Hilda Volladi was handed by my own hands and I confirmed her body.

After the Duke gave a signal by pointing to Luciel’s ear for a moment, Ellington tried to cover Luciel’s ear with his hand.

“For the sake of the Little Madam’s mental health, I will close your ears for a moment…….”

But Luciel shook her head and answered.

“I know everything.”

They both knew that Luciel was a returnee, but their hearts did not accept such a fact.

“Ha ha, yes. Still, His Grace will want to show only good things and have you listen to only pleasant sounds.”

Soon the Duke frowned and secretly asked Jarga.

“How did you dispose of the body?”

―I hung a stone and threw it into the river. The handling was certain.

“I see.”

After the Duke had finished communicating with Jarga, he returned to Luciel and Ellington and said.

“It’s going to be interesting. Now, let’s find out what exactly happened. Luciel, do you have the brooch?”

Luciel nodded her head and pulled the item back from her pocket, showing it to him.

“Yes, I will go back to see Penelope before the break is over.”

“I’m sorry for asking you this. Just in case, I and Kizef will be watching you, so don’t worry.”

“Yes. It’s okay, Penelope will definitely approach me first. Then I’ll spill this. It’s a jewel, so I’m sure she’ll covet it.”

Luciel tucked the shiny diamond brooch back into the small pocket on the waist of the dress.

Returning to the outdoor garden where the salon was held, she passed the man-made waterfall and stood alone watching the butterflies fluttering over the flowers.

From all over the place, the family watched over Luciel, and all kinds of magic shields were already protecting her.

Moreover, this was the Imperial Palace. It was a place that prevented the use of attack magic. Using attack magic without permission here could result in a prison sentence, and if unlucky enough, it would be considered treason.

Like a flower waiting for a butterfly, Luciel looked around, waiting for Penelope to approach.

Unlike before, Penelope, who was greeting other nobles, soon reached the place where Luciel was.

“Oh, I’m finally seeing the Princess.”

“Hello, Young Lady Cavill. I’ve been waiting for you. I was worried that you might not be able to come.”

At Luciel’s words, Penelope became furious for a moment, but soon regained her composure and spoke quite calmly.

“……I am here thanks to the patronage of Marquise Baluk. She even bought me the most expensive dress from Beatrice.”

Seeing her speak vainly, she looked like the normal Penelope. Previously, she was quiet like a doll, so the mood was a little different.

Anyway, Penelope was wrong in one little detail.

“Looks like the second most expensive dress. You saw that my mother bought the whole shelf the other day.”

‘How long do I have to match the rhythm with childish conversations?’

Luciel looked at Penelope’s seething with rage feeling bored inside.

“How was the Marquisate of Baluk?”

Only then did Penelope get excited to brag about something.

“It was a very, very wonderful place. It was a luxurious manor with a constant supply of sweet and fragrant food. I was truly treated like a princess. If possible, I’m going to ask the Marquise to be my godmother. She loved me so much, you see.”

“Are there any other families?”

As I remember looking through the genealogy, I heard that the Marquisate of Baluk had only the Marquise and an only daughter.

“I don’t think I saw it. Did they go far away by boat? Oh, and she lost her only daughter. Poor thing. Thanks to that, there was a lot of stuff for girls in that mansion.”

“Girl stuff?”

“Yes. Like hair ornaments, dolls, or shoes. They were all brand-new.”

After hearing Penelope’s story, Luciel felt something strange.

‘They are new? Not something she left behind because she missed her daughter?’

“Are you going back to Marquisate Cavill after the literary salon is over?”

“No! For the time being, I will be staying at the Marquisate of Baluk, why?”

As Penelope snapped back at Luciel, she said.

“No, it’s a good thing for the Young Lady to stay at the Marquisate of Baluk.”

It was fortunate. After the salon was over, Luciel needed to make sure that Penelope would go to the Marquisate of Baluk instead of going back to the Cavill manor.

That was a pretty important part.

That way, the diamond brooch will be able to tell where the Marquise is really staying.

“Absolutely. Because the Marquise adores me. By the way, you are the one to announce Bellstein’s article right? I’m looking forward to it. You won’t be able to defeat me.”

Penelope lit up her green eyes.

The Empress was seen gradually returning to reopen her salon. Luciel pulled out the brooch, hid it behind the hem of her dress, and slipped it under her feet. The heavy diamond brooch made a small noise and fell on the grass as Luciel looked elsewhere.

Then she looked at Penelope and said:

“Did the Young Lady also have time to prepare?”

“Hunf, you’re going to be surprised, okay?!”

Penelope triumphantly shouted to Luciel. However, it seemed that all her nerves were already focused on the diamond brooch.

Luciel smiled and left the seat first.

Seeing the sparkling diamond brooch, Penelope had her eyes turned over, waiting for Luciel to leave. She hurriedly hid it on the hem of her dress before picking it up.

‘……What good fortune is this? It’s all made of diamonds, isn’t it?’

Marquis Cavill also had a very small diamond, but this one was several times larger, shimmering, and splendid.

‘Obviously, it’s something the Princess let fall around. To think that Bellstein was this rich. Heh, now that it’s in my hands, it’s mine.’

Penelope grinned and hid the brooch in the depths of her clothes.

Not even knowing there was magic cast in the brooch.