CH 16

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

When he asked, Benson shook his hands in surprise.

“I, it’s nothing.” 

“Compared to that, isn’t the escort distance unusually close today?”

In fact, Benson had been by Maximilian’s side ever since he had just returned from meeting Mrs. Bessie.

It was also because he wanted to verify the unexpected words he had heard. 

｢The Duchess is a fake.｣

The words Bessie whispered in his ear were so unbelievable.

｢Perhaps the Duke noticed that too. He’s particularly avoiding the Duchess. He’s probably looking for evidence.｣

As Benson looked on in disbelief, Bessie cried and begged.

｢The reason why I came here in the first place was because I told Madam to confess the truth to the Duke. But the Madam puts me in this trap…｣

What nonsense. 

Benson shook his head and denied her words at once.

However, Bessie looked at him eagerly and asked again.

｢Keep a close eye on the Duke. You’ll soon find out that he keeps a strange distance from the Duchess in places where she’s out of sight.｣

There’s no way. 

Everyone knew that the Duke and Duchess of Sheridan were a loving couple who were courteous to each other.

But what about it? 

Benson was sure it wasn’t, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what Bessie said. 

‘If… If the Duke really had to deal with that problem alone, and if Mrs. Bessie was really stopped trying to confess her conscience..’

Mrs. Bessie might have fallen into a trap.

‘But the Duchess is not that kind of person.’

Benson, unable to come to a conclusion, decided to keep a close eye on the Duke, as Bessie had said. 

Especially by paying attention to the way he treats the Duchess.

If the Duke shows any sign of discomfort—.

At that time, he thought he would listen to Bessie’s story again.

If the Madam is really fake, it was something he would never forgive. 

“Sir Benson?”

At the sound of Maximilian calling again, Benson quickly straightened his posture.

“The Duke is the most important person in Sheridan. It is natural to escort you close.”

“Is that so? Please don’t neglect to keep an eye on Clarisse.”

“Yes.”

“And…” 

Maximilian, who had finished his order, turned his head and looked at Quentin.

“The pen has stopped since earlier, Quentin. They probably aren’t even looking at you when escorting.” 

“Don’t you know? I envy the duke!”

“Am I worth it?”

“You’re a married man!”

“Is that… something to envy?”

Maximilian murmured bitterly.

“Yes! My stomach hurts! I’ve never even experienced my first love.”

Quentin’s sobbing continued.

“…That’s really it.” 

“I want to have a feverish first love! Ah, the Duke must have had such a time, right?”

For a moment, he doesn’t know why, but Maximilian’s complexion suddenly darkened.

Even Quentin, who had been struggling without noticing, paused.

Benson didn’t miss the look.

‘Doesn’t this mean that Mrs. Bessie’s words are true?’

That the Duke was secretly avoiding the Duchess.

Come to think of it, even when he accepted Clarisse’s dinner a little while ago, he seemed a bit uncomfortable.

‘I bet I didn’t know enough about the Duke before now.’

If his master really has been suffering to this day for not finding evidence that his wife is fake.

‘Maybe this… It’s not something to be taken lightly.’

Benson made up his mind, clenching his fists.

* * *

Bessie waited triumphantly for Benson to return.

She doesn’t know if the Duke is really suspicious of Brielle, but isn’t it true that he doesn’t like his wife?

Benson must have read the awkwardness between them.

‘If that’s the case…’

The next step was something she had already thought of.

First, through Benson, bring Brielle’s mother, Mrs. Woods, to Sheriden.

It would be nothing to a knight of the Duke’s family to pick up a patient who was sick alone in a cabin that was abandoned by the Count’s family.

When Mrs. Woods appeared, naturally Brielle would have no choice but to get down on her knees and tell the truth to the Duke.

If this happens, Bessie will be credited with saving the Duke who is being deceived by the wicked fake Duchess.

The Duke is a fair man, and he will never ignore her accomplishments.

On top of that, if she begged for protection with tears and said, “I can’t help it because Count Darrington threatened me,” the Duke would gladly listen to her. 

She didn’t like living in a city like this all the time, but she had no choice now.

She had no choice but to survive by selling Brielle and Mrs. Woods to the Duke.

‘Will she be given a death sentence?’

Bessie stomped her toe and grinned.

Even if she doesn’t, she doesn’t know how unlucky it was to pretend to be a real Duchess despite being a maid’s child.

She’s so lucky because her hair is the same color as the Lady’s, which kind of annoyed her. 

‘Serves you right. I hope she dies soon.’

Mrs. Woods, who is always in pain, will also be executed as an accomplice.

If things get bigger here, her real master, the Count of Darrington, could be involved—.

‘So what? I will continue to live here anyway. If I do well, I might get a reward.’

There was no fear that things wouldn’t go right. 

The relationship between the Duke and the Duchess was so rigid that it was as if two pieces of wood of different shapes were forcibly put together. 

There was no way the relationship had suddenly changed in recent days.

Absolutely.

* * *

The next evening, the banquet hall on the first floor of the Sheridan Mansion.

Unlike other aristocrats, Maximilian usually didn’t enjoy a banquet.

In the banquet hall, which was only used for important guests, candles were lit only for the people of the mansion after a long time.

Maximilian wore a suit appropriate for the dinner, and the Duchess also wore a dress.

And Benson stood behind them.

The Duke set the example of personally accompanying his wife to her seat. However, there was no dialogue between them during this process. 

No, they didn’t even have eye contact in the first place.

There were occasional glimpses of the Duke from his wife’s side, but the Duke of Sheridan seemed to ignore it like a hard wooden stone. 

And the awkward atmosphere that flows.

Benson found it strange that he had only now realized this.

Why didn’t he know? 

‘That… because the Duke is originally a blunt person.’

No, even so, Duke Sheridan is the kind of person who looks the other person in the eye properly when they talk.

However, he didn’t even make eye contact with his wife throughout the performance. 

Just then, Clarisse, holding Rosalie’s hand, entered the dinner table.

The child, whose white cheeks were dyed red, seemed very excited at the word ‘dinner’.

Still, she bowed to the Duke and his wife in a neat way of greeting that wasn’t rushed.

The large red ribbon on top of her pink hair fluttered with Clarisse as she shook her head.

“Thank you for inviting me to dinner today.”

“I’ve been waiting.”

The Duke, who got up from his seat, greeted her and personally led the child to the chair where she was to sit.

“I can sit alone!”

“No.”

He pushed Clarisse’s chair in as she sat down.

“A prisoner doesn’t move alone.”

He answered Clarisse’s eyes with his head held high.

Compared to when he was dealing with his wife, this seemed more natural.

‘I guess there’s nothing more to see.’

Benson also thought it would be a good idea to see Bessie again this evening.

* * *

Turning back the time by a day or so at dinner, yesterday’s late night.

After brushing her teeth and combing her hair meticulously, Clarisse changed into her nightgown and kissed Mallang.  

“What should I do? I’m so nervous that I’m having dinner with the Duke and Duchess.”

“Coo. (You’re just eating, so what is it?)” 

“However, I heard that a dinner party is a ‘place for socializing’. Socializing is about making the people you are with happy. It’s the first time I’ve had a meal like this.”

Clarisse was deep in thought, holding Mallang with both hands. 

“Is there any way I can make the two of them happy?”

“Coo. (Ask the inner wall. There was nothing they didn’t know.)”

“I guess I’ll have to figure it out myself.”

“Co. (Save time.)”

“Well.”

Clarisse knew that the amount of time she was given was very limited compared to other people. 

It also meant that she had to spend less time worrying and take more action.

She put her hand on the stone on the inner wall by the window of her room.

“Hello.” 

[Hello, Clarisse. It is a night with a beautiful moon.] 

Coincidentally, today is the night of the full moon.

Thanks to the grateful moonlight that poured out magic, the inner wall answered with a much more lively voice than usual.

[I heard the story. You said you were going to have a meal with the Duke and Duchess?] 

“Yes, is there any way I can make the two happy?”

[Of course there is! Even if it’s not, the inner wall has been frustrated because one problem hasn’t been resolved for a long time between the two.]

“What is that?”

At the tempting story, Clarisse clung to the inner wall.