CH 100

“You?”

Adler looked at her with a puzzled face. Leone had a calm face in contrast, but he was looking straight at her as if demanding an answer.

‘Ah, I spit it out in anger…’

But it’s a mine. It’s a mine! Did it make sense to pay that much money for a mission of this size? It’s better to use her own method instead of dealing with Adler and Leone. She couldn’t see that huge asset being passed on to someone else right in front of her eyes. Of course, she regretted a little about the fact that she had to deal with what she said.

“hmm, yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Uh, um. Should I say I know a little about that? ha ha ha.”

“The head of the Verbena Guild? Were you acquaintances?”

“Ah yes. He… It’s kind of like a friend.”

‘I met him once for a request, but well, in a big way, you can say he’s a friend! haha.’

She tried to rationalize it and covered it as plainly as possible.

“Huh. When and how did you find him? Isn’t that man famous for not talking to each other?”

“Guild leader, is he a man?”

Leone immediately asked Adler a question. Adler nodded his head as if asking such an obvious question.

“I see, Trixie. I’m curious too. How do you know?”

Leone looked at her and smiled. Was it strangely cold because of the mood…?

“Ahaha. Nobles don’t know. In the world of commoners, the floor is the floor. I often went to the back alley where the information guild gathered. Then you and he are friends too, wouldn’t it be like that?”

“Hmm. That’s how it works. You said you didn’t know what people were doing…”

It was nonsense, but anyway. Count Adler Weikingham, an aristocrat among nobles who had no idea of the commoner ecosystem, nodded his head.

“…Hmm.”

But Leone looked at her suspiciously. She needed to get over the situation quickly. She didn’t know why Leone was suddenly suspicious of her out of the blue. He used to believe everything.

“It’s dangerous to go directly to talk, and if Trixie writes a letter, I’ll deliver it.”

Adler got up, took the tools for writing letters from his desk, and put them in front of me. She looked into the eyes of the two men. Should she write here now?

“…I’ll write. But Mr. Adler. Never look at the contents.”

“Even if you ask me to see it, I won’t. I have no bad taste in reading other people’s letters.”

Adler hated it, and sat with his back turned, as if to say, ‘Do I look that rude?’ It was an expression of intention not to pay attention to the letter at all.

“Um, what about Leone?”

“Trixie.”

“Yes?”

“Between friends, right?”

Leone smiled kindly and asked. It was obviously a kind smile, but for some reason it looked like a scary face that couldn’t read emotions.

“Of course. Friend, friend. A letter is just like a diary. Letters written to others are embarrassing to be seen.”

“…okay.”

In the end, Leone also turned his back. And she rushed down to write a letter.

[To the head of the Verbena Guild.

This is the person who asked for transportation and escort from Stud to Bennott, and then ran away without paying. Bella, do you remember?

I will give you money, so come get it.]

Since the contents of the request were known only to the guild leader and her, it seemed that no proof was necessary. Was it too direct and aggressive? She thought about it for a while, but it didn’t seem like she was sending an invitation to a nobleman, and a letter confessing that she had cheated didn’t have to be elegant and noble. She folded the letter carefully. Fearing that the writing might show through, she wrapped another piece of paper for no reason and entrusted it to Adler to seal it with sealing wax.

“I will leave it up to you.”

“Yes. Then, I will add the contents specifying the meeting place and send it to you.”

Adler took the letter and ran out of the room. For some reason, Leone’s heart seemed uncomfortable. Because she lied, her heart was stabbed for no reason. She quietly got up from her seat.

“Leone, I need to see you for a while…”

She put her foot back a little, and Leone got up after her. He was still smiling. Why did he keep laughing so terribly? Something seemed offended.

“Where are you going?”

“Uh, I have something to do.”

She could have taken a step back and jumped out, but somehow Leone was in front of her, so she felt like everything was blocked.

“Trixie, you are my exclusive therapist. Is there anything else-?”

The Emperor’s exclusive therapist. It was a title that made her face hot. The Emperor must have been very impressed with the fact that she intervened between the two of them and reconciled them, so he designated her as Leone’s exclusive healer.

Why was she a therapist? As a young woman, he must have wanted to give her a position where no word would come out even if she was right next to Leone, but because she was a woman, there was a limit to the position he could appoint. There was a career problem to be the prince’s maid of honor, and it was too strange to paint Leone with a new nanny at his age, and the teacher… Leone already had so many teachers that it was difficult to tell them apart. In the end, since she was the person who healed Leone’s heart, he said he would appoint her as a healer or something. He created a position that did not exist. Not much has changed. It’s just that she could go into Leone’s room as much as she wanted and not be noticed, and that there were quite a few people who called her ‘Lady Trixie’ and thought of her as Leone’s chief assistant.

“I think the position of therapist is such a ridiculous position…”

“I am good. Of all the things His Majesty did, it was the only thing I liked.”

The joke had bones in it. Haha, she laughed helplessly.

“Anyway, Trixie. Does my private therapist have anything else to do?”

“No, what. Like a therapist, I was thinking of researching what more treatment Leone might need.”

“It would be good to observe and study the treatment target right next to it. then.”

As the days went by, it became impossible to beat Leone in an argument.

‘In the end, he is telling me to stay by her side.’

Maybe it’s because she didn’t want to be separated from her child from the first time they met, but Leone looked for her and held her like a habit except when she was sleeping. She didn’t even know that it’s scratching her insides.

“Yes, yes. Let’s go to the next class.”

Well, what could she do? What she could do was decided.

* * *

As soon as the Guildmaster of Verbena received her letter from Adler, he immediately rushed to the meeting place Adler had designated downtown that afternoon without hesitation. At the place he arrived, he was put on a black wagon and brought into the imperial castle. And while he came in, he seemed to have cooled off from embarrassment and was quiet.

“I didn’t expect the kidnapping. Still, I thought of going to Count Wickingham’s house, but I didn’t expect it to be in the imperial palace…”

The guild leader, who was brought to Leone’s living room in the Imperial Palace, continued to speak while looking embarrassed. Perhaps because he always lived a life armed with a poker face, his embarrassment quickly subsided and he quickly regained his relaxed appearance.

“I’m sorry to bring you here in a bad way.”

Standing behind the sofa where Leone and she were sitting side by side, Adler apologized calmly. The guild leader smiled and looked at her.

“You are such a strange young lady.”

At the same time as he said that, everyone in the room focused on her.

“Hoho, what did I do?”

Her heart was pounding for no reason, so she covered her mouth and let out an artificial laugh.

“I made a lot of money thanks to you. But this time, it’s the prince… Really, it looks like a noblewoman has come to our guild.”

At the words that the guild leader spit out with a laugh, a question mark appeared above everyone’s heads. She was no exception. Looking at that person, she thought it was like a ticking time bomb. It looks like something is going to explode soon.

“Haha. What is that all good? When I came here, it was just because of my debt-”

“Guild leader! Nice to see you after a long time! I am so happy that you remember that I always introduced you to good clients! Ha ha ha! Can we talk for a second?! I want to unwind!”

With a loud voice, she abruptly cut off the guild leader words. The guild leader quietly observed her face and nodded.

“Aha…”

“Trixie, why- what?”

“No, I’m so glad to see you!”

“I am also pleased to meet you. What a joy to see you again!”

Fortunately, the guild leader seemed to have noticed. She didn’t know why it suited me. For once, she was happy.

“…Were you two friends?”

Leone asked in a low, thick voice.

“Very close, very.”

The guild leader replied with a chuckle. The atmosphere seemed strange.

“I’ll talk to you for a minute. wait for a sec!”

She couldn’t delay any longer. Even if she paid more, she had to crack down on his mouth. She jumped up from her seat. She glanced at the guild leader and walked towards the door. The guild leader obediently followed her.

Before Leone could say anything, she quickly left the room and stood facing the guild leader in the corner of the hallway.

“I’ll say it straight-forward.”

“What is it, Bella?”

If Count Burkett had commissioned him, he would know her name. Seeing as he insisted on calling her Bella, he must have guessed her situation. How much money was he threatening to extort… 

“Sorry for running away. I’ll double the cost of the request. So please don’t call me Bella. Especially in front of those two men.”

“Then can I call you Lady Beatrice?”

“No. Please call me Trixie. All of them are names I do not use.”

“Hmm. Trixie…”

“And never tell them the details of my request. Never. Please keep it a secret.”

The guild leader seemed to be pondering for a moment, then nodded lightly. It’s so easy to pass…? She was more anxious to get out.

“Please return the request fee three times. Originally, I was going to receive five times as much, but I’m giving it away.”

That’s right, it couldn’t have been that easy.

“This is a price for secrecy. If you break your promise to pay more money, it’s the same as betraying the honor of Verbena Guildmaster. Right?”

She deliberately emphasized it once more. He said he did things with certainty, but he’s a person who even solves double requests under the money… It was hard to believe.

“Of course. Instead, I’ll give you a discount, and I’m going to keep my promise… If you become Empress later, don’t forget me and visit me again, ok?”

“What… what?”

What kind of nonsense was this? The guild leader was still smiling.