Chapter 187

Chapter 187: Chapter 186

It was a sudden and shocking deal, but none of them objected. When Rasan looked at him as if he asked for his approval, Shahar nodded gently. The sound of his writing the additional clauses filled the deadly quiet room.

“Aslan is really fortunate to be ruled by a man as delicate as you, Ober.”

“I’m honored if you say so. It’s because I have learned your virtue and wisdom.”

Shahar laughed heartily. He signed the pair of documents with the additional clauses and handed them to Ober. Ober also signed in the blank space and put down the pen.

As Shahar had been staring at him all the time, his eyes met Ober’s as soon as the latter raised his head after signing.

They read clearly the desires and aversions that were not concealed in each other’s eyes.

Their conviction that they couldn’t trust each other gave them a strange sense of stability. Betrayal was a proposition that was first predicated on trust. Neither trusted, but they believed that their distrust would serve as the prime driving force for the success of this outrageous agreement.

“I hope you will have turned into a wise ruler when I meet you next.”

“I wish you can become a king who will go down as one of the greatest in the history of Faisal.”

The muggy summer air cooled down and blew past them.

It was a time when distrust was in the vogue like a plague.

Bleep. She heard a bird chirping.

Marianne, who was almost hanging on the balcony of her bedroom, jumped out of bed.

As the night sky was dark as if black silk spread, she could not recognize the shape of the small body until Poibe flew near the main building.

“Ma-rie,” Poibe imitated her name cutely, folded its wings and landed lightly on Marianne’s arm.

She patted its body gently.

“Phebe. So, how did it go?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Oh, I’ll give you a snack. What do you want? Plums? Grapes? Or sunflower seeds? ”

“Grapes?”

“Okay.”

She went near the birdcage hanging from one side of the balcony with Poibe on her arm.

Under the elegant silver cage was a small table carved from marble.

She reached out to a plate of grapes among the many bowls of snacks that Cordelli prepared. She put three or four grapes on an empty spot on the table. Poibe flew up and landed next to it.

She also pulled out a chair and sat down. She waited for a moment for Poibe to catch its breath and have a snack then leaned her upper body on the table only after Poibe ate two grapes quickly.

“So, you conveyed my message to the emperor well, right?”

Hearing that, Poibe raised its head while pecking at the table.

Poibe imitated Eckart’s message, “Good job, Marianne. Investigation of that guy is still underway. If I have any new intelligence, let me let you know through Vivian, so don’t worry about it today and have a good rest.”

After that, Poibe ate grapes again casually. She quietly stroke Poibe’s warm body, reflecting on Eckart’s wistful voice.

“Thank you, Phebe .”

She whispered with her wet voice. She fell on her table, pillowing her head on her arm.

Her eyes filled with the night light trembled like a wave.

On the surface Poibe was only a pet parrot she raised, but she had regarded Poibe as a dear friend for some time. It was natural that she felt so because they were so close now. Initially Poibe didn’t let her touch it, but now they were close enough for it to let her stroke its feathers while eating something.

She always kept the cage open so that Poibe could fly freely. Poibe often disappeared randomly, but whenever it heard her call, it quickly returned and chirped. Poibe shared her snacks, walked the garden together, and drowsed on her shoulder when she took a nap.

In terms of enjoying the same daily life, the two were like family members living in the same house.

Besides, Poibe was also Marianne’s secret informant. Poibe easily memorized her message and conveyed it to Eckart. When it overheard someone’s conversation, it conveyed it to her. Thanks to this, Poibe often snuck into places she couldn’t enter and overheard conversations.

“I’m sorry that I assign you a difficult task every time… ”

That’s what happened today. As soon as she returned home after parting with Roxanne, she asked Poibe to listen to everything it could at the Hubble mansion. In fact, Poibe heard the conversation among Elias, Ober and Mrs. Chester last night and conveyed it to her, so she felt she could gather the information about Shahar by using the same method.

Unfortunately, she didn’t get as much information as she wanted, but she felt that if Poibe could fly longer than today, it could bring her more useful information.

“Can you go with me there one more time tomorrow?” She asked kindly.

Poibe ate the last grape cleanly then rolled its small feet on the table, with its eyes twinkling.

“Fool.”

“Right. I’m a fool, so you have to help me. You’re a really smart and nice bird, right? I know everything. ”

“Got it. Tell them I’m going out now.” Poibe flapped its white feathers and mimicked Elias’s voice. As if it was displeased, it pecked at the cuffs of her nightgown. When she kissed its round head, however, Poibe gently folded its wings and stayed still.

“Good. Let’s find something out tomorrow. You might be busy, so go to sleep quickly. Good night, Phebe. ”

“Good night, my lady,” it mimicked Cordelli’s voice.

Usually Poibe teased her, but sometimes it played the role of a good pet.

She was so happy with Poibe that she didn’t know what to do, and in the end she showered this small and lovely friend with kisses, holding its body with both hands until its sharp crying rang out in the tranquil garden.

“Ma-rie! Fool!”

The next day Marianne and Poibe visited Mrs. Chester together as they promised the night before. Now, the servants there, who were accustomed to her visit, welcomed her. They all knew what people called her in the street, but she was still most likely to be the next empress.

It didn’t really matter how disgusting and harsh abuse people in the street were hurling at her.

The emperor fiancee, Marquis Ober’s lover, Mrs. Chester’s favorite woman…

These three titles alone were powerful enough to overshadow all the bad criticism heaped on her.

“May the eternal blessings of Goddess Anthea be bestowed on you. We’re honored to greet you!” The servants and maids greeted her in unison when she entered the house

As she recently attended the salon hosted by Mrs. Chester, they seemed to be more gentle than before.

“May the goddess bless you, too.”

She let them stand up with an elegant voice. Just before the splendid central front door was closed, she made sure Poibe had flown out of the residence.

“Where is Sir Ober?”

“I think he is in the main office.”

“Then, let me go straight to his office without meeting him here. Please bring me tea in the office instead of the parlor. ”

“Sure, no problem.”

A senior maid followed her order without any objection and gave lower-level maids some orders.

Helped by Cordelli, Marianne followed a servant who asked to escort her. The three arrived in front of Ober’s office, while she was checking out the decorations that she could take as the direction inside the mansion.

“Marquis Ober, you have a guest. ”

When the servant announced and knocked, the door was opened by half.

It was Giyom who stuck his head out from inside.

She instinctively froze as soon as she made eye contact with him, but she was not supposed to look scared now. While she tried to laugh as naturally as possible, Giyom confirmed her face and had the servant leave. And he was blocking the door and turned as if he was trying to say something.

‘He can just step aside. Why is he trying to block me like this?”

She instinctively felt suspicious about Giyom’s defensive attitude. She had encountered a similar situation to this before.

At the moment she recalled Kloud’s face, who looked embarrassed while trying to block her

And she recalled what kind of method she used to quench her curiosity at the time.

This time, she felt she didn’t need to wait until Ober let her come in.

She quickly pulled her arm away from Cordelli holding her at the moment.

Before Cordelli, who was embarrassed, caught her, Marianne pulled hard the other door Giyom didn’t grab. The sound of her turning the doorknob was heard.