CH 5

Since Sian suspected Theodore as a traitor, Rachel thought it would be an attractive suggestion for her to help gather clear evidence that her husband did not commit treason.

It was true that in the past Theodore was suspected of rebellion, but that wasn’t the case anymore. Sian already knew Theodore was simply having an affair and not rebelling.

‘But I want evidence of infidelity. I want to collect proof without having to get it myself. I want to use her as a witness when I need to if she ‘really’ does want a divorce.’

He bowed his head and was still in thought.

‘Was she the type to pretend that she’s not good enough on the outside? That means she’s smarter than expected and more meticulous. Maybe I need to find out more about who Rachel Elosa is and what she wants.’

He felt a chill run down his back. It had been so long since he met such a careful person.

Sian felt pleasure whenever he met someone who showed great ability in some way. That was how Stephen, his best friend and merchant head, Huizius, the guild leader, and Nick, the aide, became his people.

‘Rachel Elosa might be a better strategist than Stefan or Huizius. I’m looking forward to it.’

For now, he wanted Rachel to move as she wanted. It would take time to figure her out.

“I accept. But I don’t fully trust you yet.”

“You’re right. It makes no sense for someone, who handles important matters, to trust others so easily.”

“For now, I need to confirm the details of the issue.”

Fortunately, Rachel nodded gladly.

“Of course.”

“So now it’s my turn to ask some questions. Why did you call for a guild informant? Did you want to get your husband a present like you requested from the guild? If you wanted to get divorced, you wouldn’t need to prepare such a gift.”

“You’re quite keen.”

Rachel opened her eyes wide, looking surprised.

“You’re right. The request was just an excuse to call a guild informant without raising suspicions from my husband and the butler.”

“As expected.”

“I want you to pretend that you have received my request. I wouldn’t dare ask the Grand Duke for a real request, but I have to avoid their gazes. I’d like you to charge me.”

Sian nodded willingly.

“That’s not difficult. I came here as a guild informant from the very beginning, so I’ll go after receiving an official request. There will be documents left in the guild so we can avoid people’s doubts.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you looking for a special gift for your husband to celebrate your wedding anniversary?”

Rachel nodded.

“Yes, I don’t want my husband to know I’m getting ready for a divorce. I want to give him a gift that would make him believe I still love him and that our marriage is still going strong.”

Sian squinted his blindfolded eyes.

As expected, she was the type to hide her true nature and act meticulously.

He wondered what kind of expression Rachel had on her face as she said those words. He had no problem distinguishing the location and behavior of others, even when his eyes were covered, but expressions and emotions were difficult to read. It was a shame.

“I don’t know much about social or aristocratic life. Your Grace is a man and of a much higher standing than I am, so I think you would know what kind of gift to choose for this.”

This part was the same as what Sian investigated.

“Please prepare my husband’s present. It has to be difficult to get, very valuable, and also needs to be a token of love.”

It wasn’t a difficult request.

Sian nodded.

“Alright. I’ll look for the right item.”

“Thank you. The commission fee is… It may be a small sum for the Grand Duke, but I’ll pay you enough.”

“Yes. Please wait until I send word to you again. But if there is a lie in what you have told me, you will need to face the army.”

“I’ve not told you a lie, so I won’t have to.”

Then there was a knock.

Sian knelt in front of Rachel in a hurry to be polite.

Rachel was surprised but didn’t say anything out loud.

“Madam, it’s Carl. Are you still talking?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s quite difficult to explain since it’s so hard to get.”

“…I see. Please call me when the conversation is over. I have something to tell you.”

“All right. I’ll wrap this up.”

The butler’s footsteps fell away as Sian listened attentively. It was only when he was convinced that the surroundings had become completely silent that he stood back to his feet.

“… Is he the butler?”

“That’s right.”

“He has no manners. The Madam of the house is talking to a guest and he knocks on the door without much of a word.”

“That is true, but you don’t have to worry. I will fix that soon enough.”

“Alright, then.”

“Your Grace, it’s such an honor to have taken such an important step with you. I shall see you next time.”

Sian could hear the sound of soft cloth grazing his ear. He pictured a woman of slim feature bowing courteously.

There was no need to be so polite to someone who can’t even see.

Even though he thought that he couldn’t hide the smile that had slipped out.

Sian’s steps were light as he walked out of the Elosa mansion.

After Sian had left, Rachel slumped down on a chair in the drawing room.

She placed a hand to her chest. She was actually nervous even though she pretended not to be.

‘I only knew he was a Grand Duke, I had no idea what kind of person he was.’

She had determined that Dolorosa might not be a bad person based on the amount of praises she had received in the original book.

Fortunately, Sian was more reasonable and rational than expected. If he had been unreasonable, she might have been in trouble.

Rachel recalled how Sian knelt without hesitation the moment he heard Carl knock on the door. It was quite a surprise.

‘How can the Grand Duke, whose power is second to the emperor, kneel so easily? He didn’t speak informally to me even when his identity was disclosed. It didn’t feel uncomfortable or awkward either.’

She had heard that Grand Duke Sian was great, but apparently, he wasn’t just famous for his swordsmanship and resourcefulness.

‘Since he’s the father of Princess Dolorosa, he must be very handsome. The jawline and lips that were not concealed under his blindfold were also very nice.’

Dolorosa was set to be very beautiful just like the original main character.

Her beauty would be enough to make Graham, an emotionless killer, do a double take.

The father of Dolorosa must be an incredibly beautiful person.

‘His voice and manner of speaking was very calming. Even though he hid his identity and features, he was elegant and graceful. He’s completely different from Theodore.’

As she let out a sigh while lost in thought, Carl came back to the living room.

“Did you finish explaining?”

“Yes. He said he would send word soon. Thank you for calling him, Carl.”

“What item did you ask him to get?”

“Hmm…”

Pretending to be troubled, Rachel blinked.

“I actually didn’t specify what to get.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not familiar with fashionable social trends so I asked the informant to choose the right item. He said he’ll look for it.”

“Can you really leave such a task to him? I’m afraid he will get you the wrong gift.”

“What are you talking about? Why would a guild informant do that? Well, even if he does, the guild leader there is a very strict person. His name is Hui… What was it?”

“It’s Huizius.”

I knew that but pretended not to.

Rachel’s pouted lips turned into a smile.

“Right, Huizius. He won’t stand for it if the informant gets the wrong gift. I believe that.”

“Alright.”

“But Carl. What did you want to tell me?”

With slow steps, Carl came close to Rachel and held out the paper he had brought. It was Marsha’s dismissal notice.

“You fired Marsha without consulting me.”

“Can’t I do that? I am the Countess of the Elosa family and responsible for the employment of housekeeping workers.”

The Rachel from the original novel was not interested in taking care of the house so Carl had been taking over.

Carl stood quiet for a moment before opening his mouth again.

“We all know how well of a good-natured noble you are. However, everyone is anxious because their colleague got fired and a stranger from the guild came to visit.”

Not that she’s a good-natured noble, but rather she’s a noble, that’s easy to manage.

Rachel wanted to argue, but his words were very polite and courteous. He had a point, too.

It was definitely inconvenient for the workers. Marsha, who had been working here until yesterday without problems and the visit of an informant wearing a black hoodie. They were probably shaking in fear at the thought that they might be next.

Of course, this reasoning was only for show, and Carl had completely different intentions.

Rachel was filled with amazement.

‘As expected, Carl is the one who helped foolish Theodore cheat for such a long time.’

Carl was a smart and wise man. He was bluntly trying to say, ‘What are you up to? You’re being suspicious. Did you perhaps notice the affair and put a tail on Theodore?’ without actually saying it. It was decorated with nice words so that the underlying meaning would not be understood.

Now Carl was secretly pressuring Rachel to say that she would never contact guild informants again.

If it were the past Rachel, she would have said what Carl expected. This:

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I made you worry, Carl.”

But unlike the former Rachel, this Rachel had no intention of playing into Carl’s strategy.

“But what do I do? I actually did it on purpose to worsen the mood.”