CH 4

Marienne rolled her eyes.

There’s a saying. As long as there is a full moon and a sun, the Empire will flourish. The full moon was Cain Blackwood, ruler of the North, and as long as he protected the vast northern lands, no enemy would dare trespass on Imperial soil.

And the Sun, of course, belonged to the brilliant Chancellor Vileon Byers. If Cain was the strength of the empire, Vileon was its head.

From an early age, Vileon was known for his quick mind. Matters that others might pass over without question would be scrutinised from a completely different angle in his hands. You wouldn’t expect a man like him to blindly follow peoples’ words.

No matter how much I appealed to him to connect him and Odette by burning this body, for the time being, Vileon would have doubted the third aide’s sincerity.

Who wouldn’t? A newcomer who’s only been in the Ministry for three months. suddenly reciting the plans of the higher-ups. Moreover, the information coming out of the newcomer’s mouth was all out of Marienne Didi’s position. Whether true or not, it’s suspicious.

‘It’s natural to ask questions.’

From what Marienne could tell, her pre-possession self was a man of few words. She wasn’t a bad social butterfly, but she wasn’t what you’d call sociable, either. For a young woman in her early twenties, she had few possessions. Her life could be compressed into one large trunk.

She’s a quiet, reserved person who keeps meticulous records of meeting times.

A person whose cotton-candy hair attracts attention at first, but whose presence fades away as if she were not there.

An unassuming civil servant who rose through the ranks through her friend’s neighbour’s sister’s husband, Aide Phil.

In the eyes of others, Marien Didi must have looked like this. But if you change her point of view, she can see it differently.

Less luggage?

‘It’s another word for mobility that can bounce at any time as soon as its tail is stepped on.’

Quiet?

‘If you keep your mouth shut, you’re less likely to make mistakes.’

Meticulous about taking notes in meetings?

‘Information leakage! Information leakage!’

When Marienne remained silent long enough, Vileon moved on to the next question.

“How did you know about the cleaning of Her Highness’ mansion?”

“That’s because people go in and clean it every Wednesday, you can just see it.”

“The official documents say Tuesday.”

“Oh, really?”

Marienne blinked. This was unexpected.

‘What did I miss? No, it’s definitely Wednesday. I remember seeing a sentence that said anything but Wednesday.’

She wondered if she’d gotten mixed up in her plans to support Vileon, but she’d read <The Marriage Alliance> dry and worn. More times than I can count, including excerpts. In it, it says that the mansion is to be cleaned on Wednesday.

Vileon spoke up, unmoved. There was a strange light in his gaze as he turned to Marienne.

“It was supposed to be Tuesday, but the cleaning lady had to move it to Wednesday. She’s been doing it alone, but from now on she has three helpers.”

Marienne looked at her boss as if to ask what was wrong.

“They started doing that just yesterday.”

“Hmm.”

“This is a secret that only Her Highness and I know..”

“Hmm.”

“Aide Didi was only inside the palace all day yesterday. It’s impossible for her to ‘see people’ inside a mansion that’s an hour’s carriage ride away to clean it.”

Marienne realised anew that human memory was not to be trusted. It didn’t matter if she’d read a book until it was dry and worn, so she could recite the dialogue and events. Information in the human mind goes through a self-editing process.

I remember that the mansion was cleaned on Wednesdays. But I forgot since when it was done on Wednesdays. Was it not mentioned in the text at all? I couldn’t remember. Anyway, it was probably from yesterday. Bad luck.

“Do you have any helpers outside the palace?”

“None.”

“Inside the palace? Is Aide Phil involved?”

“Aide Phil is innocent, he’s a man Lord Byers can’t live without. Hmm, let me ask you a question, are you accusing me of espionage?”

Marienne pointed a finger at herself. She hadn’t meant to be cute, but somehow it came off that way.

When she looked at herself in the hallway mirror, she was pretty cute. Petite in stature, with an upturned nose, and an overall soft, gentle look. She also had a pleading “hmm” look that made me think of a floppy-eared Robin Hood rabbit.

Marienne Didi. Your looks could be quite useful.

No one will realise that a madman who will do anything to get his way is hiding in this skinny shell.

“That’s to be expected. You’ve told me things that even I, Her Highness’ friend and the country’s Chancellor, don’t know. But you also seem to confide in me too readily to be a spy… I must wait and see.”

“May I say, then, that I am newly impressed with Lord Byers?”

Marienne crossed her hands in front of her chest this time, her eyes twinkling. Vileon glanced away, as if uncomfortable with the intensity of her gaze, and then looked back at Marienne, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I think you just said something.”

“You asked me how I was doing, even though you suspected me of being secretive, that was your first question.”

“Yes.”

“And that was the most important thing to you, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“WAAH!”

It sounded ridiculous, but Marienne was serious.

“This! That’s the difference. A warm heart that a northern bastard couldn’t catch up with if he came back from the dead. A northern bastard can only get his first line in after he’s snatched her by the wrist and slammed her against the wall. Why is that? How should I know, he’s been that way since he was born.”

Marienne’s lips twitched with emotion.

“A sweet man.”

“From the sound of it, you hold a deep grudge against the Duke of Blackwood.”

Vileon continued.

“Did the man ordered Aide Didi to say that? Saying that I will teach the Duke how to take revenge, and telling me to use the the Fourth Princess as stepping stones in the process?”

“I swear on my hair that I am not a spy.”

“Why are you so obsessed with your hair…”

Vileon gave a small sigh. He looked confused.

His intuition should point to Marienne’s innocence. Marienne Didi is a very strange person, but she’s not a bad person. At least she doesn’t appear to be lying. But as a politician who has uncovered countless dirty tricks, he shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Because it’s not just the bad guys who cheat.

Marienne waited for the young Chancellor to collect his thoughts. It was not hard to see through his confusion. He was heartbreakingly handsome, she could wait an hour at this rate.

It was Vileon who brought Marienne back to her senses, for he asked her a question after a long pause.

“But how did you know my feelings for Her Highness?”

Marienne suddenly felt sorry for the man in front of her.

For some time now, there had been an unwritten rule at the palace. From the fourth week of September onwards, most ceremonies are held on the south side of the palace under the sunshine. Until then, the western wing was usually used, regardless of the season, and had been for at least fifty years.

The way the empire worked was like something out of a novel. I don’t know who decided to do it in the first place, but once the rules were in place, they were rarely changed.

Unless the western wing of the Imperial Palace suddenly burned down, imperial events had to be held there. No other reason. Just because they’ve been doing it for a long time. The person who dare to ask why would receive a strange look.

Until five years ago, that is.

Vileon made a new rule with his eloquent words.

The reason he made the rule, despite the backlash, was because of Odette. Odette gets cold very easily.

Odette was weak, but her pride was sky-high. As a Princess, she can’t be seen holding a hot water bag at a public event, so she suffers through the cold, only to return to her room and suffer through the night.

Vileon has given her only the finest and most precious things since they were childhood friends. Whenever it rained, he would tilt his umbrella at Odette and let one shoulder get drenched. There was no way he could stand by and watch her suffer.

“…I think the people of Einfel, and those across the sea, know how Lord Byers feels.”

Marienne replied in a sad voice. Too bad Vileon had to know the truth now.

“No way.”

Vileon muttered in disbelief.

“Are you saying that everyone knew about it and just pretended not to?”

“Yeah, well… Something like that.”

“I thought I kept it under wraps.”

Apparently, our Chancellor has the wrong idea of what it means to hide. You didn’t even get that far. You failed to hide it in the first place.

‘Ha, now is not the time.’

Marienne rose from her seat and knelt on the carpet. The sound of her foot thudding on the floor startled Vileon.

Of course, it was Marienne herself who was most surprised, her kneecaps wobbling from kneeling without any control. It felt like she’d cracked a bone with her exaggeration. Still, she was able to create watery eyes. Marienne made a desperate plea.

“Please dye your hair black… yes?”

“Aide Didi, let’s talk about it when you get up.”

“Please dye you hair black! Please dye it black…”

Vileon looked perplexed. It now seemed as if he couldn’t understand Marienne, whether she was being secretive or not, so she played her trump card to the pure man who had stood by her side for over a decade.

“Because the Fourth Princess has a taste for black hair. I’ve heard it with my own ears.”

She didn’t hear it with her ears, she read it with her eyes, but Marienne coldly rationalised that it was either this or that. She added that the comment was made in the presence of women. It was a slightly shy conversation, so now if Mr. Byers asks Her Highness the same question, it will be difficult to hear the right answer.

Then I thought, what in the world did this guy do?

He thought for a moment, and then he asked me to bring him some hair dye!