Chapter 161 - Plague Doctor Assassin

Biting her lips nervously, Lex was concerned about the outcome of this unusual situation. What would Alexander do if he were in his place?

She had no way of knowing.

"And then?" she tried to steady her voice so as not to appear so intimidated by the French woman's seductive posture.

"You could tell me where Prince Magnus went, couldn't you? I know you know…"

"Ah, is that what you want?"

It was rather relieving and, at the same time, annoying, because it reminded her that everyone at court was sure that Charlotte was Magnus's mistress. And Magnus never denied this, treating the matter as something expected.

"Do you have a better proposal?" Charlotte's voice was a pleasant, feminine purr, implying a thousand things. 'She really is an excellent spy... She wants to know my interests and moral commitments...'

"Yes, I have a better proposal for you. You tell me who the person is and I will investigate immediately, as I have no time to waste. In the future, you will ask me again about this, and I will tell you."

"Mon ami, you are more pragmatic than I imagined… Well, I believe you don't want to waste time. And I trust your word. I only saw this material in Holstein once. Marquise Dagmar. She died about a year ago... And maybe you would know that, if you lived in the castle in the last years."

'Damn it!' Lex reproached herself for not predicting the possibility of Charlotte deducting this. But now that the damage was done, Lex shouldn't back down.

"I am a Masked Punisher, acting in the shadows. And you are a Beguiling Spy for a Mysterious Master. Doesn't that say that we shouldn't believe appearances? But tell me about Marquise Dagmar."

"Ah…" she chuckled, "I don't want to threaten our identities or our impending friendship. Marquise Dagmar is said to have been very 'friendly' to the former Prince of Holstein, Prince Gutard's father. And being that kind of friend she had many privileges that were not taken away when Prince Gutard took the throne. When I got here, she was always around the court, with the help of her maids. She had difficulties walking, they say she suffered some accidents that almost killed her ... She was an eccentric and tough woman. She disliked everyone by default, and had a strong antagonism with Duchess Godiva ... But she died shortly after Prince Magnus and Lady Cordelia's engagement was announced. In fact, some people even said that she died out of rancor because she advocated marriage to a southern noble Marquis's daughter."

"Uhn, very interesting. Did she live in the castle?"

"Yes, due to her fragile condition she didn't like travel and was always at the castle. Her room is still closed, as her daughter married abroad and never returned to Holstein to claim her belongings…" at the same time that she was saying these things, Alexa realized how Charlotte herself reacted to her internal conclusions. The ambassadress lift her eyebrow and her upturned nose twitched a bit, as if sniffing. Like the Frenchwoman, Lex thought a room locked in a castle like that could be full of interesting secrets.

Both stood up at the same time, excited by the possibility of ​​exploring the place.

At that moment, they heard a knock on the door and the call,

"Lotte! It's me!"

The slurred voice made it clear that the person on the other side was drunk. And the intimacy with which she referred to Lady Duvignes made her identity clear.

It was Charlotte's husband, Ambassador Bertrand Duvignes.

Charlotte's eyes widened, "This early?" she murmured almost to herself, and went back to the window. After opening it, she ordered Lex, "Quick, go away!"

Lex immediately obeyed, while the ambassadress tightened her peignoir around her waist and went to the bedroom door, still stunned by her husband's premature return.

The Prince nimbly jumped onto the par.a.p.et, but when the drops of chilly rain touched his n.a.k.e.d chest, Lex remembered the sad fact that he had left his jacket and shirt drying in the fireguard. Quickly returning to Duvigne's room, Lex hoped he could retrieve the clothes and leave, but that wasn't what happened.

Charlotte was coming to bed with her husband, and Lex crouched down behind the chair. Looking at the wide-open window, the Prince thought that if Charlotte's husband wasn't drunk, he might find it strange to find the window shut open on a rainy night. And that was how he saw the shadow of a third person projecting on the wall. A person with a huge bird beak!

'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!' 

Lex cursed himself, and crawled quickly behind a large chest, exactly where the lady had taken the towel from. He didn't want to be seen by the Plague Doctor, whoever the man was with the leather mask that resembled a raven's head.

It pushed the Prince away from the window, but it provided a better hiding place from the man who was standing in the middle of the chamber.

"Lotte! No! Get me a bowl… Damn spiked wine!" 

"Oh mon dieu!"

BLAAAARGH!

Lex heard the disgusting and coughing sound of vomiting, and Charlotte's distressed voice,

"Bertrand! What happened?"

"This man saved me! I was about to… Ruffians! Nevermind. Meanwhile… I need to sleep!"

"You need some medicine!" in fact Charlotte was very convincing in looking concerned for her husband's health. Or was she really? Lex used his elbows to sneak under the bed and stay at a good angle to try to see something. And yet, stay hidden.

The bed moved and creaked and Lex was sure the ambassador had clumsily thrown himself on the bed,

"A steamy soup would be nice..." he murmured, remaining silent after a few moments stirring in the bed.

Lex finally found a position where he could see part of the room, especially the door, and was close to Lady Charlotte's ankles. The prince would like the place to be cleaned more often, as there were spiders' webs tangling in his hair and face.

"Thank you for bringing my husband back to our lodgings... It's unusual for him to be in this state."

"There's no need to thank. He'll be fine after some hangover ailment by the morning."

Lex froze. He would recognize that melodious voice anywhere.

Narses.

Charlotte was silent for a moment. Lex had no way of knowing what their reactions were without seeing their faces. Finally, she said,

"He slept. But despite the drunkenness, he said someone had spiked his drink. But I am intrigued it was you who brought him to me..."

"I found him on the street, 'madame'. He asked for help."

A new silence. Learning that Narses was there baffled Lex, and he's gotten even more restless to hear what he said next,

"But I already had plans to meet you again, madame."

"Did you drug his drink?"

'What kind of question is that?' Lex wondered. Narses chuckled before replying,

"Your distrust should offend me. But I see that you, Madame, is a very ... independent woman. These two glasses of wine, that open window on a rainy night, and those men's clothes ... The Ambassador certainly doesn't wear clothes that small. But I remember seeing someone with this slim build before…"

Charlotte took a deep breath, and going to the window, shut it hard, pulling the bolts to close it properly.

"Did you come here to judge me? I don't know what to think when a person who looks so much like Princess Alexa, and Prince Alexander, for what matters, comes dressed as a Plague Doctor. Suddenly everyone is hiding their identities in this damn city."

"Most likely. A city full of sins only brings together sinners like us."

"I don't believe in religious who are devilishly handsome, and I'm sorry if I offend you. We already have a handsome priest in this city, and he's not worth much. Yes, we are all sinners, but your looks tell me you don't regret certain sins," Charlotte said in a rather raucous voice.

"You make rash judgments. I repent of my sins. And apparently, your husband thinks differently. He's able to trust a face like mine's. The ambassador should be more discreet, but his heart is corroded by jealousy and filled to the brim with doubts about his spouse's liaisons… And it wasn't difficult to discover some of your sins, and connect the dots, dear Lady Duvignes," Narses spoke in a dry and distant voice.

Lex didn't need to see Lady Duvignes' face to interpret her silence as a sudden gasp of surprise and hatred.

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"No. I'm not a priest who has to keep the secret of the confessions he hears. And perhaps I should question the kind of harm a woman who maintains... a.d.u.l.terous relations with members of the von Wuttenfal house can be. I think I need to understand the big picture before… Doing what I need to do. Being exposed is your bigger fear, madame?"

"You…! Don't you dare!" Charlotte snarled.

"But I would like to be less strict," Narses continued, ignoring the woman's anger. "I don't know half of your pains, nor the reasons for your actions. We don't always have the best choices, do we?"

"Why don't you just get off? Take your ominous bird's head and get out of here!" Charlotte went to Narses, and pushed him. But Narses didn't even flinch. 

"Why are you going to tell me everything you say about Alexa, the maiden who married the Second Prince. Mainly, what happened to her."

"I don't know what happened to her!"

"Then tell me what you know. From the beginning.This sinner wants to remain repentant and never sin again as before ... And perhaps your account becomes the difference between you no longer seeing my 'bird's head', from my 'bird's head' being the last thing you see."

Lex couldn't let Narses kill Charlotte ... But he found he needed to know the same things as Narses.

The Ambassador began to snore.