CH 56

“You’re so meticulous, it gives me goosebumps.”

“It’s me who should get goosebumps. I’ve heard of the little Duchess’s reputation, but… I didn’t expect you to notice that.”

“What do you want from me?”

“There is one precious person to me.”

“Precious person?”

“That person is almost… like a family.”

At the mention of someone precious to him, Charelize recalled Marquis Pasimello’s father. When she heard that person was almost like his family, she immediately realized it wasn’t his father.

“However, someone took that person’s life.”

“…”

“In order to pay back, I became the head of Lebanon, but the child who provided the cause couldn’t be found.”

“…”

“From the information I gathered so far, that chis lives in the Duchy Marsetta.”

“…What do you want to say?”

“I’ve lived all this time to make that child pay the price. Little Duchess, please help me.”

Marquis Pasimello bowed his head and revealed why he wanted to meet Charelize. He deliberately pretended not to know that Countess Ermano was watching. He even sent someone to Hailey to find out why she wanted to meet him. Even though he was the head of Lebanon, he couldn’t hastily punish someone who lived in the land of another noble family, even if he found the person he searched for.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but if it’s about taking lives, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

However, the context was unknown. There was something troubling about agreeing to someone, who lived in the Duchy of Marsetta.

“It wasn’t like that. At first… my purpose was to find someone who remembered the last moment of that person.”

“…”

“But… the moment I found out that child had sold that person to live alone… I just couldn’t stand it.”

When Charelize refused, Marquis Pasimello confided the story behind it.

“Even if it’s a lie, I intend to make that child kneel in front of that person’s grave. I don’t kill indiscriminately.”

Al thought she couldn’t fully trust the words of Marquis Pasimello, at his last words, for some reason, she believed him. Because it contained resentment, but there was no intent to kill.

“Lillian is no match for me.”

“…”

“However, Lady Luxen… There are many things about that soon-to-be head of the family that I don’t know,” I said, recalling the time Iris had poisoned me with homemade poison.

“Therefore… What I want to say is…”

“…”

“…How can I trust you?”

She had only heard of Dian, the head of Lebanon. She had never met him in person. The same was true about Marquis Pasimello. Charelize asked what if he was trying to deceive her.

“If I fail to do what the little Duchess ordered, you can cut off my tongue.”

“Ha.”

Even though it was a very extreme transaction condition, Charelize laughed out loud without hesitation.

“To that extent, it is safe to say that I have been living to find that child. I beg you. I can take responsibility for what I said.”

Charelize understood his circumstances of losing someone precious to him. She had gone through the same situation. So, she could see how earnest he was and whether he wasn’t lying. More than anything, he resembled her own image of missing her mother who had faced a similar death.

“First, let me know what this bottle of blue water is.”

“Are you saying you accept it?”

“I will listen first, then I will decide whether or not you will be of any help to me.”

It was a quite sharp statement, but Charelize said it because she was worried about him. The head of family and the head of Lebanon could have been in a situation where he had to give up everything for just one reason.  Nevertheless, she took his words to make a deal. Not because he had just succeeded to the title of marquis, but he seemed like a newbie who had just stepped into the social world.

Marquis Pasimello pulled out a bottle of red water from his inside pocket.

“What is this?”

“This is what Lillian drank. If the other person drinks the blue water you have, it is a kind of hallucinatory item that looks like the person you missed.”

“…You are yourself, but to use it abusively to touch one person’s wounds… What’s more, it’s of no use if the people around you don’t feel that way.”

Charelize was once again surprised by Lillian’s stupidity.

“I gave it to her because she missed her dead mother and wanted to see her at least once. But, I didn’t know she would use it to the predecessor grand duchess.”

At least, if Lillian knew what Princess Penelope meant to the predecessor Grand Duchess Innovestin, she shouldn’t have used this method.

“Fortunately, it’s in the little Duchess’s hand, so over time, Her Excellency’s condition will improve. Don’t worry too much about that memory… she won’t remember it.”

“…”

“The red water has also been collected from Lillian through my men.”

Marquis Pasimello was restless at the sigh of Charelize in agony. It was good that he was worried whether she would refuse it. For the person she saw for the first time, it was enough to trust him a little. Because he was desperate.

“What would have happened if she used it on Duke Marsetta?”

“It doesn’t work on blood relatives who share the same blood.”

To Charelize’s sharp question, Marquis Pasimello quickly answered.

“Send your men to my maid… Revealing the name Dian is part of your plan, right?”

“…That’s right.”

It was embarrassing to see him as an immature person just a moment ago. Starting with Countess Ermano, and even asking about the trade business. It was one of the pretty elaborate plans to make Charelize aware of his existence. At least, he didn’t seem to be in the mood to cry and ask for help.

“Did you learn swordsmanship?”

At the end of her thoughts, Charelize asked another question.

“I don’t like it, but… I have become accustomed to it.”

“Good. Which do you use more, your right hand or left hand?”

“I’m ambidextrous.”

“Good. Forget about your tongue, bet on your left hand.”

Except on unusual occasions, Charelize didn’t cut someone’s tongue out blindly.

“…?”

“When making a deal, offer something you have more than one, or something you don’t need. Isn’t there only one tongue? It’s a big deal if the head of Lebanon can’t speak.”

When Charelize said she would cut off his left hand, she wasn’t serious. However, she would be watching him for the time being as he could be weighing the balance between her and Lady Luxen.

Hearing Charelize’s words, Marquis Pasimello put on a dumbfounded expression.

“Dian, don’t do that next time. If you get hit by the director, you will get hurt.”

“It’s okay.”

“Still… Next time, tell them something you don’t need. If you tell them what you really need, they’ll get mad at you and say that’s expensive.”

Just like what that person said to him.

“Tell me the description of the child you want to find. I will help you.”

“It is a girl with red hair and brown eyes.”

“Anything else?”

“Her name is Lira, and she doesn’t have  last name because she is a commoner.”

Charelize wrote a description of what Marquis Pasimello told her.

“Is it okay for Your Highness to write it down on that report?”

“It’s a messy report, so it won’t be worth reading anyway. Actually, I can memorize it, but I could get confused later, right?”

“…”

“Whether it means good or bad, she is an important person for Marquis anyway.”

Watching the scene, he talked with his head tilted.

“…looks a lot alike.”

“?”

“…”

“With whom?”

“…No. Please forget it.”

In the meantime, Marquis Pasimello was stunned.

“Anyway, what can Marquis do for me?”

“I’m sure you already know Lillian’s weaknesses, so I’ll give you more information about Lady Luxen.”

“I see.”

“If I can tell you one thing, she was taken in by elderly couple who are pharmacists and good at making poison. Be careful.”

“…That elderly couple who are pharmacists will cry when they hear it.”

Pharmacist. Broadly speaking, it was a job to save lives. But the person who grew up in the arms of such elderly couple doing that, was threatening the lives of others by making a poison that hasn’t been known in the world.

“I will find out the details and report it to you again. She is very cautious.”

“I’ve already told Lillian about meeting you today, and I know it’s going to be fine, but… Won’t Lady Luxen be suspicious of you after this?”

“I have a child who had been trained for contact. You don’t have to worry. They like sweet and sour fruits, so they wouldn’t peck even strangers if you give them that.”

He seemed to be talking about birds. Whether he was the master of that bird, it seemed that he was willing to give as much as he could if she showed kindness.

“I don’t understand. Seeing that you even make such a plan to meet me, you seem smart, but… Why do you think you might fall into the water?”

“Is that even possible?”

“Always be careful. While looking ahead and walking.”

Charelize felt ominous.

“Where I grew up, all the people I met were kids my age, and I was also banned from saying more than five words a day because I was noisy.”

“…”

“What I don’t know about people is because of the environment. Actually, I don’t know how much should be shown and what shouldn’t be shown.”

He was the only child of the predecessor Marquis Pasimello, so Charelize thought he grew up in a pretty good environment. From what he said, it didn’t seem that way. It was clear that he was hiding a complicated story.

“When you say that, wouldn’t it be better to tell someone who didn’t wonder about your past and didn’t forcefully dig for that information.”

“…Can I trust Your Highness?”

“…I don’t know. I can’t tell you for sure, but at least I won’t ask more than is necessary.”

The moment Marquis Pasimello slightly bowed his head to say goodbye and was about to leave.

“Next time we meet, please call me as Dian,” he turned around only to say it.