I felt that the expression of the employee changed even though he was wearing a mask.
His shoulders and his movements were stiff.
I looked at Cruelo.
Let’s hear what the guild you introduced says.
“The information about the subject-“
“During the day when the lark cries, the shadow walking along the road reaches the ridge.”
Cruelo, who was watching the situation, intervened.
Is he trying to attract attention because he can’t endure the alienation situation?
But unexpectedly, the employee answered the strange question.
“…A snake crawling in the dark takes off a thousand scales and welcomes them.”
It’s like a poem or a question and answer.
And it’s like a ciphertext… Is this for real?
“You have to pay in advance.”
The opponent spoke in a more businesslike and firm voice.
On the other hand, Cruelo took a slip out of his arms without changing the atmosphere at all.
I didn’t see the amount, but it doesn’t look like money for snacks.
“It should be enough.”
“What do you want to know in detail?”
Instead of answering that, Cruelo looked at me.
He seemed to ask me a question.
Because you don’t think I’ll be able to do it if I ask to find your information?
No way.
I opened my mouth right away.
First of all, I started by dealing with the nonsense I said earlier.
“What would be the duke’s ideal type?”
Since Cruello was kind, I spoke up.
“Nothing has been officially revealed. Do you want me to tell you what his fiances have in common?”
“Fiances…”
Plural?
Cruelo had a fiance other than ‘Amy’?
At least until I was Biga, he had no other partner, but…
There is a four-year gap before dying in the body of Biga and becoming Ciora.
In the meantime, it is no wonder that marriages have gone through since the title has been inherited.
Nevertheless, I asked because I felt uncomfortable for some reason.
“How many girls?”
Cruelo laughed next to me.
It was a sound that stimulated ominousness.
“There were 9 in total.”
“Nine…”
It was a number that made me speechless.
Really? 8 in 4 years?
My head hurts. Wow, I touched my forehead.
“The reason why it didn’t work out…”
“One person who entered the monastery. Five people agreed to the marriage. Two people got sick, and there were two deaths.”
“So, all the women asked for the breakup? If that’s the case, why didn’t they refuse marriage from the beginning?”
“If they refuse to marry, their corruption would have been exposed. So there are four cases where the family collapsed.”
I have no idea what kind of corruption made their families fall apart.
Should I call this self-sufficiency?
“You said that you were living proudly! At the very least, you shouldn’t have gotten caught with any weaknesses! Why should Bonetti become a duke’s toy because of father’s corruption!”
I really understand the meaning of those words now.
“Still, is there any reason to refuse to get married?”
“This is a private opinion, but it must have been the judgment that there was no benefit.”
“Benefit?”
“It’s not an unusual greeting. Even after the engagement, if bored, he broke the other’s family’s corruption. There are cases in which the head of a family was assassinated by someone unknown.”
“…”
“The routine is also splendid. Typical examples are the execution agency cases or the slaughter from an assassin at a ball.”
Just hearing the name of the case is information I didn’t want to know.
At this point, it is almost at the level of begging for a divorce.
“If that’s the case, then why marriage? Did he want to lighten the color by any chance?”
I asked with a smile.
Cruelo was right next to me, but I didn’t care.
To be honest, I wanted to ask him myself, but since I’m here anyways, I had to pretend to ask the staff.
The person concerned was even laughing at my question as if it were funny.
“Sexually, he was rather indecisive. He didn’t even hold hands except when dancing. The reason why there are so many marriage conversations, that was my guess.”
It’s probably not an unfounded guess, so I nodded my head.
The staff hesitated a bit, then opened his mouth.
“After the death of the Duke’s first fiancee—”
At that moment, a crunching sound swallowed his words.
Suddenly, the lamp hanging from the ceiling was shattered, and shards of glass were scattered everywhere.
No one was hurt, but as the faint light disappeared, my vision was dyed black.
I followed the darkness and turned to Cruelo.
His red eyes shone like a lamp.
A faint magical energy was felt within it.
Cruelo said slowly.
“The guild building is a mess.”
“…Sorry. We would appreciate it if you could visit us again after maintenance.”
“That’s right. Shall we go?”
My vision was dark, but his voice mixed with laughter was clear.
I nodded without hesitation.
When I walked out of the building, the surroundings were still dark.
When did the sun go down? Dark blue covered the evening sky.
The air was quite cold, so my body was chilly.
I want to take away Cruelo’s coat.
“Are you disappointed?”
Suddenly, Cruelo asked.
“I thought you knew but pretended not to know, but I was surprised to see you act like you’ve never heard of it.”
“Well, I rarely went out of my house. You know, right?
“I’ve seen the reports of you…”
His eyes became thinner.
It seemed suspicious, but I was the one to interrogate now.
Am I disappointed?
I stopped walking and asked.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“I may not be able to answer.”
“Your ex-fiance who was said to be dead… including those who are sick.”
“…”
“Is it because of you?”
I knew the whereabouts of one of the dead best, but I didn’t know the other case.
So I have to make sure and move on.
Cruelo did not answer immediately.
Oh my. I corrected the question a little.
“Did you kill them with your hand?”
“…No.”
Cruelo rubbed his face.
“I didn’t do it.”
I was surprised in many ways, but in fact, it was not surprising.
Because I already knew it.
What I heard today was exactly what was described in 〈Fate〉.
The rare dog, was it called a walking bomb?
Should I say that he managed to take care of the cause because he only picked families that were a mess and bothered them?
Of course, it was vain.
I wanted Cruelo to be a better person, and I’ve been trying hard to help.
But it was okay somehow as long as I didn’t intervene and the situation got worse.
“Do you still want to marry me?”
Pls read only at pink muffin tl.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if you’re lying or pretending not to know because you’re faithful to your desires.”
“Let’s just say both.”
“There’s no guarantee that I won’t mess with Bonetti. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“That’s what the sinner should handle, and I know.”
“Do you feel the same way about Bonetti?”
“At least Minuet likes it. I guess you’re confident that you’ll benefit.”
Come to think of it, he had that mindset in 〈Fate〉.
I really don’t want to marry Cruelo, but since I’m like this, I’m going to see through it somehow.
It was great in many ways because I even thought of killing Cruelo and swallowing the entire White Desert.
“What’s the real reason?”
The real reason?
I stared at Cruelo and laughed.
“World peace?”
This answer was as crazy as Cruelo.
When I giggled alone, he looked at me as if he were looking at a strange person.
I’m serious.
“So why did your Highness come today? Seeing you waiting in front of the carriage, it seems like you came to me.”
“I don’t know. To protect the peace of the street?”
Oh man.
Cruelo’s boring joke buried my heart.
The surrounding air also felt cool, so when I used my arms, Cruelo took off his coat.
“In fact, there’s a snake walking around the street. The snake…”
Covering my shoulder with a coat, the man smiled with a strange face.
“I’m here because I’m afraid it’ll eat up my darling.”
***
After the day I encountered Cruelo, I visited the information guild again, but the door was not open.
Since then, there have been leisurely days with nothing else to do.
Perhaps it would be okay to add “luxurious” instead of “leisure.”
Money came out every month in the name of dignity maintenance, the table was rich, and Betty also apologized for leaking information.
The truth came out, so I was finally able to get out of the bedroom.
It was the first time I was properly treated as a noble restraint, so I was lazy to my heart’s content.
And as of today!
“Congratulations, Ciora. He’s done with the adoption process.”
I became Ciora Bonetti.
Wow!
How bland.
I didn’t know Minuet’s words would end like this.
I didn’t even see the face of the count. I only received the document that he agreed to adopt.
The count is still being investigated by the imperial palace, so he is not in the mansion.
I didn’t know it was this cold even though I became their family legally.
“In the near future, a priest will come and bless you.”
I’ll take it back that it’s bland.
It’s profane to be blessed by other believers!
“No, they must be busy. Do they have to come?”
“You look disappointed. What’s the point of blessing if you don’t receive it right away on the day you’re added?”
“Right? Then, it’s better not to answer.”
“So I’ll just throw you a party.”
“All of a sudden?”
“I didn’t tell you, but I prepared everything. I sent invitations to the right people.”
Oh my.
Minuet handed me something as if she suddenly remembered it.
It was a bunch of documents, but it was only a book with a small thickness, so I felt ominous for no reason.
What is this? When I peeked, the person’s name was written.
Oh, this can’t be…
“You said you have a good memory, right?
“Actually, I’m a little worse than a goldfish.”
“Oh no, you’ll have to keep trying until just before the party.”
“Do you really want me to memorize all of this?”
“If you don’t want to make mistakes at a party, you have to do it.”
Minuet laughed with an innocent face.
“Tomorrow is the same as your debutante ball. You’re not going to make a mistake, are you?”
“It’s my first time. I will make a mistake.”
“What? You won’t honor the family as soon as you become Bonetti?”
You’re making me speechless.
I closed my mouth and stared at Minuet.
She left the room with a satisfied look.
Sheesh.
***
The next day, in the morning.
I met all the technicians of Bonetti.
From hair, makeup, dresses, and accessories, there are so many experts.
It was not until I was exhausted that Betty nodded her head.