I felt bad leaving Adeus waiting alone, so I sent Rebecca to the meeting place in my stead.
‘They must have met by now.’
Unconsciously, I glanced at my watch, hoping Adeus and Rebecca would forget about me and have a good time together.
“Are you worried?”
While I was looking at my watch, Terdeo, who had been sticking to me all day, asked calmly.
“Well, if I said I wasn’t worried, it would be a lie. I feel a bit guilty for making things confusing for them.”
“You’re the one who misunderstood, so you don’t need to feel guilty.”
Is that so? It’s a strangely fitting remark. I nodded in agreement and turned to look at Terdeo.
“By the way.”
“What is it?”
“You said you had no work today, but you’ve been working all day.”
“...”
Terdeo slowly put down the document he was reading. There were piles of documents around him, and from the way he carried them with him whenever I moved, it seemed like they needed immediate attention.
“Is this just out of boredom? It’s like an occupational disease.”
“Isn’t it a day off?”
“I’m resting.”
“Actually, don’t you have work today?”
“I said I don’t have any work today.”
I wondered why I came to the study, feeling sorry for him struggling with documents in bed. Was he worried that I might break the contract before a year had passed?
“Ah.”
As I tilted my head, Terdeo seemed to recall something and looked up.
“I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news.”
“What is it?”
“They say your ex is finally joining the Royal Knights.”
“Seems like it’s finally come to that.”
It was Shifu’s story. Dodea must have used her influence to get what she wanted. My displeasure was clearly visible on my face.
“Don’t worry.”
“...”
“I told you before. I’m the head of the Royal Knights. I’ll make sure they regret joining.”
“Please do that.”
Even in his nod, I could sense a sense of determination. His expression was so reassuring that a smile slipped through my lips.
“Have you heard about the interesting rumor spreading around the mansion lately?”
“An interesting rumor?”
“Apparently, there’s a ghost in the annex.”
At my whisper, Terdeo raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“A ghost?”
“They say the sound of a woman sobbing and a man screaming can be heard at night.”
Terdeo finally understood what I was talking about and let out a short exclamation. Then he smirked.
“I didn’t know such an interesting rumor was spreading. I guess I should make sure it’s heard not just in the annex but in the main house as well, and louder tonight.”
Looking at Terdeo’s wicked expression, I thought that after tonight, there would likely be new rumors about ghosts in the mansion.
‘Rebecca will probably cry again, saying she’s scared.’
Thinking of Rebecca’s sobbing face, a natural smile spread across my lips. After composing my expression, I asked Terdeo.
“Did you find out anything from those two?”
“No.”
Terdeo answered immediately, as if the mere thought of it made him angry. He clenched his hand, and the document in it crumpled.
“He didn’t even know who he sold the poison to. He just sold it to anyone who offered a high price. A scoundrel.”
Hey, the document looks like it’s about to tear. Wasn’t that an important document? I watched the crumpled paper in his grip with pity and then turned away.
“So, you don’t have a list of the people who bought the poison? At least there should be a ledger with the number of sales and the prices he set.”
“I already checked that. The dates, prices, and names written in it. Most of them were pseudonyms, it seems. He was in a hurry to sell and didn’t bother to verify their identities.”
“Did he sell a lot?”
“...Not a small amount.”
How much pain must Ailett have endured to make so much of that drug?
“...Do you think the people who bought the drug know about the curse? Did he tell them about it?”
Terdeo shook his head at my question.
“I made him take a truth serum and confirmed that he didn’t tell anyone.”
“A...truth serum?”
The truth serum was banned from circulation after being classified as a drug because it could cause mental abnormalities if the dosage exceeded the lethal limit. Although I felt like I just heard something incredibly scary, I decided to let it go. I didn’t hear anything.
“He was worried that if people knew the drug was cursed, they would feel uneasy and not buy it. He didn’t tell them out of concern, not because he felt guilty.”
What? He didn’t keep the secret of the curse out of guilt but out of concern that people might feel uneasy and not buy it? He must have just pretended to be confused and poured a dozen vials of the truth serum into his mouth! Terdeo, who had been looking at the crumpled document, nodded with a lighter expression.
“Still, we should be grateful that the curse of our family hasn’t spread widely.”
Terdeo tried to smooth out the crumpled document but frowned when it didn’t work. No matter how hard he tried, a crumpled paper remained crumpled.
“...I guess I’ll have to say I didn’t receive this.”
Muttering, Terdeo crumpled the document again and casually threw it into the fireplace. He was shamelessly bold, even though I was watching him closely. I slowly shook my head at him.
“Knock, knock.”
As I watched Terdeo pick up the next document, a knock echoed through the study.
“Come in.”
The door opened at Terdeo’s permission. Terdeo, who had been looking at the document, glanced at the butler who entered.
“What is it?”
“I’ve come to escort Her Highness the Duchess.”
“The Duchess?”
Terdeo’s eyebrow arched, and the hand holding the document dropped slightly. I put down the book I was reading and asked the butler.
“Who’s looking for me again?”
“Yes.”
At the butler’s immediate answer, Terdeo straightened up from the chair he had been leaning against.
“Who’s looking for the Duchess?”
As if a beast whose territory had been invaded, Terdeo growled, displeased. However, the butler, undeterred, smiled and spoke to me.
“Her Highness the Duchess sent a maid to summon a lawyer to the mansion.”
“A lawyer is here?”
“Yes, he came as soon as he was called.”
I didn’t mean for him to drop everything and come immediately. I scratched my cheek and slowly got up from my seat. Terdeo, seeing this, abruptly stood up from his chair.
“Where are you going?”
“Well, the lawyer came to see me, so I need to go meet him.”
“Perfect, I was bored anyway. I’ll come with you.”
“Really?”
I blinked slowly and pointed at the document in Terdeo’s hand.
“You haven’t finished your work yet.”
“Oh.”
Terdeo glanced at his hand and then placed the document on the desk without hesitation.
“This isn’t work.”
“My eyes aren’t just for decoration, you know.”
“It’s just useless paper. I’ve been saying that all along. Today is my day off.”
“But that document...”
I was sure it had the word ‘urgent’ written on it. As I continued, Terdeo picked up the document he had been reading and walked to the fireplace. Without hesitation, he threw it into the fire. *Whoosh!*
“See, did you see that?”
“...!”
“If it were real work, could I have burned it so easily? This is just useless paper trash.”
Terdeo paused, looking at the burning document in the fireplace.
“Maybe you could have salvaged a bit if you took it out now.”
“...No, I was just checking if the trash burns well. Let’s go to the reception room.”
No, you definitely had a regretful look just now. The butler just smiled warmly at our interaction and watched us. Terdeo, with his hands behind his back, was the first to leave the study.
‘Why is he acting like this today?’
Was he really just reading it out of boredom? I turned away from the document that had vanished without a trace in the fireplace and headed to the reception room where the lawyer was waiting. ***
Adeus came to see me again after sending the letter for a date. I was about to reject his sudden visit this time, but his message, ‘Since you stood me up, at least have a cup of tea with me,’ made me feel guilty, so I eventually opened the door. Instead, I arranged to meet him in the garden as a gesture of apology.
“You even sent Rebecca. Do you dislike me that much?”
“Hmph.”
As soon as I sat on the sofa, his hurt tone almost made me spit out my tea. I wiped my hands and mouth with a handkerchief and looked at Adeus. Despite his wounded voice, he was smiling as naturally as he did a few days ago.
“I think I gave you the wrong impression.”
“You never gave me the wrong impression. I misunderstood on my own.”
“True, whether someone made me misunderstand or I did it on my own, our conversation that day was different. I was talking about...”
“Didn’t you say to call you Adeus?”
“No.”
Adeus grinned, saying, “You’re not buying it,” as if he were a slippery eel. No, that’s not it.
“I was talking about...”
“Then can you call me by my name from now on?”
“No.”
This isn’t right. Let me speak.
“I...”
“I know Her Highness the Duchess doesn’t see me that way. You don’t need to say it.”
Even though I didn’t do anything wrong, his gentle smile and wistful voice made me feel strangely pricked.
“Hey, don’t make me out to be a bad person.”
Sighing deeply, I said, and Adeus shed his bitter expression.
“I realized our conversation was mismatched halfway through.”
“What? Then why did you...”
“I wanted to pretend to misunderstand. That way, I could at least send a letter to invite Her Highness the Duchess on a date.”
Like an opera actor, he freely changed his tone, manner of speaking, and expression, making it impossible to tell what was genuine. I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized Adeus’s perfectly composed smile.
“I have a favor to ask regarding the last incident.”
“A favor?”
“Yes.”
Originally, Adeus’s actions deserved formal recognition. He helped suppress the rebels, aiding the royal family and the Duke. It was only natural. But Adeus got nothing. The reason was simple: he was a half-noble, a bastard. I nodded bitterly and smiled.
“Go ahead. If it’s not unreasonable, I’ll try my best to grant it.”
“Alright.”
“By the way, my ability to help is limited. If you want money or a prestigious position like a Royal Knight, it’s better to speak directly to His Excellency the Duke.”
That’s what most bastards would wish for: enough money to live without worrying about their family’s disapproval, or a prestigious position that would allow them to live without hiding. Neither was something I could offer. Adeus, hearing my rapid-fire words, softened his gaze and reassured me with a pleasant voice.
“Don’t worry. The favor I want can only be granted by Her Highness the Duchess.”
“Only by me?”
“Yes.”
I looked at Adeus with a dubious expression and picked up my teacup.
“Go ahead.”
I took a sip of tea and gestured for him to speak. Adeus opened his red lips as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“I want to become Her Highness the Duchess’s lover.”
“Pfft!”
The sweet tea that hadn’t yet gone down my throat spurted out into the air. I stared at Adeus with a flustered face, unable to even reach for a handkerchief. Despite seeing the fountain of tea from my mouth, Adeus remained calm and smiled.