Hermia would be mistaken if she thought Iâd blush and be ashamed because of that.
âI didnât even have that kind of gamble in mind from the beginning.â
âOh, a gamble?â
She scoffed at my reply.
âWhat could be more certain than this? If you really have children, youâll have a lot more time to clear his name and the false accusations. If you pretend to be pregnant like now⊠what, youâd only have two or three months?â
I swallowed dry saliva. There was nothing wrong with Hermiaâs words. Yes, she was exactly right. As she said, I should actually get pregnant in order to save Cassius Brudenellâs life, and I couldnât make it up virtually like now in the future.
Hermia stared at me.
After a while, the words that came out of her mouth were quite unexpected.
âI see you donât like it. You could rescue Cassius Brudenell, but you donât want to have his children. Isnât that right?â
ââŠ.â
I was speechless. Though it wasnât because Hermia hit the nail on the head.
RatherâŠ
ââŠItâs the complete opposite.â
I thought bitterly. Nonetheless, I couldnât bring myself to say it because I felt strange that I didnât feel as creepy about having his child as I used to.
âOh, I see.â
Hermia smiled brightly.
âIt seems that the Young Lady hasnât completely fallen for that person yet, to the point that youâd actually get pregnant⊠right?â
âNo.â
I opened my mouth with a trembling voice.
ââŠI donât love him enough to risk my life and the safety of my children.â
Hermia rose from her seat.
âItâs too unfortunate. Preparing medicine with a doctor is also quite a hassle. Wouldnât it be difficult to borrow the power of the Count family?â
âMy parents will be against it.â
âOf course, you wonât be able to leave the Duchy of Brudenell because youâll be under strict surveillance. Yes, thereâs going to be only me who can help you.â
Fortunately, Hermia gave me everything I wantedâan imperial family doctor to fool everyone throughout the period to fake the pregnancy and a pill to stop menstruationâthese were essential to prolong Cassiusâ life.
âThe Young Lady should make the announcement⊠Will you be all right?â
âYes.â
I nodded.
âIt might be a little noisy, but⊠I have to accept that much.â
ïŸÂ· : * â§ * :· ïŸ
Well, in conclusion, my predictions were completely wrong. I thought as I glanced down at the newspaper fluttering in my hand.
The newspaper with headlines on the front page wasnât a gossip magazine but the most popular daily newspaper in the Empire.
Well, even with such a title, the content was even more spectacular.
âThis⊠this is too much.â
Speculative reports that Cassius had forcibly drunk me and impregnated me, who was mentally ill, were far from reality. In addition, the Duchy of Brudenell was soon described as a mansion no different from a lustful pleasure house, and I was portrayed as a naive and pitiful idiot in some articles while a lustful woman in others.
âI really canât even carry my face around anymore.â
Of course, that didnât make me depressed or angry. Itâs less than this, but Iâd been through various insults so it was rather fortunate that the attention was focused on me, not Cassius. Besides, it meant that his sentence would also be safely postponed.
However, the problem wasâŠ
âWhere do we start?â
In order to clear the name of Cassius, we must track down the person behind Kitty.
ââŠItâs almost certain that itâs the Bynell Kingdom.â
Nonetheless, Lucifer Bynell, the link between me and the Kingdom of Bynell, was already dead. In other words, it would be impossible to prove Cassiusâ innocence by using him, so there was only one way left for meâŠ
âI need to send someone to the Kingdom of Bynell.â
As I thought so, I threw the newspaper into the trash can. It was time to move the âAisle.â
ïŸÂ· : * â§ * :· ïŸ
ââŠIn the past, I came here to deliver a warning letter.â
I strode slowly down the alley that could be called the entrance to the Aisle.
I was only thinking of keeping Cassius from dying and meeting Ophelia, but I ended up getting involved with him because of the warning letter. I wouldâve only regretted it if it had been me recently. After all, if only I hadnât done anything, if only I had killed Cassius, or if only the house itself had been movedâŠ
But now, it is different.
Itâd be a lie if I said I didnât have any regrets at all, though that didnât mean I felt pessimistic about my current situation.
The moment I finally reached a dead end, I touched the walls of the alley, remembering the various signs written in the novel. Of course, it wasnât a movie but a novel, so it was impossible to actually manipulate the devices installed here.
But at least, grabbing their attentionâŠ
âWhy did you come here?â
My body stiffened. It was because even though I didnât feel any presence, at some point, a cold blade was near my neck.
âIâve come to hand you the documents that Lord Cassius had written himself to you guys.â
I answered confidently.
While the opponentâs face was hidden by a black hood, their identity was certain.
âŠA member of the Aisle.
Right now, the ones I need the most⊠Those who would never move without a word from Cassius. Therefore, Cassius was needed to move them, but it was impossible to get him out of prison.
ââŠPlease, come this way.â
Fortunately, the man didnât refute my words and quietly moved the secret device. A narrow and dark passageway was soon revealed, barely enough for one person to pass through. I thought I wouldnât be able to resist even if someone stabbed me in the back and killed me⊠Still, what could I do?
This was the only way to save Cassius.
I made up my mind and stepped into the aisle.
âUhâŠ?â
Contrary to what it looked like from the outside, the inside of the aisle was quite spacious and flat.
âItâs an optical illusion.â
The man responded bluntly.
âPlease come quickly. I donât think youâd have time to admire it.â
The place we finally reached was a spacious hall. Only their faces werenât covered, but there were groups of people dressed in black, like the member who guided me.
âEveryone was waiting.â
âFor the Lordâs instructions?â
âYes.â
He nodded.
As I gazed at him carefully, now that I saw it, being able to conceal their faces seemed to have been a privilege to indicate their high rank in the Aisle.
The man held his hand out to me.
âPlease give it to me.â
âAh.â
I handed him the sealed envelope.
According to Cassius, âAisleâ wouldnât even treat it as a letter unless it was an envelope sealed by himself, so I didnât even know what was in it. Of course, if I had asked him, Cassius would have answered, but since the visitation time was almost over, I had to leave without even asking properly.
ââŠ.â
The member who tore the envelope and saw the letter inside instantly froze.
ââŠWhat is it about?â
I stared at him softly.
Even though his face was covered with a hood, his eyes were still pierced, so his expression was somewhat unrecognizable. The next moment, a word slowly flowed from his mouth, who seemed surprised, or even more shocked beyond that.
ââŠFrom now on, the Young Lady is our master.â
I blinked.
âWhat did you sayâŠ?â
âMaster.â
The man knelt in front of me. At the same time, others in the hall followed and began to kneel as well.
âJust give me your order. Weâll risk our lives and follow the masterâs command.â
My mouth, that was opened in shock, closed again. Those who swore allegiance to me like flipping their palms just because of one letter from Cassius. It was the power to move the Aisle I wanted so much, but to receive such blind loyalty like this.
How could I sayâŠ
ââŠIâm scared.â
I swallowed dry saliva.
Now was not the time to think of such things. Like it or not, Cassius gave me what I wanted. Therefore, I should use them to achieve my goal.
âI want to receive a report on the Kingdom of Bynell.â
âCesare.â
As soon as someoneâs name was called, they rose up.
âReport to the master.â
At the same time, the member who guided me handed me a thick leather list.
âThis is a list for all of us. Originally, the late Duke had it⊠Now, the master will be seeing it.â
âThen, Lord CassiusâŠâ
âHeâd never seen one before.â
I clenched the roster.
âŠIt was something that even Cassius had never seen before. Still, I didnât have time to ponder that fact because I had to hear the report about the Bynell Kingdom.
As soon as I entered a quiet room, I asked Cesare.
âHow many people are currently in the Kingdom of Bynell?â
Cesare didnât hesitate to answer.
âThere were twelve of us, but⊠theyâre all dead now.â