Chapter 4: Lloyd’s Quick Thinking
“And what about the Rose family’s footman?”
Lloyd pulled the conversation back on track.
Bell straightened up as if startled.
“Um, he asked whether the bride’s personal maid was a veteran.
According to the Deal family’s footman, Jason-sama had hired someone new.
He said he probably poached a capable maid.
But I am the young lady’s personal maid.
There’s no way I’d lose to some new marquis-house maid.”
She snorted indignantly, then tilted her head slightly.
“Come to think of it, he also asked about appearances.
I wondered what that had to do with anything.”
I was the only one who understood the meaning behind those questions.
So I spoke to the two of them.
“Let me explain.
The Rose Ducal House probably sent that footman to probe whether what I said was true.
At the wedding, I accused Jason-sama of planning to murder me.”
Bell jumped to her feet.
She was the complete opposite of Lloyd, who had collapsed earlier.
Maybe it’s because she’s young, I thought, impressed by such an odd thing.
Bell sat back down and spoke in a strangely flat tone.
“So Jason-sama really is a murderer?
Then is it also true that he’s into men?”
“I didn’t know about that.
Is he?”
“Then what about the three illegitimate children?”
“I only know about one.
I wonder if there are two more.”
Bell’s face suddenly twisted.
“That’s horrible.
I didn’t know anything.”
As Bell bit her lip, looking like she was about to cry, Lloyd gently patted her shoulder and quietly asked.
“Young Lady, may I ask about that illegitimate child?”
“The new maid Jason-sama hired is his mistress and the child’s mother.
The child is being cared for by Jason-sama’s wet nurse.”
“…Then there is no room for excuses.
How careless.
I had heard he was competent, but rumors truly can’t be trusted.”
Lloyd frowned deeply.
Bell immediately protested.
“Aren’t you angry at the wrong part?
Bringing his mistress in as a maid—what was he thinking!”
Exactly, I thought.
“To place the new bride and the mistress in the same location—how tasteless!
And can that woman even perform her duties as a maid properly?”
Both of them were still off in different directions.
“Listen.
The mistress was meant to monitor me and carry out the murder.”
Hearing that, both of them fell silent.
Still, their mental images seemed to adjust to something closer to the truth.
The rumors flying around the church were probably like this too.
Details twisted as they spread, until they spiraled completely out of control.
“In that case, the one who sent the footman was likely Brian-sama, the son of the Rose Ducal House.
He is the vice-captain of the Royal Guard, after all.”
“He was on the list of attendees.
Now that you mention it, several of Jason-sama’s colleagues from the Royal Guard should have been invited.”
Bell’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, that’s right.
Which means the information will quickly reach the royal family through the Guard.
Serves him right.”
I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but she was right.
At the time, all I could see were my family, the young ladies, and Jason-sama.
But many others had attended the ceremony as well.
“The reason the master and mistress haven’t returned yet is probably because they are speaking with someone,”
Lloyd said with a serious expression.
Then he slowly turned toward me and fixed me with a strong gaze.
“It may be improper for me to hear this directly from you, Young Lady.
However, if negotiations with other houses are to begin, it is better for me, as the one managing this estate, to understand the situation so that we may strengthen our defenses.”
Negotiations with other houses.
Yes, there would be compensation talks over the broken engagement.
We would have to speak with the Deal family.
This wasn’t over yet.
“Could you please tell me in detail how the accusation unfolded at the church?
There’s no need to rush.”
Meeting Lloyd’s encouraging gaze, I began to speak slowly.
As I continued, my words grew more animated, and Bell’s interjections increased.
When I reached the part where I called out to Mead and boarded the carriage, Bell suddenly squeezed my hand.
“Young Lady, you did wonderfully.
I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes.”
Bell’s face was flushed bright red.
“It’s like the Great Madam, once known as the Rampaging Horse, possessed you.
If only I could have witnessed it up close.”
“Um, Lloyd?
Grandmother was a gentle person.”
She had always been kind and calm.
The phrase ‘rampaging horse’ didn’t suit her at all.
“In her youth, she was quite bold.
The Count, her husband, and even the current master were often struck with her fan.
But now that I think of it, she was especially gentle with you, Maria-sama.”
“Grandmother used to say that when she was young, she was shy and quiet, just like me.
That’s why she worried about me.”
I remembered her beautiful face even in old age, and her gentle eyes.
It made me feel a little comforted.
Lloyd briefly wore a nostalgic expression, then removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose while thinking.
“By the way, Young Lady.
There is something I would like to confirm.
You said you were receiving letters recently without telling me at all, correct?”
“Y-Yes.”
I realized how impossible that sounded and my eyes darted about.
“So that means letters arrived from an anonymous individual, pretending to be your friend.”
“Ah, yes…
That’s right!”
“Lady Emil of the Baum Count House, perhaps?
You exchange letters about books and embroidery, do you not?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Come to think of it, I recall the frequency increased somewhat recently.”
I was impressed by Lloyd’s quick thinking.
All incoming letters were checked by the butler for sender and importance before being delivered.
There was no way such letters would escape his notice.
To receive them in secret would require a maid’s help or going out personally.
If he had questioned me without preparation, I would have been in serious trouble.
Only then did I fully understand what Lloyd had meant when he said he would strengthen our defenses.