When the focus suddenly centered on her, Beatrice took a slight step backward.
‘N-no, why are you doing this to me?’
I was planning on working pleasantly alongside Head Maid Nao just like this while snooping around here and there! Checking to see if there was anything in the territory connected to that ‘illness of unknown cause’!
Even without this, over the past few days of trailing the Head Maid, Beatrice had been truly realizing why the Empress had slipped her in as a maid rather than an aide.
‘There are quite a lot more stories shared among the servants than you’d expect.’
Most were absurd or omitted for being too trivial, but clues were often found in precisely such small things.
‘For example, the rumor about whether drunken Beggins fell ill because he kicked a four-hundred-year-old ancient tree….’
Especially in an unseen realm like magic, minor anomalous signs were bound to surface first.
‘Anyway, this wasn’t part of the plan!’
…And since she was keeping it a secret, she couldn’t even tell anyone!
Toward her, as she kept her lips tightly sealed and merely rolled her eyes, Cassian added as if taking a step back.
“There is no need to feel burdened. My knowledge in this field is quite limited, which is why I need assistance. It would be more than enough if you simply pointed out anything that catches your eye or seems concerning while I oversee territorial affairs.”
“Uh….”
“I heard you are also in charge of external personnel, but if you feel truly uncomfortable, you may simply consider yourself assigned to attend to me. I happen to enjoy drinking tea.”
At the remark Cassian added, Beatrice’s temporarily frozen brain began to whir once more.
Since Cassian had been entrusted with full authority by the Marquis, there was a high probability he would be thoroughly scouring the entire territory.
‘Then wouldn’t the excuse I can use while poking my nose around here and there become even more solid?’
If the illness went beyond the scope of alchemy and delved into specialized fields of magic, she could simply report it to Her Majesty and toss it over to someone more skilled.
Weighing it piece by piece, it seemed like quite a decent proposal, so Beatrice shifted her gaze and asked cautiously.
“Um…. By any chance, do you go out into the field in person, Lord Cassian?”
“Of course. Ah, if you are worried it might be dangerous….”
“No, no! I actually prefer that!”
“…You prefer dangerous situations?”
“Pardon? No! That wasn’t what I meant…….”
Chuckling softly at Beatrice’s flustered response, Cassian spoke.
“It was a joke. I was simply glad that you seemed to consider it favorably.”
“Cough, cough!”
Hearing Cassian’s words, Beatrice reflexively burst into a fit of coughing.
It was because she hadn’t expected a person who looked so utterly cold to make a joke like that.
‘…That man, Cassian, was he someone capable of saying such things?’
Wiping away physiological tears, Beatrice inspected Cassian once more.
His neatly falling, sharp facial line, his attitude without an inch of disarray, and his eyes that looked chilly still felt sharp.
‘I did think he was a surprisingly considerate person given what happened not long ago, but….’
Still, she had assumed he was the type to draw a line and put up a wall when dealing with people.
Someone who showed consideration without ever crossing the line, and who rarely offered empty pleasantries.
‘Whew, I never expected him to come right at me like that.’
“Are you all right?”
“Th—ahem, yes…….”
While Beatrice cleared her throat and nodded at Cassian’s question.
Clyde, who had stepped up beside her before she even realized it, poured water into a cup and held it out to her.
Glancing at Beatrice as he naturally handed her the water, he turned toward Cassian with a faint tug at the corner of his lips.
“I agree that her own wishes are what matter most. However, it seems a decision cannot be reached immediately. There are matters that must be settled before changing her duties, after all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If you would permit it, we would also like some time to discuss it among ourselves. Seeing as it is an internal matter of the Knights, it is hardly something that can be discussed before outsiders.”
It was a soft tone, yet he showed not the slightest intention of backing down. Even though it was ostensibly a conversation about duties, the air in the conference room subtly leaned into tension.
Amid the unpredictable atmosphere, clatter, the faint sound of a teacup being set down echoed softly. It was a sound Head Maid Nao had made intentionally.
“Why don’t you take a break first? While you two were discussing matters regarding Lia, I finished checking that there are no issues with the food.”
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
Waving her head lightly as if it were nothing, she looked at Cassian and smoothly continued speaking.
“There was also a message delivered for you in the meantime, Lord Cassian. A guardsman’s family is waiting in the parlor. They said they were the family of someone named ‘Kala’……”
“Ah.”
Letting out a faint exclamation as though knowing who it was, he soon nodded.
“Thank you for delivering the message. This is… an important matter. As they are the family of a guard member who fell in battle.”
Rising from his seat without a moment’s hesitation, he looked alternately between Beatrice, Clyde, and the Head Maid as he spoke.
“Now that I think about it, it seems my personal desire got ahead of proper procedure. Not only for the Knights, but this was a matter the Head Maid also needed to take into consideration.”
Offering his apologies with a slight bow of his head, he added calmly.
“My proposal remains valid. However, I leave the judgment entirely to the three of you. Then, please excuse me for a moment.”
It was a crisp, concise farewell.
Having delivered his polite farewell, he left the room.
Once the door clicked shut, a brief silence settled over the conference room. Head Maid Nao did not miss the opportunity.
“Then I shall also leave the room for a moment.”
Giving the two of them a brief smile without any further explanation, she turned and made straight for the door.
“Ah, Ria.”
“Yes?”
“The urgent matters are mostly wrapped up, so you may rest for the remainder of the day. Just please tidy up the conference room once before you leave.”
With those parting words, the door closed once more.
At her words, which feigned ignorance while clearly having caught onto their situation, Beatrice pressed a hand to her forehead.
‘It’s ruined. I got completely caught.’
At this rate, Crown Prince Crowell, who might be the only one left believing she was ‘Ria Kruger,’ was practically an object of pity.
Letting out a soft sigh, she finally took off her glasses. Then, raising both hands in surrender, she poured out a torrent of words.
“Look, I’m sorry for tricking you. What can I say? I actually agonized over whether to tell you when we parted ways. But what was I supposed to do if you tried to stop me with those petty, underhanded tricks of yours again? I couldn’t think of any way to beat you in an argument, yet I truly had business in the Marquisate myself—this was the best option!”
“…Didn’t you say we should trust each other?”
“Now hold on, it hurts my feelings when you put it in such extreme terms like I didn’t trust you! Huh? This was already set in motion before I said those words. In principle, newly enacted laws don’t apply retroactively, right? This is similar. Did I do it with bad intentions? Besides, I let it slide when you pulled that stunt at the masquerade ball, so let’s just call it even. How about it? A completely fresh, clean slate from this point on.”
Beatrice, confidently puffing out her chest, poured out nonsense wildly.
Clyde, who had listened to every single word in silence, slowly tilted his head.
“Fine. Let’s let this one slide. A clean slate from here on. Being honest with each other from this moment forward.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. And since we’ve decided to be reborn as new people, I’ll be straightforward too. I want you to reject the offer Cassian Downer made.”
“…Huh?”
“Asking Cassian whether he goes out into the field in person and saying you prefer that means you want to roam all over the Marquisate on your own two feet, doesn’t it? Just like when you snuck out of the inn in the middle of the night to wander around the scene of the incident.”
“….”
“However, right now I am exceptionally sensitive about your safety. Enough that you find it suspicious, and even to me I seem like a bit of a madman.”
“…Uh, hey.”
“So don’t do it.”
Because from you running into an assailant to the Orichalcum matter, things are already hanging by a thread as it is right now.
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