Chapter 89

On the day of the banquet, Elysia was getting massages all day in the bathroom, as expected. The maids were filled with enthusiasm as she was showing her face in public for the first time after her marriage.

Gray rolled here and there, humming a hum. Meanwhile, the maids weren’t too surprised anymore when they saw the marks that were only covered by the dress.

“Gray, can’t we just stop?”

“Madam, of course…not. Just be patient a little longer.”

“I can’t do this.”

At Elysia’s words, she gave a stinging gaze as if she would not say anything. She only suddenly became a different person when she was like this, she usually did whatever Elysia told her to do.

Getting the massage, she shut her eyes while wondering why her fatigue was increasing.

“What about Cassian?”

“He decided to come on time.”

“He looks busy today.”

There was, in fact, a reason why the maids pay more attention today.

Normally, the dressing room would have helped with the decor, although not today. It was because she told them to go find Jane. Even though Elysia knew the maids in the mansion would do well enough, the people who did it seemed nervous.

She then glanced with envy as she saw Der sleeping on the chair in the bathroom.

“Why don’t men massage?”

“Yes…?”

“Why do women always have to get massages like this?”

Elysia grumbled, dissatisfied. Of course, Cassian didn’t even get a massage, though his face was glowing. Nonetheless, she was just complaining because she was so tired.

After a long conversation with the maids, she saw a maid entering the bathroom.

“Madam.”

Elysia lifted her head and opened her closed eyes.

“Who’s looking for me?”

The maid blinked for a moment as if bewildered and then nodded her head. It wasn’t quite what she expected, but she wondered for some reason.

Elysia smiled brightly at her.

With the intention that she would have to get out of here.

“Who was looking for me?”

“Lady Silva has come to visit.”

…Did Jane come to see her today? She had never decided to see her separately. More importantly, it was supposed to be the time for her to be held captive by the dressing room madam right now.

“Suddenly…?”

“She says she has something to tell you urgently. What should I do?”

Elysia jumped up to her feet. Could she have added that she was in a hurry to do something that wasn’t a hurry looking at Jane’s personality?

“I’ll go to the parlor, tell her to wait.”

“All right.”

Eventually, she hastily put on an indoor dress. Knowing that Jane must be busy with the banquet preparations, but seeing her all the way here, she felt uneasy.

Jane lowered her body and opened her mouth.

“Sorry for coming to visit you all of a sudden.”

“What happened?”

“I have something to tell you before the banquet, so I came to you in a hurry.”

It didn’t seem like Peloit had appeared or something was going on with Cassian. Elysia felt that she was losing her strength a little and sat down on the chair.

“What kind of tea would you like?”

“I’m just going to tell you, and I have to go.”

It was a slightly exasperated voice. She shrugged her shoulders a little in annoyance.

‘…What the hell is going on?’

Jane clasped her hand that had been on the table and opened her mouth.

“It has been discovered that Lady Aiden has deliberately leaked information to Marquis Blanche in the past.”

With that single word, Elysia knew what she had come to say to Elysia.

It was because she knew what that information was. She just wasn’t sure who was doing it. However, it was unreasonable for her to come all the way here simply with that information. Did she even know what poison she had to drink because of that…?

It wasn’t a very good situation because she wasn’t quite sure if she could trust Jane.

“How did Jane know that?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve done research on Lady Aiden. It took a little while for me to fill in the missing parts because I had gone to the monster subjugation.”

Elysia silently listened to her.

That meant she had started investigating, at least, before last winter’s banquet.

“I was quite close with Rania.”

Rania was the name of Lady Aiden.

Calling the name, it was very friendly without the slightest awkwardness. Although according to Lloyd’s report, they shouldn’t have known each other at all.

“Often, when we stopped by the temple, we would talk for quite some time. But suddenly, one day, she turned into a different person.”

Listening to Jane, Elysia lifted her toes. She had changed like any other person, was she possessed as Elysia expected?

“Coming back to the point, the information has something to do with the Duchess.”

“I know what that information is. Is that why you came here?”

Jane then tried to say something, though she closed her mouth all over again.

…How much did she know?

“I was noticing that Lady Aiden was making contact with Marquis Blanc through an intelligence guild. If I had been a little more careful, it wouldn’t have happened to the Duchess…”

She saw Jane lower her head with a somber expression. It appeared that she knew everything.

She couldn’t make a decision easily. Was it because Lady Aiden had suddenly changed, and she was angry that Lady Aiden had ordered to harm someone? Or, was she angry with what happened to Elysia?

In the end, she only spoke in a casual voice.

“It’s okay.”

“…Yes?”

“I’m fine.”

Elysia finished her words and ran a thorough examination of Jane’s expression.

“Why are you angry?”

“How could she do such a thing… It is unforgivable.”

“With Lady Aiden?”

“Yes, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Are you worried because you were friends with Lady Aiden…?”

“She wasn’t friends. I just knew what Rania was like.”

It all started when Jane witnessed one of the evil deeds of Lady Aiden.

“Thank you for letting me know, but did you come here in such a hurry to tell me?”

Perhaps, they could’ve met at a banquet and talked in a separate lounge, or she could come back a few days later. It was not like she was in a situation where her life was threatened by Lady Aiden right now.

“In case you don’t know. I thought you should be careful, so I wanted to let you know in advance.”

She added that the social world was a place where people get buried in simple conversations. It seemed that Jane was worried that Lady Aiden would bring up the story about infertility.

Elysia smiled sweetly and replied, “Don’t worry, it won’t happen.”

“…No. I will keep it a secret.”

At Jane’s words, she nodded her head.

“Aren’t you supposed to go now?”

She must have a lot to prepare.

Hearing the words, Jane’s face turned white. She looked like she didn’t want to go.

The dressing room staff must have been waiting. Come to think of it, she noticed that her skin was glowing today and the scent of perfumed oil was stronger than usual, so it seemed like she had come out from the massage.

“Then, I’ll see you at the banquet.”

“Please, go carefully.”

The armrest of the chair, which Elysia was resting on, broke with a clattering sound.

* * *

Returning to the bathroom after Jane left, she sent all the maids out.

While Elysia soaked in the bathtub, she fell in thought.

It was like saying that Lady Aiden poisoned both her and Lumiere. If it was a possessor who was thinking of destroying both the main character and the villain involved with Revos, it made sense up to that point.

She had no reason to stop Cassian and her from marrying.

Between Cassian and Revos, was she weighing the scales…?

Her head throbbed at the discomfort that was creeping up. When they met at the banquet, she wasn’t sure if she could leave her alone.

“Elysia.”

“Cassian…?”

Cassian walked over to her with an expressionless face and pulled her up from the bathtub.

“You’re cold.”

There was a look in his eyes asking why she had been in the bathtub for so long.

“Oh, I have something to think about…”

As she listened to his words, the cold belatedly hit her. He then wiped the water off of her body with a large towel.

“The maids were all over the place.”

“…Huh? Why?”

“You’re not coming out of the bathroom.”

“Oh, did they? I didn’t know.”

Cassian continued to rub her body and pulled her into his arms. He seemed concerned about her body being cold.

“Did you hear that?”

At her words, he nodded his head. Though he had just arrived at the mansion, he had heard the story from Ryan. Since he was already observing Jane, when he found out, Cassian got to know it at the same time.

Elysia put herself in his arms and nodded her head quietly.

“Whoo… It’s definitely weird.”

“What?”

“I should have died, but I was alive.”

Cassian clenched his teeth. He continued to move his hand to warm her up and led her to the bedroom. It seemed as if he was unconsciously hugging her, who was immersed in thought. When his lips twisted upwards, she pressed her finger on his cheek.

It was then that Cassian met her gaze.

“Do you have any spare time to prepare?”

“Umm. I think so.”

“Are you going to be like this for a little bit?”

He gazed at her and brought another towel. As if saying there was nothing special about wanting to be like this, just saying that she wanted to be together.

Liking his touch of drying her wet hair, she just sat there.

Of course, she could actually dry it out with magic, and Cassian knows that as well.

“What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking much.”

“Lies.”

Cassian pursed his lips for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed her. He kept kissing her every time he asked.

…Why was he doing that?

Elysia didn’t know what he was hiding, but she thought she’d find out sooner or later. She was caught by him and stayed in bed for a while.

Glazing at him, she had to leave to bathe again.

“Are you upset that it ended so quickly?”

“I wonder what the standard for speed is.”

She had already lost a lot of time by arguing with him.

Elysia, held by the maids’ hands, headed for the bathroom. After taking a bath and putting on her dress, she sat down in front of the dressing table and saw Cassian, who had finished his preparations.

Seeing the busy hands of the maids, he smiled with a relaxed face.

“Take it slow.”

“I think it will be too late to leave now.”

As he came a little closer to her, Elysia could see his reflection in the mirror. It seemed that his outfit was all black with the same accessories as her dress color. His hair halfway back style was also a good fit.

The corners of his lips went up, which she had not seen in a long time.

As the maids pulled her hair up and pinned them, there was a tickling sensation in the back of her neck and a sound at the same time. It didn’t stop there as the same sound rang a couple of times in her ears.

“…Cassian.”

Elysia’s cheekbones twitched, and she turned back to see the maids before clenching her teeth.

She spoke with a chin gesture to Cassian, who glanced at her with a brazen attitude as if what was wrong.

“Go out and wait.”