[Chapter 116] The Reputation of the Guest Lady

It was late evening.

Nerys, on her way back to the main palace, stopped in her tracks at the voice calling her from behind. It was a voice that was friendly, cheerful, and somehow made the listener feel familiar.

"Counselor!"

Nerys turned around to see Catherine Haricot approaching with a smile. Her cheerful steps seemed as if she had accidentally run into a close friend from a distance.

Nerys glanced at Catherine. The sky-blue wool dress and the pretty hat with small fur balls suited her figure very well, and her face, adorned with subtle but not flashy makeup, looked refined.

From Nerys's perspective, who knew the high society of the capital ten years later, it seemed a bit old-fashioned, but to anyone else, it was bright and cheerful, especially because of her radiant smile.

It was the hall on the first floor of the main palace. It was a place where Catherine had no reason to be, being close to the door leading to the main palace. Nerys asked politely with a faint smile.

"What brings you here, Miss Haricot?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. I was out for a walk and happened to see the Counselor, so I came to greet you because I was so delighted."

"Did you go for a walk alone in the dark?"

Since the approach of winter, the daylight in Mainland had been decreasing rapidly. By the time of the evening meal, it was almost like midnight.

Even though the Haricots were a family that was so unremarkable that Nerys had never heard of them in her previous life in the capital, the current Catherine was at the castle as a relative of Viscount Tiphian. Would such a lady be wandering alone at this hour?

Despite Nerys's observation, Catherine's smile remained unchanged. She cheerfully replied.

"What's wrong with that? I enjoy walking alone. The night breeze feels refreshing, doesn't it?"

"Aren't you cold?"

"I'm quite resistant to the cold. This weather is actually pleasant for me! Oh, but it will get colder than this in the heart of winter, right?"

"I haven't been in Mainland for long, so I don't know how cold it gets, but probably."

"Oh, really? You haven't been here long either, Counselor."

'Counselor' too? It sounded like they were happily finding common ground, but it was not an appropriate term for the person welcoming her.

Nerys smiled without showing any emotion.

"Yes, that's right. ...Is the room comfortable for you?"

"Yes! I was pleasantly surprised to see such a nice room for the first time... Oh my."

Before finishing her sentence, Catherine dramatically covered her mouth and giggled.

"The Viscount asked me not to say such things, but I blabbered without a purpose. You'll keep it a secret, right?"

"Yes, there's no reason for me to inform the Viscount about what you said, Miss Haricot."

"Great! I've wanted to become friends with the Counselor since our first meeting. Um."

The servants who were passing by were now listening to the conversation between Nerys and Catherine. Both Nerys and Catherine were noticeable figures in the castle, and Catherine's slightly louder voice made the conversation flow naturally.

Shyly touching her cheek as she spoke, Catherine innocently asked, "If it's okay, can I occasionally disturb your rest, Counselor? You must be very busy, so even if it's just occasionally, I'd be happy to chat with you."

The considerate choice of words, the sincere tone... It all seemed very genuine.

Nerys responded with a gentle smile, "Whenever I have time."

If she didn't have time, it meant she had no thoughts. However, Catherine, smiling widely as if she didn't understand, hugged Nerys's arm.

"Thank you! I'm so happy."

Nerys flinched. At that moment, the door leading to the main palace opened.

Upon seeing Nerys, Ellen reflexively smiled warmly. But only for a moment.

Ellen's gaze, which had shifted to Catherine's smiling face, shook as if in a frenzy. The calm face that usually revealed a strong inner self suddenly showed a hint of longing.

Nerys realized who Catherine resembled. The blue-eyed, green-eyed gaze and the playful smile and mischievous look.

It was very similar to the portrait of the late Duchess in the royal family.

After finishing the evening meal, it was Dora's role to clear the dishes.

In a typical noble mansion, such a menial task would be performed by lower-ranking servants. However, Dora even enjoyed her miscellaneous tasks.

She understood well that they couldn't just let anyone into the main palace, but above all, there was 'extra income' that came from such tasks.

Since only a few working in the main palace could not handle the dishwashing, Dora would take the dishes to the large kitchen of the main palace after each meal.

"Are you here?"

The maid working in the kitchen warmly welcomed Dora and handed her a couple of snacks.

"Thank you."

Dora accepted the snacks and smiled lightly.

Tall and handsome, with usually subtle facial expressions, Dora was called 'that sister' by the young maids, who secretly admired her.

Even the maid who gave her the snacks blushed shyly at Dora's smile and added more words. Bringing up trivial topics among the young maids.

"Do you know? Earlier, Lady Ellen asked to bring a leftover fur coat from the warehouse for the guest lady."

The term 'guest lady' referred to Catherine Haricot, of course.

"Is that so?"

Of course, Dora's extra income was not just a few pieces of snacks but such information.

Even though she had retired from the stage, the habit of collecting useful information remained instinctual within her.

Moreover, even now, as she was serving a master who required information gathering due to her position, and there were no other subordinates specialized in such matters. From Dora's perspective, her sense of duty only grew stronger.

The maid happily chirped as Dora showed interest.

"The guest lady is from the southern region. It seems she doesn't have a proper coat. Still, Lady Ellen seems concerned because it would be troublesome if the guest froze to death in our castle."

If Viscount Tiphian had visited Mainland in winter without a fur coat, wouldn't it be inexcusable if he froze to death? That's what Dora thought, but the important thing was not Catherine Haricot's survival.

Lady Ellen showed personal kindness to a visitor whom the Duke clearly did not want to visit.

Among the servants, the reputation of the guest lady and the Viscount had been at its worst so far. Even the young maids, if they were in White Swan Castle, were keenly aware that bringing a young woman by the Viscount to interfere with the relationship between our Counselor and the Duke was daring.

Although everyone was relatively respectful due to the Viscount's status as the Duke's foster uncle, the guest lady was the subject of secret scrutiny.

But Ellen, who was in a position to read the Duke's mind the fastest, stepped forward and behaved kindly towards the guest lady...

'What will happen?'

Dora didn't need to worry about that. She had lived a life where she gathered information and wise superiors analyzed it. Even though she had retired, the habit of collecting useful information remained instinctual within her.

The maid who was conversing with Dora widened her eyes. 

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, I bumped into her earlier and she asked me who to talk to about the water for washing up. So I told her to ring the bell, and she just laughed and thanked me very warmly."

"Is that so?"

The maids began to gossip. Dora politely listened to their conversation and then left the kitchen.

A few days passed.

Catherine felt satisfied with the increasingly favorable treatment she received. She had received a high-quality fur coat that even Viscount Tiphian would find difficult to obtain, and the firewood had become more abundant.

"Then rest well, my lady."

The maid, who had exchanged greetings with Catherine several times and engaged in conversations, bid farewell to the Viscount and left the room.

Observing this, the Viscount teased Catherine, "You seem to be enjoying yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

Catherine, who had just finished bathing and was humming happily, asked innocently. The Viscount became irritated.

"You've been wasting time paying attention to those commoners for days now! You still haven't even seen that damn Cledwyn separately!"

Since that rude behavior on the first day, Cledwyn had not made any contact with the guests. Nerys had taken care of them, but his attitude remained ambiguous, just like on the first day.

If Catherine hadn't intervened with Ellen and spoken well, the Viscount might have had to send his knights out to fetch firewood and warm the room.

'These annoying people.'

It was the first time the Viscount had received such treatment in his lifetime. He inwardly cursed the rude and ignorant 'northerners.'

Catherine, now calmly looking at the Viscount, suddenly smiled.

"It's going well as planned, Your Grace."

"What? You haven't even seen that guy's face?"

"Well, I'm just letting him do as he pleases."

The firm sincerity in that voice made the Viscount's expression sink.

While Catherine's face was clearly smiling, it felt cold.

"I've been wandering outside a lot lately. Why was that?"

"Weren't you trying to meet my grandson?"

"No. I chose times when the Duke was busy because the chances of the Duke coming were low. I did it to gather such information by catering to the whims of lowly maids. The Duke clearly has a strong aversion to you, so openly provoking him would be beneficial, wouldn't it?"

So, should we wait until he warms up? The Viscount maintained his composure but did not interrupt.

Catherine mockingly explained the obvious truth, "We didn't exchange a single word last time. We met, but we didn't really meet. So a true first meeting is necessary. It's an opportunity to show who I am and leave an impression. Before the perfect and fateful first meeting, I need to lower the Duke's guard towards me. If it seems like I'm targeting the Duke, it's game over. Do you understand?"

"What if that guy gets engaged?"

With eyes and ears, the people in the castle had already begun to consider Nerys Trued as half the mistress.

Perhaps even with such effort, Catherine still drew a clear line with even the lowly servants. Catherine smiled coldly.

"So, Your Grace needs to take a more proactive approach. ...How is the plan to get rid of Lady Trued progressing?"

"No one is cooperating!"

Saying so, the Viscount felt a great blow to his pride.

The elders believed that among the subordinate lords, there would naturally be those who disliked Cledwyn. Just like those brought in by Karl Sidney. Moreover, how much favor would such a reckless grandson have?

Therefore, the Viscount contacted the subordinate lords under the Mainland Duke, who had a strained relationship with the management of the castle after Cledwyn's coronation. He whispered to them, 'Don't you need to show something to the Duke?' But not a single one came over. Not a single one!

A man named Hilbrin even suspected Nerys Trued might be a concubine of the royal family.

The Viscount acknowledged it. The Mainland he knew was from over ten years ago. And too much had changed since then.

The Mainland folks were blindly devoted to the Duke. They greatly admired the young and intelligent Counselor. They seemed to have no discernment.

"That's right."

Catherine was not surprised. She knew his plan would fail.

Unlike the Viscount, who was poking around the subordinate lords for show, Catherine was directly collecting public opinion from the people in the castle.

'It's not easy.'

She had managed to change the habits of the nobles who had been ignoring her since her arrival at the castle. A fierce light flashed in Catherine's eyes.

Indeed... Nerys Trued was not to be underestimated. Beauty, dignity, culture, and probably lineage... Catherine couldn't match her in any aspect.

"But isn't it true that only women with the best conditions always win?"