Chapter 13 - The Little one and the Duke, the Daughter and the Father

"Get ready! The Master is coming!"

"Hurry, hurry!"

It's happening today too.

"Oh, my lady. Would you like to wear this ribbon today? Oh, my gosh! You're so pretty."

"Why don't you wear this dress? Wow, my baby is so pretty!"

"Oh, why don't you put these shoes on instead?"

The maids had me sitting for an hour now and were picking out dresses and accessories.

Their hands were already busy when they heard Henriette was calling me, but everyone was still trying to get me more accessories.

I ended up spitting it out with a slightly sullen face.

"I'll wear anything."

"Oh, my god, Lady. Please be patient. It's almost done. Ta-da!"

Peina beautifully braided my hair in two rows, tied it with a black ribbon with jewels, and spun the chair I was sitting on for me to look in the full-length mirror.

Round cheeks and raised eyes. Even dainty lips.

I was totally a doll. Ironically, my anger was relieved when I saw my face.

"Lady, do you like it?"

"Woong."

As a smile crept up over my sullen face, Peina hugged me.

I went to my room from the dressing room and after a few moments there was a knock.

*knock, knock*

"Are you ready, my lady?"

"Yes, she's done!"

After Peina answered, the door opened.

I immediately saw Henriette standing with his men today. I walked out the door in a black dress adorned with pink jewelry at the end of the skirt.

"Oh, hello."

"You're in good health today, miss."

"Good Afternoon, miss. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes."

Following an aide, who seemed to smile at me, the nobles who came to my room together welcomed me with a smile.

Henriette glanced over my head, and spat out of the blue.

"Did you paint again today?"

"Oh."

Oops, I guess he saw the maids cleaning up the papers lying on the floor behind me now.

I got up early in the morning, washed up, ate, and noticed I had some time left, so I drew a picture.

Henriette asked in a dry tone.

"Did you draw me again?"

"Oh, no. I didn't draw you!"

You told me not to, so why would I do that again? I answered back desperately.

Then Henriette frowned for some reason.

"Then what are those?"

"Well, that's a drawing of a dog, uh, a bird, a cat ····."

"…"

I said I didn't draw him, as he told me to, but why does he look uncomfortable again?

I was nervous, just in case I made a slip of the tongue, but Henriette just turned around without saying a word.

I took Peina's hand first then chased after Henriette and the others.

Peina seemed to ponder about something and whispered to me slightly.

"Why don't you draw the Master next time?"

"Huh? But he told me not to draw him last time ·····."

"No way. Maybe this time he might be happy, wouldn't he?"

It doesn't make sense for Henriette to be happy to receive a picture drawn by a child.

Peina, though, just smiled. She told me to draw it.

Arriving at the conference room still holding Peina's hand tightly, I tilted my head.

The same schedule has repeated the past few days.

After breakfast, I played a little, and by the time I had lunch, Henriette would call me, saying he had started the meeting and that I should attend.

As I watched his subordinates, whose faces have become more familiar now, and the ministers from the imperial palace, their cold expressions that I saw on the first day went away and became bright faces as they also welcomed me.

"Oh, what brings you here today?"

"Are you going to the meeting today as well? You should stay still."

"If I knew it, I'd pick you up in earlier than them ·····."

They even looked envious of the people they saw who came to the conference room with me.

I felt ashamed for no reason.

Before Henriette, who sat at the center end of the table, could prop me up the chair himself like last time, I quickly went to the seat next to him and jumped up on the chair, and there were snorts of laughter behind me.

'Did I look funny when I just jumped to the chair?'

In embarrassment, I bowed my head, straightened the skirt of the dress, and sat down properly.

Then I felt a gaze and turned my head, Henriette was looking at me. When our eyes met, he moved his eyes away first and opened his mouth.

"Then let's move on to the second meeting."

My work today was the same.

I repeated what I saw and heard when I lived with Count Semond without missing a single little story.

Whether it was because I had a good breakfast or not, I thought I could talk more today because I felt refreshed.

"So, then, a marquis who was holding a cup, uh, I have to look at a ledger to be sure… Oh, Calemond? Kyle Monde?"

"Wouldn't he be the Marquis of Calemond?"

"Yes! He said he had prepared something for you. It was Count Eveline, who relayed it."

"As expected, there have been rumors that the two have been involved in money laundering lately…"

"How smart is the lady!"

In addition, it was fun to talk to people who admired me whenever they heard what I said.

I was more excited and talked.

"Woong, and, uh, pick one of the academy students who couldn't offer you anything, give him a low grade. And, uh, other students will get a lot of presents because they're giving them for free. The Marquis of Calemond gets the most. They said that the Emperor would never know."

"Wasn't the talk of corruption at the Imperial Academy going up in the air, Duke?"

"I think it's okay for you to work on this rumor."

At the end of my testimony time, people talked to each other and organized their opinions or made some plans.

As I watched the scene, I shook my toes slightly under the chair. Just in time for refreshments.

Servants opened the door and dragged the cart forward to serve simple refreshments, starting with Henriette.

With a skillful attitude, the servant first poured black tea into Henriette's cup. The scent of tea was peculiar so it spread as steam rose.

Henriette's gaze was fixed on the teacup, and the servant went on to tilt the teapot into my cup.

By the way,

"The surface is cloudy."

He suddenly grabbed the servant's arm.

His face turned blue, and Henriette roared back at him with a sharp glance.

"The aroma is also different from that of the ordinary Arkham Mountain black tea. What did you put inside?"

"Lord, Master······!"

In an instant, sharp metal bursted from all directions. Dozens of sword blades let out a chilly sound as they were released from the sword's sheath.

The guards standing behind Henriette's back pointed the sword at the servant in unison.

The servant's complexion turned completely blue. He shuddered, then screamed.

"Fo- forgive me! Forgive me!"

The nobles, who were about to touch the refreshments, quickly jumped out of their seats.

In the meantime, I was sitting in a circle in fear, and Peina soon ran to protect me.

Henriette saw me like that, clicked his tongue, and ordered the knights.

"Put him in an underground prison."

"Lo- Lord! Master, you are mistaken! Master!"

What the hell is this all of a sudden?

Waiting for the situation to clear up, she whispered, hugging me on my back.

"Don't be surprised, this happens often, miss."

"Do- does this happen often?"

"Well, there are times when people, who hate the Duke, buy off servants and poison the food."

I was shocked by Peina's statement while she just looked at me with an embarrassed smile.

Looking at Henriette, even he seemed familiar with the situation.

How many enemies has he made that he's not even safe in his own house?

While the servants cleared the refreshments and tea, the nobles were heard buzzing and talking.

Their plan, which had been going on in recent years, seemed to have leaked somewhere.

An hour after everyone settled down, it was said that the servant, who was dragged out to prison, put the names of his owner and mastermind out of his mouth after being tortured in prison.

I was very surprised to hear that one of the chefs of the castle was involved in the work, not just one or two.

I think they've been seeing the mastermind in person.

The ringleader was not one of the people attending the meeting.

However, after some of the aristocrats were identified, Henriette immediately gathered them and relentlessly sent them to the dungeon.

"If the cook had joined, he would have touched other ingredients. Throw away all the ingredients and replace them all. Keep him in jail until I say so."

"Yes."

It was not until the knights retreated to the dungeon that the meeting resumed. Everyone seemed fine, as if it were familiar to others.

But I was still terrified.

God, I almost ate poison without realizing it!

I don't like poison, it's terrible.

When I was at the Count of Semond, I had a very small but poisonous intake.

All the famous aristocrats have one or two enemies.

The same was true of Count Semond, so occasionally he ordered his servants to taste family food first.

And of all things, there was poison in Shady's soup that I tasted.

It was only a little, but I couldn't even open my eyes for a few days.

I hear later that it's a poison that makes a small amount intake last for a long time, so it works.

To recall how hurtful and painful it was at that time, I was still nervous.

Even now, my appetite is gone.

I think I was a little hungry until just now. ·····

Growl.

"…"

… I feel betrayed by my stomach.

Why am I hungry even though I almost ate poisonous food?

I tried to cover my stomach with my arms in tears and hoped no one would hear me this time, but Henriette was looking at me as he was continuing the meeting with people again.

I felt a little feverish on my face.

"There's still a lot of time before the ingredients are ready again."

Henriette called the servant who was standing next to him and asked. He answered tactfully.

"The chef has already prepared your dessert."

The chef was reliable. He said he had worked for over 10 years on this duchy.

However, apart from that, it is "pre-made food".

How do you know who put their hands on it? I became anxious and whispered to Henriette.

"I'm not hungry. I don't have to eat."

Growl·····

The sound of my stomach is killing me now.

Henriette glanced at me, and ordered the user.

"Tell him to bring it out now."

"Yes."

"I- it's real. I'm not hungry at all."

"Are you being stubborn in front of me?"

Henriette's eyes turned on me. Reflectively, his cold voice fell off his shoulders.

"You have a lot of courage."

I just decided to shut up.

Yeah, yeah. If it's poison, it'll kill me. I'll become a ghost who ate and died…

····To be honest, I want to cry a little bit.

The dessert was served quickly.

A large cookie with chocolate chips, topped with raspberries, raspberries and whipped cream. And an almond cake with honey in it.

Oh, my mouth drooled by itself. But it was a bit difficult to touch.

"W- well, she must have been very surprised by what happened earlier. Your Excellency."

"That's all right, miss. Go ahead and eat."

During the meeting, the people watching slowly put a word or two on top of each other, but I still hesitated.

The child's memory wasn't easily cast aside. And it raised its head and told me, if there's poison in there, it'll hurt as much as it did then.

It reminded me of Count Semond's maids, who said that taking care of sick children was annoying.

What if Henriette throws me away because I'm too lazy?

"…I'm scared…. "

Biting my lips, I muttered in fear.

Then Henriette suddenly reached out to me.

"It's hard to withhold eating a meal."

My eyes widened when I saw him casually cut the waffle on the plate into bite-sized pieces and put it in his mouth.

The conversation between one or two vassals was completely cut off. Everyone was looking at him and me with bated breath.

Henriette said in a very natural manner, wiping the whipped cream around his mouth.

"It wasn't poisoned. Eat."