Chapter 251: Please Reconsider That Proposal, Your Grace

"And having thieves break in is a real problem, isn’t it?"

The Duchess said it as if it had nothing to do with her—which, to be fair, it didn’t.

"It happened so suddenly that I started worrying about the capital’s security. And this morning the security captain who came to apologize for the lack of protection was such a limp man..."

I grumbled. The capital of the Marie Kingdom wasn’t exactly a fortress of vigilance either, so I couldn’t really throw stones, but since no one here knew that, I could say whatever I wanted without consequence.

"As long as you’re careful, it should be fine. These things don’t happen often."

The Duchess looked at me like What do you expect me to do about it? Elle and Annie’s faces remained carefully blank.

"Haa..."

"Don’t worry! The security forces will catch the ringleader for sure. They’re excellent at their jobs. Just wait and good news will arrive."

She said it so lightly, but after seeing that captain’s face this morning, I found it hard to believe. Still, there was nothing I could argue, so I simply nodded.

"If people keep attacking even after that, I’ll ask my husband to tighten security. That should be enough, don’t you think?"

The Duchess was thoroughly optimistic.

"Come to me with any problem. But each consultation costs one cup of medicine. If it’s something especially difficult... maybe two cups? Once every five days... no, once every three days would be ideal, wouldn’t it?"

She no longer showed the slightest intention of paying actual money. Consultations and medicine had already been decided as a perfect trade-off in her mind.

"Is that all for today? I saw something truly wonderful. Wouldn’t it be possible to show that to other trustworthy ladies? Yes, that’s a good idea. We could charge a nice fee and put it toward the embassy’s debt. Perfect! No capital required, and if we keep it private it should be fine."

The Duchess spoke as if she’d just invented a brilliant business model. That is absolutely not okay. Annie couldn’t be made to do that much, could she? If one of the attending ladies took my place instead... the thought alone made something inside me heat up. But if Annie and I kept going like this, I was certain we’d cross a line someday. And once that happened, no one would stop us. Neither Annie nor I would be able to stop ourselves.

Even so, I refused for the record.

"Your Grace, that would be dangerous. If word ever leaked outside it would become a disaster. Showing it to the Queen is unavoidable, so please let that be the end of it."

"Is that so? I thought it was a fine idea... It’s not as if I would be the one doing it, after all."

So you’re fine with making someone else do it while you stay out of it?

"Well, never mind. We’ll think about it again someday."

"Yes."

I felt a weight leave my shoulders—though looking back later, nothing had actually been resolved.

While we waited for the carriage, the Duchess added casually:

"As for showing it to the Queen, let’s do it after you’ve had your audience with His Majesty. You’ll come here and demonstrate then. All right? I’m going to see Her Majesty right after this."

"Ehh?! Y-yes!"

There was no choice but to agree. Whether that was a good or bad thing, I couldn’t tell, so I decided to leave everything to the Duchess’s judgment. Her older sister struck me as quite intellectual, while this one seemed to lean heavily toward the natural, airheaded side.

"And for the Countess and the Baroness... shall we have them drink before the audience? You look busy, and it would be troublesome if something happened after you met the King. But the Queen comes first. We’ll adjust according to whatever she says. The schedule may change, but Her Majesty’s wishes take priority."

"Haa..."

I felt like I was being played in the palm of her hand. The Duchess looked vacant on the surface, but she might actually be quite cunning underneath.

Incidentally, today’s medicine was free. Consultation fee? It was offset by the consultation—so the consultation itself wasn’t free after all...

Two days later, the medicine gathering arrived sooner than expected.

The Countess and the Baroness had been unable to wait the full ten days and had been pestering the Duchess relentlessly. I had severely underestimated how terrifying a woman’s desire for beauty could be. At this rate, the Queen wouldn’t wait until after the audience either.

The gathering itself was nothing special. I simply brought the freshly prepared medicine—squeezed this morning or the day before, still completely fresh.

I handed the wine glasses to Countess von Kirchhoff and Baroness Mine and intended to leave once they had drunk, but the ladies kept me there, so I had no choice but to stay and socialize.

Countess von Kirchhoff remarked:

"Sixty gold coins for one cup is rather expensive, isn’t it?"

Baroness Mine agreed.

"Yes, it is expensive. The effect is clear when you look at Lady Mariska, but still..."

I had thought noblewomen never complained about money, yet the words slipped out. Perhaps because it was only the three of them (plus the maids and me), the atmosphere had grown frank enough for them to speak freely. Were these three actually close friends? I had my doubts.

"Lord Robin is carrying an enormous debt, so he’s working very hard. Once it’s paid off, he says he’ll lower the price a little."

The Duchess said it lightly, though I hadn’t wanted the price reduction mentioned here.

But stories of other people’s misfortune always draw people in.

"Is that so? Lord Robin is having a hard time, isn’t he?"

Countess von Kirchhoff said with visible pleasure.

"Yes... but if we think of ourselves as helping with the repayment, I suppose it can’t be helped. Still, it’s expensive."

The Baroness offered free sympathy while still refusing to accept that the medicine cost money.

Both women already knew about the embassy’s debt—it was a well-known scandal. They simply didn’t know the details. The Duchess casually let slip:

"Lord Robin has borrowed a great deal from both Count von Kirchhoff and the young master of the Mine household, so he’ll be visiting them often from now on to make repayments."

Unnecessary information.