Chapter 259: Tricking Elle

[A/N: I added Milestones Chapter. There you can see the milestones for bonus Chapters!]

At the entrance the Duke, the Duchess, and I stood side by side to see Lady Scarlett off. We had already explained to the Duke that Elle was resting because she felt unwell.

"Lady Mariska, it was truly meaningful. Please call for me again. Your Grace, thank you for having me. I will continue to get along well with Lady Mariska, so please do not consider me a nuisance. I look forward to working with you."

Lady Scarlett bowed as she spoke. The Duke answered cheerfully:

"Not at all, Lady Scarlett! If it’s my wife, you may call for her as often as you like. You are welcome to visit our residence whenever you wish. Even if I am often away, please do not hesitate to come!"

Behind him the Duchess wore an expression that clearly said This man is all talk. Was I reading too much into it?

Lady Scarlett winked at me. A shiver ran down my spine. Cold sweat slid down my back. Was this how a frog felt when stared at by a snake? I probably would not be eaten... or rather, only a very small part of me might be. That would actually be exactly what I wanted, though.

Still, Lady Scarlett also seemed to possess something. Did women close to the "witch" type simply gather around me? If they were only "beautiful witches," that would be fine...

"Lady Scarlett, tonight your body may grow hot and you might find it hard to sleep. But that is a sign the medicine is working. Ufufu... especially Aimé may have a difficult time."

The Duchess said it with a smile directed at Anouk. Anouk’s previously sharp expression crumbled; her face turned bright red and she looked down. Watching a middle-aged woman blush that deeply was rather unsettling, but would she look completely different the next time we met?

"Then, Lady Scarlett, please come again whenever you like. We will be waiting."

With the Duchess’s closing words, Lady Scarlett boarded her carriage and departed.

Once the Queen’s carriage had passed through the gates:

"Fuuuuu..."

The Duke, who had done nothing at all, let out a huge sigh.

"I was so nervous—"

"You didn’t do anything, did you?"

The Duchess’s words pierced him. I agreed completely.

And so I was forced to watch the Duchess verbally stab the Duke over and over. This was simply daily life for them.

"Come now, it was hard for me too while you were all in the room. So... Lady Scarlett won’t be coming to our house again, will she?"

The Duke never explained what had been so hard. He also seemed to believe that Lady Scarlett’s parting words had been mere social courtesy.

"Not at all. She will be coming quite often from now on! I will be able to grow closer to the Queen. Please recognize my contribution!"

The Duchess cut the Duke down cleanly. Poor Duke... I’ll collect your bones for you.

"Well then, I would like to take my leave as well..."

I thought it should be fine by now and spoke quietly. The Duke nodded, but the Duchess smiled sweetly.

"Lord Robin, please check on Elle’s condition. You have no further business after this, do you? That’s settled, then."

The words were delivered with finality.

"Yes."

I knew no other answer. So this was the feeling of being dragged along against one’s will.

I was led to the room where Elle was resting. When we entered she was sitting on the bed in a daze. The moment she saw me her face went rigid with shock and she tried to put distance between us, though the edge of the bed limited how far she could go.

"Elle, how are you feeling? You collapsed so suddenly that I was worried."

The Duchess opened the conversation. So that’s the line we’re taking.

"Lady Elle, you stood up and then collapsed, so I was startled. Were you affected by the heat in that room?"

I followed her lead. Lily joined in as well.

"Lady Elle suddenly slumped over the desk, so we thought you had taken ill and carried you here. How do you feel? It would be best not to force yourself."

She showed concern for Elle.

Elle’s expression said she had no idea what was going on. Compared to when I first met her, the wrinkles on her face had lessened, the age spots were less noticeable, and her skin looked younger. Even the wrinkles on her hands had begun to fade. Since she had drunk from the lower mouth today, tonight might be difficult for her (my estimate).

"Eh... um... I... with Lord Robin...?"

She wanted to ask about it, but speaking of it directly was too embarrassing, so she wrapped the words carefully. (This world had no actual oblate, by the way. Nor any jelly for wrapping medicine. Just a side note.)

"Elle, you walked up to Lord Robin, grew unsteady, and collapsed."

The Duchess repeated it. There was a faint pressure behind the words—Believe what I say.

"Yes. You looked unwell, and then you suddenly grew dizzy."

I continued. Lily added:

"You slumped face-down on the desk and lost consciousness. Your complexion was so poor we didn’t know what had happened."

The three of us together established that she had felt unwell, collapsed onto the desk, and fainted. I could not possibly say that at the time her face had been bright red rather than pale.

Elle still looked unconvinced.

"That’s right, Elle!"

The Duchess sealed it.

"...Is that so? I caused you trouble. Thank you."

She accepted it, though reluctantly. Later, when she was alone and saw the stain remaining in her panties, and when she investigated what continued to leak from her vagina, she would understand. Even if she understood, she would also understand the meaning of everyone agreeing to pretend it never happened.

If Elle still held some suspicion, the Duchess would handle the response. The only time she might come to me directly would be if she became pregnant. In that case I would simply acknowledge it when the time came—someone had said that once.

With this settled, all that remained was to have an uneventful audience with His Majesty the King!