Chapter 62
Annette narrowed her eyes and looked at the face of the man standing under the umbrella.I wondered why he had such dark eyes.The moment her eyes met her, Rylin, who was making a serious face, suddenly smiled.Usual.
'I was in a bad mood. Was it my mistake?'
Annette tilted her head. Raileen, playfully twirling her umbrella, came up to her. He stopped with a window in between and greeted in a slightly different way than usual.
“Give me the grace of the Goddess. You are the servant of the faithful goddess.”
The greeting that Raileen just said was a greeting only to the priests who enshrine the goddess of Odessa.Annette, who understood his joke his, smiled and replied in the same way.
“Her goddess breath will always be with you. Lamb of the devout Goddess.”
When Annette accepted the joke, Reileen nodded in satisfaction and entered the café. Despite the rain pouring down on her, there wasn't even a splash of water on Rylin's light gray trousers. Annette, who looked at her curiously, asked.
“Do I have to use magic to become a secret guild master? Like walking on water.”
“I do not know. Naturally, a beautiful woman like me should have some secrets.”
She gave her usual smug smile as Rylin gave her a hollow smile.It was Raileen's unique charm that she did n't hate her.But Annette did n't meet Lylene to joke with her.
“So, has the infiltration date been set?”
“Of course. A week from now, it is the second day of the harvest festival. Let's meet in her western burial chamber her, a short distance from Odessar's shrine. Because very few people come there.”
Annette nodded his head. Well, the horse was a ritual, but before the autumn the harvest was a period that was different from a festival. On such a fine day, there would be no worshipers wandering around the tomb. Annette asked Raileen just in case.
“Are you sure Celestine Kiers will visit the temple that day?”
“When has my information ever been wrong?”
Rylin asked, letting her giddy grin escape from under her long eyelashes.At a fairly reliable answer, Annette nodded her head.Annette, lost in thought, asked, caring the rim of the warm teacup.
“Recently, Celestine has hardly been socializing in her life. She heard that because of this, her qualifications as Crown Princess are being questioned.”
“Yes, what. Her family is not a very powerful place. There's a rumor going around here that he's showing symptoms of social phobia. Thanks to this, it seems that she is quite resentful from her acquaintances with her. Of course, it was right after the time she was confirmed as the Crown Princess. The so-called 'you, you changed after you succeeded…….' It would seem like the case.”
She explained, as Rylin even did her voice acting deftly. Upon hearing this, Annette furrowed her eyebrows. Come to think of it, Celestine even abruptly missed the garden party she had at the writers after El Roque. Something was wrong with her.
'Why is Celestine behaving so sloppily now?'
Annette, who secretly suspected Celestine as the real culprit, was puzzled by that part. Now she was in a situation where Celestine had taken her place as her crown princess, which she had so long for. Touches left, she couldn't understand why she would suddenly sprinkle her ashes into her finished soup.
Well, it didn't matter anyway.All of this is because you'll find out if you meet her face-to-face her.The lingering desire to clear her name was the last reason Annette was kept here.If she was lucky , she might get the answer straight away from her face-to-face with Celestine.
Annette smiled brightly as she recalled her life her plan her Contrary to the bitter feeling of her, his voice of her came out softly as usual.
“And Mr. Rylin, if you don't mind, would you prepare for her moving to Osland soon? After this job, she wants to pay a visit. It is a place where she will have to live from now on, but she should at least go on a preliminary tour.”
Finally! Raileen's ruby-red eyes sparkled with joy.
Annette finished her conversation with Raileen and headed for the carriage without much thought.It was time to return to the mansion.It's already raining, but if it's too late, Lapel will be worried.Annette laughed when she found herself taking the premise, ” Lapel worries about me,” For granted. I didn't know when this happened.
Annette, who hastened her steps, finally came to the front of the carriage.It was raining, so my leather boots were soaked.The dampness between his toes was unpleasant.As she was about to climb into her carriage, someone called her from behind .
“Miss…… No, the Marquis.”
The accent of the young man with a foreign accent was very aristocratic. She must have waited for her for quite a long time, her man was drenched in her rain. Annette looked at him with a surprised expression. Hair clinging to his white forehead was an unexpected figure.
“Gerard? Oh my god, don't you have an umbrella? What is it like when it rains so much?”
Waiting for her was Gerard, her butler her from her parents' Bavarian family her. Surprised by Gerard's wet rat-like appearance, Annette pulled him by the hand. Gerard's hands his, drenched in the rain, were extremely cold. Going to put him in the carriage before his temperature dropped further, but he was rejected by Gerard.
“You will ruin the leather seats, madam. It's okay, so I'm like this…….”
“What a fool! Do you think I don't even have money to buy sheets? Okay, get on quickly.”
Annette, who had scolded him, firmly pulled him by the hand and put him on the carriage. Gerard was her family's butler who had taken care of her for a long time, though she was a little distant now. Annette at least thought of him like her distant cousin her. But leaving Gerard out in the rain, he gets into the carriage alone and talks! What kind of nonsense is that?
In the end, Gerard laughed as he got into the carriage, led by Annette's hand her. He could feel the finest leather seats soaking under his own clothes. He was a bit cold from the rain, but he was as warm as Gerard's heart his His young lady was as sweet as ever.
“What's wrong, Gerard? Come all the way here Did your father do it?”
Annette, who had covered Gerard with a blanket, asked.His heart his pounded, wondering if his father his her, Ala Mand, was going to send another warning.But Gerard shook his head and looked at Annette.A slight shadow. Passed over his graceful face her.
“My lady, no… Ma'am.”
“Just call me whatever you like. What is it?”
“I'm sorry, but I heard about it by accident. That…… About the mines of your husband. You kicked out the mine manager.”
Annette felt his heart her warm It must have been known that he had dealt with his father's man, Thomas Bradley I expected it, but it was much faster than I thought.
Also, Annette wondered how far she could trust Gerard, her father's subordinate her. He was the kind of person who would do no harm to himself, whom he had taken care of since childhood. Annette with a wary expression asked Gerard.
“Right. Why? Thomas heard that he was trying to embezzle the profits of the mining business by creating a double ledger. As a business owner, it is natural to fire them.”
“It's not just about that, miss. Since he is clever, he must have already guessed the inside story.”
Gerard smiled bitterly. He must have known the real reason why Annette had kicked Thomas out. Annette stared at Gerard's face, not knowing how he would come out. Gerard sighed and knelt on the carriage floor.
“I am not here today to harm you or your husband. Actually, I am going to quit my job and return to my hometown tomorrow. I apologize for coming so suddenly because I really wanted to say my last goodbyes to you before that.”
“Are you going back home? Why?”
“Life in Deltium was great, but I think it's time to go home. My older brother, who happened to inherit the land, also needs help.”
Gerard did not openly reveal why he was leaving. Maybe it was because he felt a sense of crisis because his plate had grown too large, or it could be because he was uncomfortable with the situation where he kept confronting himself. A possibility that it was a lie to relieve Annette's vigilance of her.
Annette knew him as well as he knew Annette.Although there were some conflicts along the way, the time I spent with Gerard was very long.To add a bit of exaggeration, he spent a lot more time with Gerard than he did with his father And during that time, Gerard was a consistently good butler. She couldn't continue to be ruthless in front of him who was leaving now.
“I see. Please be careful on your way, and I hope to see you again. Gerard.”
Annette hid her disappointment and greeted her in a soft tone. But Gerard's search for her wasn't just to say goodbye to her. With Annette in front of him, he suddenly looked around. Gerard, who lowered his voice, whispered very carefully.
“My lady, although I don't know everything… However, I did find out one thing.”
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden, Gerard?”
“This mine is about it. Not just the master, but there are others who help him. This is a bigger and more dangerous conspiracy than you think.”
Annette's eyes widened at the unexpected words. Allamand, Duke of Bavaria, was a man of great power by himself. Self-righteous, he didn't need anyone's help.
“Would you mind telling me this, Gerard? It's me, thank you, but if you get caught…….”
While Annette was trembling with anxiety, she was worried about Gerard.He was sorry that he seemed too cruel to him, even though he was there to protect his rappel.Then Gerard smiled sadly and shrugged his shoulders.
“What, what about someone who has already left? More than that, there is something I really want to say to my lady.”
Gerard knelt on the carriage floor and lowered his head.And without hesitation, he kissed Annette's rain-soaked boots Her her.Annette widened her eyes in surprise at his seemingly pious attitude Her towards her.Seeing Annette on her knees, Gerard smiled miserably.
“I sincerely apologize for insulting your husband earlier. I felt naive because I felt like I was deprived of the girl I had cherished. It didn't work…….”
“It's okay, Gerard. You apologized to my husband then. It's all in the past now.”
At Annette's words his, Gerard lowered his head. The face of Annette's husband, Lapel, passed before her darkened eyes. Gerard hoped that he would realize what a right it was to stand proudly by Annette's side of her. Gerard, who closed his eyes tightly and let go of his lingering feelings his, deliberately left a final goodbye in a bright tone.
“The time I served the lady was the most precious and warm memory in my life. Even if I go back to my country, I will always think of you. Please be happy.”
After speaking, Gerard smiled with a clear face, A few tears welled up in his eyes, Before Annette had time to say anything, Gerard, who turned his back, jumped off the carriage.
“Gerard….”
Annette looked sadly at Gerard's back her through the window and sighed. I was worried that he would be able to find the way to his distant hometown. But now it really was time to go home. Annette, who looked out of the darkened window, started the carriage.
