Chapter 217: Lonely People
Livya narrowed her eyes and looked at me. “Personally, I wish Lady Fiona could do something to put this rumor to rest.” Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Her words were understandable given her dislike for Crown Prince Enoch.
“I’ll try….”
I wasn’t lying. I was really trying.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Livya answered, then tapped her cheek with her finger. “Something interesting… I don’t know if this qualifies as interesting, but recently, many nobles have been making donations. It’s become quite a trend.”
“Oh, thanks to Lady Eunice.”
Livya nodded. “Yes, that’s right. It’s also thanks to Lady Eunice’s efforts. However, apart from her, certain types of gatherings have also emerged.”
“Gatherings?”
“I heard they were initially organized for charity purposes. However, they are quite exclusive and tend to exclude non-members.”
“Even toward fellow nobles? That’s rather unusual.”
Livya shrugged. “Well, it’s nothing special. There are quite a few tea parties hosted by noblewomen that have that kind of exclusivity.”
Indeed, special? It was something to be expected. In every society, people always enjoyed the feeling of superiority that came from belonging to a group different from others.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
Livya looked at me curiously, “Is this information helpful? I thought Lady Fiona wouldn’t be interested in this kind of thing.”
That meeting seemed worth investigating. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
I smiled faintly. “Not really.”
I’ve been thinking about this kind of thing lately after seeing Eri in a while.
What Sigren said about there being a lot of lonely people also added to my thoughts, sticking in my head. Those words kept lingering in my ears.
“Okay, it looks like you’re planning something.”
How could you treat people as if they were ticking time bombs?
“I still don’t like the prince’s attitude.”
“Well, there’s a reason for everything…”
More importantly, those two were trying to step on each other’s feet.
Suddenly, Livia called me seriously. “Lady Fiona.”
“Yes?”
“If you ever desire the wealth of the Priscilla duchy, you can always come to me.” With that, Livia gave a playful smile, winked, and walked away.
“……” I was at a loss for words.
Oh… To make a joke about marriage in such a roundabout way.
She’s an amusing young lady indeed. I smiled and shook my head.
***
As Carl and I sorted through the information we had gathered, Sigren posed a question.
“So, what exactly would Enoch and the Darkness do with the sacrifices?”
It was a perfectly valid question to ask in this situation. “Once they collected the sould, they could make her more powerful.”
“More powerful than it is now?”
“Yes.”
For the first time in a long time, I recalled the original story. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
It was the climax of the story. The more souls were gathered, the stronger the Darkness became. That was why it sought to create countless ‘dead lands’. Of course, Sigren and Eunice had thwarted it.
“It could create a vast amount of dead land in an instant.”
“That would be a disaster.”
I agreed. “That’s right. A disaster.”
After listening, Carl asked, “What should we do to prevent that?”
“Eunice would probably have to endure immense hardship…?”
But realistically, was it even possible with her power? In the original story, no one knew that she had never been pushed to such extreme conditions.
I really wanted to solve this problem on our own. Until now, I haven’t asked Eunice for help because she has her own life now—a life completely separate from the one I’ve planned. I didn’t want to drag Eunice, who has worked hard to create her own life, into my situation, especially since it was not a safe situation.
“Just in case, wouldn’t it be better to explain the situation to the Saintess and ask for her help?” It seemed Carl was also thinking it might be difficult for us alone. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
I replied reluctantly. “But Eunice has her own responsibilities.”
He tilted his head. “Somehow, you seem particularly soft towards the Saintess.”
Oh, that’s because she is the original female lead. She is a girl I cherish very much.
But I couldn’t explain all of this in detail. Especially because it would upset Sigren. So I covered it up.
“Well, because she’s a nice and lovely girl!”
Carl chuckled, “You’re the same, Miss.”
“….”
Oh my, I couldn’t believe he was throwing my words back at me like this.
I pretended not to notice Sigren’s cold stare beside me.
“….”
I really had no idea how to handle the tense atmosphere between these two men.
I slammed the desk. “Ah, anyway, we have to investigate the gathering that Lady Livya told me!”
“I heard that they arrange adoption for commoner children.”
“Is there more?”
Carl shook his head. “I think we’ll get more accurate information if we join that group.”
“Okay, then let’s join!”
Carl smiled, “Then Lady and I infiltrated the gathering.”
Sigren interjected, “Why is that the case?”
“That’s because His Highness the Prince can’t do that. However, no one would doubt Lady Fiona helping Mia Yan who had just entered society.” Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Wow…”
What Carl said was true. However, I could understand that this made Sigren feel uncomfortable. I knew I had to take Sigren’s side, but this matter couldn’t be argued.
In the end, I hugged his waist and looked up. “Sigren, for the sake of our mission?”
“I know.”
Hmm, it bothered me a lot if you answered so sourly.
“Well, you are okay, right?”
Sigren grabbed my chin and smiled softly. “I trust you, Fiona.”
That was a beautiful way to say that he didn’t trust Carl…. Sigren then kissed me on the lips as if trying to show off.
I responded to his kiss while making a very small but serious promise to myself: from now on, I would never eat with just three of us. It would be a hard situation if that happened. I made this promise because our stomachs moved around when we ate. I would have an upset stomach because of these two.
“….”
At the same time, I hoped that this would end safely. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
***
Check out my Patreon to read advanced chapters!