TL: Zimming
The maids looked at each other with puzzled expressions and blinked a few times. Soon Dahlia, the oldest out of the three maids, bowed her head.
âDo you need something, little miss?â
âPlease order us.â
Linda, Yuni, and Laura answered after Dahlia.
âGood, so can you go and start terror attacks?â
âTo Miss Elizabeth Nodelli?â
Laura answered in surprise, and I shook my head gently and said,
âNo, to the nobles.â
âHuh?â
âIf we start with Elizabeth, of course theyâll know that we targeted Nodelli. I want to avoid an all-out war as much as possible. Thatâs why Iâm trying to destroy the Marquis of Nodelli by using Elizabeth.â
The emperor canât be happy with the quarrels of the nobles, so heâll propose a war. After the Marquis of Nodelli, the Duke of Marche and the nobles will be anxious no matter what the result of the war is, theyâll think maybe we will be next.âHeâll want to avoid aristocrats colluding with each other. So, Nodelli should move as secretly as possible.
âBut I donât intend to leave the Marquis of Nodelli alone in the meantime!â
âThen what should we do?â
Linda, the wisest of her maids, narrowed her eyes.
ââ¦â¦â¦not to the dukeâs attacker, but to the nobles?â
âYes.â
I stood up and looked at the maids.
âGo and destroy every carriage of the nobles. So that the Emperor can find a suspect who was after my father.â
âWeâll take the order.â
The maids grabbed the skirt and bent their knees lightly.
Suicide terrorists? Donât be ridiculous.
I have a group of wanted people!
And a few weeks later.
âThe Marquis of Shuheil was attacked today, wasnât he?â
âThey were after Count Wiltro last time. What in the world is going onâ¦â¦.â
As I was walking in the hallway, I listened to the servantâs gossip and raised my lips.
I wanted to roll down the hall and burst into a pleasant laughter.
âGood job, good job!â
The maids were truly competent.
Linda, a former embezzler, was in charge of the plan with Yuni, a former loan shark, and Dahlia, a serial killer who had never been caught while killing about a hundred rapists.
Of course, the city is in chaos. The nobles avoided going out for fear of being attacked, and the imperial family visited my father, the first victim of the incident, to find the terrorist.
Even though I havenât seen Marquis, I know what heâll be like right now.
âHe must be shaking in fear right now!â
I hugged a book and ran as I hummed.
I opened my dadâs door and went in.
âCan I come in?â
When Dad nodded, Nos smiled and opened the door.
I pulled a chair and sat next to my dad. I opened the book and various herbs and ointments.
Recently, my hobby was to apply good medicine and herbs to my dad.
I gently applied ointment to my fatherâs arm while concentrating. Nos laughed loudly.
âBecause little miss is so eager, Iâm sure itâll heal quickly.â
âThatâs right, Dadâs arm is much better, right?â
I raised my chin and said that.
My dad laughed and lightly patted my hair. My aunt, who was next to me, also smiled.
âWhen you first came to apply the medicine, you cried so much.â
âPlease forget about that!â
Last weekâs dark history came to mind.
I came to his room when the doctor was checking him while he was working. I was very surprised because the wound was deeper than expected.
âThat was the day I cast a spell.â
I lack divine power so I couldnât think like an adult.
âYes, thatâs it. I cried because I was surprised by the wound like a real kid.â
âDad, take the medicineâ¦â¦huaaaaâ¦â¦Sir David (medical director) said it was a good medicineâ¦â¦ huaaa!!â
My family shook their shoulders with their heads turned when they saw me crying.
âWhatâs so funny? Bad people! My dad got hurtâ¦â¦ huaaa!â
Recalling the shameful memory, I became red and shook my head.
âI thought you were all grown up, but youâre still young.â
My aunt made fun of me, so I coughed in vain and turned around.
âAunt.â
âYes.â
âCan I hold a party at the mansion?â
âAt this time?â
âThe chairman said it was necessary because it was at this time. I can show them that Dubbled doesnât care even if weâre attacked.â
My aunt said, âHmmâ¦â and touched her chin.
âWill the nobles allow their kids to attend?â
âI have an idea for that. If the party is a big hit, itâll be good for us.â
âWellâ¦â¦. Do whatever you want. You donât have to ask me.â
I answered cheerfully, âYes!â
âWell, now I need to get helpâ¦â¦.â
I glanced at Henry and Isaac sitting on the couch in my dadâs office. When I looked at them, they looked like they were asking what was going on.
âBusy?â
âIâm busy swearing.â
âWhatâs wrong with the partyâ¦â¦ugh!â
Isaac, who was muttering , suddenly hugged his feet and looked at Henry.
âWhy did you step on-â
Henry closed Isaacâs mouth and smiled.
âI have time to help you with the party, Leblaine.â
Isaac rolled his eyes and quickly understand.
âYes, I have that much time. Thereâs no big brother, but we could help.â
I donât know why he suddenly changed his mind, but it was a good thing for me.
I smiled broadly and said, âThank you!â as I shook my brotherâs hands.
***
Elizabeth frowned as she saw the invitation on the smiling childrenâs hands.
âMiss Dubbled is really thoughtless.â
âWhat? Why?â
âParty at a time like this. My mother says no one would attend. Itâs hard to get an invitation from a duke, but itâs hard for parents to let their children go at a dangerous time.â
The young children laughed awkwardly as Elizabeth grumbled.
There may be such an interpretation, but Elizabeth, who calls them into the mansion every day, was not saying anything.
A lady with freckles and cheerful face said,
âBut she said sheâd send an escort to the mansion!
Isnât it reassuring to have Dubbledâs escort?â
âHuh, really? Wouldnât the escort protect Duke Dubbled first?â
âShe said that the three brothers of Dubbled are the ones coming by to escortâ¦â¦.â
The young ladies blushed.
Usually, relatives of the host come to the mansion to escort the VIPs, but the escort of the Dubbledâs children was unprecedented.
Only few parents found it uncomfortable because it was an act of sincerity.
Dubbledâs three children were sought after because they were not engaged yet.
âIâd like to have Henry come.â
âFor me Isaacâ¦â¦.â
âWill Johann come?â
Elizabethâs hand flinched.
âJohann is escorting other ladies?â
Her face was distorted all at once.
âBad girl!â
Johann must be so busy managing this and that because his father was attacked, sheâs putting a lot of pressure on him. She was really a thoughtless little girl.
âShe must have cried and complained. Sweet Johann must have had no choice but to listen to her request.â
Otherwise, the decent Johann would not escort another lady other than me.
Elizabeth clenched her fist.
âI didnât even get an invitation!â
The thought of Johann holding the other ladyâs hand made blood rush to the top of her head.
ââ¦â¦I donât think the partyâs going to be very fun. Come on, letâs just hang out in my greenhouse. Her majesty the empress gave me a sika deer as a gift. Let me show you how cute they are!â
The ladies who usually say yes to Elizabethâs every suggestion, did not answer as if they were in trouble.
Just how great is Dubbledâs party?
âWell, there are three children who are more beautiful than her deer in the greenhouse.â
Handsome guys are fun to look at, so the party canât be boring.
âShall we go to the palace together? The palace is really safe! If you go with me, you can see the emperor. Her Majesty is so sweet to me. She always called me cute Elizabeth.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âYes? Everyone!â
However, the young children did not answer and went back.
Elizabeth was in tears. There has never been a time when people do not comply with her request. Until the little girl came to the city!
âSheâs bad. Lady Dubbledâs a bad girl.â
âElizabeth?â
âMotherâ¦â¦.â
Elizabeth burst into tears as she saw her mother in the greenhouse.
Princess Ingrid was surprised to see her daughter burst into tears when she saw her.
âWhatâs going on?â
âLady Dubbled is a bad girl! Sheâs having a party at this time! Sheâs not considerate, right? Sheâs bad, isnât she? She might endanger my friends. And to meâ¦she didnât even send me an invitation!â
Shouldnât she send her an invitation first? The emperor and empress loves her so much. Sheâs the most precious child in the country.
âI see. You must have been upset.â
The prideful child must be hurt.
Princess Ingrid, who was stroking her daughterâs back, sighed.
After she cried to sleep, Princess Ingrid headed to her husbandâs office.
Marquis Nodelli, who was nervously throwing papers, frowned at his wife who came into the room without knocking.
âWhatâs the matter?â
âElizabeth was upset that she didnât get an invitation to Dubbledâs party.â
âSo?â
âI want you to get her an invitation.â
The Marquis of Nodelliâs expression changed.
âYou came here to say that?! Iâm already busy with the attacks!â
The attack on the Duke of Dubbled became an attack to the nobles. The nobleâs resentment was hitting the sky, and the palace was desperately looking for a suspect in the incident.
Princess Ingrid narrowed her eyes.
âThatâs enough! Iâm a fool to ask you. Iâll ask my mother instead.â
âDonât think about sending my daughter to Dubbleds! My daughterâs going to a house where she could be teared to death!â
Princess Ingrid left the room without an answer,
âAs expected, this marriage was the wrong choice.â
She couldnât forget the Duke of Dubbled even after he got married. She knew he had a wife, but she couldnât control her heart, so she visited him.
She needed to make a choice.
However, she was bitterly rejected, and the disappointed Princess Ingrid chose the Marquis of Nodelli.
âAhh, Theodoreâ¦â¦.â
Princess Ingrid, holding a hidden picture of Duke Dubbled in her arms, sighed.
***
I smiled when I saw a letter from the empress dowager.
[â¦â¦â¦Send an invitation of your party to my granddaughter. Sheâs a lovely child, so she can be a good friend.]
Zachary frowned.
âAnyway the empressâ¦â¦. to even ask for this kind of request knowing your relationshipâ¦â
âWell, whatâs important is-â
I grinned and looked at the pre-written invitation.
â-Elizabeth took the bait.â
âYes, Miss Dubbled! I said Johannâs name in front of the lady. She was so angry!â
I smiled cynically looking at the portraits of Princess Ingrid and Elizabeth.
âThey attacked my family, so itâs worth the trouble, right?â
âââââââââââââââââ-
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