C12
I suppressed the relieved sigh that rose in my throat and maintained a relaxed attitude.
"Go to Liena and report what I say."
After hearing my further instructions, Tara frowned.
"Is it really okay?"
"Yes, it won't really harm Liena, so it's not an unreasonable request, is it?"
She nodded hesitantly.
"I'll know if you did what I said or not by observing your mistress's future actions, so it's better not to deceive me."
"I'll keep that in mind. But when will I get the information?"
"Two months from now. Exactly two months from now, you can see Chiléan again."
It was a very sweet condition for Tara, who had been waiting for years for Liena to fulfill her promise without a specific date.
She seemed dissatisfied, but she finally convinced herself and disappeared from the Wandering Forest.
"Phew."
I consoled my heart belatedly.
Why is she so terrifying? She could kill someone with just her eyes.
And my conscience is slightly bitter because I'm trying to create a rift between Liena and Tara.
In fact, Liena didn't intentionally hide information about Chiléan from Tara. It's really impossible at this point.
Why? Because that wasn't even mentioned in the newspaper she read before returning.
Chiléan periodically changed his name and residence to avoid creditors and authorities.
Would the newspaper have covered all those false identities when it wasn't actually important information?
The information Liena knows about Chiléan is his last disguised identity. In other words, it was the name and residence he used when he was killed by Tara.
I know the disguised identity Chiléan has been using during this time.
Here's a fairly complicated story, and in Liena's second life, Tara accidentally encounters her enemy.
A chain reaction of butterfly effects occurred when Liena changed her fate.
Something happened that had never happened before her regression.
Tara, who lost her mind, followed Chiléan and tried to kill him, but failed, and the story that unfolded was a touching episode in its own way.
"In this sense, transmigration is better than regression."
Liena, a regressee, only knows her first life, but I can read the second diligently.
Let's see, the episode in question came right after the Emperor's Birthday episode...
There are about three months and fifteen days left from now.
"A month's notice should be enough."
By then, Terence will have already entered the imperial palace, so there's no need to silence Tara.
"Sorry, but until I get divorced, feel free to doubt your master, Tara."
If their relationship is as strong as in the novel, my divorce will be difficult.
Liena won't let me divorce even for the sake of the mine.
"Did you finish the conversation?"
Suddenly a voice dropped from above my head.
"I was surprised!"
Terence had a mischievous smile on his face.
"I thought you had forgotten I existed. I was bored earlier, so I was collecting acorns."
Then he put two acorns in my hand.
"Acorns?" I stored the acorns in my pocket and smiled.
"Did you hear what we were talking about?"
"Despite this, I respect my employer's privacy. Don't worry, I was paying attention the whole time."
Lie. I saw Tara raise her dagger when she threatened me loudly.
This means that although he couldn't hear the exact content of the conversation, he was attentive to our mood the whole time.
I unexpectedly grabbed the sleeve of a surprisingly honest bodyguard and guided him.
"Let's go back quickly and have a late lunch together."
After that, I planned to give him a taste of the special medicinal tea I had prepared.
**Mansion of Cassius.**
"Miss, I'm back."
When Tara entered the luxurious living room, Liena, who was changing her clothes, greeted her cheerfully.
"Welcome back, Tara! Did you do your errand well?"
"Yes."
"Then, girls, go."
Regret spread among the maids who helped her get dressed.
"Miss, can you change your clothes again?"
"Yes! This light green cape dress is prettier than the one she's wearing now."
"Hey, what are you talking about? My lady says she likes pink better."
"No, no. Blue is the best!"
"Is that so? I'll wear everything later."
Liena felt embarrassed watching the maids argue, but as if she had made a decision, she clasped her hands and placed them under her chin.
"Please. Because there's something I want to talk to Tara about."
And she winked.
"Please, leave for a moment."
She said in a reassuring voice.
There were many groans here and there.
"It's very cute!"
"I feel like my heart will stop!"
"She's so cute, my lady!"
"......"
Normally, Tara would have climbed into the carriage and said something, but today she was so confused that she kept her mouth shut.
Only after such a commotion did the maids leave the room.
Liena sank into the large gold-decorated armchair. It was a gift from the Duke to commemorate the day Liena massaged his shoulders for the seventh time.
"I'm grateful that people like it, but sometimes it's too much and it's a big problem."
"Yes."
"Yes? You don't look well. What's wrong?"
"No. It's nothing.
If it's too much, you can tell them to stop."
Tara swallowed what she wanted to say.
In fact, the maids also noticed that Liena secretly enjoyed such reactions and gradually raised the level to what it is today.
I don't know why, but her mistress had a tendency to obsess over others' affection.
Like a child who has never received a bit of affection. Everyone in the duchy loves her so much, but why?
The brief discussion was interrupted by Liena's lovely voice.
"How did it go with my sister-in-law, as I asked?"
Tara bit her lip slightly, feeling guilty about having to hide the truth from her mistress.
But...
There was something more important to her than Liena.
"Nothing unusual happened. She took a walk, went shopping..."
It wasn't a particular lie.
"What was her expression like?"
"She didn't seem upset. She smiled often."
In front of that man.
"Just as I expected! My sister-in-law really has no intention of getting a divorce!"
Liena applauded.
"She was worried because she knew about the mine, but she just needed some time alone. Isn't that right?"
"Well, maybe that's the case."
"If she really wanted a divorce, she would have hurried to find a lawyer. Or maybe she would have gone to her parents' house to borrow strength. Well, I don't know if anyone would dare to go against our Cassius family."
"Yes."
"My older brother is too much too. How could he say that after drinking? From my sister-in-law's point of view, of course, she would be upset."
She remembered the story that Leandro had told her last night when he arrived.
When he found out about the Andala mine, he was surprised and asked Tara to check Ethel's movements. But it seems he was worried for no reason.
The "Ethel Wallace" that Liena knows is a quite realistic person.
Is she the type of person who would prefer to separate and not cling to a hopeless divorce?
If she really wanted a divorce, it's strange that she seemed excited in the face of reality.
And didn't she like Leandro quite a bit?
"If my older brother apologizes properly, my sister-in-law's feelings will be relieved. I didn't know she was so sad."
"Then, are you going to keep the mine in the young lady's possession for now?"
"Well, I should do that. What can I do? Anyway, the jump in value will occur much later."
If she tries to litigate the ownership, it will only create hard feelings and end the marital relationship.
For Leandro's sake, she wanted to prevent that.
She didn't know it, but it seemed like she felt more for Ethel than she thought.
"Oh. Can you give me the catalog from there?"
"Here you go."
Liena fluttered through the pages and focused on the product description.
"A gift is essential for an apology. What would my sister-in-law like?"
"... Should I look after the young lady in the future?"
Liena waved her hand without even looking at Tara.
"No. Honestly, it's a waste of time for you to do this kind of work. Starting tomorrow, deal with Count Creid as usual."
Count Creid was one of Cassius's political enemies and was busy keeping the rapidly rising ducal family under control, discussing everything.
Liena had ordered Tara to closely monitor him to see if there were any weaknesses to defeat Count Creid.
Tara saluted Liena and left.
However, she didn't go directly to Count Creid. Before that, she had to inform Ethel that she had completed the mission entrusted to her.
---------------------------
"What does it taste like?"
In response to my question, the man sipping tea shrugged elegantly.
"It seems good."
".... And?"
"It also smells good. It feels like I'm taking medicine."
"Is that all?"
"Should there be something else?"
"The name is medicinal tea, but when you drink it, you feel light, you can sleep peacefully at night, or you feel energized. Is there something like that?"
Terence tilted his head.
"Well. After hearing it, it seems to be the case."
"Ha... It seems like it has no outstanding efficacy."
"It's difficult for medicinal tea that isn't even medicine to have great effects."
It's not just medicinal tea!
I held back the screams that were about to come out and just smiled.
The location is a tea shop near the hotel.
A cozy interior, a friendly owner, and the fragrant aroma of tea.
I chose this shop mainly because I liked the fact that it didn't have too many customers.
It's been three days since I borrowed the tea shop's equipment and prepared my medicinal tea for Terence.
"Isn't it time to see some effect already?"
He drank my tea without saying anything, but he didn't show any reaction.
I was itching to mention the headache, but I managed to swallow the question.
How could I explain?
About how I could know he had a headache.
The cause of the headache is the royal lineage.
Therefore, the story also includes the fact that Terence is the Marquis of Friheiden, the emperor's illegitimate son.
In other words, he would find out that I approached him knowing his identity.
"I can't allow that."