Chapter 86 86. Francis, Part XII
Editor: Aelryin
Certainly, since then, the amount of headache-removing tea she drank had declined significantly.
She was sure it had worked. Simone’s nervousness had decreased, and her attitude toward Julietta had changed greatly.
Simone started talking about her future schedule over and over again, watching Julietta start eating without a word again.
"First of all, I have to get you a maid, but it’ll take some time to get someone I can trust."
Julietta recalled Dian when she heard about a maid. She was depressed when she said that she had to leave for the capital. But she was a maid brought by Sir Caden, and she couldn’t ask Simone to take her just because she recommended her.
"Yes, Aunt."
"Vera will be waiting on you for the time being, so there will be no big problem, but it’s also true that you need a maid your age, so let’s hurry up and get her. Most aristocrats have maids of their own age."
Simone looked across at Julietta eating dinner. Who would think that this child was not the daughter of the Duke of Kiellini? Rather, she looked more like the dead Katarina than her niece Regina, and it was horrifying. Concerned about whether her brother Duke Kiellini would be able to withstand that, Simone advised Julietta, "When you go to Dublin and see the Duke, be courteous. Since Iris had no interaction with the people of the mansion when she went down to Tilia Territory when she was young, everyone understands her relationship with the Duke. I don’t want you to incur his anger with behavior that goes too far, just to prove your relationship with the Duke."
Julietta understood what Simone meant. She said, "Don’t forget the reality because you are in the role of a princess." She nodded politely and promised, "Yes. I will always keep in mind who I am."
Julietta thought it was fortunate that she didn’t have to act cute to him, thinking the Duke was as cold as ice.
’Now that I’m back in Dublin, I should move on to implement my plans for the future.’
Julietta calculated the money she had received as a deposit and her salary for two months after taking the role of a princess.
Judging from the attitude of the Duke or Simone, if she made her debut and showed her face in public, they would announce her as the successor and send her down to Tilia as soon as possible. If she were lucky, she would be released safely and get freedom. However, the Duke of Kiellini could try to kill her and eliminate any anxiety without caring about a nobleman’s honor.
Julietta gave up the simple dream of first paying Maribel back and then going down to the countryside to open her store. It wasn’t time for her to be idle in the countryside, as her life depended on it.
’I have to go find Lillian first. Lillian is the only person I know who is acquainted with nobles.’
Julietta nodded gently to Simon’s continuing sermon, thinking of ways to save her life after all this.
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"This time, I thought we’d go back to Austern through the Magic Square."
Killian stared at Oswald, who had been grumbling since he told him to come along, but he followed.
Unlike the other aristocrats who returned to Austern one by one after the hunting competition, Christine showed no signs of leaving the castle of Calen. To separate from Christine, who wanted to return to Austern with him, Killian had to escape the castle by running away under the cover of darkness, on the pretext that something urgent had happened.
It was Adam who missed the chance to run away this time, as Oswald didn’t want to deal with the remaining Lady Anais, and he and Prince Francis quickly followed Killian’s lead.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Valerian thanked Oswald who never forgot to take care of him and bring him along.
"Well, it’s a natural thing to do. Think of how we struggled and suffered under Lady Anais and Viscountess Morbido, as Adam fled. It’s his turn this time."
Staring disapprovingly at the two facing each other and chatting, Killian threw the documents he was reviewing on the table.
"Everybody said they didn’t see anyone like her, so is she up in the sky or is she off to the ground?"
’Who in the world would have disguised her as a dead woman to get a maid out?’
Killian was beginning to get irritated by the slow search.
"We added a lot of people to those who might be suspicious, including Prince Francis or Lady Anais, Baroness Lanolf, and the Duke of Kiellini, but there was nothing."
At Valerian’s words, Oswald soothingly followed his words carefully, "We have no choice but to visit the actress, Lillian, for now. Maybe she’s been contacted by Julietta."
Spencer, a member of the royal family, could hardly send a man to Lillian, who had been brought in as an official lover. No matter how wild Killian was, he was not able to fling himself about in anger at his cousin’s woman, so he finally decided to drop by with Spencer on his way back to Austern.
"Don’t say any useless words like ’I’m dizzy or it’s a rule that a noble gets up late’, because I will be leaving as soon as Spencer gets back tomorrow morning. If you do, I’m going to take you apart this time."
Spencer was invited to a dinner by the lord and went to Baden Castle. When Killian had thrown away the invitation letter, which must have been sent as a courtesy, Spencer had sighed and gone to see Count Baden instead.
When Killian blocked Oswald’s late-morning recited excuse in advance, Oswald entered the bedroom, and Valerian sprang up. The sight of Oswald, who seemed more and more uncomfortable after arriving at the inn, made him think he’d better get ready to start tomorrow on time. He quickly began to organize the papers in front of Oswald.
"You’d better go to bed, Your Excellency. If you wake up late tomorrow, he may explode."
Oswald grumbled as Valerian quickly cleared the papers and pulled him up. "We’ll find Julietta at all costs. It’s getting harder with each passing day. Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?"
Oswald understood why Albert smacked his waist every day. He had no choice but to say that, to serve the Prince closely.
Valerian safely took Oswald to his room, turned around, and muttered, "I really need to turn the whole continent upside down and find her."
Listening to his followers grumbling outside, Killian lay on the bed where he had stayed before and looked down at the floor on the left. When he told her to sleep on the floor to stop the assassins from coming in at night, Julietta was dumbfounded and laid on top of the blanket, he remembered.
’Where did you disappear to?’
Killian looked down at his hands. He felt like he had been holding a strange and cute cat in his arms, and he missed it. He vowed, clasping his hands, and looking down with a greater sense of loss than he had thought.
’If I find her again, I’ll never let her go...’
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The next day, Killian was ready to leave early and asked Albert while getting on the ready wagon, "Are you all ready?"
"He’ll be down soon."
Killian was supposed to head to the outskirts of Badan Territory, where the Magic Square was, with the unmarked black wagon he had been riding in from Bertino to avoid public attention.
Count Baden was a border defenseman who got a report from the border and immediately found out about the Prince’s visit and sent an invitation letter, as he did yesterday, but other aristocrats were bound to come to see his carriage. There were quite a few ladies and aristocrats who walked around in front of his usual quarters to pretend they had met by chance.
Killian wanted to hurry back to Dublin and did not want to be disturbed by the aristocrats he would meet while doing so. Avoiding the hassle thanks to the wagon without an emblem, Killian leisurely climbed into the carriage and waited for the others.
Killian laughed as Oswald followed him into the carriage.
"Your Highness, I’m not late."
"That’s right."