Capítulo 144: [Chapter 144] Wishing you thorough misfortune
The Tiphian Marquis was unhappy with the atmosphere in Maindlandt, which had changed since his return.
By using Adrian as a shield, he had avoided being imprisoned again. He was treated like a guest, but the people here looked at him with contempt, even down to the servants. They were ignorant of their place...
"Brrr...," he muttered to himself in a room with no one to talk to. It was cold to the bone... A real person wouldn't live in a place like this. Cursed, cursed people...
The small room where he had been locked up for half a year was extremely cold. Even in the spring, his body would shiver. The words he had muttered to himself in that eternal, lonely time had become a habit.
He didn't think he could feel warmth again. Even in the midst of summer, his heart was always frozen. But the people here were different.
Except for one person, everyone seemed happy.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph..."
In the dimly lit room with no candles, he was enraged. It was unfair. The happy atmosphere of the castle, which was like a festival, was annoying. He wanted to make them unhappy like himself.
He wouldn't have to wait long. Adrian had kindly lent him his subordinate.
There was a knock on the door. The Marquis, following his new habit, instinctively grasped his dagger. And in a low voice, he shouted.
"Who is it...!"
Instead of an answer, the sound of the door opening was heard. The Marquis, who was startled and frightened, raised his dagger to throw it at the person entering. And when he saw the person's face, his eyes widened in surprise.
The dagger fell to the stone floor, which was bare because the assassin had been afraid of being caught. The Marquis let out a strange laugh.
"Ah, ah, ah...! You're surprised, aren't you?"
The only person the Marquis trusted in this dirty northern region, and the one who had helped him escape.
Nellis Truede smiled faintly and closed the door behind her. There were no attendants around, but to the Marquis, even that seemed trustworthy.
"I've come to see you, Your Excellency."
"Ah, yes, yes, I'm doing well. I'm doing well, and... Ah, ah, ah. It just so happens that I need your help."
The Marquis gestured to a seat, and Nellis slowly sat down. Then, she slowly met his gaze.
During his imprisonment, the Marquis had had several opportunities to talk to her alone. So, he was very familiar with her expressions, but strangely, this time, it felt colder than before.
The Marquis suddenly felt anxious and hastily opened his mouth, as if seeking reassurance.
"Yes, yes, I've decided to deal with Cledwin Jerno according to your advice. You're trustworthy, so you can help me, right?"
There was a reluctant nod, at least. The Marquis had expected that. But Nellis raised the corners of her mouth as if asking a question.
"Help?"
"Ah, yes, help."
"You're good at joking. What's the value in helping the current Marquis?"
The Marquis was shocked and doubted his ears. Nellis continued to speak with a smiling face.
"My words about coming to see you didn't mean I came to help you. It meant I came to confirm something."
Confirm? But... what was she trying to confirm? While the Marquis was confused, Nellis looked him straight in the eye and asked.
"Please answer honestly. Did you tell Adrian that I'm a spy for the Elantria family?"
The Marquis's eyes momentarily went blank. He answered her question honestly.
"Th... that... th... that's not it."
The Marquis thought she might get angry, but Nellis smiled faintly.
"Well done."
Her voice was satisfied, like a beast that had found its long-awaited prey...
She stood up, seemingly busy, and was about to leave.
"For a moment..."
It felt like something would end if she left. His instincts screamed so.
However, the Marquis's weak voice was meaningless and scattered into the air. Nellis turned back to him with a thoughtful expression.
"Since you played your last role well, I'll give you a parting gift. For the remaining short time, I wish you thorough misfortune."
The sound of her light footsteps faded away, leaving the Marquis's despairing face behind. Nellis left him alone again and exited the room.
As she closed the door behind her, she faced Adrian, who was standing in front of her. At a distance of less than a step, the two people's eyes met, and they both wore insincere smiles.
"What did you do, pretty one?"
Adrian leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. The jewels on his shoulders, neck, arms, and fingers clinked against each other.
Nellis didn't respond to his rude tone. Adrian laughed with a sarcastic voice, seeming to find it amusing.
"Do you ignore the imperial family's words?"
"I am the advisor of Maindlandt, sir."
"So what? Is that higher than the imperial family?"
"It means that I expect you to respect Maindlandt regardless of social status."
"Haha! You're good at talking, just like you deceived the Marquis."
'As expected.'
In his previous life, Adrian had been a loyal servant of Camil, but 'loyal' didn't mean he was faithful to Camil. Instead, it meant he used Camil's name and support to further his own interests.
As long as it suited his own interests, he wasn't afraid of anything, and he even used the imperial family's status to his advantage. So, Camil entrusted him with various tasks. However, Adrian often disobeyed Camil's orders, doing things his own way. That's why, when Nellis became the crown princess, she became Camil's new 'servant'.
As someone who was at least related to the imperial family, Adrian was also someone Nellis had to take responsibility for. And since her relationship with Camil hadn't ended, Nellis knew Adrian well.
Unlike the Marquis of Tiphian, who spent most of his time in the border regions, Adrian lived in the palace. He was naturally familiar with the Elantria family's affairs.
So, Nellis knew that Adrian wasn't unaware of the fact that she wasn't a spy sent by the Elantria family. Whatever the Marquis had said to him...
Nellis had come to find the Marquis, and she had eavesdropped on their conversation.
It seemed like Nellis was expecting Adrian to be surprised, but she had no intention of fulfilling his expectations.
"If you put it that way, I don't know what to do. The Marquis is much older and wiser than I am, so how could I deceive him? If he's older and has trustworthy subordinates, then maybe..."
Nellis's gaze lingered meaningfully on the servant standing behind Adrian. Adrian laughed, revealing his intentions.
'A trustworthy subordinate'... There was no one loyal among Adrian's subordinates. Under a cunning master, there was no room for a wise and faithful servant.
The only thing to be wary of was the spy planted by Camil among them.
The servant remained calm under Nellis's gaze. Adrian seemed to get bored and lowered the corners of his mouth.
"What, okay. The remaining days are precious. Take your time, I'll wait?"
And then, he turned around and left, his figure disappearing into the distance. Nellis watched as Adrian and his servant walked to the end of the corridor and turned the corner.
After they disappeared, she smiled satisfactorily. Unlike the fake smile she had worn until now, this expression was genuine, reflecting her satisfaction that things had gone as planned.
"Milady."
Dora appeared suddenly, her expression stiff due to Adrian's attitude, but she reported faithfully on the task she had been assigned.
"I confirmed that the southern woman entered the lady's office. If I hadn't anticipated and kept a distance, I would have missed it."
"Yes, thank you."
The parting words Nellis had spoken to the Marquis were sincere.
The Marquis of Tiphian had fulfilled his duty by bringing Adrian. Given that Camil was already targeting this side, the Marquis's actions had been well-timed.
And her statement about 'confirming' something by visiting the Marquis was also sincere. However, the confirmation wasn't about what the Marquis had said.
Last winter, Nellis had whispered to the Marquis not to tell anyone about the birth of the previous crown princess. So, the Marquis wouldn't say anything about that, and it was okay to tell Adrian about other things.
What Nellis wanted to confirm was who Adrian's servant was when she visited the Marquis.
Nellis had gone to the Marquis's room, knowing that Adrian would not miss the opportunity. The Marquis's office, which was usually crowded, was empty at the time.
Nellis asked Dora to confirm.
"Are you sure which southern woman entered?"
"Yes, milady. It was a servant named Zavel, who often visits the Marquis. I remember his face clearly."
"Perfect. Did he take anything out of my office?"
"Yes. When he left, his clothes looked bulkier, and I saw a blue color peeking out from the gap between his clothes. It looked like the book you told me to put in the office safe earlier."
"I see. Thank you for watching that closely. You can go now."
Dora didn't know what was in the blue-covered book she had put in the office safe, but from Nellis's expression, it seemed like something that would be beneficial to Maindlandt if it fell into the right hands.
"Our milady is always certain about what she does."
Dora understood. She had access to more secrets of Maindlandt than she had when she was working in the shadows.
And Nellis's decision to trust Dora with that many secrets was because she had important tasks that required handling secrets.
It was a great honor to be trusted by someone you respected. Dora, who didn't like to think complicatedly, was satisfied with that.
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