Do Your Best and Regret

Chapter 66

The entrance to the Marquis Ethel's residence.

As soon as the carriage door opened, the youngest lady of the Ethel family ran into the mansion. The servants, who had been nervous since the carriage came in, bowed exaggeratedly.

"Have you been there, Lady?"

However, unlike usual, Maria passed by the servants and entered the mansion.

"My father?"

Maria shouted sharply and a servant came over. Come to think of it, the odds of her father being in the mansion were slim. He would have rather gone to the bars and casinos on Laheir Street.

It was then. The servant pointed to the drawing room on the first floor.

"The Marquis is in the drawing room now."

Maria blinked and smiled brightly. It looked like she was going to do it too. She never thought she would meet her busy father all at once!

Maria hurriedly ran towards the drawing room. The servant, who thought she had passed the conversation with her Young Lady without issue, suddenly missed it.

"Miss!"

The Marquis told him to bite everyone after the Duke of Elkin came a little while ago. The servant who was trying to follow the Young Lady stopped in place. In front of the hallway leading to the drawing-room, a large stag-hunting trophy looked down at the servant as a warning. The bright blue jewels embedded in the empty eyes looked just like the eyes of the Marquis Ethel.

At the same time a chill ran down his spine, the servant realized. Miss, it wouldn't be a big deal if she went in there, but servants like him are different. Even more so in this Marquis of Ethel, who is more merciless than any other noble family.

The servant shrugged his shoulders. And he went back to what he was doing.

***

As she approached the living room, Maria heard the sound of chattering. The reception room on the first floor was fancy, but not well soundproofed. It was when Maria stood in the doorway and was about to knock.

"... I should have eliminated the backlash. If only I had given him medicine...."

Maria took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The owner of the low voice was her father.

Medicine.

Before Maria could gather her thoughts, another voice spoke.

"Did you think of that at that time? I was just anxious to warn the Duke of Madeleine."

"But. That is correct, Duke."

"Still, the Marquis is right. If you hadn't looked half as good back then, the Duke of Madeleine wouldn't have given away his daughter."

"Should I say I'm lucky or not about that? Should we criticize him for living with evidence of infidelity, or should we admire him for being lucky enough to have a sacrifice to send into the imperial family instead of her daughter? Isn't it really embarrassing?"

"If it's an offering, you should say a prayer of thanks to us. Aren't we going to hire the dancer?"

Soft laughter went back and forth. Maria covered her mouth without realizing it. The person her father would politely call the Duke was the Duke of Elkin, the head of the noble faction and the older brother of Her Majesty the Empress. And the story that has come out now is probably, the story of the Duke of Madeleine's illegitimate child caused a stir in social circles about fourteen years ago.

Although it happened when Maria was six years old, she also remembered glimpses of Maria, as she said the Duchess died in the aftermath. That was a trap between Duke Elkin, head of the noble faction, and her father.