Chapter 5

Rachel thought Sian suspected Theodore of being a traitor. She assumed helping him gather clear evidence that her husband hadn’t committed rebellion would be an appealing offer.

It was true that Sian had once suspected Theodore of rebellion—but not anymore. Sian already knew that Theodore’s misdeeds were an affair, not treason.

“He wants evidence of the affair… He wants to collect it without getting involved himself. He’d probably want to use me as a witness if necessary. That is, if this woman genuinely wants a divorce.”

Lowering his head, he pondered quietly.

“She acts naive on the surface while scheming behind the scenes. That means she’s far smarter and more meticulous than she seems. I need to learn more about Rachel Ellosa—what kind of person she is, what she wants.”

A shiver ran down his spine. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d met someone this calculating.

Sian always felt a thrill when encountering someone exceptional. His close friend and merchant master, Stephan, the guildmaster Fugius, and his aide Nick—all had become his people in this way.

“Rachel Ellosa might be a strategist even beyond Stephan or Fugius. This could be interesting.”

For now, he decided to follow Rachel’s lead. Tracking her would take time.

“I will accept. Though I don’t fully trust you yet.”

“Understandable. One dealing with important matters shouldn’t trust others carelessly.”

“First, I’ll verify the information you gave me.”

Fortunately, Rachel nodded readily.

“Of course.”

“Now it’s my turn to ask questions. Why did you summon the guild informant? Was it simply to acquire the gift for your husband as requested? If you want a divorce, you wouldn’t need to prepare such a gift.”

“You’re perceptive.”

Rachel widened her eyes in genuine surprise.

“You’re correct. That request was only an excuse to summon the guild informant without arousing suspicion from my husband or the butler.”

“As I suspected.”

“I hope Your Grace will pretend to accept my request. I couldn’t dare give you a real one, but I need to avoid their scrutiny. And I’d appreciate it if you would accept the payment as well.”

Sian nodded calmly.

“That’s easy enough. You came here as a guild informant anyway, so I’ll take it as a formal request. There will be a record with the guild, so any doubts can be avoided.”

“Thank you.”

“The gift you want to give your husband—it is indeed for your wedding anniversary?”

Rachel nodded.

“Yes. I don’t want him to know I’m preparing for a divorce. The gift is meant to signify that I still love him and believe our marriage is solid.”

Sian narrowed his eyes beneath the eyepatch.

As expected—she was the type to hide her true self and act with precision.

He wondered what expression Rachel wore while speaking these words. Even with his vision obscured, he could gauge position and movement, but reading her emotions or expression was difficult. It was frustrating.

“I don’t know much about the upper-class social scene. You are male and far higher in status than I, Your Grace, so you surely know what sort of gift would be appropriate.”

This aligned with what Sian had already researched.

“Please find a gift for my husband—difficult to obtain, highly valuable, and worthy as a token of love.”

A simple enough request.

Sian nodded.

“Understood. I’ll find a suitable item.”

“Thank you. The payment… it may be trivial to Your Grace, but I’ll ensure it’s sufficient.”

“Very well. Then wait, and I will report back. But if any of what you told me is false, you’ll face the consequences.”

“I’ve told no lies, so that won’t be an issue.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Sian immediately knelt in front of Rachel, showing proper courtesy.

Rachel was startled but didn’t speak.

“Madam, it’s Karl. Are you still in conversation?”

“Ah, yes! The discussion is taking a while—it’s a difficult item to procure.”

“Understood. Call me once you’ve finished—I have something to report.”

“All right. We’ll wrap this up soon.”

When Sian was certain the footsteps had faded and silence returned, he rose.

“…The butler?”

“That’s correct.”

“How disrespectful. The lady is in conversation with a guest, and he knocks just to relay some trivial message.”

“That’s typical, but don’t worry. I will handle it shortly.”

“Very well.”

“Then, Your Grace, it’s been an honor. I look forward to our next meeting.”

Sian heard the soft rustle of fabric and envisioned a delicate woman bowing courteously.

Even to someone who couldn’t see, she showed meticulous respect—more than necessary.

He couldn’t help but let out a faint smile.

Leaving the Ellosa mansion, Sian felt lighter than before.

After he left, Rachel sank into a chair in the reception room.

She pressed her hand to her chest. She had been tense, though she’d tried to act calm.

“I knew he was a duke, but I didn’t know exactly what kind of person he was.”

From what the original story said about Dolorasa, he couldn’t be a bad man, she reasoned.

Fortunately, Sian was more rational and reasonable than expected. If he had been uncommunicative, things could have turned difficult.

She recalled Karl’s knock. Sian had knelt immediately, without hesitation, and lowered his voice respectfully. Truly remarkable.

“How can the duke, second only to the emperor in rank, kneel so easily? And even after his identity was exposed, he didn’t speak condescendingly or awkwardly.”

Sian wasn’t famous only for his swordsmanship and strategy.

“Dolorasa’s father must be extremely handsome. Even the jawline and lips I glimpsed beneath the eyepatch were immaculate.”

Dolorasa was described as exceptionally beautiful in the original story—so striking that even the unemotional, deadly Graham had turned his head more than once.

Her father would surely be equally impressive.

“His voice and manner were calm. Even hiding his status and appearance, he carried elegance and dignity. A complete contrast to Theodore.”

Lost in thought, Rachel sighed. Karl entered the reception room.

“Have you finished your discussion?”

“Yes. I’ll report back to him soon. Thanks for your help, Karl.”

“What item did you request?”

“Hmm.”

Pretending to ponder, Rachel blinked.

“Actually, I didn’t specify a particular item.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know the trends of high society. I just asked the informant to select a suitable gift. They said they’d find one.”

“Is it safe to leave it to them? They might bring back something completely unexpected.”

“Of course not. Do you think they’d be a guild informant if they were careless? Even if they bring something odd, it’s fine—the guildmaster is very strict. His name is… uh…”

“Fugius.”

She had pretended not to know.

Rachel smiled instead of pouting.

“Yes, Fugius. If the informant brings the wrong gift, he won’t let it slide. I trust him.”

“Understood.”

“But Karl, what did you want to discuss?”

Karl approached slowly and handed over a paper—Marsha’s dismissal notice.

“You’ve fired Marsha. Without consulting me.”

“Isn’t that allowed? I am the mistress of the Ellosa household and responsible for the employment of the servants.”

Karl had acted on Rachel’s behalf in the past because she hadn’t cared much about the household.

After a pause, Karl spoke quietly.

“We all know you are kinder than any noble. But your fellow servant has been dismissed, and a stranger from the guild has visited. Everyone is uneasy.”

Probably not “kinder than any noble”—more like “easier to manipulate than any noble.”

Rachel could have argued, but Karl’s words were polite and had merit.

It was certainly unsettling for the servants—the sudden dismissal of Marsha, the visit of a hooded, eyepatch-wearing informant, and the fear that next might be them.

Of course, that was only the outward appearance—Karl’s true intentions were different.

Rachel inwardly clicked her tongue.

“As expected of Karl—the man who helped foolish Theodore carry on his affair for so long.”

Karl was smart and wise. He didn’t directly ask, “What are you scheming? Are you tracking Theodore because of the affair?” He framed his concerns in a polite, plausible way to avoid counterattacks or revealing his true thoughts.

Right now, Karl was subtly pressuring Rachel to make her say, “I will never contact the guild informant again.”

The old Rachel might have slipped, saying:

“Oh, I caused worry. I’m sorry, Karl.”

But the new Rachel had no intention of falling for Karl’s strategy.

“But what should I do? Honestly, I did it deliberately, hoping the atmosphere would turn tense.”