RAMHM Chapter 61

Cowan's Secret

Rhodness finally relented—pretending defeat—and lay down on the guest room bed. Neil, who'd been viewing his lord's leisurely attitude with extreme displeasure at a time when the Baroness Kuroseida incident had created mountains of work, forced a smile when Rhodness glanced at him and left the room.

I sent Neil away and leaned against the door, watching Rhodness. He covered his eyes with his arm, embarrassed perhaps, and exhaled heavily for some time.

"I thought you'd never caught 'trivial' illnesses like stomach troubles?"

"...What you gave me wasn't trivial."

"Your Highness."

"What the lady gave me wasn't trivial, was it?"

Though I hadn't been pointing out his informal speech in this situation, Rhodness answered quite earnestly.

"Then since you've fallen ill from my 'extraordinary' cookies, I suppose I must stay by your side."

The eyes hidden behind his arm peeked out. He wouldn't even tell me exactly where it hurt—and seeing his reddened eyes made my heart ache somehow. Tap-tap. Feeling vibration against my back, I opened the door to find Yona.

"My lady. Madame Leblais has arrived."

"Ah, has it been that long already?"

"I've shown her to the drawing room for now, but shall I send her away since you have a guest?"

"No. It's a prior engagement and I have things to discuss. I'll go now."

Yona answered energetically and disappeared. As I closed the door, I felt a pointed gaze somehow. Rhodness had fully removed his arm from his eyes, pulled the blanket up to just below them, and was staring directly at me. I thought if I pulled that blanket away, sulky lips would probably emerge—the image was rather amusing.

"An important guest has arrived. I'll be back."

He looked full of things he wanted to say, but when I kept staring at him, Rhodness nodded so slightly it was barely visible and closed his eyes.

Heading to the drawing room, everything was already set up. Madame had been visiting the estate at least once a week to make my clothes, and today was that day. The moment I entered, Madame's expression brightened—she sent all the employees who'd come with her out and kept her eyes sparkling until I took my seat.

"It seems you have a guest more important than me. I'm honored, my lady."

"I should tighten the servants' lips a bit more."

"The Imperial Knights are standing guard at the front gate plain as day, the servants are terrified, and your maid keeps going up and down to the third floor where the guest room is—I merely deduced."

"Madame, you'd have a talent for private investigation."

"Oh my, it was actually my childhood dream."

Madame, who'd grown close enough to exchange such silly jokes, laughed warmly and smiled knowingly.

"I read the gossip papers quite regularly, you know—these days I've been keeping a scrapbook of stories about you. After all, I've observed the romance between you two rather closely, haven't I?"

"Madame, actually there's a reason I've come out like this, keeping the Second Prince waiting."

Madame's lips, which had been chattering excitedly, stopped abruptly. As her puzzled eyes fixed on me, I quietly opened my mouth.

"I may not be able to serve as the Crown Princess's lady-in-waiting for a while. So I wanted to ask you to observe Her Highness the Crown Princess's circumstances and the movements around her whenever you enter the palace."

"Suddenly? Did something go wrong with Her Highness the Crown Princess...?"

"There's news I'd prefer not be spread as rumors yet."

Madame sprang up and moved from across the table to the seat beside me. As her sparkling eyes drew close, I lowered my voice as if I'd been waiting.

"I've been designated as the prospective Grand Duchess."

Madame's eyes rolled around as if asking what that meant, then widened as she understood.

"The, the Grand Duchess of Trovika?"

Since there was only one Grand Duchess position in the Empire, it was the correct answer. When I nodded slightly, Madame covered her mouth with her hand adorned with all manner of jewels on her nails. But the wavering of her eyes had grown much larger than before, so I could fully imagine how shocked she was.

"Then, then, then, then... your remarriage partner is His Grace the Grand Duke, and your lover is His Highness the Second Prince Rhodness?!"

"Well, something like that. For now."

I seemed to hear a soundless scream. Madame made a loud groaning noise, then drew closer with a flushed face. She wiped her hand that had covered her mouth briskly with a handkerchief, then gently but firmly grasped my hands resting neatly on my knees.

"I have something to tell you as well. Actually, thanks to you, my lady, our atelier's sales have increased tremendously this past month. Since rumors that you're the Second Prince's lover appear regularly in the gossip papers, your style gets mentioned frequently."

"I remember hearing about that before."

"If you not only capture the Second Prince but also the Grand Duke of Trovika and rise to the position of Grand Duchess, sales will increase even more!"

Leblais pulled out a notebook she'd brought and showed it to me. It was a chart organizing the increased profits. Even at a glance, there was clearly a significant difference from before.

"Until now I've received many praises that my dresses are artistic, but there was an image that only people of extremely high status sought them out. But thanks to you, my customer base has broadened considerably. So this time I'm thinking of opening a branch."

"Madame's reputation was already sky-high, so don't say such things."

"That's why I'm telling you—I was planning to share this branch's profits with you and formally feature you as my muse."

Whether those words were sincere, she opened the briefcase she always carried to show me—there were papers that looked like contracts inside.

"But to receive such good news... Congratulations so much! Is there anything more I can do to help? Now that you're rising to such a high position, I don't know if I can even serve you as a muse anymore."

As Madame fussed and fluttered, I grasped her hands.

"If you can convey news while I'm unable to do lady-in-waiting duties, that's enough. We help each other, don't we? And the Grand Duchess position is only tentatively decided, not confirmed, so don't get too excited."

"Even if you don't become Grand Duchess, my lady, you're already gaining fame gradually. It'll be even more so from the moment you're linked with His Grace the Grand Duke."

Madame's eyes burned brightly. I smiled and decided to bring up what I'd been thinking about.

"So about that—I have an idea I'd like you to try when making the Crown Princess's and my clothes. What do you think?"

"What is it?"

Her eyes sparkled with an expression that would accept anything.

"What if we attach quite a lot of jewels? Or perhaps affix jewelry crafts and such."

"Je...wels?"

In Ronteaux, jewels were mainly decorated only at the center of the chest or at the hem of skirts. Because jewels were precious.

"I believe if it's you, Madame, even just presenting the materials like this will inspire you."

"Of course, my lady."

Madame clenched both fists as if not wanting to disappoint.

"And there's a jewelry shop I'd like to recommend..."

"Just say the word."

"How about receiving supplies from Baroness Nora Giusetta's jewelry shop?"

"You mean Baroness Giusetta, the Crown Princess's lady-in-waiting?"

"Yes. It would be good to help each other. Of course, if she feels the same way."

"...I understand what you mean."

"I'd like Madame to casually mention it, and say I'd like to see the Baroness because I'm bored resting from lady-in-waiting duties due to various preparations."

"Leave it to me."

Seeing Madame Leblais's face as if walking in a dream, I had a premonition that it wouldn't be long before Nora came to find me of her own accord.

Madame chattered on for quite a while after that, then finished her work perfectly and left the Count's estate. Feeling as if I'd crossed a great mountain, I exhaled deeply and headed to the guest room. I'd been away longer than expected. Tap-tap. When I knocked on the guest room, I heard busy sounds inside.

"Your Highness?"

Thinking Rhodness, who wasn't feeling well, might be hurt somehow, I hurriedly opened the door—and saw Rhodness, sweating profusely as if he'd been exercising, hastily putting on a shirt over his bare body. I quickly closed the door lest anyone see and came inside.

"Are you, uncomfortable?"

Seeing his firm body sparkling in the sunlight, my pronunciation twisted slightly. Rhodness was earnestly buttoning his shirt with trembling hands, as if his body wasn't well.

"Shall I... help you?"

And his hands stopped moving abruptly. Rhodness's face, backlit, clearly showed illness—but was slightly flushed and reddish. I approached slowly, feeling a tension as if the air had disappeared. As I fastened his shirt buttons one by one—half-done—his heaving bare chest showed between the fabric.

"You're ill, so why did you take off your clothes... Were you exercising?"

"...I felt like I was only showing you weakness."

"When you're sick, you should rest completely."

The lavender scent that always came from him mixed with a strange sweat smell—far from being repulsive, it was an odd body scent that made me feel strange. My eyes kept going to his prominent collarbones and the fierce muscles split apart—so I tried hard to look only at my hands as I buttoned.

When I fastened the top button and looked up at him, darkly glittering eyes were looking down at me. Feeling his breath was startlingly close, I stepped back in surprise. Tap-tap.

"My lady! A letter has arrived from Trovika Grand Ducal Estate!"

I approached the door, leaving the strange tension behind, and held out my hand. Yona's footsteps, perceptively delivering only the letter, faded away. Throughout reading the letter, I felt Rhodness's gaze quite persistently. I moistened my dry lips with my tongue and smiled slightly as if to say it was fine.

"I'll be going to the Grand Ducal Estate starting tomorrow."

Rhodness remained frozen in the spot where he'd been looking down at me. Was he very ill? I approached to support him. Then Rhodness's mouth slowly opened.

"Should I congratulate you?"

Rhodness, who laughed shortly, rubbed his face once or twice and gazed at me deeply.

"Say anything. If you tell me to disguise myself as a maid, I'm even prepared to do so."

"Though with such an obviously male build, no one would believe it."

"...Is this the sturdy man you wanted when you were young?"

"Pardon?"

"Right now. Me."

Rhodness indicated himself, subtly deflecting. It was an unexpected question. Among the men I'd met, was there anyone as sturdy as Rhodness? Shoulders I couldn't fully embrace with both arms, a solid body that would break me if I collided with it. And when I suddenly raised my gaze—which had been sweeping down—to his face, I saw his ears were strangely red.

"Your Highness?"

"I asked if I match your ideal type."

Rhodness asking about ideal types in a serious situation seemed a bit absurd, but I nodded seriously. Rhodness muttered to himself, rubbing his cheeks several times, then quickly changed his expression. He was truly an interesting man to watch. Leisurely as if nothing in the world could frighten him, yet tense and conscious at odd points. After being like that for a while, Rhodness raised his voice slightly.

"I can't send you alone."

"Yona will go too, and if possible, I'm thinking of taking Marge."

He gave no answer. Even knowing my plan, he couldn't hide his worried heart.

"...At least you should take Cowan."

Thinking of Cowan, whom Rhodness had released in the back garden of the Count's estate to keep as a guard dog, a laugh slipped out. I shook my head.

"The Grand Duke knows of Cowan's existence and name too. I once asked about Cowan's whereabouts."

"...What did he answer?"

The suddenly lowered voice was quite ominous. Approaching him as the atmosphere suddenly changed, I quickly switched topics.

"Well, I don't remember. But I've been curious for a while—what does the name Cowan mean?"

His coldly frozen face gradually flushed red again. Looking up at that remarkable change with fresh eyes, I was startled by his answer.

"He took our middle names."

Was his face about to burst because he had a fever and was ill?

"The 'Co' from Rhodness Cozma de Ronteaux, the 'wan' from Adrienne Swan Pirreta."

Or from embarrassment, as if a secret only he knew had been exposed?