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The game is afoot! Tara's team starts their counter attack while the Countess....
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Episode 235 About 10 Months (112)
"Wow! That's interesting! How should we...? What are we going to do? I'm used to planning strategies, but it has been a while since I played a part in one. Woo-ho-ho! My heart is pounding! What shall we do?"
“……”
Bernard took a step back while Beth's eyes widened. Having witnessed this behaviour often, I gave him a flat stare.
‘Does he have a mental problem? Or was he dropped on his head as a baby?’
"Calm down, Master. It's no time to be excited like a child..."
‘Ah.... And now he's pouting...'
He puffed out his lips. The red lipstick marks on his black stubbled face left quite an impression.
"Sheesh! I'm not doing it. What do you mean childish? I'm hurt. Shouldn't you be more accommodating when hiring high-quality personnel?"
I immediately switched to Korean office worker mode, knowing that the operation would lose a valuable asset if Andrei was left out.
"Hohohohohoho. I'm joking. Just joking. Ha ha ha ha. Now shall we find out the role of our highly qualified personnel, Master Andrei? Aren't you curious? Master you shall be a 'fisher of men'! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Bernard and Beth both shook their heads, giving up, while I burst out in a tear-jerking laughter. Andrei smiled excitedly as he looked at us.
"This, this! This is what I've been waiting for. All right. We have a tactical name and a good set of roles. Oh! This is going to be so much fun! Hehehe. Come on then, explain it in detail!"
Andrei was grinning ear to ear, but his gleaming eyes were sharper than ever.
He wasn't the head of the Black Society for nothing.
Beth and Bernard looked nervous in this unusual atmosphere, so I explained the operation very seriously.
"The first one to move will be Beth."
Beth swallowed and squeezed her hands tightly with worry.
"What should I do? Please give me your orders!"
"Go around telling everyone that I was completely worn out and fell asleep. Especially to your fellow maids."
"So, it can reach the Countess's ears?"
"As expected from our Beth! Just like a professional!"
Bernard glanced at Beth with an "oh-ho" look and nodded. Beth shrugged in response.
"And then, Master and I will move in turn, Bernard will be the last to act. Firstly, Beth will carry the tray back to the kitchen...."
My explanation took a while as I went into as much detail as possible to clear their doubts during the process. After I was done clarifying, I asked Bernard.
"Bernard, are there by any chance two more knights that can join you? I can't make an official request to the Elias Knights."
Bernard immediately nodded his head.
"I'll ask my colleagues."
"Don't overdo it. It might be difficult for them to agree."
I got up and Beth took the tray.
"I don't know if they would for anyone else, but if it's for the Lady, they will help out."
Bernard’s meaningful words stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Oh, my disciple, aren't you loved?"
"What are you talking about?"
As Andrei and I spoke simultaneously, our words got mixed up but Bernard simply explained it, as he understood.
"Since my Lady solved the corruption case of the Elias's Knights last year, our treatment has improved, and our salaries increased. After that, they said they'd help whenever needed, so everything will be fine."
"Oh my."
Andrei stood and gave a thumbs up.
"Really? Well, I didn't mean to.... But it makes me pretty proud! Hehe."
An awkward laugh escaped my lips.
"Ah! Now is not the time. Then don’t hesitate, Bernard, the more hands the better today. I’ll change my clothes and go to grandmothers' room. Master."
"Yes. I'll keep an eye on her and signal to Beth if I notice anything."
"Please."
"Okay. I'll go to the knight’s quarters first, then search the mansion."
After exchanging glances for a last time, we dispersed to fulfill our various roles.
It was now just past midnight, and the prelude to operation 'Spotlight'.
***
There was a picnic planned for tomorrow morning, so the kitchen maids were busy preparing the ingredients. Then Beth entered the kitchen with a tray.
"... She must have been hungry, she ate everything, Chef!" Beth boasted.
Handing over the empty plates to the kitchen maid. The Chef glanced at the tray and asked while stirring a salad dressing, "Is there anything else she would like to eat? She's the main character today. Shall I make her favorite dessert? She isn't sleeping yet, is she?"
"No. She said she couldn't keep her eyes open after eating and was going to bed soon. It's been a long day for her."
"Yes. There were a lot of guests today. Tell her that I'll make a batch of her favorite macarons tomorrow, Beth."
"Yes, Chef."
Beth answered as loud as she could before leaving the kitchen.
Scylla, who had been watching Beth walk up the stairs past the hall, headed straight for the second-floor parlor where the Countess was.
Meanwhile, the young ladies of Tara's age retired to their rooms. The young men mingled with their elders, drinking alcohol or playing cards at the first-floor bar, while the ladies gathered in the second-floor parlour chatting, no, gossiping about and backstabbing their peers.
All three drawing rooms on the second floor were full of noblewomen and only a few noblemen.
Since such a night-long banquet was an infrequent event, most of the Capital's noble ladies stayed at the mansion instead of returning home. So, even if it was just after midnight, the place was as lively as midday.
After he came down to the second floor, Andrei was overcome with a bad feeling, as if he had forgotten something.
‘By the way, isn't the Second Prince coming? He should if my hunch is right.... Oh! I was going to ask her about this! The thing I'm most curious about... I didn't ask it!'
The first drawing room was open. There was no sign of Victoria.
"She stonewalled me! I got had! Well, it couldn't be helped. I'll have to ask her after the operation..."
It was no wonder he didn't ask. Wasn't something even more exciting about to happen? And an operation led by his disciple no less.
‘I'm normally not the kind of person who moves this easily.... I've taken my disciple too lightly. Hmmm... I should be careful, it would be embarrassing if my subordinates were to know about this....'
Even with that thought, Andrei's steps sped up without him realizing it. He chuckled.
"He-he. I don't care about losing face. This is fun! What a blessing to have such an exciting disciple! Hehehe!"
Andrei opened the door of the second parlor and looked inside, smiling.
‘There she is.'
As he entered the drawing room, Andrei's smile widened and he sat down without hesitation in an empty chair.
Victoria, who knew Andrei's real identity, immediately stiffened when she saw him. She hated his unusual flashy clothes and colorful appearance, but what she hated most was the fact that he was Tara's teacher.
Andrei pretended not to notice her demeanor and approached Victoria, greeting her, and showering her with compliments.
"I have traveled far and wide, but I have never met a noble Lady who prepared such a grand birthday for her stepdaughter who hasn't even had her debutante yet. I heard that the Countess's family connections were also a great help. As expected, it's lavish and generous, doesn't everyone here think so?"
The guests laughed at Andrei's joke. Victoria wasn't pleased with his praise, but she replied with a forced smile since there were many eyes on her.
‘What the hell is he up to? Why did he come here? He should be with Lloyd or with the other men... '
Victoria kept her eyes on Andrei. Whether she wanted him to or not, he sat at the largest table across from her and chatted with the ladies, rattling on without taking a break for about 30 minutes.
The ladies were overjoyed at Andrei's presence and the laughter never waned.
After nervously watching Andrei chatting with the ladies since the beginning of the banquet, a sudden thought flashed through her mind.
‘Is this just his natural disposition? What a weirdo....'
Victoria felt uneasy at Andrei's presence, but after a while, her tension subsided when she saw him sitting far away and simply conversing the whole time without doing anything unusual.
Faithful to her role as a hostess, she wandered around the bustling parlors. As she sat down, the door to her parlor opened slightly and she met Scylla's eyes as she came in.
The maid walked up to Victoria with a glass of water.
"Madam, here's the water you ordered."
There was a white note under the glass or water. Upon closer inspection, there were two.
Her hand shaking slightly, Victoria held the glass of water and took a sip while quickly swiping the notes. She held them tightly in her hand.
As she put down her glass of water again, Scylla whispered quickly and left.
"There was no food left. The lights in the room are also turned off. As you asked, a large serving was also set up in the Knights' quarters, my Lady."
Victoria only nodded in response and Scylla left the drawing room.
There were many comings and goings in the parlor. Sleep was the furthest thing from the ladies minds since, for the first time in a long time, they could enjoy the banquet without constraints.
As she had planned, things were progressing step by step.
After Victoria saw ladies rushing out of the common room right next to the drawing room, she entered it. As expected, there was no one there.
She locked the door and quickly opened the first note.
"What? Why the sudden change of plans?"
Since she couldn't scream, she ground her teeth and suppressed her anger.
"Have they gone mad, doing whatever they want! This is going to change things into a serious problem! See if I care about paying the remaining balance!"
Victoria's chest rose and fell in anger.
"But what about the last sentence? Same handwriting?"
She roughly unfolded the second note.
“……!”
Victoria stared at the note for a while, her mind blank. Then she got goosebumps.
‘How on earth could it possibly be?'
".... He also knows how to do something this professional?"
Editor's Note:
This chapter did not play nice, the MTL was hellish in places and it took a lot of doing to get (hopefully) the right meaning... So please take things with a slight grain of salt.
Also I used @Rina 's wonderful idea for the notes here as well. I think it gives a little extra to the reading, don't you?
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