Chapter 45

Erna skipped all the way inside to the inner seat where Iona was sitting and greeted her cheerfully.

As soon as Erna sat down, the maid who had followed her handed her a small embroidered bag.

Unlike Iona, who came to the meeting place right after work, the others -like Erna - had a maid by their side.

“The last time I saw you at the ball, you came dressed up very nicely, But today, you're in formal attire again?"

“I come right after work so I can be on time.”

"Oh right. You must have gone to work today. Then… And what about last time ?”

“Last time too.”

Iona accepted Erna's words in a light manner.

The last time Erna only looked at her with curious eyes, but she didn't come close to her.

Or maybe it was thanks to the fact that she showed up with Leroy at the last prom.

'As expected, isn't talking about love the only way to get close with peers?'

"To be honest, I was looking forward to seeing your new dress today. Well, they locked the door for a few days, saying that they had to finish Dame Iona's clothes first in Penelope's dressing room. I knew for sure that there will inevitably be an uproar among the young ladies"

'Or maybe fashion...'

Iona didn't visit the dressing room herself, so she thought there would be no one to see it, but she never thought rumors would spread this far.

It didn't seem like Richard had noticed Leroy's gift offensive because he was exceptionally quick with information.

Iona asked without hiding her embarrassment.

“You mean they refused an order by giving my name?”

"Yes? Ahaha, hopefully, I came to know about it later. Well, how could such a funny story would not leak? They even said it was a gift from the duke!”

Unlike Iona, who had to concentrate on each stitch, Erna was quickly completing her embroidery while chatting.

On the other hand, Iona, who was distracted by poor sewing, ended up piercing her finger with a needle.

A tingling sensation instantly flashed in her mind.

Claudia, who quickly raised her head, hurriedly took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around Iona's fingertips.

She scolded Erna in a stern voice.

“Miss Erna, you can do that later. Dame Iona's hand.... Help me.”

Only then did Erna, who belatedly noticed Iona's injury, scream in surprise.

“Oh, look at the blood. Are you okay, Dame Iona? You should have been careful!”

"It's okay. It was just a little stingy.”

Having said that, Iona checked the injured area.

As soon as the cloth was removed, the blood came out again.

It seemed that Iona couldn't do anything more in this state. At least until the wound was properly healed.

Iona asked, getting up from her seat.

“Miss Erna, can I borrow the maid for a while? Since I came alone today, there is no one to help me.”

“Ugh, of course. Marie, go ahead and help Dame Iona. Ah, do you have a band-aid?”

“Yes, lady.”

The maid with light brown hair responded politely and followed behind Iona.

Iona asked Claudia and Erna for their understanding and left.

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

The guest toilet was not too far from the drawing room.

Iona went inside with Erna's maid and locked the door.

The maid seemed a little puzzled by that, but didn't ask why.

After lightly washing her hands in the sink, Iona sat down on the stool next to her.

The maid carefully wiped off the water with a towel provided inside and gave a simple treatment to the affected area.

“It's done.”

Iona looked around for a moment at her index finger, which was wrapped in a cloth.

In fact, it was a wound that had no reason to take care of it this far. As she wielded the sword, Iona often got more scars than this.

Looking at it, Iona asked.

“Did you say your name was Marie?”

“Yes, that's right.”

“Since when did you start working for Miss Erna?”

“It’s been about five years.”

“Before that?”

“Well, I’ve moved around so many places.”

The maid answered obediently even though she put on a puzzled expression.

Iona's questions continued uninterrupted.

“Isn’t the job you’re doing difficult right now?”

“… … Are you trying to make a job offer?”

“It seems similar. Maybe it suits you better.”

“What are you saying… … .”

“Miss Viviana Schmidt, do you have any thoughts of going back to your hometown?”

At Iona's question, the maid stiffened her body.

She backed away blankly, then slammed her back against the door and collapsed in horror.

She dyed her hair. As she got older, she grew taller and her appearance had changed a little.

She wasn't relieved that much, so she broke the bridge of her nose to changed her appearance even more, and then even change the way she walked, all manners, and common sense of culture that she had learned as a lady.

The name was one of the first things she had to throw away.

But how did the woman in front of her pick up the old traces and come all the way here?

“Uh, how… …”

"Wake up. I didn't come here with the intention of accusing or dealing with you.”

Saying that, Iona reached out to Viviana.

Instead of clasping her hands, Viviana pulled out a pocket knife from under her apron.

It was a crude item used for chores, but it was the only thing that could be used as a weapon.

Viviana stammered.

“Please, get out of the way. Otherwise, I will stab you.”

“You can't deal with me like that. It's dangerous, so put it down.”

Iona sighed and said.

Ignoring Iona's restraint, Viviana stood up and straightened her knife.

Seeing her opponent's trembling hand, Iona frowned as if in trouble.

'I wonder if the approach was too sudden.'

The reason Iona attended this embroidery meeting was to get closer to Viviana from the beginning.

Since she knew that Viviana was working for Erna, she saw an opportunity to make contact with her naturally through Erna.

It was an unexpected coincidence that Erna brought Viviana to the meeting because of her excellent embroidery skills.

'Anyway, it was a good thing.'

Inside Count Disler's house, there was a guard planted by Richard.

There was no better opportunity for contact than this meeting which Erna attended only with Viviana.

Disarming Viviana was something she had to go through at least once anyway.

Unlike the Leroy family, who were cleared of charges, the Schmidt family was charged with treason for supplying military supplies to other countries.

It would be even more strange if Viviana, who was destined to be executed if caught, believed in Iona and followed her.

'I'll have to take that knife through.'

Iona glanced down at the wet towel next to the sink.

Iona picked it up and approached Viviana to grab the blade.

When Iona hit Viviana's wrist with the other hand, she let go of the knife helplessly.

Viviana, who was subdued in an instant, couldn't even let out a groan and froze as it was.

She felt the light of hope go out in her eyes.

“… … Are you going to kill me?”

“I told you I didn’t come to you with that in mind.”

"You are… …the prince's dog."

Viviana gritted her teeth and spat out accusations through her teeth.

It was only natural that she, who had been unjustly deprived of power by the imperial family, would show ill feelings toward Iona.

Iona didn't bother using harsh words to correct her misunderstanding.

“Now I am also about to marry your former fiancé.”

"So you're trying to deal with me."

Viviana muttered in a breathless voice.

It was said in the sense that they were on the same side, but it seemed to sound a little different to the other person.

After all, if she think about it, they could be considered rivals.

There were times when Iona felt a twinge of jealousy towards her when Leroy cried over her death.

'Would that person be sad even after I died?'

If not as much as when he lost Viviana, did that sweet man cry a little for her too?

Or would he have been relieved to have thrown off the burden that had weighed down his heart all along?

Iona couldn't tell. What was certain was what she had to do in the future to achieve this shameless expectation.

Thinking that, Iona asked quietly.

“Do you know that Lord Leroy is looking for you?”

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