Chapter 68

This was not a lie.

Without even looking at Fin, Iona unfolded the documents.

Before going up to the capital, the things she had to deal with piled up like a mountain.

Given the appropriate excuse, Fin had no choice but to turn his steps according to her orders.

Iona inwardly felt relieved as she heard Fin's footsteps receding.

Fin stopped in front of the door. He turned around and spoke.

"Dame Iona, you said you would give me a chance to make amends. If I still feel like dying, can I tell you then?"

Iona couldn't understand why he suddenly brought up the past promise, so she remained silent. She didn't raise her head or meet his gaze.

Nevertheless, Fin paid no attention and continued speaking.

"If, even after all that, I still don't want to live, what should I do then?"

That was a question Iona couldn't answer. She was not in a position to teach others lessons about life.

Hoping her voice would sound as indifferent as possible, Iona replied.

"Do what you desire."

"If I leave this place and go somewhere else, would that be alright? Even if I end up living in a way that is of no use to you."

"Sure."

"In that case, is it also fine if I stay by your side?"

Iona was speechless for a moment.

She couldn't refuse to let him live in any way he wanted after giving him permission, but she couldn't let him remain under her either.

Fin must have aimed for that point precisely and led the conversation in that direction.

Iona unconsciously shifted her gaze from the documents. When she looked up again, Fin was smiling as if he had achieved his desired outcome.

"Dame Iona, may I live following you?"

***

“… …Dame Iona.”

“…”

“Dame Iona.”

“…”

“Dame Iona!”

"...I'm listening, so speak."

"Don't lie. I put ten cubes of sugar in your tea, and you didn't even notice."

Iona lowered her gaze to the teacup in front of her, as Fleur pointed out.

As Fleur said, undissolved sugar cubes were piled up halfway up on the bottom of the cup.

Iona apologized with an embarrassed tone.

"I'm sorry, I had something on my mind."

It was a cliché excuse, but it was true. Due to Fin's forced departure earlier, she had been preoccupied with lingering thoughts.

'Why did things turn out like this again?'

Of course, objectively speaking, it was a matter to be welcomed that Fin had decided to work for her. Having such a capable and trustworthy person on her side would be of great help in her struggle for power.

However, perhaps it was because she still remembered Fin's past death.

Iona couldn't readily accept Fin's decision with a happy heart.

'I won't do bad things like before, so it doesn't matter.'

In the past, Iona had been deeply involved in various dirty tasks for Richard's sake.

At the time of Fin's death, she was particularly focused on dealing with those who held opposing views to Richard.

Richard had singled out one noble who often voiced his opposition loudly.

Although that noble was a pretentious aristocrat who used his authority to create disturbances, he had not committed a grave enough crime to warrant death.

Iona disguised the incident as an accident and took care of it. With Fin's help, she successfully completed the task flawlessly, but the guilt remained inevitable.

The deceased noble man's wife had sent assassins after Iona and Fin, respectively. The outcome was predictable.

'She should have sent them after me instead.'

Iona easily thwarted the ambush and survived, but the other side was not so fortunate.

When Iona last saw Fin, there was a poisoned knife plunged into his chest.

Iona took care of his body and held a funeral, burying him next to her father.

Iona should have realized sooner that it would become none other than her future.

“I thought everything was going well, but you seem worried.”

Fleur looked at Iona's stiff face and said.

Iona brushed off her remark like water flowing.

"To reach the best conclusion, deep contemplation is always necessary."

"Alright. I guess you won't tell me about the underlying circumstances."

Fleur replied in a cheerful voice. Then, instead of continuing the exhausting argument, the subject was immediately changed.

“I heard that you will be leaving tomorrow.”

"Yes, as originally planned."

“Actually, after coming here and seeing what happened, I thought I might stay longer, but I guess not.”

“I have an appointment, so there is no time for delay. Instead, I've got someone to finish the job, so it doesn't matter too much if I'm away.”

Explaining that, Iona took a sip of the tea.

She barely managed to suppress an instinctive cough.

It wasn't until she tasted the horrific sweetness that made her tongue numb that Iona suddenly realized what had happened to her tea.

Fleur also stopped her hand and looked at Iona with surprised eyes.

Iona silently placed the teacup back on the table. Apart from the discomfort in her stomach, it actually helped her regain her senses.

Fleur, who had been observing Iona's reaction, shifted her attention to clearing her throat.

"Oh, by the way, I received the maids you sent. They seem a bit frivolous."

"I placed them in appropriate positions."

"Thanks to that, I'm currently playing the role of an ill-mannered woman who doesn't suit the estate."

In fact, Fleur had sent people through Sophia the day after arriving at the estate.

Judging by her words, they seemed to be settling in well, which put Iona at ease.

"If there's anyone causing inconvenience, you can replace them at your discretion. You can hire additional staff if needed."

"Well, that's the life of a lady of the manor."

Fleur, who was so impressed, said after a brief thought.

"The maids are already sufficient, but I think we might need some escorts.I used to bite my mouth because I was afraid of the baron, but now there's no reason to be careful, right? I wonder if I'll feel like venting my anger on the wicked concubine of the wicked lord."

"I will arrange trustworthy individuals to accompany you."

Iona nodded meekly. She was just thinking that she would need someone else to protect her.

Thanks to Iona's willing agreement, the conversation didn't veer off into unnecessary discussions.

Soon a natural silence fell between Iona and Fleur.

In fact, they hadn't created this situation to discuss anything specific. A request for additional personnel could have been conveyed through a letter.

Fleur lightly tapped the teacup with her fingertips and asked.

"If you go to the capital, we won't have the chance to meet again, right?"

"Probably not."

“Alright, how many minutes has it been?”

“Twenty minutes, I guess?”

After answering that, Iona glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It wasn't accurate, but there was no significant error.

"The tea, has it cooled down enough?"

As soon as Iona gave a short nod, Fleur threw the teacup at Iona.

The fragile cup collided with the wall, shattering loudly.

Fleur stood up abruptly and shouted.

"I can't believe it! You treat me like this, and yet you expect me to leave unharmed!"

As if one cup wasn't enough, Fleur then picked up the teapot.

Iona nodded her head and pointed to her own head with her index finger. Fleur, with a hesitant expression, followed Iona's instructions and poured the tea over her head.

While doing so, she didn't forget to continue pouring out her prepared words relentlessly.

"If you're going to act so insolent, aren't you just a lowly adopted daughter? If you want to impress your Father, why don't you be more compliant with me too? If you can't even accommodate my preferences, then at least keep your mouth shut."

After confirming that Iona's body was moderately wet, Fleur broke the teapot this time.

Unable to ignore the undeniable noise, the maids waiting outside rushed into the parlor.

Sensing the overturned tea on Iona, they quietly exchanged glances, filled with concern.

Iona took out a handkerchief from her pocket and slowly wiped her eyes. With a genteel voice that contrasted with Fleur's, she gave an order.

“Hey, come here and escort Miss Fleur outside.”

"What? Are you kicking me out now?"

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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