I didn’t spy anyone suspicious at first glance, but I couldn’t be sure. There were too many people, and some faces were shrouded by hats. What should I do? Then, I noticed that Lord Franz was staring at something. Did he find Duke Schletter’s subordinate?
“Pardon me. I’ll step away for a moment,” he said in a low voice.
I nodded, and he disappeared into the crowd. “Klaus,” I whispered.
Klaus signaled to the man standing next to him with his eyes. The knight, disguised as a tourist, grasped his intention and followed Lord Franz.
I was curious about where they were headed, but I knew I shouldn’t look at them. With all of my guards escorting me, I had a high probability of being recognized. Any thoughtless behavior on my part could alert Duke Schletter’s side of Lord Franz’s presence and prompt them to flee.
I kept my gaze fixed on the makeshift kitchens. The competition was proceeding smoothly—many of the contestants had already finished cooking and were now plating their dishes. Zaara also seemed to be on the final step of adding seasonings. She stood there with her head cocked to the side as she looked back and forth between two bottles in her hands.
Hmm? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me she doesn’t know which one is sugar and which one is salt. No, it couldn’t be such a cliché reason.
“One minute left,” announced the moderator.
Hearing that, Zaara hastily chose one of the bottles and added its contents to her pot. Watching that unnatural series of events made a sudden thought cross my mind. Two bottles with identical-looking contents. Zaara cocking her head to the side in confusion. From those events, I can deduce...
It can’t be. No, but maybe... I studied the venue closely, and my eyes met one of the judges’. He sent a charming wink my way, and the tension left my shoulders.
“Lady Rosemary, it seems they’ve secured the target,” Klaus reported.
I turned around to see Lord Franz and the knight who had followed him escorting a man flanked between them. We moved a short distance away from the audience and faced each other.
“Lord Franz, is he the one?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s a butler who’s been serving our family since my grandfather’s time.”
The butler was a slender man in his sixties. His white shirt and vest looked rather high-quality, but his slicked-back white hair and mustache had no luster, and his skin was dry and crepey. Overall, he gave off a worn-out impression.
“Lord Franz. What in the world is this about?” asked the butler.
“Do you intend to feign ignorance?” Lord Franz replied.
“My word! What are you talking about? I simply came here to enjoy the festival on my holiday.”
The butler maintained his insouciant attitude. He obediently allowed himself to be arrested without attempting to escape, as if to declare that he had nothing to hide. His undue composure weighed on my mind.
“Playing innocent is futile. Even if you refuse to confess, your collaborators that we’ve arrested will spit out the truth eventually,” Lord Franz said.
People who work for money are quick to betray. It might be a different story if it were a large-scale, well-organized underground organization, though. But based on what I heard, Duke Schletter hired a bunch of thugs. I doubt they’ll protect their employer’s information if their lives are at stake.
And yet, the butler’s nonchalant attitude remained unshaken. “Oh, really now?”
Agitated, Lord Franz glared at the older man. “You! What the hell did you do?!”
However, the butler merely glanced at him. “What do you want me to do?” There was no fear or anger in his voice, only calm composure. “All I’ve ever done is follow the orders of the late master.”
“Grandfather’s orders?” Lord Franz narrowed his eyes suspiciously. The previous head of the Schletter household had passed away many years ago.
The butler nodded. “Indeed. He ordered me to protect the young master,” he said with a smile.
We were all speechless. To him, the “young master” doesn’t refer to Lord Franz. I wonder how Duke Schletter’s indolent and impulsive personality came to be. Based on the butler’s twisted smile, I feel like he’s partly responsible for it.
“You...” Lord Franz frowned, deep creases etching his brow. Whatever he was about to say, however, was drowned out by a commotion.
“What’s going on?”
I followed the audience’s gazes and turned my attention to the venue. The contest had already progressed to the evaluation stage, and a bowl of soup had been set in front of the judge. The sound of tableware clinking reverberated loudly through the air. The judge’s spoon was on their bowl, and they were looking down with their hand covering their mouth.
Lord Franz stood in a daze. Then, his eyes slowly shifted to the butler. “No, you didn’t...” he said hoarsely.
The butler’s lips quirked upward. When I saw that twisted smile on his face, Duke Schletter seemed to be standing behind him. We’d only conversed for a few minutes, but I knew the butler wasn’t acting on his own volition.
The feelings this butler is directing at me are those of Duke Schletter. So this is how much he detests me. He’s willing to walk across a tightrope, even if he risks losing his authority. He hates me so much that he wishes to bring me down no matter the cost.
Strange. I don’t feel hurt. Even though I felt down in the dumps when I learned that Duke Schletter was scheming something. I should be scared of being the target of someone else’s malice. And yet, I feel extremely calm right now. Maybe it’s because I’ve accepted that no matter what I do, I’ll never see eye to eye with Duke Schletter. I’ve drawn a line in my mind that he—that Duke Schletter—is my enemy.
“Do you understand what you’ve done?!” Lord Franz raged, grabbing the butler by the collar.
“I do.” The butler was still unruffled. If anything, he seemed to even be enjoying this. However, he froze when he glanced at me. First a streak of surprise, then he knitted his brows together in confusion. He stared at me like he was looking at something baffling.
“Duchess Prelier, I heard you were a woman with a heart as compassionate as a goddess...but it seems it was nothing more than a rumor in the end.”