CESIA’S tears subsided, and Marcus checked to see whether any redness remained around her eyes.
“Should I cool you down?” Marcus asked.
“This much is nothing.”
Feeling awkward around each other, they spoke as little as possible.
✦ ✦ ✦
TIME passed, and it was the middle of the night before they knew it. They shared the information they had, judging it to be more prudent to take the time to rest their bodies rather than carelessly go out. So, sitting together where they could see the entrance and leaving a small space between each other, Marcus told Cesia in detail the events that had transpired after she had jumped off the balcony. When he reached the point where Ronald’s body was found, Cesia went pale. And when he explained that Ronald had been replaced by a magic item, she ground her teeth in frustration, knowing that Juliette had used her as a distraction and that her jumping off the balcony had aided the princess in her plan.
Then, Marcus told Cesia that, sure enough, jewelry had been found in her lodgings worth more than what she could afford with her pay and that the Security Bureau reasoned someone had hired her to attack Juliette. In other words, whether Cesia had run or gotten arrested, it had played into Juliette’s scheme.
“That sneaky…!” Cesia clenched her fists in frustration. Juliette would pay for abducting a baby and framing her. “Then, about the spy,” she said.
“Yeah, thanks to May bringing us the teapot you rewound, we found her.”
“Lady May brought it to you? That was,” Cesia bit her lip, “that was incredibly brave of her.”
“She admirably performed her duty as a member of the Emeroade royal family.”
“You’re a bit…” Cesia giggled. “You sure love your sister.” If that was how Marcus put it, then she knew Mavis was all right. She was strong, had done the right thing, and lived up to her beliefs, even though it meant implicating her beloved head maid.
“Still, to return that teapot to normal…” Marcus said. “That was an audacious plan. I wonder what would’ve happened if Juliette or Anita had found it first.”
“I didn’t know how many people were connected to Juliette, but I couldn’t think of anything else. I relied on the possibility that, as a piece of evidence, it would find its way into the hands of whoever was investigating it. Luckily, Lady May found it before anyone else did,” Cesia said, relieved.
Marcus nodded. “Actually, one of Ronald’s wet nurses had been employed on Anita’s recommendation, and after some questioning, she admitted to purposefully upsetting Ronald to create an excuse to bring him to the tea party. But, she says that Anita told her to do it, and she didn’t know she was helping Juliette,” Marcus said. He took a breath and lowered his eyes. His long eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks in the faint light from outside. “Nevertheless, she won’t be able to avoid a severe punishment for what she did.”
“Oh…yeah…” Cesia said. “Everyone in the castle must’ve really trusted Anita for her to have been able to insert someone as Prince Ronald’s wet nurse…”
The Second Division only knew Anita was the spy because Mavis brought them the teapot. If the people investigating the alleged attempted assault had seen the teapot, it was questionable whether they would’ve thought to suspect Anita, even if they had figured out that Juliette had been the one who had held it last.
“You’re right… Apparently, Anita showed up five years ago with an impressive resume and letter of recommendation. After being employed as a lady’s maid, she demonstrated her talent and diligence and was continually promoted,” Marcus said.
“But normally, daughters of nobles serve as lady’s maids,” Cesia said. Five years. Anita spent that time attaining her position and building trust. What made her do it? she wondered.
“She was the daughter of a count, and her background was reliable,” Marcus said. “She had spent her life abroad, in another country, so she wasn’t known in Emeroadian noble social circles.”
“And that country was…”
“Gwyllt.”
Cesia blinked. Finally, a connection.
“I investigated her family, trying to get more information,” Marcus said, “but her father had already passed away from disease, and her half-brother inherited his title.”
“No way…”
“According to the current count, Anita was the daughter of the previous count, but she was an illegitimate child. He—her brother—said that after her mother passed away, she relied on their father for passage to Emeroade and that he hadn’t met her since she asked him to serve as a reference.”
Cesia was impressed by how much the investigation had uncovered in such a short time. They had only figured out that Anita was the spy that evening after Cesia had run from the castle and Mavis brought the teapot to the Second Division. “So Anita…lost both of her parents,” she said.
“That isn’t an excuse to do wrong,” Marcus said in a princely, impartial tone.
Cesia fixed her gaze on him. “But, there are times when children without any adults to protect them have to do wrong to survive,” she said argumentatively. “Like when I pretended to be Selene.”
Seeing her serious expression, Marcus nodded. “You aren’t wrong, but it’s still a crime. Depending on what she did, she’ll have to be punished.”
Cesia hesitated, then said, “Yeah.”
“Of course, I don’t think that every person who does wrong loses their right to walk free again. The duty of those in power is to show the way to reform… or at least, I think so…” Marcus’s voice trailed off.
He had said those words to her once before. She had gone astray, and Marcus had extended a helping hand to her. Had Juliette done the same for Anita? Cesia wondered. With those thoughts in her head, she frowned and closed her eyes. I can’t help but feel frustrated. We both grew up in similar circumstances, but the wrong person saved her. Then, she said, “I respected her.”
“I know. I don’t think anyone in the castle disliked her…” Marcus said. His voice was calm but heavy, and he spoke quietly.
Perhaps because she had cried earlier, Cesia started to get a headache, and she put a hand to her head and quietly groaned. “The issue now is how we get back to the castle…” she said. “If only I could transform into a barrel or something.” She was already at her wit’s end after spending all her time alone, racking her brains for a solution.
Of course, Marcus hadn’t come empty-handed.
“By the way, Cesia.”
“Yes?”
“I think red hair would suit you. What do you think?”
Cesia hesitated and tilted her head in confusion, she said, “Pardon me?” with a puzzled look on her face.
Like a young boy who had just thought of a new prank to pull, Marcus grinned mischievously.