Puchino came to visit the Marchioness of Brisa when she was having such doubts.

The Marchioness of Brisa hid her true feelings and said:

“What did Her Highness the Crown Princess do to me?”

Puchino smiled softly.

“Ah, I must have come to the wrong place. Then I apologize for intruding.”

The Marchioness of Brisa was bewildered by Puchino turning to leave without any hesitation.

“Wait!”

As the shrill voice called him to stop, Puchino inwardly marveled.

‘Does this method really work?’

Roxiana had instructed Puchino when sending him to the Marchioness of Brisa:

-“If she pretends not to know or acts composed, just turn around and leave. There’s no need to persuade or explain anything. We don’t absolutely need her anyway.”

It really was like that.

Puchino inwardly counted to three before slowly turning around to stare at the Marchioness of Brisa. The Marchioness asked desperately:

“Do you know anything about my daughter?”

“I know one thing. We all know. She was supposed to become the Crown Princess but disappeared, and Elise Hailis took that position.”

The Marchioness’ eyes widened. Recalling the absence of her beloved daughter and taking deep breaths, she barely composed herself and asked:

“What are you trying to do?”

“We’re going to strike a blow against the Crown Princess.”

“I would like to do that, but why you?”

“We also have someone on our side who suffered great harm.”

“…You know all about my situation while hiding your own? Then how can I trust you?”

“The risks we bear are different, Marchioness. All you need to do is open the door for the blow to enter. We’ll be the ones to grasp the weapon and seize the opportunity to swing it.”

“…”

“Even if things go wrong, you’ll always be able to turn away and pull out. But not us. So there’s no need for us to share everything, is there?”

If all she had to do was open the door, then Puchino’s words were correct.

“What do I need to do?”

“As I said, you need to open the door for us. I know that you and the Countess of Bakiri are close friends.”

+++

The Countess of Bakiri stared intently at Elise, who was sitting with a pitiful expression like a rain-soaked puppy, and recalled the Marchioness of Brisa who had visited her a few days ago.

-“Please help me, Beni.”

How surprised she had been by the nickname that had never been used since they both started families. How much her heart ached because of her old friend who suddenly knelt down.

The Countess of Bakiri didn’t want to get involved in noisy affairs, but she came here for her friend. With an elegant and kind smile.

“I pay my respects to Your Highness the Crown Princess. I am Obena, wife of Count Bakiri.”

The Countess clearly saw the relief that flashed in Elise’s eyes at the polite greeting. She hid her true feelings and waited for Elise to act. Elise personally got up, approached the Countess, took her hand, and said kindly:

“Thank you for coming, Countess. It was about to become a rather lonely gathering…”

Not rather, but very lonely.

Queen Christine had said it was “very concerning and regrettable” that a Crown Princess had appeared so soon after the disappearance of the Marquis of Brisa’s daughter. Those words made even the Crown Prince’s people wary of the Queen and the Marquis of Brisa.

There was no way any noble would be bold enough to associate with Elise until the Marquis of Brisa’s daughter safely returned alive.

‘But Engis won’t be able to return alive.’

-“Every day, every day I’m dying, Beni. I’m dying every time I open my eyes. Engis… I miss my Engi so much. Ah. Ahhh…!”

Her friend’s cries pierced her heart.

The Countess of Bakiri gathered her smile that had almost crumbled and said:

“Given the recent situation, I suppose everyone is being cautious. If they come to know what a lovely and tender-hearted person you are, you’ll be bothered by visitors flocking here.”

“But since I don’t meet anyone, there’s no way to let them know. I’m so glad you came though, Countess.”

“I’m pleased if I could bring you joy, Your Highness.”

“Ah, don’t stand here like this, please sit comfortably. I’ll have them bring fresh tea since this has gone cold.”

The Countess of Bakiri observed Elise giving orders to the maid, and the maid’s expression as she listened to the orders.

‘She hasn’t even won over the heart of her personal maid despite being in the palace for quite some time. But how on earth did she manage to do something to Engis? Does she have some skilled man by her side who’s given her his body and heart?’

Eventually, the maid brought freshly brewed tea.

The Countess of Bakiri leisurely sipped her tea, waiting for Elise to speak first. Elise seemed to be drinking tea with the same thought, but the anxious woman was no match for the experienced Countess.

“Um, Countess. As you may know, I’ve never had the chance to make friends since I grew up serving the princess without a family.”

The Countess thought it was impressive how Elise blamed her own shortcomings on the Franche family while putting on a sad smile with sorrowful eyes. If even herself as a woman felt this way, it was clear that men would naturally feel sympathetic and want to take care of her.

If only they had met in a different way, there would have been satisfaction in creating and decorating her.

“I’d like you to teach me many things, Countess.”

“How could I possibly teach Your Highness the Crown Princess?”

“Please don’t say that. I’ve never received a mother’s affection, so I’d like to think of you as a mother figure.”

Ah, this was a bit hasty.

The Countess of Bakiri could tell how anxious Elise was right now. Anxiety breeds anger.

‘And that woman’s anger will be directed at me.’

The Countess of Bakiri set down her teacup and said:

“If you insist so much, there are indeed some things I could tell Your Highness for your benefit…”

“What is it?”

“You know about the Litten Salon, don’t you?”

She didn’t. But feeling like she should know, Elise nodded.

“Yes, I know it well.”

“Then you must also know that Madame Histin of the Litten Salon is quite the strategist.”

Madame Histin.

Elise engraved that name in her heart.

“Madame Histin not only maintains close relationships with various wealthy individuals in Gania, but she also has high standards in various areas, making her popular among noble ladies. If you gain Madame Histin’s favor, it’s not difficult to make a name for yourself in social circles. It’s on a completely different level compared to someone like me who can only exert a little influence during debutante season.”

The Countess of Bakiri then proceeded to list the names of actors, singers, and noble ladies who had become famous through Madame Histin. Although Elise didn’t know all of them since they were from Gania, she had heard of a few names.

“Oh, and Madame Histin loves fans.”

“F-Fans?”

“If you gift her a rare fan, you can easily win her heart.”

“A rare fan? How rare does it need to be…?”

“Hmm. I heard that a peddler recently brought in fans from an island nation. They’re made with feathers from birds that only live on that island, so they’re quite expensive, but I’m sure Madame Histin would absolutely love them. I heard that some young ladies who wanted to get in Madame Histin’s good graces tried to buy those fans but gave up because they were too expensive.”

Just how expensive could a mere fan be?

But it was useful information.

As the madam of a salon, she wouldn’t be greatly influenced by the Queen, and most importantly, Madame Histin was close to wealthy individuals. If she could be introduced to those wealthy people through Madame Histin, she could surely recover her investment.

So Elise sent her maid to find the peddler and buy the fan. She thought 10 gold would be more than enough to buy it.

“What? How much?”

“They’re asking for 150 gold.”

Elise let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

150 gold was equivalent to 15 million tran. A well-made dress cost about 2 gold, and anything over 10 gold was considered an expensive dress. The annual living expenses for a commoner family of four would barely reach 1 gold, if at all, yet a single fan cost 150 gold.

Elise recalled how much money she had left.

The allowance she received for maintaining her dignity as Crown Princess was 500 gold, half of which she spent on furnishing the Crown Princess’ palace, and then half of that again on dresses and shoes.

‘I have about 120 gold left now?’

If she requested support from the Royal Finance Department, she could probably receive some, but she would need a suitable reason for that.

‘And I shouldn’t touch the Royal Finance Department yet. The Queen would use that as an excuse to find fault with me.’

She had to assume the Queen’s eyes were all over the palace. In the end, Lucas was the only source of money left.

“100 gold?”

Lucas’s expression hardened at the mention of needing a large sum of money.

Even for him, who received just over 1,000 gold as an allowance for maintaining his dignity, 100 gold was not a small amount. He did have some income from investments, but due to various recent incidents that he couldn’t pay attention to, that income was also gradually decreasing.

Elise’s heart sank at Lucas’s expression.

Of course, she didn’t expect Lucas to welcome her with open arms and readily hand over a large sum of money, but still.

‘How can he be like this to someone carrying his child?’

That point made her feel disappointed and miserable. She felt utterly wretched having to ask for money while being mindful of her husband’s mood.

If only he would readily give 100 gold, 200 gold, saying he’d give any amount his wife wanted, it would be reassuring.

‘I guess to Lucas, I’m just that kind of woman after all. A woman not even worth 100 gold.’