Julius Marquis and Arthur had two discussions.
The first was about the soldier story.
After causing a commotion among the mansion guards to find ‘that child,’ the Marquis urgently shouted when he met Arthur.
“Do you trust me?”
Arthur silently looked at the Marquis.
As if the size of his voice proved his innocence, the Marquis forcefully spoke in a loud voice.
“Trust me! I mobilized all the soldiers in our house to find that child! How could this happen… I’m amazed too!”
Arthur looked at him silently and said, “No. It’s better to send my knights. Please call them as they might be more suitable.”
The Marquis’s eyes shook.
Thinking about his own situation, his face became bitter.
“You don’t believe what I say! Do you think I kidnapped or harmed that child? The search my soldiers conduct is not to be doubted…!”
“No.”
Arthur interrupted the Marquis’s words with a firm expression.
“That’s not what I mean. I just think that your soldiers, who lack practical experience, might not be as good as my soldiers. It would be more efficient to assign the search to my knights.”
“…!”
The Marquis closed his mouth.
Though it was not pleasant to be openly compared to soldiers hired by Arthur and those who had experience in wars, there was no room for objection to Arthur’s statement that the search conducted by his knights would be more reliable.
If he stepped back for that reason, not out of suspicion.
“…Hm. I see. Got it. Then I’ll leave it to you. If you need more help, feel free to ask.”
Arthur grinned.
With this, both the soldiers inside and outside the mansion were now led by Arthur’s knights, not the Marquis’s soldiers.
However, the Marquis was so preoccupied with the more significant crisis that he didn’t notice it.
And what followed was the second story.
The Marquis asked with anxiety.
“Have you met Lord Rembrandt?”
“Ah, yes.”
The Marquis swallowed dry saliva and watched Arthur’s reaction.
“Did he say anything?”
Arthur grinned.
It was obvious what he was talking about.
“Yes. Even without that, I was thinking of discussing that matter. Lord Rembrandt knew that ‘my wife’ was kidnapped.”
“…”
“He also offered to help quietly. The detailed eyewitness account he provided was helpful, but…”
Arthur smiled faintly and frowned.
“I was a bit surprised when I saw the painting of ‘my wife’ he drew. Although I didn’t expect much from him as a painter, considering he is Prince Kyle’s cousin and the heir to the Duke, I initially thought of him more as a symbol of the imperial hospitality than a skilled painter.”
My words exactly.
Such an expression crossed the Marquis’s face.
It’s not a situation where he can shut his mouth, especially since a high-ranking aristocrat who cannot be silenced is the witness.
The Marquis confided his feelings.
“Honestly, I want to argue that Lord Rembrandt was mistaken! If only it weren’t for that painting…!”
Arthur chuckled.
“But why did you show your face? If you mistakenly think of Lady Christina as someone else, wouldn’t that be quite awkward?”
The Marquis sighed as if embarrassed.
“It seems I’m paying for past mistakes I made to you.”
The chickens have come home to roost.
Arthur nodded and chuckled.
Still, as Arthur showed a smile, the Marquis felt relieved.
He now thought that Arthur would help him on the same side.
The Marquis, somewhat nervously, shook his own hand and murmured.
At least now that Arthur was on his side, he was grateful that they could discuss things openly when such an important matter occurred.
Now, they could come up with a plan together or align their words.
Could Arthur perhaps persuade Rembrandt, the reason why Reyna, the maid, was in a dress in his room? Maybe Arthur pretended to abduct her for a while…
The Marquis silently hoped for that, looking at Arthur with a questioning gaze.
“What should we do about this matter?”
Arthur said to the Marquis.
“Since the deed is done, there’s nothing we can do, right? We can only make amends.”
“If it’s amends… how?”
The Marquis looked at Arthur with a slightly expectant face.
Arthur spoke sagely.
“The only way is to tell Lord Rembrandt the truth, ask for his cooperation in keeping the secret. We can’t forcefully silence Lord Rembrandt in a dangerous way, right?”
“Well, of course not, but…”
Arthur continued.
“Lord Rembrandt has compassion and is an upright person, so I think it would be best to tell him the truth and ask for his help. He may express anger and disdain initially because of the imperial insult, but if you convince him that it’s to save the lives of a pitiful maid and Lady, he should keep the secret.”
The Marquis’s pupils shook.
The conversation was unexpectedly heading in an honest direction.
Arthur grinned.
“Well, it doesn’t seem too bad. He might be angry and disdainful at first due to the insult to the imperial family, but if you persuade him that it’s to save the lives of a pitiful maid and Lady, he should keep the secret.”
The Marquis opened his mouth wide.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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