“But now that Sir Arthur has returned and found out, he’s having a nerve war with the Duke. How dare you deceive me?!”

This time, Brodie shook his head in denial with a look that said, ‘I don’t think so.’

“Hey, do you think the Duke would have sent Rayna to the ceremony so easily? Before it came to that, he would have hidden her somewhere.”

Brodie made his claim again.

“A bastard child? When making the marriage contract, since the royal family also has a bastard child, I’ll send out my bastard child. That’s what the Duke said!”

Marina retorted.

“Then, before rumors of a political marriage with ‘Miss Christina’ started, the Duke’s side would have solved it. He married another daughter, not Miss Christina.”

Brodie responded immediately.

“He missed the timing to say! So, after contemplating, the Duke thought he had to switch the legitimate daughter with the bastard child!”

Brodie’s voice became even more whisperlike.

“When Sir Arthur became too much of a big shot, it became difficult to say that the one they actually married off was not the legitimate daughter but the bastard child. Everyone knows her as Miss Christina, and the Duke has become a duke. Having a bastard child isn’t something to be proud of.”

Marina was thrown into confusion.

The Duke’s daughter? Rayna?

“Eh, that’s ridiculous……if she’s the Duke’s daughter, doesn’t it make no sense that she has been living like a maid all this while?”

Brodie looked surprised as if it was obvious.

“That’s assuming that the Duke cherishes his daughter or finds her precious. Honestly, the Duke, even legitimate daughter Christina wasn’t that cherished, right? Five years ago, he pushed such a marriage onto his unwilling daughter! To the Duke, all that matters is the family. It’s different from the madam. Children are just a means!”

Uh……. Somehow, it’s getting more convincing.

As his arguments began to make sense, Marina’s expression wavered.

Brodie continued.

“But now that it has come to this, it seems like the Duke thinks it’s better to abandon the madam and Christina and choose Rayna. Just like the royal family did with Sir Arthur, he decided to invest in the bastard child he had abandoned.”

Marina chewed on her fingernails as she mulled it over.

“……so there was a switch……”

“It’s not just a maid, but a switch with a bastard child! That’s it. So, it might not be possible to go back to the way it was!”

As she clenched her fist by her mouth, Marina’s expression started to become more serious.

At first, she thought it was nonsense.

But the more she listened, the more plausible it sounded, and she was disconcerted.

And in Marina’s mind, a possibility she hadn’t thought of before started to make its presence felt.

If what he said was true and Rayna really became Sir Arthur’s bride……

What about Taylor?

Brodie continued.

“Rayna might take Miss Christina’s place and live as Miss Christina forever? The Duke, after all, she’s also his daughter, so he might push Rayna, who listens to him obediently, over the madam and Christina who don’t get along with him!”

And then, Brodie added in a whisper.

“Besides, doesn’t Sir Arthur seem to like Rayna a bit?”

“……”

Marina started to be convinced.

Brodie’s words seemed plausible.

Brodie spoke again.

“We should line up well. Honestly, as a ladyinwaiting, isn’t Reyna a hundred times better than Miss Christina? You agree with that, don’t you?”

He had wrapped himself around her in front of the other knights.

Perhaps thinking of Reyna, Brodie chuckled, his shoulders slightly shrugging with warmth.

“……”

On the other hand, Marina made a terrible face as she thought about taking care of Miss Christina, who was tossing and turning.

Brodie grinned, cupping his chin.

“Even if that doesn’t happen, there’s no reason to make Reyna hate you now. You just have to do well on both sides.”

Marina rolled her eyes.

She was right.

As soon as they heard that the knight was washing up and Reyna was going to take a bath, the two of them naturally got up at the same time.

·

·

·

Reyna was bewildered, looking at the two maids who suddenly offered to help.

Brodie was originally kind.

However, Marina started to treat Reyna cautiously and kindly, though it was a bit awkward.

Since refusing was not an option, Reyna eventually received forced bath assistance and even a fullcourse massage from the lady.

It was a confusing experience for Reyna, who had never entrusted her naked body to someone else,

but the massage she received from the lady of a wealthy family, who kneaded her body all over with a pleasantsmelling oil, was a new world.

It helped ease Reyna’s tense nerves and drained her energy.

With her body relaxed, Reyna returned to her room, halfasleep and filled with scent.

Brodie, wearing a proud smile, tidied up the bathroom and packed the oil and bath additives to return with Marina.

The jasmine oil, generously applied by ambitious Brodie, was a luxurious product known for its special relaxing effect on the body.

The knight suddenly opened his eyes.

“……”

The sleeping Reyna had rolled into his arms.

“……”

What on earth is happening? …

This woman… she had never crossed the line in this way.

Of course, he didn’t dislike it, but it was bewildering when something that had never happened before suddenly occurred.

…Why is this happening?

She always slept only at the edge of the bed, as if she were afraid she might touch him.

Is it a mistake because she has become comfortable with her sleeping place and her tension has eased?

“……”

…It’s difficult.

The knight writhed uncomfortably.

He tried to carefully and slowly pull his arm out so as not to wake her.

However, when he tried to pull his shoulder out, which she was comfortably resting her head on, Reyna grumbled, rubbing her head against him and burrowed deeper into his body.

“……”

The knight held his breath.

The pleasant smell was very dangerous.

The knight tried his best to analyze anything calmly and to think of anything.

Why would my wife do this?

If it’s sleep talking, why did the nonexistent sleep talking suddenly occur?

The probability of my wife coming up to me in sleep talking on this wide bed.

“……”

It wasn’t much help.

The colorful breath that rested on his shoulder reached his throat.

The knight turned his head in the opposite direction of her, holding his breath.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the first time, so he could be a bit more calm without pushing her away.

“……”

The knight labored to breathe.

Cold sweat broke out.

So… what should I do about this?

The knight stared desperately at the corner of the bed.

Just a bit more, wait until the strength is released and move her to the side…

The knight held his breath again.

“……!”

Reyna placed her hand on his chest.

Then, she pulled at his clothes.

After that, she put her forehead on his shoulder, whimpered like a whimpering puppy, and murmured.

“Thirty gold……”

“……”

The knight blinked blankly.

His mind was so blank that he couldn’t think of anything.

The knight lay stiffly for a long time.

Until the cold and pale sky brightened.

“……”

The knight spent the night with his eyes open, held by Reyna.

Money…?

Is it money…?

Was it about money…?