[ – Lord Arthur is a picky eater, even with sardines. ]

Reina looked down at the note she had written with an uneasy expression.

“…”

Is this really what the duchess wants?

Something felt off, but…

She seemed satisfied… So it shouldn’t be bad, right?

It was fortunate enough for Reina that the duchess didn’t get angry at the note she delivered and stop supporting her grandmother.

…But it still seemed strange no matter how she thought about it, so Reina blinked blankly.

[ Both of them were very satisfied. ] [ The duke was especially pleased to learn about the ‘picky eating’. ]

“…”

I don’t understand.

Is the duchess satisfied just by putting dishes Arthur dislikes on the table to make him uncomfortable?

To pay a maid 5 gold a week just for that purpose…

The psychology of rich people was truly incomprehensible.

[ They are still discussing the meeting with the Crown Prince. They will speak to you about it later. ] [ Don’t wander outside, just stay in your room. ]

…I don’t get it.

I guess I’ll just do as I’m told.

Reina waved the note she had written with a dazed expression, drying the ink.

At least they promised to let me meet Taylor tomorrow as agreed…

Reina should just be grateful for that much.

Compared to when she first received the order from the duchess to find out Arthur’s weakness, this outcome was rather reassuring.

In fact, when she first got that order, she had assumed it would be a much more dangerous task…

“…”

She felt a bit embarrassed now.

…Was I too caught up in conspiracy theories?

I must have read too many novels.

Fortunately, the duchess’s intention in demanding ‘Arthur’s weakness’ didn’t seem as dangerous or sinister as expected.

It was just… sending some dishes he dislikes to Arthur, who embarrasses the duke and puts Miss Christina in awkward situations.

Thinking of it that way made her feel a little lighter.

Right. What kind of amazing intel did I expect to get?

That was just my ego.

The thought did cross her mind that sardine pudding might end up on the table after delivering this note…

But still.

It didn’t seem like they would do anything worse to Arthur than that.

Honestly, Reina felt quite relieved.

Thanks to that, she could think about meeting Taylor with a slightly less heavy heart.

“…”

Will I meet him here?

If he’s coming to see me instead of Dr. Lorenson.

Reina looked at the bridal chamber reflected in the mirror.

The spacious, luxurious bedroom and herself in it suddenly felt unfamiliar.

Reina quietly put down the note and stood up from the chair, looking at her reflection in the dressing table mirror wearing the dress.

Turning her body slightly this way and that.

“…”

All of Miss Christina’s dresses were incredibly gorgeous and beautiful.

Miss Christina, with her refined taste and pickiness, and above all her immense wealth, always had the finest dresses made without financial constraints.

“…”

Taylor.

It’ll feel really strange.

Seeing the girl who always wore a maid’s uniform,

Now dressed in the most expensive dress in the world, pretending to be a young lady in this room.

…He’ll be bewildered, right?

I think I’d feel strange too if I saw Taylor in this room while wearing a dress.

“…”

Pretending to be a young lady…

Standing in front of the mirror, Reina unconsciously imitated a lady’s elegant posture for a moment.

And then quickly stopped.

“…”

And this time, a bit more carefully.

She tried to reenact how she had acted as a young lady in front of the Crown Prince,

That is, how she had greeted him with noble courtesy.

A slight curtsy, lifting the skirt slightly.

She had been so flustered and hurried at the time,

She wanted to check if it had looked natural.

“…”

And she tilted her head.

…Is this not right?

The young ladies did it like this…

Reina imitated a noblewoman’s haughty and aristocratic greeting while looking in the mirror.

Keeping her neck straight and back upright, lifting only one side of the dress,

Turning her body slightly, with a haughty and elegant expression.

Bending her knees and lowering her gaze in greeting…

“…”

Reina blinked awkwardly a couple times at her reflection in the mirror and stopped imitating.

Then she scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

“…”

I wonder if Taylor already knows… everything.

…He won’t be shocked when he sees me, or ask what I’m doing here, right?

Honestly, I’d be a bit flustered if he did.

“…”

As Reina thought about Taylor, she shook her head awkwardly to dispel a different kind of concern that was trying to spread.

…That’s all in the past. All of it.

This is just my ego talking again.

Reina sat back down in the chair at the dressing table and picked up the note.

“…”

Hmm… But…

Doesn’t Arthur’s knight always stay with him when he meets the doctor…?

Is it okay for me, dressed like this in the young lady’s bridal chamber,

To ask Taylor detailed questions about ‘Reina’s grandmother’?

I shouldn’t show Taylor that I’m disobeying the duchess’s order to strictly act as Christina when the knight is present…

…Should I write a note to give to Taylor as well?

“…”

Conflicted, Reina fiddled with the end of the note.

The note was small.

There’s so much I want to know about grandmother…

Will a note be enough to fully discuss grandmother?

It’s not like the short messages I send to Dr. Lorenson.

And I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know what information they need for a diagnosis.

Recalling how the skilled Dr. Lorenson had asked all sorts of unexpected questions to diagnose her condition when she had been sick recently, Reina’s expression grew worried.

Though she lacked medical knowledge, Reina had learned several things from being friends with Taylor for a long time.

One of those was that questions from doctors that seemed unrelated to the illness could actually be important for diagnosis.

“…”

So I need to know what information Taylor needs to give proper answers…

But the duchess’s orders still weighed on her mind.

“Be careful not to accidentally reveal you’re a maid, even by mistake.”

“Remember there are many eyes and ears in the mansion.”

“…”

Reina knew that too.

There were many ears in the mansion.

If the duchess or some other visitor happened to overhear me, pretending to be Miss Christina, asking Taylor all sorts of questions as ‘Reina’, it would be a complete disaster that would ruin everything.

She couldn’t count on being lucky like with Lord Rembrandt.

Too many people already knew about this situation, and Reina was aware of how precarious it was.

She couldn’t let her guard down just because she’d been lucky a few times.

Thinking of her grandmother’s wellbeing, Reina steeled her resolve.

“…”

Still, thinking of her grandmother made her feel a bit better.

Grandmother has a resident doctor now.

And it’s Taylor Lorenson, the young physician of Julius.

It made Reina feel proud that her grandmother seemed to be treated like a noblewoman.

Reina cupped her flushed cheeks with her palms to cool them, trying not to look too excited in the mirror.

Don’t get too carried away.

After all…

This favor came from selling information about Arthur.

And I might soon become a traitor to Julius.

It’s not the time to be carelessly happy.

Keep your conscience in check, Reina.

Stay focused.

And think about tomorrow.

While talking with Taylor, assess the situation.

Ask enough about grandmother.

And… also…

Be prepared for how things might change.

“…”

The more she thought about it, the more Reina wanted to be greedy.

She wanted Taylor to keep visiting grandmother, and she wanted to accept Arthur’s offer of protection if she took his side.

Asking Arthur if he could help recruit Taylor as well

Was the most brazen yet honest thought Reina could come up with right now.

But even if Arthur agreed to do that,

The question was whether Taylor would be willing.

Taylor had said he liked it here.

People often asked why such a talented doctor didn’t set up an independent practice…

But he always smiled and said he was used to the people here and liked them, that he’d grown attached.

That he’d probably stay here forever.

That’s what he said with a smile.

Could Arthur really recruit Taylor?

Dr. Lorenson was a good person, but he was also loyal to the duke he had worked with for a long time.

Taylor was likely similar.

“…Sigh.”

In the end, she would have to ask Arthur, and Taylor.

I hope I don’t let my emotions sway me when talking to Taylor and make hasty judgments or wrong decisions…

I hope tomorrow’s meeting will give me that certainty.

Reina went over in her mind what she wanted to ask Taylor tomorrow.

How is grandmother doing?

Is she eating well?

Has the occasional fever gotten better lately?

And her frequent forgetfulness.

Has it gotten worse?

Why hasn’t the burn inflammation she got five years ago healed yet?

What does Taylor think?

Is there a way for her to get better…

Reina burned Dr. Lorenson’s note in the candlelight, then sat at the dressing table and folded the note she had written.

“…”

Maybe I should deliver this note… a bit later?

I don’t want Arthur to see dishes he dislikes at the table every day.

And honestly, I don’t like sardines either.

Knock knock.

“Yes.”

Startled by the sudden knock, Reina quickly stood up.

But as she hastily grasped the folded note and rose hurriedly, Reina accidentally knocked over the earring stand on the dressing table.

“!”

With a loud crash, the earring stand toppled over, sending several important pieces of jewelry on the dressing table clattering to the floor.

Reina stared in shock at the pearl earrings that had fallen and the wedding ring rolling away.

“…!”

The door opened immediately at the loud noise.

Arthur entered first, followed by a startled Tristan.

Clatter clatter.

The wedding ring rolled rapidly across the floor.

Arthur slightly turned his foot to stop the ring rolling towards him with the inside of his shoe.

Almost simultaneously, Tristan glanced to the side and seemed to gesture with his head, as if instructing a waiting maid to be called.

“…”

Arthur bent down and picked up the ring that had stopped in front of his shoe.

Then he approached and asked Reina:

“Are you alright?”

She was not alright.

The folded intelligence note had fallen to the floor.

“…”

“…”

Arthur and Reina’s gazes fell on it at the same time.

“…?”

And Tristan, who had followed Arthur in, picked it up.

Reina’s face turned pale.

Arthur put a hand to his forehead.

“…”

“…”

In the awkward silence

Arthur held out his hand to Tristan.

“…Give it here.”

“…”

Tristan handed it to Arthur.

Pale-faced Reina stared blankly as the note was passed to Arthur.

It’s all over…

An indescribable silence fell between the three of them.