The Male Lead's Sickly Aide Is My Type - Chapter 37
Translator and Editor: Nana and Nabi
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Chapter 37
There were several abandoned townhouses in Esmeril’s capital city.
Due to the fact that many members of the noble household had died in the war twenty-five years ago, there were no heirs to inherit the title, resulting in the disappearance of the noble family. Out of all the abandoned townhouses, the one located in the most secluded corner of the capital had a basement that seemed to have been cut off from human contact.
People were gathered around a round table, their faces barely visible in the dim light from the wall. When the last person finally took a seat, the one who had been scanning the table spoke up.
“Have you heard the news? It seems that Marquis Ariella has been arrested.”
“What is the charge?”
“They say he was involved in devil worship.”
There were sighs and murmurs all around.
“Is that really true?”
“I’ve never heard of the Marquis having such a hobby.”
“That’s not the important issue. The problem is that the Princess was also involved.”
Another person, who had been observing the reactions of those around him, spoke up with a heavy heart.
“Wasn’t it the Knight Commander who arrested Marquis Ariella?”
“They say the Knight Commander requested assistance from the Princess. They say she wouldn’t have been able to catch the culprit without her.”
Someone gruntled.
“She always chooses to do the most annoying things.”
“She just needs to continue to cause trouble as usual, why does she have to interfere with other people’s business…”
“They say she’s been quiet in society lately. It’s not just a temporary change in interest, right? If we don’t pay attention, it’ll be troublesome.”
A middle-aged man with round glasses cautiously voiced his opinion.
“I agree.”
“That makes sense.”
Several people agreed with the words of the man with round glasses, and as the unease subsided and the murmurs died down, an elderly man with a solemn face refuted the words of the man with round glasses.
“I disagree. I think this is a kind of warning.”
He was the one who had mentioned the Princess earlier. He crossed his hands.
“It’s a warning not to embezzle the state treasury.”
The people were shocked by the old man’s words. The dying embers suddenly caught onto dry wood and blazed red.
“There’s no way that’s true.”
“Come to think of it, there were rumors of the Princess and Duke Lucas being close.”
The elderly man with a solemn face spoke up in response to the murmurs of the people.
“If the Princess’ influence grows and she forms an alliance with Duke Lucas, it will be quite troublesome. And if the Knight Commander joins forces as well? Even if we unite and resist, it will be difficult to win.”
Several nobles who had seen the king unable to speak at the last meeting enthusiastically agreed with his words.
“We need to cut off the root.”
Still, how would they do that?
It was a well-known fact among all the nobles in the capital that Duke Tricia was useless. However, just because Duke Tricia was useless, it didn’t mean that his family was insignificant. They were a wealthy Duchy with over ten mines in their possession, a noble family of founding heroes.
How could someone drag them down?
At that moment, someone who had been silent in the corner suddenly spoke up.
“I have a way. I’ve actually been preparing for this for a while now. All you have to do is add a word or two from the side.”
As the man spoke in front of the skeptical people, he explained his plan carefully. While listening to his explanation, the others marveled at his information-gathering skills and praised his sharp mind, and in the end, they all nodded in agreement.
When the man finished speaking, the nobles all rallied to follow his plan. It was a rare unanimous decision.
Now, dealing with the Princess was just a matter of time.
Carinne was feeling very anxious.
The Ashite Flower Festival was just a few days away, and no matter what, she had to corner Archen and find out his secret. However, last night, because of her drunken antics at the party, she had startled him, and he had run away.
Since the ending wasn’t good, she couldn’t help but feel that their next encounter wouldn’t be pleasant either. In addition, if the atmosphere gets awkward when they meet at the Ashite Flower Festival, her chances of finding out the secret would drop drastically.
Carinne didn’t want to accept the possibility of failure, even a little bit.
‘…What should I do?’
She paced around her room like a caged tiger at the zoo.
It was three voices that stopped her.
“Lady…”
Marie saw Carinne walking around in circles and blinked, then bowed her head and offered something.
“I think you should see this.”
It was a folded piece of paper.
Carinne took it and unfolded it. As she carefully read the words written on the paper, she crumpled it up and tore it apart.
“Where is Father right now?”
“The master is in his study.”
“I see.”
She walked down the hallway with heavy steps towards his office. As she opened the door without hesitation, she was met with the sight of Duke Tricia, who had just changed into casual clothes.
“My daughter! It’s been a while!”
As he said happily, his face beaming, Carinne unfolded the paper she was holding and handed it to him.
“Take a look.”
When he took the paper with a playful smile and scanned it with his eyes, going from left to right and down, he finally realized what it was. His expression immediately turned pale.
“This, I mean…”
“How many times have you missed a meeting for this to happen?”
Carinne shouted, skipping over the formalities and summarizing the contents of the paper.
‘If you miss one more meeting, your membership will be permanently revoked.’
It was written on the paper.
He even asked Carinne to go in his place last time, but lately, he hasn’t even made an effort to find a substitute.
Duke Tricia rambled on, trying to calm Carinne down.
“It’s not what you think… it’s just that—my daughter…”
Still, what excuse could he possibly have? It was a well-known fact that Duke Tricia was always out and about, living carelessly in the Second Duchy’s mansion.
In the end, he hung his head and let out a deep sigh.
“Life is about enjoying it, isn’t it?”
Carinne ignored him and asked bluntly.
“When is the next meeting?”
“It’s today… why do you ask?”
“I want to come with you.”
To think she had to play the role of a parent at this age… and a parent to a middle-aged man at that. Carinne glared at Duke Tricia, who had turned pale, and said in a firm tone.
“I won’t let you take any other route, so be prepared.”
Carinne dragged Duke Tricia onto the carriage that was headed to the palace.
Thanks to her quick actions, they arrived at the palace just before the meeting began. Thus, she successfully pushed the Duke, who was begging her to substitute for him one more time, into the meeting room.
She noticed Archen looking at her with a determined expression from a distance.
Right, why didn’t she think of him when she thought of who would be here? He was practically like Duke Lucas, who was a member of the meeting.
‘I saw him again!’
Carinne smiled and waved her hand happily.
This was her chance, a chance to fix their relationship.
However, as she looked closely at his eyes, she noticed a hint of sadness behind his forced smile. She saw the glimmer in his eyes dulled.
“Oh, it’s the Princess.”
‘…Could it be because of last night? He had said that my joke had gone too far.’
She thought as she ran to him.
“What do you want to do while waiting for the meeting?”
“I have something to pick up on behalf of the Duke.”
“I want to come, too!”
Carinne stood next to him. But as they walked down the hallway, he didn’t say a word, not even a simple greeting or a formal question. It felt awkward and uncomfortable.
‘…I knew it would be like this.’
What should she do? What should she say to break the tension and go back to the way things were?
While Carinne was thinking hard, they arrived at his destination. When he lightly knocked on the door, a voice came from inside.
“Who is it?”
“I am Archenas, an aide of the First Duchy. I came to pick up the documents he requested last time.”
After a moment, the door opened and a person appeared.
“Please wait a moment.”
They replied as Archen leaned against the door. Carinne also leaned against the door next to him. Of course, she was desperately trying to think of what to say.
At that moment, he turned his head and glanced at her.
“You can go first.”
“Ah…”
He wouldn’t want to get rid of her because he felt awkward being with her, right? She couldn’t hide her disappointment and was about to say something.
“I’m telling you this because it might take a long time.”
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Carinne quickly pulled back her words and replied nonchalantly.
“Oh, how do you know that? And I have something to do with you.”
She confidently opened her mouth but then stumbled and stuttered. What should she do? Was there something they could do together here?
“So… what I mean is…”
Carinne moved her feet and squeezed her head as hard as she could. Then, at that moment, a very strange thing happened. Iris’ bashful laughing face appeared in her mind, along with random thoughts.
‘…Oh, I never thought I’d say something like this.’
She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Do you want to play the twenty-question game?”
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