Chapter 3 (Part 2)
Even with a troubled heart, she couldn’t neglect her duties.
Therese searched for miraculous herbs that could aid Roshan’s recovery. Simultaneously, she didn’t forget to inquire about sorcerers or mages who could concoct antidotes.
“Someone wishes to see the Guild Master.”
As Therese sifted through a thick stack of documents, someone entered. This place wasn’t accessible to just anyone; one needed a verified certificate or a token given by a guild member.
“…Ah.”
The face of the woman who entered the office seemed familiar.
“How’s your arm?”
It was the woman Therese had saved at the gambling den, who had come to find her.
“Greetings, Miss.”
“No need for formalities.”
Covering the documents, Therese stood and examined the woman’s body. She seemed in better condition than expected, indicating she kept her promise to receive treatment.
“Well done. If you tried to save money by not getting treated, you might have lost the use of one hand forever.”
“Thanks to your help.”
“Alright. Let’s hear why you’ve come today.”
“I’m looking for new work, and I thought I’d like to work for you if possible.”
Lacking eloquence, the woman, feeling shy, fiddled with her stained apron.
“I understand. Fortunately, there’s suitable work for you, Susanna, so you should go there.”
And Therese didn’t forget to entrust Susanna with a secret task.
For an information guild, discreet and swift handling was vital. To achieve this, acquiring accurate information ahead of others was crucial.
However, Therese had failed to gather information during her infiltration of the gambling den and still hadn’t found a clue to the disappearance cases.
‘I must wait for the next owl.’
Owls were sent by employees working across the empire. Guild subordinates disguised themselves to work or actual employees under contract worked for them.
“Prepare to visit Roshan.”
At Therese’s command, the subordinate hurriedly prepared the carriage.
While passing the road in the carriage, she didn’t forget to ask about the child from last time.
“There were no relatives or guardians, so we sent the child to an orphanage.”
“I see. You did well.”
It was fortunate to prevent the child from starving to death alone, but it wasn’t a fundamental solution.
Continuous war and drought had claimed many lives, increasing the number of orphans.
Yet the imperial family paid no attention to such matters. They focused solely on extracting magic stones and hunting monsters to protect the capital.
‘Felipe Morciani.’
Thinking of the Emperor’s name, Therese’s face briefly turned serious.
By the time she returned from visiting Roshan, the sun had already set.
‘How did you get hurt? Who was the opponent?’
Therese thought that if someone could injure Roshan to this extent, the opponent must be a skilled person she had never heard of.
‘Was it the Nameless Ones, the Shadow Brotherhood, or the Red Moon?’
The place Therese mentioned was a renowned assassination guild, one that even Therese and Roshan couldn’t gather much information about.
‘But why would they have a reason to be at odds with us?’
Assassination guilds take on assignments to eliminate targets, but sometimes they also use information guilds to properly understand their assignments.
In a way, they could be in a mutually beneficial relationship, so why is this happening?
Roshan subtly avoided answering Therese’s question.
‘Master, it’s dangerous here, so please stop coming.’
‘What do you mean by that? If not me, then who would come?’
Roshan was reluctant to show Therese his current state. While she could understand, she was his only family here.
“It’s later than expected.”
Although her mother-in-law’s nagging had decreased recently, it still bothered her.
‘Did I live all this time to bring in a daughter-in-law like you? The gods are indifferent.’
These were words Therese had heard countless times from Maria Richard. They began to create a small hole in Therese’s heart, which eventually became an irreparable large crack.
As she got off the carriage, a fishy smell wafted up to her lips. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief when someone’s shout rang in her ears.
“What kind of person are you exactly!”
Maria Richard, flanked by maids on both sides, came out to the entrance and glared at Therese.
‘What kind of excuse is she going to find again?’
Creating an excuse like that every day was quite a talent.
“Mother, why are you outside in the cold wind?”
Ignoring Maria’s angry face, Therese spoke indifferently.
“Did you really forget what day it is today!”
“……Ah.”
Seeing her so furious, it must have been the day of the ladies’ afternoon tea gathering.
But right now, Therese had no time to worry about such tea gatherings.
‘Just dealing with Roshan’s matters and the piled-up guild work is overwhelming.’
As she tried to ignore her mother-in-law and pass by, Maria grabbed Therese’s arm.
“How dare you try to leave when an elder is speaking! If you’re from a lowly family and uneducated, shouldn’t you at least try and make effort?”
‘You speak as if you would acknowledge it if I made an effort.’
Therese faintly smiled at her mother-in-law’s words. She had made that effort tirelessly for five years. Excessive effort later killed Therese Demori.
As Therese still showed little reaction, Maria Richard dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and shouted loudly.
“My goodness! I must have lived too long! How can there be such a daughter-in-law in our family, is this even possible?”
“Grand Madame, please calm down. You’ll collapse at this rate.”
Katrina, standing beside her, acted as if she were a member of the Richard family.
“Honestly, tell us. Are you really going out to engage in promiscuous acts as the rumors say?”
“Oh my! Grand Madam, in fact, I’ve heard those stories too.”
Katrina covered her mouth with a surprised expression. It was such a natural act that no one noticed it was she who had passed those rumors to Maria.
“We’ve heard that the Duchess Richard secretly meets other men.”
Katrina spoke clearly as if stating a confirmed fact. But even with such an outrageous story, Therese’s face remained calm.
Katrina was even more infuriated by her composed demeanor.
For ladies, hosting an afternoon tea or a home gathering was an infinite honor. But Therese Demori didn’t even know the value of such things.
‘She’s utterly vulgar.’
Katrina gritted her teeth, but Therese, ignoring her, quietly spoke.
“A warm cup of tea, please.”
Without waiting for a response, Therese walked straight to the dining room, followed by her mother-in-law.
“Do my words mean nothing to you!”
Maria, overly agitated, raised her cane as if to throw it.
At that moment, a voice was heard.
“Why is it so noisy here?”
Seeing the Duke coming down the stairs, Maria frowned deeply.
“Oppa, I mean, Your Grace! Look at this.”
Katrina, who had taken it upon herself to be her mother-in-law’s staunch ally, rushed to the Duke as if to embrace him.
“My goodness, the Duchess……”
The Duke addressed her, cutting her off as if the words were too unspeakable.
“I overheard, but if it’s about that story, I believe I said it wasn’t true.”
“It’s not just about that day.”
The affair at the exhibition might have been overlooked by luck, but Katrina was determined to trample Therese this time.
“The Duchess has been with me every day lately, so when would she meet another man? We even watched a performance together yesterday. Are you saying I’m lying?”
“But, but……!”
“I hope there will be no further mention of such baseless rumors. Since everyone is gathered, let’s have the meal served.”
The Duke, responding coolly, came up close behind Therese. The heat emanating from his body made Therese’s tense shoulders shrink even more.
“Bring some warm herbal tea here.”
At the Duke’s instruction, a maid placed tea in front of Maria. The Duke handed her the tea and spoke kindly.
“Mother, they say it’s good for neuralgia, so please have some.”
Maria was infuriated by the sight of her affectionate son taking care of her.
‘My beloved son!’
She raised him to be the best man in the empire. No one could claim to be better than Duke Richard except the Emperor.
Yet, not only did he marry a woman from a lowly merchant family, but he also defended such a woman.
‘I absolutely cannot let this happen!’
She barely restrained herself from immediately getting up and slapping Therese. Maria, who was only fiddling with the teacup, trembled with anger, unable to contain it.
“Grand Madame, you’ll collapse like this. How could the Duchess do such a thing?”
Katrina, cautiously watching for Maria’s reaction, continued to disparage Therese. Then, the Duke, who was leisurely leaning back in his chair, sharply raised his eyes.
“Lady Volez, I don’t think this is something you should interfere in. This is a family matter.”
As Duke Richard acted as if he wouldn’t let Katrina interfere any further, Maria, unable to bear it any longer, raised her voice.
“Duke! Is our Katrina a stranger? How can you be so harsh to a child who treats me so affectionately?”
The mother-in-law, who had set down her teacup, cast a terrifying look toward where Therese sat. He, who had been quietly watching, slowly opened his mouth.
“I am the head of the family, so I will handle it.”
In other words, it meant not to question the decision he had made.
Maria’s face flushed with anger at the unfamiliar sight of her son, who always respected her opinions.
Getting angrier here would only damage her dignity.
‘I must not do anything that would harm my dignity.’
Maria, who was rubbing her forehead, stood up with the help of her cane.
“I-I’m not feeling well, so I will excuse myself first.”
Soon, Maria left the dining room with Katrina’s support.
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Tillda
Roshan knows that she’s digging something yet not telling her what attacked him, and not warning her that it’s super dangerous. What a dependable and wise subordinate to have.