Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 171

☆ Chapter 171 ☆

“I, I knew the Lady would come.”

Lady Aisel smiled, her expression strained.

Ruatisha felt her heart sink.

She had recognized Lady Aisel’s signal a while ago.

She followed right after, but was delayed while extracting the ability.

“I’m sorry for not coming sooner.”

Lady Aisel shook her head.

“The, the real potion bottle is on the third floor, on the terrace. Second from the left…….”

“I know.”

“So, go, go now.”

“Yes, I won’t let your efforts be in vain.”

Ruatisha firmly grasped Lady Aisel’s hand one last time and then stood up abruptly.

And without looking back, she quickly left the storage.

Lady Aisel watched her leave and quietly smiled.

‘With this, Ruatisha will be safe, no matter what else happens,’ she thought.

* * *

“……dy.”

I quickened my pace.

There’s a lot to do.

“Lady.”

‘I need to act carefully to avoid the Empress’s suspicion as much as possible. That’s the only way Lady Aisel will be safe.’

Since I dragged her into this, I have to protect her.

“Ruatisha.”

Whoosh!

My body turned as a gentle hand pulled my wrist.

Sid, facing me, whispered, “Calm down.”

“I’m calm. I’m just thinking about what to do.”

Sid looked at me without saying anything.

In that calm and serene gaze, I felt the tension drain from my shoulders.

Sid pulled me closer.

“……Are you a little calmer now?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to do it alone.”

At those words, I looked up at Sid.

“But…….”

He was so close.

Sid lightly touched his forehead to mine.

“You can use me,” he whispered in my ear, his forehead brushing against mine.

“Master.”

The whispering voice was low.

But it was a voice that persistently resonated within me.

A voice that felt like it would grant anything, ask for anything.

“……Sid.”

The moment I made eye contact with him.

“What are you guys doing? Are you dating?”

I was startled and turned my head to see Lord Kaishen looking at me with a cold gaze.

Seeing his face, I snapped back to reality.

“Well, it’s about the age to be interested in the opposite sex, but take it easy. You have to consider the time, situation, and place for dating.”

“I told you, we’re not dating!”

Lord Kaishen chuckled when I shouted.

“No matter how smart you act, you’re still a kid. You think you’re being teased if someone suggests you’re dating. ‘Ooh la la’.”

“It must be nice to be old, Lord.”

“…….”

Lord Kaishen fell silent at my words.

Hmph.

“Well, you look much better when you’re angry. I thought you were always so subdued, even when Lady Shabonne was acting so mean, like a child with no energy.”

Lord Kaishen reached out his hand towards my head.

Thwack!

Sid immediately knocked it away.

“Geez, you’re being so uptight.”

I took a deep breath, watching the two bickering.

I felt much more relaxed than before.

“You’ll help me, right?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

I started walking and continued speaking.

“We need to find a court lady with green hair and hazel eyes. She has a mole near her mouth.”

“You mean the court lady who was guarding that door earlier, the one who went to find the potion bottle under Muriel Shabonne’s orders?”

“That’s right. What, were you watching?”

“Yes.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Lord Kaishen.

I wanted to ask why he just watched when someone was being kidnapped.

‘Later, later,’ I thought.

“Fortunately, she won’t find the potion bottle, but it will be troublesome if that court lady goes to the Empress.”

“And there are things I want to ask the court lady.”

I nodded.

“That court lady probably went through the west side gate, so we should check the paths leading from here.”

“And after we find her—”

“I’ll take her to my palace. No one will find out there.”

“Good. You two search for the court lady. I’ll go find the real potion bottle.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Lord Kaishen asked me with a worried face.

“The moment that potion bottle is discovered, it’s over. If things go wrong and the Empress suspects something, she might search your body by any means—by having someone bump into you or spill a drink on you.”

“Don’t worry. I know the safest place in the world.”

I grinned confidently.

* * *

“Daddy!”

I ran with my arms wide open, and Daddy quickly picked me up.

“Lulu.”

Then he glanced around at the people.

It was a chilling gaze.

“Th-The Lady seems to really like the Duke.”

“I’m envious. My daughter is going through puberty and doesn’t even want to come near me.”

“Oh my, it’s so nice to see such an affectionate father-daughter relationship.”

People quickly started making comments.

‘……It’s been over a year since I came up to the capital, so everyone’s used to it now,’ I thought.

It’s like looking at our family’s retainers.

Daddy arrogantly raised his chin.

“Is that so? I don’t know.”

“Haha, it must be because it’s a natural thing for the Duke.”

I watched Daddy’s lips slightly curl up with a cold gaze.

‘Wow, my dad is so childish…….’

It would be unsightly if he weren’t so handsome.

Why does he have to be so handsome?

Whose dad is so handsome?

That’s right.

I was also a fool for my dad.

Blood is thicker than water.

“Daddy! Lulu wants to see the fountain alone with Daddy. And the firefly magic lights!”

At my words, Daddy nodded and immediately left the hall.

The people who were gathered around Daddy like clouds looked at us with regretful eyes.

It seemed like they were regretting missing the opportunity to make an impression on Duke Paeraton, who rarely appeared at banquets.

‘Sorry,’ I thought.

But I have something to ask Daddy, so I can’t help it.

When we came out to the garden, people were scattered here and there, enjoying the scenery.

I checked that there were no people around and took out the potion bottle from my arms.

“Please keep this for me.”

“What is this?”

“Shh! It’s a secret between Daddy and Lulu.”

When I said that with my index finger on my lips, Daddy nodded and put the potion bottle in his arms.

‘Phew, that got me past the question of what it is.’

“……Now that I think about it, you didn’t want to see the fountain with me; you just wanted to give me this.”

Daddy’s expressionless face looked somehow sulky.

‘Hmm, it would be a problem if he got upset.’

I hugged Daddy’s neck tightly.

“Daddy is the only person Lulu can trust!”

Twitch.

Daddy’s lips momentarily went up and then came down sternly again.

Hmm, is that too weak?

“This is the storage fee!”

Kiss!

I puckered my lips and kissed Daddy on the cheek.

Daddy’s eyes widened.

“This is a real secret. My brothers and grandpa will make a fuss if they find out.”

“……I’ll have to get paid separately for keeping the secret.”

Oh, really!

Daddy held out the other cheek, so I kissed him there too.

Daddy grinned and kissed me on the cheek.

“This is a token of our promise.”

The large hand that brushed my hair was very warm.

“I will never give it up, even if a knife is held to my throat.”

No…….

If a knife is held to your throat, just hand it over.

I looked at Daddy with a sullen expression and eventually chuckled.

Lights like fireflies floated around Daddy.

The transparent streams of water stretching out from the fountain were refreshingly wetting the early summer evening.

‘The two of them must have found the court lady, right?’

I clenched my fist tightly.

I’ve erased all the evidence that can be destroyed.

What I can do here…….

‘There’s still one thing left.’

Since the storage door was broken, the Empress will also know that someone helped Lady Aisel.

‘I have to create a believable story about that someone.’

Who to bribe is also a problem, but there’s a bigger problem.

Lady Aisel might rashly give the name of a strict person to the Empress.

‘No.’

Lady Aisel showed resourcefulness that surprised me.

‘So believe.’

In Lady Aisel’s ability.

And.

‘Believe that Lady Aisel will believe in me.’

* * *

“Lady Aisel!”

The Empress was startled and stood up from her seat.

Lady Aisel hadn’t come for so long that she sent someone to check, and she appeared in a state where she couldn’t even walk on her own.

“What happened!”

The servant supporting Lady Aisel said, “She was locked up in the storage.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry…… Your Majesty. I was taking Lady Shabonne to Your Majesty when suddenly, haa, she kidnapped me and dragged me away. Because of a handkerchief with drugs on it, I, I lost consciousness—ugh…….”

Lady Aisel struggled to speak and then clutched her head.

“Quickly, lay her down on the sofa!”

“Yes.”

The Empress frowned.

‘Lady Shabonne imprisoned Lady Aisel and made her like this? Why?’

Simply because her identity was exposed?

‘But does that change anything?’

“Haa, Muriel Shabonne tried to frame me. She told me to tell Your Majesty that I stole the medicine……. Then she would spare me.”

“That……!”

The Empress was shocked.

Certainly, that reason is understandable.

But isn’t that too risky?

She couldn’t easily believe it, knowing how careful she had been while acting as Mrs. Sarah.

“When I didn’t listen…… a bright red aura came from Muriel Shabonne’s hand.”

At those words, the Empress stopped thinking.

A bright red aura.

That was definitely the aura used when placing a geas [a magical compulsion] on Sidrian.

‘……It’s definitely something Muriel Shabonne did.’

She was careful, but she was a dangerous person from the start.

From the geas to this potion.

It wouldn’t be strange if she acted aggressively after her identity was exposed.

‘Even more so if she calculated that I could pin the geas on Muriel.’

Seeing the Empress lost in thought, Lady Aisel’s eyes lit up.

‘As expected, the Empress knows about that strange power. I did well to bring it up.’

She succeeded in diverting the Empress’s attention for now.

But there was a bigger mountain left.

“Then did you save Lady Aisel?”

The Empress asked the servant who brought Lady Aisel.

“No. When I went, Lady Shabonne was gone, and Lady Aisel was alone, unconscious and tied to a chair.”

“……Is that so?”

“The strange thing is that the storage door was torn off. No, it wasn’t torn off; it was more like it exploded.”

At those words, the Empress frowned.

“Then that means there was someone else who saved Lady Aisel…….”

The Empress looked at Lady Aisel with sharp eyes.

It was a look that seemed like she would catch her if there was any suspicious sign.

Lady Aisel calmed her pounding heart and opened her mouth.

“I don’t know. Haa, maybe they came when I lost consciousness?”

“Don’t you have anyone you can guess? Seeing as they saved the Lady, they must be someone related to you.”

Feeling the measuring gaze, Lady Aisel felt her hands and feet getting cold.

‘What should I do?’

Giving a name that isn’t related to Paeraton or Prince Sidrian would be the way to avoid suspicion.

She thought of some of her close people.

Among them was a knight who was showing promise in martial arts.

‘Should I give my cousin’s name? He left me behind…… to chase after Muriel Shabonne, so that’s why.’

Her cousin would probably be enjoying a secret meeting with some lady in the garden, so no one would have seen him at the party.

If it’s that, the Empress will completely understand.

‘No.’

Surely the Lady will create an alibi for her.

She hadn’t just been listening quietly for months, following Ruatisha’s instructions.

‘Even if I can’t completely shake off suspicion here, I have to trust the Lady.’

The heart that had been pounding became strangely calm.

She might not be able to completely cut off the Empress’s suspicion.

Maybe Ruatisha won’t be able to provide a proper alibi.

But she wasn’t anxious.

She didn’t even have any doubts.

Lady Aisel opened her mouth with a firmer face than ever before.