Please Be A Traitor - Chapter 49

My father caressed my head, then straightened and set aside my hairs with his fingers.

“Daddy, about the woman I brought to the mansion yesterday……”

“There’s a scar left.”

“Yes?”

I believed my father was caressing my head and brushing my hair back because he thought I was cute, but he was actually doing it to see the back of my neck.

I thought the spot of my neck where Thalia stabbed me yesterday was alright when I felt it. I had no idea it left a scar.

“I will call a priest for you and get you treated.”

When my father declared he would call a priest for me, I was about to resist and say no.

But I opted not to because my father’s expression was obviously concerned, so I ended up nodding.

“Sure, Daddy.”

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“I’m going to take Rhaya in as Viscount Sien’s lady.”

“That’s right, I heard Ina addressing that woman as Lady Sien. Furthermore, the lady was a maid identified as Nina, whom Ina had picked up on your way to the Villa. I heard she was booted out of Baron Malesa’s house because she professed to be the lady of Marquis Zelude’s family, right?”

I nodded my head.

“I believe Thalia is Marquis Zelude’s real sister.”

“If that’s what Ina says, it must be true.”

For a brief period, I was dumbfounded as my father accepted what I said so calmly.

“So, what can I do to help Ina?”

I didn’t intend to ask for help or anything. I simply wanted Thalia to be comfortable in our mansion.

But if my father stated he’d support me, things would be a lot easier.

Because I was able to solve the problem of identifying which parties Marquis Zelude would attend in order to have Thalia meet him.

“Then, could you please invite Marquis Zelude to our house, Daddy?”

Thalia and Marquis Zelude might meet with only the two of them this way.

“Of course.”

My father accepted my request coolly once again.

I knew my father would always be there for me.

My request was rather easy since it wasn’t hard for my father to call the young and powerless Marquis Zelude to our mansion.

Nonetheless, I knew how much my father valued me, given recent events.

I hugged my father.

“Daddy, thank you so much. And thank you for the presents you arranged for Ina yesterday at the Villa. The other ladies were pleased with your presents as well.”

“……I’m delighted you’re pleased with it, Ina. Because Ina’s embroidered design was so good, I requested the designers to apply it on the pretty frills dress.”

I was speechless for a brief minute.

My head was spinning with images of ‘Gold Spoon’ stitched on the hem of a brightly colored dress.

“Da-daddy. I made them for practice purposes, so if you place the design on the dress…… No, I mean it should not be used with a dress!”

“Why? Of course, it will look great, Ina. I even had an offer to license the designs.”

My father grinned as he rummaged through his desk and pulled some paperwork.

There is a dress design with “ㅆ” and “ㅂ” wonderfully painted along the right breast line and “ㅏ” beautifully drawn on the left chest line.
(T/N: ㅆㅂ is cursing word)

Characters “빡” and “쎄” were drawn brilliantly in the back, as was character “ㄱ” in the middle of the back.
(T/N: 빡쎄게 means hard, intense, tight, tough, challenging)

The dress’s bottom is wrapped with wave lace embroidered with “헐헐헐헐헐헐” which is elegantly placed.
(T/N: 헐 “heol” is a slang(?) used when someone was shocked or amazed, like wow or omg. “헐헐헐헐헐헐” also usually used to indicate laughter sound mostly for older folks.)

“Argh!”

“Ina? What’s the matter, Ina?”

My father inquired, surprised.

I never imagined that composing “빡쎄” and “헐헐헐헐헐헐” would result in such catastrophe.

My father consoled me as I trembled in misery.

“You don’t have to feel embarrassed, Ina. Her Majesty even wishes to wear a dress of this design at the banquet next month.”

The design even included a contract.

A contract stating that a share of the revenues would be given to me as design copyright.

If I didn’t like the content, I could always decline the contract.

But, since the Empress is claimed to have desired to wear the design, I couldn’t decline it by citing reasons such as ‘the designs are still poor’ or ‘I am still unskilled.’

I eventually signed the contract, trembling.

Ah…… life sure is tough.

* * * * *

As I was going back to my room after seeing my father off, Stein handed me a letter.

It was sent by Shabelle.

The letter’s sloppy handwriting had a gloomy vibe, as if to emphasize how harshly Stein handled Shabelle.

The letter’s content indicated that she was touched that I wrote the invitation instead of her.

‘If I were Shabelle, I would have protested and asked myself from the start to write it.’

She must have felt as if she had completed the assignment that couldn’t be solved no matter how hard she tried.

I composed a response for Shabelle and ordered Stein to bring it along with a snack to the Float mansion, expressing my respect for how hard she had worked.

In my response letter, I indicated that I would order another dress for Shabelle to wear to the tea party, and that she should come over to get a dress measurement.

I was hoping she’d be able to introduce Thalia during the tea party.

After prepping for this and that, I summoned a maid because it was getting near to lunchtime.

“Ask Rhaya to come and have lunch with me.”

“She hasn’t gotten up, Lady.”

Noble ladies typically sleep in and wake late, so I intended to have the maid call me when she awoke. But then I remembered a moment in which Karpel hung his sword around Thalia’s neck.

I sprang up, went to the guest room where Thalia was staying, knocked a few times then opened the door.

Thalia was, indeed, burning with fever.

“Get the doctor!”

I was relieved since Thalia had looked fine the night before.

But it looked like her fatigue had led her to slump, since she didn’t even respond when I shook her body.

‘She’s not going to die, is she?’

As I waited anxiously for the doctor to come while putting the cold towel on Thalia’s forehead, the butler came in.

“The priest has arrived, Lady.”

Priest? What brings the priest here?

I could never call the priest recklessly, let alone over something as insignificant as this.

Because a priest is someone who serves God, not someone who should treat the sick.

So, even if I was very sick, I couldn’t summon a priest.

If I truly need to summon a priest, I must have the same authority and status as my father, who was never afraid of heavenly wrath

It wasn’t until I remembered my father that I realized why the priest was here. Because my father had told me that he would summon a priest for me this morning.

Soon after, the priest, who appeared to be quite elderly, approached me. The priest, who made eye contact with me, seemed taken aback.

He immediately greeted me after I had welcomed him.

“I heard you were stabbed badly in the back, and that you are……”

Who was stabbed……?

Perhaps the priest was shocked because, after being told that I was severely hurt, he discovered me walking around normally.

“I was accidentally stabbed with a pen tip……”

My palm instinctively stroked the back of my neck as I uttered that.

There was barely a little scar.

The priest glanced at me blankly, as if he didn’t comprehend what was going on, then grinned vainly, possibly because he recalled that my father had summoned him.

“However, I believe I should examine the wound and give my blessing to protect you in the future.”

The priest extended his hand to me. But I refused him by shaking my head.

“I apologize, priest, but could you kindly look at my friend instead of me?”

The priest then turned his attention to Thalia.

Thalia’s irregular breathing and groaning could be heard.

“Of course.”

The priest examined the afflicted Thalia before placing his palm on her forehead and beginning to heal her.

Thalia’s red heated face eventually calmed down.

Thalia soon opened her eyes, gazed blankly at the priest, and then at me, who stood behind the priest. She then fell asleep, a relieved expression on her face.

“This lady’s body is just too weak and frail. It’s not because she has a disease. She’s just weak. So simply taking care of her meal will get her healthy in no time.”

“Thank you very much, priest.”

“She must be a dear friend to you.”

The priest grinned warmly, as if he were witnessing a scene from a youth drama.

I suppose I’ve bonded with her since the three of us, including her and my fiance, were on the point of death yesterday.

Instead of responding to the priest, I simply smiled graciously.

The priest, who saw me smiled like that, said.

“My name is Glova, Ducal Princess. Please do not hesitate to call me in if you require my help.”

“Yes? But why?”

Is the temple’s financial status tough these days?

Is he requesting additional donations?

Such thoughts crossed my mind.

“You are the one who will be summoned shortly, Lady.”

“……Are you talking about the Khamar’s summons?”

Khamar is the god that gave birth to the earth and the only god the people worshiped in this world.

Isn’t being summoned by God a sign of death? But why would he smile over something like that?

“Yes, Lady.”

“Then I’ll be on my way, Lady Duke.”

Glova, the priest, then smiled and turned to leave.

I knew I wasn’t going to live long.

Still, it felt unpleasant when it was affirmed by a priest who served God.

In the novel, it wasn’t described precisely when the daughter of the Duke who tormented Shabelle would die.

Still, Shabelle had another year until she became Crown Princess and vengeance against the evil lady duke.

Then it became evident that I would live till then.

Even if I was still alive after that, there was no assurance that I would survive if my family collapsed.

‘I am running out of time……’

“Your Lady? Your complexion doesn’t look good. Should I call the priest back?”

Before I knew it, I was clutching my skirt hard.

My hands were drenched in cold sweat.

I quickly shook my head.

“No. I’m all right. Just look after Rhaya.”

My disastrous future was already predestined anyway.

There’s no need to be surprised again.

After such solace, I resolved to think positively such as the priest would appear whenever I personally summoned him.