The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 148

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 148

So I calmly declared.

“As I mentioned yesterday, I intend to attend this summer’s social season.”

At my words, Isabela readily replied.

“Ah, then I can help you there! Since you’re a minor, you’ll have limitations in moving around, right?”

“That’s right. So I absolutely need a ‘trustworthy adult woman’ who’s on my side in high society.”

I nodded while looking at Isabela with firm trust.

“A child like me would have difficulty being invited alone. So you must treat me well and take me around with you.”

And I continued the conversation calmly.

“As you know, there are several variables. Since you worked as a maid at Count Petanan’s house, there will surely be those who recognize you and find fault.”

Count Petanan’s house was the Empress’s maternal family.

They would surely create an atmosphere of openly mocking Isabela’s past. From their perspective, the returning Backhun bloodline couldn’t be welcome.

They would probably start working on it even before Isabela entered the capital’s high society.

But at my words, she blinked and answered nonchalantly.

“Well… I suppose so? But everything will work out fine.”

“Huh?”

Why did she suddenly become so groundlessly positive?

‘Is this a side effect of prolonged exposure to Alpheus?’

As I tilted my head in anxiety, Isabela spoke with an arrogant expression.

“I’m a duke’s daughter, aren’t I?”

At that moment.

My pupils shook as I looked at Isabela.

“Duke Dibostane’s house has no daughters. So I’m the Empire’s only duke’s daughter – who would dare say anything to me?”

Of course they wouldn’t say anything to your face…

I swallowed dryly and barely suppressed a sigh.

‘This sister only learned authoritarianism while working at the noble house?’

She had learned the bad things first.

‘I guess it’s because she only worked as a kitchen maid and never got to be a personal attendant.’

Meticulous intelligence gathering, judgment ability in crisis situations, amazing assassination skills…

The Northern duke’s daughter had many talents, but even in the original story, she dominated battlefields rather than high society.

It meant she hadn’t yet experienced how high society worked.

“If anyone dares to talk nonsense in front of you, Brisa, I’ll cut out their tongue as an example.”

The arrogant Northern duke’s daughter’s statement was cool, but…

“Including the Crown Prince, if there are any bastards who dare to mess around, I can cut between their legs too. I’ll throw what I cut off into Northern mountain valleys to feed the crows.”

It was completely unsuited for high society. It made me think she and Alpheus were truly meant for each other.

‘If everything could be solved with authority, why would Nogen use Western rhetoric?’

Nogen was a grand ducal house that didn’t need to mind anyone’s feelings.

“Hmph.”

Finally, Wolf-dog beside me couldn’t hold back and snorted.

The golden eyes that had been dejected when Isabela declared she’d be more helpful than ‘Nogen’s former fiancé’ were now triumphant.

“This won’t work.”

I quickly accepted reality and hastily formed a strategy.

“Sister, you’ll have to move according to my wishes in high society for now.”

“Huh?”

Isabela blinked slowly.

“You… know the central high society well?”

I shrugged and answered.

“It’s my specialty.”

It was true. How often had I participated in the Empress Dowager’s gatherings, which were called the essence of high society.

“I’ll give you a good weapon.”

At my words, Isabela tilted her head and said.

“Ah, is it a weapon that’s still too much for you to handle?”

She seemed to have understood it as an actual ‘weapon.’

I said with tears in my eyes.

“No… a weapon for high society…”

And I pointed to the whey in the pot from which even the ricotta had been extracted.

“As I said yesterday, I’ll make it with that.”

“With sheep’s milk?”

“Yes.”

When the conversation reached this point, even Wolf-dog looked at me with a suspicious expression.

“I don’t usually talk nonsense. Probably, though I can’t be sure, the Imperial Court has likely started working to bring you down from now on…”

I looked up at Isabela intently and said.

“I’ll help you turn the tide in one stroke.”

Alpheus, who had been petting Wolf-dog, also cheerfully joined in.

“I can’t not go where my sister is going! I’m definitely going too, so is there anything I should prepare? Something I must bring?”

“Hmm… your brain, maybe?”

Since I had expected Alpheus to follow anyway, I answered nonchalantly.

“Well, it’s not essential. We’ve done fine without such things until now.”

* * *

The rose garden of the Imperial Palace.

The Empress was stroking a cat while resting her chin on her hand.

“The return of Backhun, how interesting.”

Of course, her expression wasn’t interesting at all.

In front of her with her red hair pinned up, the Crown Prince, Perdin Lotus Bevianos, raised his eyebrows.

“Then did that lowly thing from Sears break Duke Backhun’s curse?”

‘That lowly thing from Sears’ was none other than Alpheus.

For a half-breed with maid’s blood to manifest 【Taming】. From their perspective, it was a very bewildering outcome.

Naturally, they had thought it would be Brisa who would manifest 【Taming】.

“It must be so.”

The Empress muttered slowly.

“He broke the Southern curse as well.”

“How could this be…”

Perdin with red hair and green eyes bit his lower lip hard.

“I didn’t know 【Taming】 was such a powerful ability.”

Even the Imperial Family didn’t know much about Sears’s 【Taming】.

They had only read records that the first Emperor, Daxion Bebiano, had discovered the Sears family to suppress the curses of the four families, and that the Queen of Riente who followed him had sealed a demon in a ring.

The Empress sighed and muttered.

“Sears was in our grasp, but that lowly bastard ruined everything. If only the previous Marquis Sears had died just a little earlier, Brisa would have received the marquis title and that bastard would have had nowhere to stand.”

Things had gone wrong in every possible way.

Until now, Brisa had been too young to seriously attempt anything.

“But as long as the ring is in our hands, we always hold their leash. Time is ultimately on our side.”

The Empress consoled Perdin out of habit.

“Nothing has changed. We just need to eliminate that country bumpkin from Sears and get only Brisa Sears into our grasp. This time, let’s cast the curse again after that. After binding you and that child in marriage once Brisa becomes an adult.”

They couldn’t keep the continent in chaos with just the curse.

Since everything was happening within the Empire’s territory anyway, it was best for Perdin to resolve it and subjugate them. For that, 【Taming】 was necessary.

Since Alpheus, who had already manifested 【Taming】, was clearly Maximus’s person, now only Brisa remained as an option.

In the first place, acknowledging a noble with maid’s blood mixed in as one of their own was mentally impossible for them.

Brisa had to come here on her own feet and cooperate of her own volition.

【Taming】 was a Special Ability that had officially disappeared.

If they forced her to come and she lied about 【Taming】 not manifesting, there would be nothing they could say.

So even if it took time, they had to cut down everyone around Brisa, making her realize that the Imperial Court was the only place she could rely on.

If they could get Brisa to use 【Taming】 for them that way.

According to the original plan, they would be able to show the Imperial Court, centered around the Crown Prince, pacifying each region.

By that time, the Emperor would be quite old, so the timing would actually be even better.

“As for Alpheus and Maximus, those lowly things can simply be eliminated by sending them to the battlefield using the Dark Mages.”

The Empress spoke languidly.

“Nogen will stay out of this game as always. Valerie will warn them to keep quiet and lay low. It seems the old fox of Nogen has no intention of re-engaging her grandson to Brisa anyway. There’s been no movement at all, hasn’t there?”

“But won’t Bakahun and Naisar side with that girl?”

“Naisar? That marquis is on our side. She pretended to cooperate with House of Sears because of 【Taming】, but she definitely said she’d side with us in exchange for withdrawing Shania’s marriage proposal.”

The Empress already had Marquis Cheria Naisar’s weakness. The fact that she had colluded with Dark Mages.

“Since we have all the evidence here, Cheria Naisar can’t betray us if she doesn’t want to be dragged to the Magic Tower. The other two sisters are timid and holed up in the Southern Region, so we won’t see them in the Capital anyway.”

The Empress, having smoothly appeased Perdin’s objection, grinned wickedly.

“And Bakahun… That duchess only has harsh treatment waiting for her here. Enough to make her flee while causing allergic reactions among the nobles, including Brisa.”

She slowly stood up and embraced her son’s shoulders.

“In the end, you’ll be able to subjugate all the arrogant First Four Houses and sit on a throne higher than ever before.”

Then she whispered with conviction.

“So rest assured and focus on winning His Majesty the Emperor’s favor for now. Trust this mother and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager for the rest.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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