How the Disgusting Suitor Met His End - Chapter 59

“You cannot, My Lady.”

“No, but why?”

“You are not going to meet a gentleman, nor are you going to the Temple, yet you wish to leave without an escort. Even the master would not permit it.”

The problem was that the servants of the villa, including the butler who oversaw the Violet House, were reluctant to let Cecilia leave alone.

The butler of the Violet House was quite rigid. It had been fine for the first few days, but his overprotectiveness had worsened after the kidnapping incident became known.

“…But it’s broad daylight now?”

They never said a word when she slept over at Rogerick’s or David’s villa. Now, they were bringing in escort knights and blocking her way, claiming she couldn’t go out alone in broad daylight, which was utterly preposterous.

And truthfully, she felt a little guilty.

The place she planned to go today was Martine Street, where many w****s were said to live. That’s why she was trying to ditch the escorts and go out with just Margaret. It was obvious the butler would freak out and forbid it if he knew.

“…My Lady.”

Margaret, who had been watching nervously from behind, stood on her tiptoes and whispered.

“It’s alright. You can take them. Because……”

Cecilia nodded, prompting her to continue. Margaret glanced at the butler and then whispered something.

Cecilia, whose face had been sullen until the story ended, nodded to the butler.

“Give me an escort. I’ll take them with me.”

***

“I heard it from the servants of other families I became friendly with before. They said it’s a guild that will do anything you ask.”

“How far do they go?”

“Nothing incredibly dangerous, of course. Escort is a given, but they’ll also catch cheating lovers in the act, or help someone fall in love by fabricating a chance encounter! Oh, and if there’s a noble who is subtly tormenting you, they’ll arrange a robbery to look like a coincidence?”

“The last one is plenty dangerous.”

“But they don’t kill anyone!”

Perhaps it was because she thought the coachman incident had concluded successfully.

Lately, Margaret’s nerve seemed to be unnecessarily increasing. Cecilia stared at the cheerful Margaret and shook her head.

“Ah, they said it was here!”

The destination was an ordinary bookstore. Its small size made it perfect for separating from the escort knights.

“Wait outside for a moment.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Cecilia and Margaret entered the bookstore. There was a kindly-looking elderly woman at the counter.

“I’ve always wanted to try something like this!”

Margaret whispered, her face flushed with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, and she immediately approached the elderly woman.

“Welcome, are you looking for a specific book?”

“Do you have the book, ‘How to Bake a Pie with 108 Layers’?”

“Is that the only book you need?”

“I also need the book, ‘The Scientific Reason Why Children Dislike Grapefruit Juice’.”

The names were preposterous. Cecilia subtly moved away from Margaret and scanned the bookstore’s layout. At a glance, it was unremarkable.

But.

“Those books are in the storeroom. You’ll have to fetch them yourself, would that be alright?”

“Of course!”

The storeroom that the elderly woman unlocked with a click of a key was very strange.

‘There’s no way there’s space inside there.’

The situation suggested they needed to move to a secret room to accept the request.

Considering the shape of the building from the outside, the room inside should have been a tiny closet, not even big enough for a desk. If two people went in, they would just be trapped.

“My Lady! Hurry!”

Margaret, showing no fear, gestured from the front and slipped inside first.

She had no choice. Cecilia eyed the sweetly smiling old woman with suspicion and stepped into the storeroom.

Click!

Simultaneously, the door closed.

“Margaret!”

“Oh, it’s alright! They said it’s alright!”

Wooooong.

Suddenly, the entire storeroom began to shake. A surprised Cecilia grasped the wall. Margaret also clamped down on her mouth, nearly letting out a scream.

‘…The room is moving up?’

Cecilia let out a hollow laugh.

Only then did she realize. This storeroom was not a room.

“It’s an elevator.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a lift. We’re going up to the next floor right now.”

Only then did Cecilia’s tense expression relax into composure. Only Margaret continued to turn pale every time the elevator rattled as if it would break.

It was quite impressive. No mansion in this world would use such technology.

She had thought it was just a small local errand service, but it might be a much more significant organization.

Thump! The elevator stopped with a loud noise. She debated whether to open the door, but a hand from the outside suddenly pulled it open.

“What?”

It was a man whose strange hat was pulled low over his face. Only red hair was visible, poking out from beneath his neck. Even though she couldn’t see his eyes, she felt a penetrating stare.

It was extreme unfriendliness, intended to suppress her spirit. Cecilia intentionally smiled brightly.

“Me? Your customer.”

The man flinched at her transparent, lily-of-the-valley-like smile. It was a reaction she was already used to.

“…Come in.”

In the past, she would have started with a thrown knife or a gun barrel aimed at her. Being a shockingly beautiful woman came with the advantage of using her looks as a shield.

‘Though it will cause a lot of hassle too.’