Chapter 88
Who rounded whose plan?
“Haa…”
Felice let out a long sigh, pressing her palm to her forehead. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them to look at Claude.
“All right, then—can you at least explain how you came to this decision? Honestly, me going to such an official gathering as your partner can only be a disadvantage for you, but… I’ll listen.”
At Felice’s pointed words, Claude turned his head away for a moment, cutting off the conversation. Felice tilted her head, eyeing him skeptically.
“Claude?”
Her voice was clearly irritated as she called to him. Claude cleared his throat with an awkward cough before turning his gaze back to her.
“Ahem, well…”
Felice’s sharp eyes practically demanded an answer.
“The truth is, I didn’t really have much of a choice. It’s because of Count Legrand.”
At that, Felice loosened her folded arms. She hadn’t expected him to bring up Count Legrand—honestly, she’d forgotten all about it.
“Count Legrand? Why…?”
“You remember that incident recently at the count’s mansion—one of the maids dressed in a Racliffe uniform made a mistake with Lady Elise and ran off, right?”
Claude brought up the incident. Felice suddenly wondered if something had gone wrong because they never caught the culprit. Or perhaps Lady Elise was still so furious she’d demanded some enormous compensation from Claude and the Count both?
Felice’s mind started spinning with possibilities.
“And do you remember the painting we were going to display in the first floor hall—the one that turned out to be a forgery? The truth is, that painting was bought from the Count. We made a deal: he’d take responsibility for the mishap with Lady Elise, and in return, we’d keep things quiet and pay him for the artwork.”
Felice’s eyes grew wide.
She never imagined that painting would connect her to Count Legrand like this.
“But the painting was later proven to be a forgery. Of course, you had nothing to do with that, Felice.”
For some reason, it felt like Claude was emphasizing her innocence in all this.
“The one at fault is the culprit wearing the Racliffe maid uniform.”
Claude’s eyes lingered on Felice as he said ‘the culprit’.
Felice gulped, awkwardly nodding along in agreement—yes, it was the maid’s fault. Was Claude still suspicious that she was that maid? Is that why he practiced swordsmanship outside her window every morning? Was he watching for clues?
Somehow, the pieces felt like they were falling into place.
“There’s also the fact that Count Legrand is very displeased about how the forgery was exposed. He claims we rushed to take the painting, promising not to involve anyone else, then secretly had it appraised behind his back.”
Claude’s expression grew troubled.
“I wanted to explain all this and talk it over with you, but… anyway. That’s why I’d like you to attend the sponsor gathering with me.”
“Why…?”
“Because at the event, I’d like you to stand by my side and help me evaluate the paintings. I’ve never really had any interest in art, even as a child. If I’m to claim that I personally recognized the painting as a forgery, I need to demonstrate that ability in front of the Count.”
“But is there really any difference? Whether you identified the forgery yourself, or just had someone check it for you—wouldn’t the Count be annoyed either way?”
Claude shook his head.
“There’s a big difference. Think about it: there’s a world of difference between someone who says, ‘I trusted you and took the painting,’ but secretly had it checked, and someone who’s respected for their expertise and recognized the forgery right away. Don’t you agree?”
Felice slowly nodded.
“I suppose you’re right. Sigh… But then, how do you plan to introduce me to everyone? If you take me to a gathering like this, people are going to talk. There’ll definitely be rumors.”
“It’s fine. I’ve already arranged that part with my aunt, Marchioness Depende.”
Felice flinched at the mention of the Marchioness.
“The… the Marchioness…?”
At that, Felice suddenly felt like she wanted to cry.
And to make matters worse, he’d already gone and asked her for help.
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