Chapter 179 Tanya’s adventures

…Before that, there was something I needed to finish.

Usually milady’s orders were top priority for me.

This was the only thing that she didn’t know I was doing. She probably didn’t have the faintest clue.

Right now my destination was the Langley family mansion. My invitation had come from milady’s dear friend herself, Miss Mimosa.

I picked up the pace.

Because of a short encounter with Milo, even though I had set out quite early, I was in a rush to get there on time.

The mansion I arrived at was quite different in style than that of Duke Armenia.

Under the guidance of several servants I was ushered in, finally arriving at Miss Mimosa’s private guest room.

“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“No, I’m sorry for summoning you here so suddenly. Please, sit there.”

“No, someone like me…”

“I’m the one who summoned you. Plus, this makes talking easier. Please, sit down there.”

I had already refused her once. Refusing her again might come off as rude, so I just sat down on the chair instead.

“What is the purpose of this summoning?”

“Iris trusts you deeply.”

Miss Mimosa’s words didn’t make me feel any less confused.

“I heard a lot about you from her in the academy. You, Dida, Ryle, and so many others…she told me that you grew up with her. How excellent all of you were, how deeply she trusted you. But among those people, the only female who has met me before is you. I’m about to be married. Even if it is just a servant, summoning a male out here to meet with me would be quite taboo. That’s why I summoned you.”

Miss Mimosa spoke cautiously.

“I have something I need to ask…not just you, but all of you.”

Her expression was very serious.

“Iris seems to want to do something about my engagement. I hope that you can stop her.”

“Why? Please forgive me for being straightforward, but…right now, don’t you need the power of Duke Armenia’s family?”

I wasn’t going to fool around with my words. I picked the most direct way to ask her, because I wanted to know her intentions.

I had followed milady’s orders and investigated her engagement.

What I had learned was that this wasn’t something that she wanted for herself.

The prospect she wished to marry, the person she had mentioned in letters to milady, was someone else.

But before the wedding, Queen Ellia had interfered.

If they had already been married then there were plenty of ways to get out of Queen Ellia’s proposal, but since she hadn’t been married yet there was no way out.

The man Mimosa loved was a knight. He had a good reputation, but wasn’t of noble birth.

Whether it was Mimosa’s family, or the other party, none of them could counter an order from Queen Ellia…or her flourishing family.

With tears streaming down her face, Miss Mimosa married the man recommended by Queen Ellia.

If milady knew about this, it wasn’t hard to guess what kind of action she would take.

That was why I wanted to know Miss Mimosa’s thoughts on the matter.

“…Yes. So it seems that Duke Armenia’s family already has that information on hand.”

Miss Mimosa laughed bitterly.

“Well then, there’s even more need to entrust this to you. She is gentle, with a strong sense of responsibility…so she’ll probably plan on doing something. If that happens, however, her situation will become even more difficult than it already is. That’s why I don’t wish for her to get involved in any of this.”

“You understand her well.”

“We are friends. Although I said some outrageous things to her, she’s really very important to me. That’s why I don’t want anything to happen that might interfere with her future progress.”

Every word that came out of her mouth seemed filled with some kind of determination.

She didn’t even seem like the same girl whose eyes had shone with excitement just because of some treats at a shop owned by the Azure Conglomerate.

“I was always prepared for this possibility. Since I am a noble, marriage comes because of political alliances. Right now, all that’s happened is that this possibility has turned into reality. That’s why, Tanya, if she acts out in some way, I hope you can stop her.”

“…I’m just a servant. Even so, you think I can stop her?”

“I think that if it’s you, someone who has her complete trust, you’ll be able to do it.”

It’s not a common situation for a servant to be in the place to advise their master.

Even so, Miss Mimosa seemed to be determined in her cause.

She wouldn’t throw aside our word, the words of people who grew up alongside Miss Iris.

“In terms of what action is best for her…I think that doing nothing would be most beneficial. You care for her deeply too, so I believe that you would stop her from doing anything rash.”

Her perspective was quite insightful, I thought to myself.

As a matter of fact…me and several other people viewed milady as all we had in this world.

If it was for her, we could face any kind of difficulty, abandon anything that she needed us to abandon.

In terms of Miss Mimosa’s situation, what happened to her was immaterial to my mission. If I were thinking for my mistress’s sake, Miss Mimosa was right in predicting my mindset of not wanting to get involved.

…However.

“Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, Miss Mimosa. You are not the only one who views the other person as an important friend. Milady, the other people involved in all this are acting with the intention to understand how true your engagement is. No matter what, for Miss Iris’s case, we would obviously want to stop her from getting embroiled in something that might bring her more trouble. But ultimately, she is the only one who can make that final decision. If she wants to know the truth, then it’s our job to respond full-heartedly to her wish. This is why I cannot promise you anything.”

“Is that so…your bond is deeper than what I imagined.”

Miss Mimosa’s expression looked quite conflicted.