North x Northwest

Chapter 345

“He did?”

“Let us see…”

“..!”

As Annette looked very happy, Lil instantly knew he indeed did.

[ Thank you for your generous friendship. ]

“Oh my, I guess he sent me this to ask me to look after you. This guy cannot be like this… When did he become so… human?”

“…”

Annette reached in the box with her hand, took out a large-brimmed hat and put it on. The decorative purple ribbon went well with the lightly dyed veil decoration.

“He has a great eye.”

“…”

She hummed, shrugging one shoulder up as if she was showing off her style.

“Shall we choose the dress you will need right now?”

As soon as two of Annette’s maids entered the boudoir and brought in several dresses, Annette took one and held it in front of Lil’s body. She and her maids then showed off their exquisite sense of style as they chose Lil’s dress and accessories. Lil had to act like a puppet for a while, with her limbs and hair being played with like a paper doll.

She helplessly let them put earrings, necklaces, and rings on.

Inwardly, however, Lil just wanted to take a closer look at the guns and crossbows, but she felt like she would have to wait once Annette left…

***

Mireille looked at the red jewel in front of him as he held it by the string and swung it from side to side like a pendulum.

‘At first, I expected the artefact to either change a person’s appearance or distort the onlookers’ physical perception of its wearer, but that was not the case…’

He saw no change when he hung it from his neck and watched himself in the mirror. The same thing happened when he asked Enzo to do it. It was starting to frustrate him, but he couldn’t think of any other method other than to ask somebody else to wear it. He already threw it, hit it with stones, burned it, and put it in water. Yet, nothing happened.

‘It looks so plain… Because it looks so ordinary, was it possible for them to have made a counterfeit and replace it in such a short time? An ordinary item like this can be easily replaced with a fake… What if Edgar and Liloa indeed managed to change it beforehand? Or what if they discovered that I made a deal with Maxwell, and Maxwell was secretly in cahoots with them?’

Mireille recalled what Maxwell had said to Jean when he gave the latter the necklace.

{ “But is this necklace that important? When we were packing our luggage on the ferry, I heard the lady tell her maid not to touch it too hastily.” }

‘…Those words could have been part of the lie… Despite all my speculation, there is no way to confirm as I do not know the weight or exact size of the genuine article…’

Desperate for some answers, Mireille even sought advice from Imperial Clairaut, however, a reply wouldn’t arrive until much later.

Mireille sat down on the sofa and lit his cigarette.

“What shall I do next…”

‘It is not impossible to prove that Liloa is a pirate, but the problem is that my lawsuit for the annulment of my marriage is fast approaching. I have no physical evidence at hand that can link her to the incident that occurred in the distant southern seas… And if I delay filing the complaint, it will be difficult once Edgar comes back. For now, it has been a stroke of luck that the Admiral, who had been in charge of the southern Ingres Sea, returned without any results and was even caught up with the Imperial Army. That is why I have to somehow deal with this while he is still away…’

Someone knocked on the door of his study.

Thinking that it could be urgent or new information that could help him, Mireille responded immediately.

“Come in.”

“…”

However, the person who opened the door and entered was someone he didn’t expect.

“Why are you not sleeping?”

“…”

Jeanne stood in front of the door. Mireille didn’t want to face her because he thought she would only whine unnecessarily. He considered it fortunate she had confined herself in her room for the past few days, but he had no idea she would come to visit him so suddenly.

He shook his head with a cigarette in his mouth.

“I am a little busy right now.”

“René, listen to me.”

Her hands trembled slightly in front of her, but Mireille pretended not to notice. Lately, he simply despised hearing her speak or watch her move right in front of his eyes. He couldn’t understand why she was so adamant about irritating him like this when doing so wouldn’t change anything.

As Mireille stood up from the couch and approached Jeanne, he scanned her body with his eyes.

‘Wearing nothing but a light nightgown… It is not hard to tell with what determination she came here tonight…’

“Go back to your room.”

But after saying that and grabbing the handle of the door, something was caught between the metal part of the handle and his palm. When he opened his hand, it was the red gem, shining with a sinister light.

Mireille looked back and forth between the necklace and the woman.

‘A necklace and a woman.’

He snatched Jeanne’s wrist and turned her toward him.

“Jeanne, look at this.”

He held out the relic in his hand as if to show it to her. Jeanne looked at Mireille in disbelief before bursting into tears. Again and again, she had to wipe her eyes with her handkerchief. Jeanne, who was panting heavily, tried to calm herself down by placing her hand on her chest.

‘The tip of her red nose and eyes are so unsightly. I am sick of seeing the smile she tries to make with that face…’ “René…”

Mireille, who initially wanted to send her away quickly, snapped back to reality and hastily poured out empty praises.

“I think it will suit you well.”

He half-heartedly fastened the necklace on Jeanne’s neck.

‘In any case, the most basic imaginable concept is that a necklace should be worn around the neck.’

He stepped back and removed the cigarette from his lips. When he used his hand to fan away the smoke that had risen before his eyes, Jeanne became visible…

No, the person in front of him was an unmatched beauty whom he had never seen or heard of before.

Mireille froze and stared at the woman, unaware that the cigarette was burning up to his fingers. The woman, with tears in her eyes, was so evidently touched that she fell into his arms.

‘Even her body is different from Jeanne’s.’

Unconsciously, Mireille dropped his cigarette and grasped Jeanne’s body with both hands.

‘No matter how much I grope, this isn’t Jeanne…’

His heart raced like crazy as he witnessed a mystery of an era sealed by time with his own eyes.

‘Ancient times truly existed…’

Mireille traced the woman’s back and enjoyed her unfamiliar curves. He then grabbed her hair, which was of a different colour, and held it up to the light.

‘So, myths and artefacts are real.’

He rubbed the woman’s soft skin.

“Hahahahaha!”

The woman’s face, despite smiling sadly at him, was so beautiful that goosebumps rose all over his body. Mireille laughed maniacally and turned Jeanne around. Not a single trace belonging to Jeanne’s original and dull appearance could be found. He buried his face in the crook of her beautiful neck out of awe and allowed his lips to part uncontrollably as he couldn’t stop laughing…

‘If even the ancient gods watch over me, how can I be defeated in this battle?’

***

The hall used as the grand court was filled with people eager to witness the spectacle. The Supreme Court seats and council seats stretched out like wings on either side of the platform where the Emperor and Empress sat. In the testimony space prepared in front of them was Jeanne Mireille, the current duchess, who burst out in tears while asking for her marriage to be preserved.

Lil felt sympathy for her for being caught up in Mireille’s desires and pity for being put in this situation.

‘I don’t know what their married life was like, but the past days must’ve been hell because she’d worry about her future and that of her son. Even if the lawsuit is dismissed here, will she be able to live like she did before?’

Her mouth felt bitter.

After Jeanne, Mireille came out and stood on the witness stand, attracting stinging glares from the people. But Lil knew that he would soon foster an atmosphere where he would win the people’s sympathy…

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