ITMWG 62

Chapter 62. A potion for married couples

The maid’s eyes widened at Melissa’s request. Meanwhile, Melissa, who was smiling brightly at the surprised maid, raised her eyebrow.

“What? I said I would like to thank the lord, is there a problem?”

It was normal for a guest who has been treated generously to express gratitude to the host. Rather, it was considered polite. However, since the maid had been observing Melissa’s behavior all along, she did not expect that the noble lady who had been throwing a tantrum so far would suddenly become polite. But it was nothing new to Nadia.

What the Madame said was right.

The maid was impressed, remembering what Nadia had asked her to do.

She said lady Melissa would definitely seek the lord.

She also clearly explained what to do in such cases. Of course, this was not the only thing Nadia requested. Nadia had anticipated all of Melissa’s quibbles at the dining table, and thanks to this, the maid was able to deal with the difficult complaints without any confusion. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about dealing with Melissa. She wondered what would have happened if she had waited on Melissa being unprepared… The maid hurriedly erased from her mind the situation that made her feel tired just imagining it, and bowed with politeness.

“There isn’t any problem. However, since the lord does not share his schedule with the servants, I do not know where he is now. If you don’t mind, I will convey the lady’s wish to the lord while you continue resting in your room…”

Melissa scoffed as if her intention was obvious, pushed the maid aside and walked past her.

“M-milady!”

The baffled maid quickly followed her, but Melissa didn’t care.

“It’s fine. I can get around on my own in this closet-sized castle without needing anyone’s guide.”

“But milady, Aylesford Castle is larger than you think, and the interior is also more complex…”

“What’s complex? I never got lost even in the Marquis Vine’s mansion.”

“But milady, Aylesford Castle is really… ”

“I said it’s fine, so why do you keep bothering me? Don’t tell me…”

Melissa stopped her brisk walk and narrowed her eyes at the maid.

“Did your madame ask you to do so? To not let me meet his lord?”

“That’s not it!”

Her maid hurriedly denied her suspicion, but Melissa did not buy it.

Humph. Is she being wary of me because she’s the Madame now?

How much I envied that…

Although they had the same last name, ‘Vine,’ Nadia and Melissa’s positions in social circles were worlds apart. However, the situation took a turn when the previous Marquis of Vine passed suddenly and was succeeded by Melissa’s father.

Now all the good things are mine. There is no way a girl that fell off her social position like that could be my opponent.

In fact, even when separating her background as the heiress of the Marquis of Vine, wasn’t Melissa herself more competitive? Melissa knew how to embellish her glamorous appearance and was much more sociable than the timid Nadia. Nadia Vine, on the other hand, always locked herself in her room and behaved gloomily. She did not even deserve to be her rival. Wasn’t the reason Nadia was so wary of her and put the maid at the forefront was because she lacked confidence? Thinking that Nadia had gotten defensive, Melissa’s steps quickened with enthusiasm.

“So? She said Melissa was walking around the castle all day?”

When Nadia heard from Marie what Melissa had done today, she let out a small laugh. Using the maid to provoke Melissa and get her to reject the maid’s guidance was Nadia’s strategy, and it worked. This was possible because she had been with Melissa for a long time and was able to read her like a book.

“Still, she could only keep her pride for a few days. It will be difficult to continue preventing her from meeting him.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Madame, does it bother you that…she is meeting the lord?”

“Of course it does!”

At such an obvious question, her eyes widened as if to ask why Marie was asking such a question.

“Melissa always looked down on me. She took it for granted that she would eventually be able to steal my things, she also harassed and made people close to me suffer. Marie had a hard time because of it too.”

“She was harsh to the workers in general…It wasn’t just me who suffered.”

“But it’s true that she bothered you more.”

“Of course, Altair is not someone who will be easily picked on…still, I hope he doesn’t bump into her for no reason.”

Melissa wouldn’t be able to hit Altair like she did to her, but she had a knack for getting on people’s nerves in so many ways that it was best not to see her. However, Marie didn’t look all satisfied with Nadia’s answer.

“More than that …I’m concerned about Melissa’s greed.”

“Melissa’s greed?”

“Yes. Ever since she was young, she couldn’t stand people’s affection and attention going to you. Whenever there was someone who wanted to be with you, she made sure to seduce that person…”

Marie couldn’t bear to continue her words and pursed her lips. During Nadia’s lifetime, her parents made much effort to find a suitable partner for her. Since the man whom she would marry would become the next Marquis of Vine, they chose her husband with utmost care, but every time the marriage talk with such a person came up, Melissa intervened.

“Uh… So what Marie meant was… you think Melissa will try to seduce Altair too?”

“It’s possible.”

“But …Altair is very scary.”

“You’re right. The lord is scary. But as he got closer to Madame, his personality has softened considerably. He also seemed more relaxed. Aside from his fearsome aura and cold expression, the lord… He’s just an incredibly handsome man with a slightly cold look.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The maids also whisper about how handsome the lord is. Miss Emma said, ‘Everyone is approaching the lord because they don’t know how the lord used to be! Once they see the scary look on his face, they would never dare do something like that’.”

Marie shrugged her shoulders, mimicking Emma’s tone.

“Anyway, Melissa doesn’t know the former self of his lord at all, so she might feel like approaching him. She doesn’t do it to bother the lord, rather,… she wants to have him.”

“Uh….”

That was something Nadia had never thought of. To her, Altair had a strong impression of a fearsome villain who would not hesitate to cut off people’s throats.

I was very scared when I first met him at the wedding…

Even though he had changed a lot since they had been together, she thought everyone would have the same first impression of him being a scary person. But turned out that was not it? He seemed more relaxed to others now? As Nadia blinked her eyes blankly, Marie let out a sigh of frustration.

“No way, you mean Altair will…?”

“The most unlikely ones are the most unpredictable ones. You must never let down your guard, madame.”

Altair would fall for Melissa’s temptation? Perhaps because of her poor imagination, Nadia couldn’t think of anything like that. However, Marie was a maid knowledgeable about these issues, so her advice might not be completely wrong.

“But this isn’t a problem that can be solved just because I don’t let my guard down though…?”

The problem was Altair’s mindset, the target of that woman’s seduction. However, Marie’s thoughts seemed to be different, and she once again sighed deeply as if she was frustrated.

“It would be fine as long as you don’t give him a chance to look the other way.”

Upon saying that, Marie secretly took something out. When Nadia looked closely, she saw that it was a small bottle filled with clear pink liquid.

“What’s this?”

“This is a perfume that is secretly rumoured among noblewomen. It’s a magical potion that further strengthens the relationship between couples.”

“Marie… where did you get this? I’m sure you were scammed!”

“Let’s go see that person right away and get a refund! To lure people with such ridiculous tactics…!”

If he’s smart enough to fool Marie, he’s probably not an ordinary swindler.

Marie’s judgment must have been clouded by worries.

Feeling sorry, Nadia became even more determined to get a refund. But Marie was unwavering in her response. Rather, she smiled strangely and opened the cap of the bottle containing the liquid.

“Madame, am I the kind of person who would fall for such a scam? If there was a rumour going around among the noblewomen, it’s a very solid thing. But even if I keep saying it, you won’t understand…”

Marie took the liquid and applied it thoroughly to her neck, shoulders, arms, and legs. The pleasant scent tickled her nose and her body felt slightly warm. She felt hazy and drowsy, and when she exclaimed with a small “Mmm”, Marie smiled as if she knew she wasn’t wrong after all.

“I think it would be good for you to experience the effects yourself. Please let me know if I should get a refund for this tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning? There’s no way a couple’s relationship will improve overnight. Did that scammer sell this with that kind of promise? As expected, you were completely deceived…”

Marie hissed, putting her finger to her lips and smiled profoundly. And it wasn’t long before Nadia realised what Marie’s smile meant.

Why is it so hot?

Nadia tossed and turned in bed, unable to bear it and sat up. It was a night no different from usual, but her body was getting very hot and it was difficult to endure it.

I don’t think I have a cold though…

She didn’t cough, and above all, she didn’t feel like she was getting a fever like she did whenever she caught a cold. She actually felt hot and strangely energised, but the problem was that she couldn’t control anything.

“Hah…”

Nadia let out a hot breath and took off her slip. For that, she was wearing only her lingerie, but she still felt that it was not enough.

I need to call Marie and drink some cool water.

With that in mind, she tried to pull the string, but it was then that the tightly closed door opened and Nadia felt a familiar presence.

“Urk!”

When she turned her head, Altair was standing in front of the door, unable to come in, covering his nose and mouth with his large hand.

“Why is there such a scent in the room? … ”

As Nadia was crawling over the bed to pull the string, her eyes widened when she found Altair, who was muttering with a frown on his face. Normally, in a situation where she was crawling around in sheer lingerie, she would have become extremely frantic out of shame. But for some reason, she didn’t feel that way today.

“Altaïr…”

As she slurredly called Altair’s name with a smile, his hand that was covering half his face fell down.