I Unintentionally Cured the Grand Duke’s Insomnia - Chapter 131

66. — Turning Point (1)

Upon arriving at the meeting place, I parked the carriage a bit away from the publisher’s office, hoping that Cus wouldn’t spot me, and got out.

I wrapped myself in the cloak Lily had provided and pulled the hat I was wearing further down.

As I hid in the shadowy alley, I looked toward the real estate office and saw Mrs. Passe pacing around with an anxious look on her face.

“Young Lady, aren’t you going?”

“I don’t want to be the first one inside since Cus might notice me from outside and run away.”

“….”

“Once I see that he’s entering the real estate office, I’ll go in right away.”

A determined expression appeared on Lily’s face as she understood my words.

As the appointed time approached, I stopped even the whispered conversation I was having with Lily and kept my eyes on the office.

Just as I was beginning to suspect that Mrs. Passe might have joined hands with Cus, a suspiciously dressed man appeared in the distance. The man, dressed in a cloak similar to mine and wearing his hat pulled down, immediately headed toward her real estate office.

Mrs. Passe, who had been loitering in front of the real estate office, eyed the approaching man suspiciously before quickly opening the door.

Seeing the man enter the real estate office with such natural ease, I was certain.

That man was definitely Cus.

“Lily, now. Let’s go!”

Sensing something suspicious, I hurried toward the real estate office, worried that he might try to escape. When I carefully scanned inside, I could see Cus sitting on the sofa and locked eyes with a startled-looking Passe, whose eyes widened in surprise.

“I-It seems the buyer has arrived. Please wait a moment.”

With the sound of the woman’s voice coming through the window, the bell attached to the real estate office door rang soon after.

Mrs. Passe, who had stepped out of the office while keeping an eye on Cus, quickly closed the door and asked.

“I was wondering why you were so late, Young Lady Adelia. Are you going to go inside right away?”

“Yes. Has Cus not noticed anything yet?”

“No, he’s only thinking about how he can get a little more than the price he offered.”

Mrs. Passe’s voice grew rough as if she was displeased with Cus. She frowned at his back, visible through the window.

I grabbed the doorknob of the real estate office and was about to go inside when I looked back at her. She was stamping her feet, exasperated, as she watched Cus putting four sugar cubes into his teacup, muttering to herself about how much they cost.

“I have one question I’d like to ask.”

“A question?”

“I heard from Lily that the return ceremony was canceled because there was a dead body hanging over the gate where the Saint would pass.”

“….”

“Is that story true?”

Mrs. Passe looked somewhat taken aback as if what I had mentioned was something she hadn’t expected. After blinking a few times, she pointed towards the inside of the real estate office and responded.

“Mr. Cus would probably know best whether that story is actually true.”

“Cus knows best?”

“It was Mr. Cus who told me that story.”

I blinked for a moment, trying to understand her words before giving her a grateful nod.

As I entered, I asked Lily, who was coming in with me, to hold the door well just in case Cus tried to run away. Even though the bell attached to the door rang as it opened, he was sitting comfortably on the sofa, sipping tea leisurely. It was both amusing and ridiculous that he didn’t even suspect that the person who came in might be me.

I sat down heavily in front of him, watching him wrap sugar cubes in paper, one handful at a time.

“Oh, are you the buyer who was supposed to purchase my building?”

Because of the hat he was wearing, he still hadn’t figured out who I was yet. I slowly took off my hat while watching Cus, who was stuffing a piece of paper wrapped in brown sugar into his pocket.

“That’s right.”

“….?”

“It’s been a while, Cus.”

As I greeted him with a smile, he blinked in disbelief for a moment before his face gradually turned completely white. Cus, who had been holding the teacup, ended up trembling so much that he dropped the cup. He belatedly came to his senses after hearing the sharp clattering sound of the broken cup, slammed his head on the table, and spoke.

“I-I have committed a grave sin, Young Lady Adelia!”

“….”

“I-I didn’t do that on purpose, I-I just wanted to—!”

“You fooled me from the beginning, Cus.”

“…Yes?”

“I felt a little sorry for you, who trusted me and even published my book without knowing that.”

Cus’s eyes shook violently at my low answer. I continued as I poured milk into the teacup in front of me.

“Why did you deceive me about the print run?”

“D-Deceive you…”

“You said you would only print one hundred copies, but you printed and released ten times that amount.”

“….”

“Oh, is that why you reprinted it? So I ended up paying only for 100 copies, thinking that was all that was published, while you needed to make up for a thousand copies?”

“Y-Young Lady Adelia, I-I wasn’t trying to do that…!”

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