RETURN OF THE FEMALE KNIGHT

16. The Future Has Changed

"This is the last question. What happened today?"

"N-n-nothing. There was nothing..."

Nayeon's voice withered under Lalisa's steely glare. The maid's mind was haunted by Lalisa's threat of "the last question". Lalisa was a fairer woman than most aristocrats, but that didn't mean she was weak-willed. Had Lalisa been timid enough for her employees to look down on, it would not have been possible for the Blaise household to have such a solid working system.

Remembering her promise to Dahyun not to tell anyone, Nayeon broke into a cold sweat, cursing her blabbering mouth.

'I'm such a fool...'

Nayeon was never very good at hiding things, and it was easy to tell when she told a lie. She was trying to find a way out of this situation, but it was obvious that Lalisa would find out about the gossip even if Nayeon sealed her mouth shut. The rumors had already swept through the household in a matter of hours. Words of judgment flew faster than words of praise.

Nayeon bit her lip then forced herself to speak.

"I heard it from someone else. E-e-every night you go to the bar to meet a man..."

Nayeon was determined to keep Dahyun's promise for secrecy. The maids always tried to be loyal to each other.

"...What? A man?"

Lalisa was stunned. She sensed something strange about Nayeon's behavior, but she didn't expect it to be this kind of ridiculous rumor.

Who in the world...!

Soon, however, there was someone who emerged in her mind. Someone who had been getting on her nerves lately, and the was most likely suspect to come up with such an absurd story. When Lalisa spoke, her tone was like shards of ice.

"Did Dahyun tell you that? That I go to see a man every night?"

"Huh? O-oh, no. I heard it from someone else, not Dahyun."

"Who is it then?"

"It...it's..."

Nayeon couldn't answer and refused to meet Lalisa's eyes. Before Lalisa realized it, a thin sigh leaked out of the corners of her mouth.

'...Haaa, that's how it turned out.'

She had suspected that Dahyun wanted a larger reward and knew she should have addressed the situation beforehand. She had let it go for a while because of various circumstances, but now it seemed the maid caused a whirlwind scandal. If it had been rumored that Lalisa left for only one night on the way to Jihyo's wedding, Lalisa might have managed it somehow. As it was, there was only one way to move forward.

From what she heard from Nayeon, Lalisa was rumored to be leaving every night to meet a man. That was bad news for a noble lady who was not married yet. No, marital status did not matter in this case either. If any woman got caught up in such a controversy, even a virtuous lady would be criticized. The scandal would never quietly pass by the gossipy members of high society.

Furthermore, Lalisa also planned to marry Jungkook soon, and the rumor could even be more fatal. Jungkook was the crown prince, and this could make a dent in the contract marriage. In order to avoid getting caught by surprise, they had to be as neat as possible.

Lalisa rubbed her forehead with her hand, then spoke in a low voice.

"Get Dahyun now."

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Lalisa waited for Dahyun by a dark storage house outside of Blaise Castle. She still wore her dress, which she had been about to remove before she went to bed, as well as a large hooded cloak. The deep hood shadowed her face and gave a menacing aura about her.