Chapter 53

53

Owen lifted his head, which he had lowered, and slowly straightened his posture.

"Since it's mine anyway, what does it matter if you hate me or not?"

"……."

"And when it's completely ruined, you'll forget what hatred even is."

A gentle smile lingered on Owen's lips. Florentine shuddered at the smile, finding it utterly chilling. He's a madman... a complete madman.

Florentine glared at Owen and asked tentatively.

"……You knew, didn't you?"

"……."

"That Lily Everett is not in her right mind."

The smile on Owen's lips deepened. Without answering, he turned his back and left the solitary confinement cell as freely as he had entered, locking the door from the outside.

Florentine, grinding his teeth, shouted at Owen's back as he left the underground prison.

"You will surely die by Lily's hand! You're worse than a beast! A filthy devil's spawn!"

Since Owen's death at the hands of the 'possession' he believed he controlled perfectly would be quite satisfying, Florentine cursed with all his heart.

* * *

"Madam, this way."

Following the path Charlotte guided me to, I entered a narrow and dark alley. At the dead end of the alley, the person waiting for us lifted his head. He was a young man with a lot of freckles on his face and dark hair.

He greeted Charlotte warmly.

"Charlotte Brandon! It's been a while, hasn't it? I was worried because I haven't seen you often lately!"

...This young man, despite his youth, was a big shot running an errand guild in the back alleys. He handled a wide variety of requests, and one of the main jobs he took on was helping people elope.

...How did Charlotte end up with such connections? By this point, Charlotte's social skills were almost mystical. After exchanging a few words, Charlotte and the young man turned their attention to me.

With a friendly smile, the young man took off his hat and greeted me quite gentlemanly.

"I've heard a lot about you from Charlotte. Duchess."

"……Pleased to meet you."

The young man had a very ordinary appearance, making him blend easily into a crowd. ...That's true for me as well right now. I am currently disguised as a kitchen maid.

"Actually, I've always thought that a day like this would come. Unhappy noblewomen often go through this process."

Unhappy noblewoman.

A fitting description of me. I nodded in agreement.

"……The fee is half of the wealth I possess. Is that correct?"

"Hmm... the fee is..."

The young man glanced at Charlotte, then answered with his usual friendly smile.

"I've decided not to take it!"

"……?"

Surprised, I opened my eyes wide and froze. The young man laughed, finding it amusing, and then, after being hit on the back by Charlotte, pretended to be serious.

"Because Charlotte is like a little sister to me. Well, since Charlotte is like a little sister, you, the Duchess, are like my big sister...? That's how you should think of it!"

"……."

I couldn't understand a word he said. I decided to let it go, thinking he had a unique way of thinking.

"The clothes and jewelry I have are just a burden and of no use. Can you sell them all and convert them into gold coins?"

"Ah, of course. Just give them to me."

I nodded silently at the young man's confident answer.

"Then I'll come back in two days. I'll bring the clothes and jewelry then."

"Yes, do as you please, my lady. Whatever you decide."

After that, Charlotte and I heard a detailed plan from the young man about the escape route and destination. The plan, as described on his business card as a 'specialist in elopement,' seemed perfect even to me.

With this, I won't be discovered by Theodore or Owen.

"Then the day of action will be then, and I'll see you again in two days. Charlotte, it was nice meeting you. See you later!"

We parted ways with the young man and left the alley. Charlotte and I wandered through the town market, blending in as ordinary maids.

I bought a snack for Charlotte with the silver coins I had brought and watched her enjoy it. When Charlotte offered me some, saying I should try it too, I shook my head with a smile, having no appetite.

* * *

Returning to a sparsely populated riverside near the Valentina Castle, I removed my disguise. After taking off my long black coat and handing it to Charlotte, she put it in the luggage basket.

I approached the water's edge and looked at my reflection on the surface. Wearing a deep blue dress, my already pale face looked even paler.

After tidying my hair using the water as a mirror, I noticed that the forget-me-nots that had bloomed profusely in this area had all withered.

The small, blue flowers that had dotted the area were no longer visible, making the riverside look much more desolate than before.

The reed leaves, starting to turn yellow, swayed in the wind. It was a somewhat desolate scene, yet the rippling water, reflecting the setting sun and the changing leaves, was beautiful.

"Madam, you should go back now."

"……Yes, I'll go."

I left the water's edge and went to Charlotte's side. The eastern sky was a bit overcast, suggesting that it might rain around dawn the next day.

...I suddenly remembered the time Theodore had come to this riverside to fetch me. I also remembered him giving me a coin and saying I wouldn't regret it.

'Liar.'

I didn't want to condemn someone whose memory was incomplete, but I couldn't help feeling resentful.

Although I still harbored resentment towards him, I was relatively calm now.

Deciding to start executing the plans I had only been planning so far, I was surprisingly calm.

It's fine now, even if he doesn't look at me.

Really, it's fine. It's okay.

I decided to completely kill this feeling first.

I have completed all the preparations for the divorce and the escape.

I just need to avoid being discovered until the day of execution.

* * *

"What the hell is going on...?"

"……."

The atmosphere in the knight's order was gloomy.

Victory was a very happy thing, but their lord had injured his head again and this time had forgotten the period when he 'lost his memory.'

Honestly, the knights thought their lord looked a little, no, very happy when he 'lost his memory.' And the lady didn't seem like a bad person. Clearly, it was wrong to think that anyone from the Everett family was automatically evil.

Still, the knights were secretly pleased to see their lord happy...

"......Has Sir Carmen heard anything?"

"……."

Carmen looked at the knight who asked him with an expression that said, "Are you kidding?"

Carmen was in the most difficult position in the knight's order. He was continuing the investigation as ordered by his lord... Regarding the two sons of the Everett family, that's one thing, but how should he handle the investigation of Lady Seymour?

The investigation was assigned to Carmen by Theodore when he had 'temporary partial memory loss,' which was when he was friendly towards Lily.

...But when Theodore regained his memory, he completely forgot about being friendly to Lily, and Lady Seymour suddenly went mad.

Carmen was very perplexed about what to do. The investigation had naturally made progress. If the estate hadn't been in turmoil, it might have been completed by now.

The problem was how to explain this investigation to Theodore, who had 'lost his memory in a different direction.'

Carmen guessed that his lord would definitely be surprised and say, "Did I order you to do this investigation?"

...However, regardless of the involvement of the duchess, the lord's hostility towards Lady Seymour seemed genuine. It was something he had hidden from everyone but revealed only to Carmen that day.

It was very old.

'...Ah... I don't know. My head hurts.'

There was no way to know what Lady Seymour had done to the lord in the past. The only thing Carmen understood that day was one thing.

Lady Seymour wanted to become the Duchess of Valentina.

But the previous duchess was her sister, so Lady Seymour...

followed her sister, or rather, used her sister as an excuse to come to Valentina Castle.

'...The lord said that Lady Seymour was good at sowing discord...'

Carmen couldn't understand why the lord said that at the time, but he realized it later.

The lord suspected Lady Seymour as the culprit who had worsened the relationship between him and the duchess.

'...And the investigation revealed that Lady Seymour's past was indeed suspicious.'

Carmen had worked as a messenger in a detective agency when he was young and earned his living. As he grew older, he started investigating people himself. Later, he joined a mercenary group and took on various investigations as ordered by the leader. Even after becoming a knight of the Duke of Valentina, secret investigations were always his responsibility.

Having done this job all his life, his intuition was extremely developed. Carmen was about 90% sure. There was definitely something fishy about Lady Seymour.