Chapter 89

Chapter 89 – Interruption (2)

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan

“I don’t know. I haven’t come close to any conclusions, yet,” Annette replied thoughtfully. “I tried to find the squires from the palace who supported my coachman’s testimony, but they have all disappeared. The true culprit only chose witnesses who had no connections anywhere else.”

She had no idea who it was, but they had been quite meticulous. Having believed that Celestine was the guilty party, it was disheartening to have to start from the beginning again to prove her innocence. Annette’s face fell.

“Actually, I may have an idea,” Celestine began, very carefully. “I shouldn’t speak rashly, but…”

“What is it?” Annette asked seriously, angling her head. “Do you have some idea? Or some suspect?”

But Celestine hesitated. It was such a dangerous suspicion, she wasn’t sure she even dared to say it aloud.

Annette waited, her heart thudding at the thought that perhaps Celestine might know something after all. But pressing her too forcefully was likely to be counterproductive, so she waited, letting Celestine make up her own mind.

It was a touching consideration, and Celestine had just opened her mouth to speak when the drawing room door burst open, and someone entered abruptly.

“I heard you are ill again, is it true?” Raphael said, immediately approaching Annette and frowning as he laid his hand on her forehead. It was so strange how he had always worried about her health, to the point that even his bad temper vanished whenever she got sick.

Before she could protest, he had already thoroughly examined her, and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“You have a fever, and your eyes are red. Is it because you overexerted yourself yesterday? You ought to be in bed if you are not well–”

As he straightened, he suddenly noticed Celestine’s presence, and his mouth shut at once. For a moment, he was disconcerted to have a visitor present, but his confidence was sufficient that he was not embarrassed.

It was his house, after all. He didn’t even recognize Celestine as his stepbrother’s fiancée; he did not move in those social circles, and he knew her name, but not her appearance.

As master of the house, he received reports of every visitor. Today, there had been no message that visitors had requested to call. Therefore, this woman was not paying a formal visit, which meant he could consider her an intruder.

His eyes sharpened.

“Ah, it seems someone else is here,” he said dryly, one eyebrow lifting. “Excuse me.”

There was no apology in his voice, and Celestine’s eyes narrowed. How could any man speak like that and call himself a gentleman? At a single glance, she didn’t like him. He was a handsome man with an outstanding physique, and a proud, confident bearing, but despite those good looks, he was bad-tempered and disagreeable. He was like beautiful poison ivy. She could see at once how difficult Annette’s life had been, since she married such a man.

Which explains that look on her face.

Celestine hadn’t missed Annette’s bland smile when she had asked how her husband treated her. Even before a visitor and a lady, his manner was offensive. How much worse must it be in private?

In return, Raphael met her defiant expression with instant antagonism. How dare this woman take that attitude in his house?

More, she was forcing Annette to welcome her as a visitor, even when Annette was ill. Raphael’s displeasure at Celestine’s presence deepened. He did not understand how the unannounced visitor could sit conversing so calmly without noticing the flush of fever in Annette’s cheeks.

Inconsiderate woman.

The hostility in their glances almost cast off visible sparks, and Annette was sitting directly between them.