/
The aide stood at a distance and handed Kyle the papers he had prepared.
“Your Grace.”
Kyle did not take his eyes off the documents he was reading and put down the papers he had received from his aide. The aide looked on pensively at Kyle as he checked the papers he had handed.
‘Since there’s no clear evidence that Madam is dead, I thought he’d focus on finding her.’
The aide stood frozen in front of Kyle and vigorously shook his head.
Kyle focused on his work without hesitation from then on. The forest was sealed off, and the group of believers was disbanded and punished, but the investigation didn’t end. His wife’s kidnapping case was also going smoothly. The pressure from his retainers to hurry up and end the investigation continued, but he didn’t care.
Leaving the investigation behind, he focused on managing the estate and making the people’s lives prosperous.
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The aide tried to ignore his gut feeling and sighed. Surely, he wasn’t trying to find Madam himself.
He refrained from speaking lest the words that almost came out of his mouth become true.
Above all, it was difficult to keep up with Kyle’s pace, so he had to stay up all night. All he could do was stay by Kyle’s side.
“As you may have heard, Countess Harden is recovering quickly after confirming the type of hallucinogen based on the statements of the people arrested last time. It could be a clue to finding Madam, so would you her like to make a statement?”
Kyle raised his gaze slightly and stared into space. He looked lost in thought, but he lowered his gaze and rechecked the documents before speaking again.
“It won’t be too late even after she fully recovers. Unclear statements will only bring confusion.”
The aide bowed and left shortly after.
A few moments later…
Knock, knock.
The silence was broken as someone knocked.
“Your Grace, it’s Laura.”
When Kyle heard Laura’s trembling voice, the pen nib hovering over the papers stopped.
“May I…come in?”
Kyle started writing again but didn’t answer. Finally, after a long moment of silence, Laura let herself in and knelt in front of him. She was neat and tidy, but her gaunt face clearly revealed her mental struggles.
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She stayed on her knees at his aloofness, placing her fists on her knees and clenching them tightly.
“Please kill me, Your Grace. This body is all I have…”
Laura bit her lip and bowed, swallowing the sudden surge of emotions. Her clenched fists trembled.
Kyle remained still as he looked through the report, not even reacting to the scene in front of him. Laura sat motionless, tenaciously holding her place until the sun went down and the night came.
His expression remained the same. Then, as time passed and there was no sign of backing down, Kyle finally spoke without taking his eyes off the document.
“What do I gain by killing you? I will not make any more worthless deaths.”
“But…”
“Get out.”
Laura bit her lip and lowered her head, her face instantly filled with guilt and remorse. Laura, who had been sitting still for a while, staggered to her feet. Before long, she stood without shaking and brought her hands together.
“I’m sorry for taking up your time. I’ll excuse myself then.”
When Laura staggered open the door after a silent bow, Lil and Mas, who had been waiting outside, supported her. Laura paused as she leaned on them on the way out, perhaps thinking of something. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she tilted her head and looked back at him.
“Your Grace, actually, while I was cleaning Madam’s bedroom, I found a diary in the console drawer.”
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“…”
“I didn’t dare to touch it, so I left it there.”
Kyle’s brows furrowed at the older woman’s words.
He only lifted his head slowly after Laura had completely left the office. Finally, he put down his fountain pen, and rubbed his face with a heavy sigh.
Her diary. Oddly enough, he was torn between wanting to read it and wanting nothing to do with it. He was afraid he’d see her innermost feelings.
That diary must have vividly depicted the woman who had a clear purpose for approaching him. She wouldn’t have married him in the first place if it hadn’t been for her goal.
What’s more, it would all be there–the emotions she felt while waiting for him or when his words filled her with tears.
Whatever her feelings were, he couldn’t handle it. Above all, since she wasn’t dead, he couldn’t touch a keepsake so carelessly. Because if he did, wasn’t that the same as admitting she was gone?
Kyle turned in his seat, frowning as if he didn’t want to think about it. Then through the window opposite him, he looked out to see the garden engulfed in darkness. He got up and headed to the window, looking down at the flower bed where Hari had once planted her favorite flowers.
What was it again? He couldn’t even remember it anymore.
“Next time, let’s choose a flower together. Something the baby would like.” [1]
Suddenly, the hand holding his collar vividly came to mind. She lowered her head and spoke in a hushed voice.
He felt frustrated at how small she was when standing in front of him without even knowing why. Usually, she’d remain expressionless, but sometimes when their eyes met, he could see her emotion, and it confused him even more if it was a mask or not.
After becoming pregnant, she became more self-conscious.
When he thought of his child, he remembered his parents, so he didn’t bother to show his face, but at least he didn’t look cold.* More than anything, he felt pity for the woman who had her first child.
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But that was different. It was neither sympathy nor hostility that he answered “yes” to her suggestion[2]. He just wanted to. Kyle moved closer to the window and rested his palm on it.
The baby’s favorite flower. Kyle muttered, unable to take his emotional eyes off the flower bed.
“Sunflower.”
It was a flower that once came out of her lips.
The warm sunlight of spring passed, and brown leaves covered the ground.
A woman and her attendant came out of the carriage that entered the mansion across the garden. The woman who looked around the mansion noticed a fallen leaf and approached it.
As she stepped on the fallen leaves, she heard a thump, and she looked at her feet in confusion.
“Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”
When the employees waiting approached and greeted her, she nodded and entered the mansion. The scene of pink hair flying with the wind was dazzling enough to mistake the season for spring.
She leisurely entered the mansion as the employee guided her. She checked the person in front of her, and her eyes widened when she realized who it was. It was Kyle’s aide, a familiar face.
He greeted her politely with a bright smile on his face. “Hello, Countess.”
“Sir, how have you been?”
“Forgive me for calling you to visit the mansion. I heard you recently recovered. I’m glad you look well.”
They smiled at each other before moving forward.
In the aide’s office, he sat across from Hari and served the tea in reluctance. It was because of her eyes on him.
“Ahem, thank you for the statement, Madam. Anyway, I’m really glad. Immediately after the incident, we learned clearly about the type of hallucinogenic drugs, and the treatment was faster, so it’s lucky to be able to stay healthy like this–”
“I’m sure it’s all thanks to Aelle.”
As the aide flinched and stopped talking, Hari’s eyes narrowed. The aide smiled and acted as if nothing was wrong, but he had already been figured out.
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“So, it’s true. Rumor has it she was at the inn.”
She dismissed it as a false rumor, but it seemed that it wasn’t a simple abduction. Hari lowered her gaze and sighed.
“From what I heard, I called the name ‘Carze’ over and over again.”
The aide listened in silence. Hari blamed herself and closed her eyes, fine-like eyelashes quivering.
‘I never thought she’d go to the forest. They could have stopped that fraud if I hadn’t become a victim. If so, then Aelle…’
Hari couldn’t handle the guilt, bit her lips hard, and slowly raised her gaze. More than that, Hari had something she wanted to ask.
[1] from chapter 23
[2] He was talking about when he agreed when she said, “Next time, let’s choose a flower together. Something the baby would like.”