Chapter 49: Confrontation

As soon as I returned to the mansion, it was Mrs. Colento that I visited.

“Madam, did you order any additional ingredients?”

“An additional order? No, not at all.”

“I heard it’s duck meat.”

The head maid, who was nodding her head at the words without making eye contact, raised her head. She looked up and down me with her eyes wide open.

“Susan, that looks like….”

“You mean there isn’t any additional duck meat, don’t you?”

“Yes, but….”

Mrs. Colento, who was looking closely at my face and body, was shocked when she checked the condition of my bloody hands. She took a small box of pills out of the kitchen cupboard.

Every time her wrinkled hand touched my cheek and palm wounds, the pain sent chills down my spine. After applying the medicine, Mrs. Colento asked carefully about the situation. I lied to her by squeezing out the tears that didn’t come out.

“So, what about the man who saved you?”

“I don’t know. I was running away in a hurry….”

“More than anything else, I’m glad you’re safe. What a bunch of shameless people who sell women! I’ll tell the kids to be careful. The time has come to change the grocery store too.”

A deep, slow sigh was heard. I asked her in a dying voice.

“Can I serve lady Azmaria with a face like this?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t want to worry her. She’ll be surprised when she sees my condition.”

Mrs. Colento nodded. After that, my residence returned to the main building, not the annex. There was less work to be done, but no one was nitpicking. Everyone was busy feeling sorry for me after checking my condition once.

“How can you be so sick? I wouldn’t be surprised if you suddenly died one day.”

Even though she said that, Mary’s voice was full of worries. Lina cried bitterly that day. She even knelt in front of me, saying it was her fault for handing over the work. I didn’t wonder if her crying was genuine or acting. My head was full of Azmaria’s name. That day, both Wilhelm and Richton were foggy within me. What to do? How should I return the pain of tearing my palms?

Ring, ring.

Late in the afternoon, a bell rang with a familiar number. It was Azmaria’s room. I stood up listening to the sound quietly.

“I’ll be there.”

Lina, who was looking around, stopped me.

“No, you rest, I’ll….”

“I’m only going this time. I won’t be able to see her in the future. It’s polite to tell her in person.”

Lina put her head down with a reluctant face. I avoided her sight and prepared tea for Azmaria. I poured water into a white tea pot and dipped the fingertip that was scratched with a kitchen knife in it.

The slowly blooming red poison looked like a midsummer haze. Finally, I grabbed a knife and got myself up. Before leaving the kitchen, I asked Lina, who was standing in a daze.

“What are the Prince and Count Will doing?”

“Ah. I think they are preparing for a face-to-face meeting with his Excellency. It looks like we are going to have to work tonight at the earliest……”

It was early evening. I climbed the stairs and headed to Azmaria’s room. There was no sign of presence in the long passageway, and only the sound of heavy rain rang out. Even that sound was so terrifying that I felt like I was sinking into the depths of a lake.

knock, knock.

I opened the door before I could hear the answer. The first thing I saw was Azmaria with a very bad complexion. She checked my face and jumped up from her seat.

“Susan? Oh, my God, your face….”

“Azmaria.”

I locked the door and put the teapot and teacup down on the table. A curious gaze followed my steps.

“I guess the only thing you’re afraid of is Wilhelm.”

Azmaria’s eyes hardened. I poured the tea slowly, admiring her beautiful face.

“I understand. I’m similar.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I won’t throw away my earrings, because if I sell them, they will come out for a good price.”

Touching my earring, I poured the water from the teapot into the teacup.

“Why did Wilhelm come to Ingord at this time? You’re curious, right?”

Holding the cup, I approached Azmaria while gently pulling her unguarded hand.

“Try to hold back your screams from now on. Then I’ll kindly let you know.”

And very slowly, I poured the red poison over the back of her pale hand. Ssk. It was only after three or four seconds that I started to smell something rotten.

“Ah, ah, ah…!”

Azmaria pulled her hand with an astonished face. How did I act when I cornered Richton? I traced my memory and grabbed the knife I had hidden in my arms. It was my first time holding it not to cut something, but to stab someone, but strangely, it fit in my hand perfectly. At first, I thought about threatening her with the knife, but…. I soon changed my mind and sat quietly next to Azmaria.

“I told you to hold it in. I’ll tell you why your master personally travelled to Ingord.”

I thought Azmaria might struggle a lot. We both had completely different ways of thinking, disregarding the fact that we had the same memories.

“Uh, uh…”

But Azmaria did not. Rather, she wiped the blood left on her bedding, clenched her teeth, and endured the screams. A laughter came out. You’re really scared of Wilhelm, aren’t you?

“Stop crying because I am sicker than you. Can you see my cheeks? My mouth was chapped and it tasted like blood all day long.”

“What the hell….”

A tear fell on her red cheeks. I kindly wiped away a drop of bead-like tear and said,

“Okay, you’re holding up well, so I’ll have to give you a present. I’ll answer the questions. There are only two. What do you think?”

“…it was you. You were Beatrice.”

“Is that the first question? Then I’ll answer you. That’s right.”

Azmaria stared at me in a frenzy.

“Did you fool me? I, I, I, you…!”

“You tried to kill her? Or don’t tell me you believed that, you’re not going to talk nonsense, are you? Poor Azmaria…. Even if you were afraid, how could you have been afraid of a maid like me?”

As if she had forgotten the pain, Azmaria shouted with veins protruding on her neck.

“You don’t know anything! You have no idea how terrible that man is!”

“That’s why you came to Richton, who knew the fear.”

The loud sound of breathing in excitement filled the spacious bedroom. Azmaria shook her head frantically with a pale, frightened face.

“How could you….”

I didn’t come here just to see a stupid face. I lightly touched the back of her hand holding the bed linen with a knife. Azmaria stepped back, horrified.

“Ugh.”

“It must hurt, but you’re quite patient, I’ll listen to the second one now.”

Azmaria suddenly laughed in vain, as if she had come to her senses.

“That’s why the maids who didn’t learn…and crossed the line with Richton’s favouritism behind their back, if I scream here….”

(T/N: behind their back means to use his power and influence for their benefits.)

“I!”

Interrupting her words in a loud voice, I set the knife down on the table.

“I have every intention of running to Wilhelm and revealing your real name. The fact that his lovely ex-fiancé has the memory of Agrane.”

Even Azmaria, whom I thought to be quite rational, quickly turned pale when Wilhelm’s name came out.

“Ha, he wouldn’t believe he found his lost dog! His Highness would be so happy. You think so too, don’t you?”

“No way…”

Azmaria grabbed my clothes with her bloody hands.

“I don’t think so, but I don’t think Richton gave you to me…. No, it can’t be.”

Was she thinking that Richton sent me to kill her? Still, she seemed to want to believe that that was not the case until the end.

“Why are you sure it’s not?”

“R-Richton….”

“You know, Azmaria. Richton doesn’t know a thing about you being Agrane. Which means he doesn’t know it’s Agrane, who stabbed Jane and eventually killed her, whom he cared for.”

So Richton hated me. He tried to destroy my happiness because I broke his happiness. Wasn’t that such a valid hatred?

“But would it change if he knew?”

“…who are you?”

“Is that really gonna change it, Azmaria? Will he really take care of you for the old relationship? Thinking about the days that they struggled together in the gutter, will he forgive you for throwing Jane? Will he ever give up on that hatred?”

In an instant, dozens of emotions were mixed over Azmaria’s pale face. She screamed and grabbed me by the collar and fell down on the bed.

“Shut up! Don’t open your mouth when you don’t know anything. Only I understand Richton’s despair!”

Considering that the back of her hand was rotten and stabbed, the strength in her grip was desperate.

“It’s me! I… I pulled Richton up here. If it weren’t for me, if I hadn’t chosen him, Richton would have been there for the rest of his life….”

“I’m sure he had felt a little bit of happiness. With his precious Jane.”

“I’m the only one for Richton.”

Azmaria was no longer listening to my voice.

“That’s right. Ha… We only become perfect when we have each other. I’m sure Richton felt it. Otherwise, why was he alone all this time? He was waiting for me. He’s been waiting for his Agrane to come back. Here in Ingord, continuously, continuously…..”

I couldn’t tell if they were tears of pain or tears of sympathy. Azmaria’s tears fell on my chin. It was very difficult to understand Azmaria. The only future she envisioned was a happy and peaceful future surrounded by light. It seemed that she had no idea of ​​the future of being wretchedly killed by Richton.

Wilhelm was the only fear Azmaria had. On the contrary, Richton was a stronghold that protected her and was similar to a fortress. Other than that, everything seemed calm.

“No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand it. In what mind did you crawl all the way here? If it were me….”

What would I have done? At least I wouldn’t have crawled in here.

“Because you don’t know Richton! And you don’t even know what Wilhelm is! You can say it so easily because you don’t know it!”

Azmaria was repeating the same thing over and over again. You don’t know anything. That’s why it’s easy to say. You can’t get in between us! Azmaria’s cry sounded like that to me. Thanks to that, I was completely out of energy. And the slight lingering hatred completely died down.

“Wilhelm is here to take you. Of course, I will never reveal your identity directly with my mouth. As long as you’re also good at holding your tongue.”

Wilhelm once said he would pick up Agrane himself, so I was not wrong. It was for me. I shook off Azmaria’s hand and walked to the door holding the tea set.

“So, what do you believe in?”

Just before opening the door, I turned slightly at the heavily subdued voice.

“If you don’t believe me, are you going to tell Lord Richton? Or maybe give a diamond earring as a present this time.”

There was nothing more to be gained from Azmaria. I thought I was stupid enough to look forward to it for a moment. Azmaria closed her mouth, and I left her room.