Chapter 37
Chapter 35
===
Eliza received the utmost courtesy for the first time in a long while. The flawless etiquette flowed like water, and the verdant eyes that turned to her seemed to hold wisdom, just like her ancestors.
They stared at each other in silence.
Then, Walter, who had been silent, seemed to sense something and moved towards the door. Joseph was outside the door.
"What is it?"
Joseph whispered in a stiff expression.
"The maids have committed suicide, leaving behind a will."
The air, which had been warm for a moment, froze rapidly. Mrs. Isaac stiffened her shoulders at the encroaching eeriness, and Eliza also twitched her eyebrows.
Grace took three deep breaths to organize her thoughts, then brightly said to Eliza as if nothing had happened.
"Please eat even if you don't have an appetite. I'll be going now."
Eliza, lost in thought, did not answer or offer a greeting. Grace, who did not expect her reply, gave another light greeting and walked towards the door.
Walter also glanced at Eliza before leaving the room with Grace.
The bright world became dim as if dusk was falling. Amidst the sound of clicking heels echoing in the hallway, Jessie, who had been waiting at the corner of the corridor, approached and reported.
"Duke Taylor has signed the documents for the young lady's expulsion. And Marquis Rinko, who attended the young lady's wedding as a representative of the Duke Richmond's family, is expected to arrive in about three days."
Walter, who had been walking, stopped abruptly and asked.
"Can you endure it?"
Grace, who had stopped one step further ahead, turned to Walter and replied.
"Yes."
Grace's gaze turned to the window. Joseph, who looked out the window with her, said.
"The Marchioness's maids are coming."
The Marchioness's maids had solemn expressions, like messengers of death.
"Hunting is all about timing. Wait until they get closer. Now, they will doubt Your Excellency's abilities and gather the nobles of Richmond. Wait three days, and when Marquis Rinko arrives, use him to prove my identity."
"I will lock you in Richmond's underground prison."
"I suppose so."
"They say most people go crazy within three days of being locked in there."
Black eyes and green eyes stared deeply at each other.
"I am confident I can endure it. But if, by any chance, I cannot endure it, then you can abandon me as you said."
Bang, bang, bang!
A heavy sound of knocking on the main gate of the detached palace echoed through the hallway.
"But that will not happen. I will survive to the end and return to Taylor."
The sharpest sword hidden in a beautiful scabbard.
Walter stared at the sword he held with dark eyes, then spoke coldly and heartlessly like metal.
"Very well. Then endure, Grace Taylor."
The woman, who seemed to be only half of Walter's size, did not show a shred of fear. Grace nodded resolutely as if she had been waiting for it, and the two walked towards the door as if they had made a promise.
＊ ＊ ＊
Underground, where the boundary between day and night had disappeared. Flickering candles at regular intervals swayed precariously in a wind that seemed to come from nowhere.
Thick pillars standing under the jet-black stone dome ceiling looked like gatekeepers guarding hell. The reason why the pillars looked particularly bleak was because the knights of Richmond, led by Count Lewen, were standing with their backs against the thick pillars.
On the platform under the round dome ceiling was a huge black chair. Marchioness Lincot sat in the chair where the Dukes and Duchesses of generations past had sat to interrogate criminals.
She read the maids' wills carefully, then let out a deep sigh.
"Haa."
White breath shattered.
"The Duke must have been blinded by beauty and didn't realize he had taken in a viper."
Her voice mixed with the cold, damp air of the underground. Countess Lewin flinched and whispered to her daughter standing beside her.
"You should go back to your room now. There's no point in seeing such a gruesome sight."
But Flora shook her head, staring into the darkness. The pink diamond earrings she received from the Marchioness swayed.
"When I become the Duchess, there will be times when I have to interrogate criminals as well, so I should watch."
Then, the sound of footsteps descending the stone stairs was heard. The candles leaned even further, swaying.
The Marchioness, who had been looking down at the will, raised only her eyes to look at the stairs. The noisy footsteps seemed to grow louder for a moment, then Grace appeared from the jet-black darkness.
The Marchioness's eyebrows shot up.
Indeed, she is no ordinary woman. Whether she is at fault or not, anyone dragged to a place like this would be frightened, but she is maintaining an attitude that is chillingly calm.
But how long will that elegant mask last?
The Marchioness, who waited until Grace was at her feet, spoke with a serious expression.
"Two maids committed suicide, leaving behind a will. And a witness has come forward. Someone witnessed your maid secretly following those two."
"……."
"Insolent thing. You don't even look surprised. The things you've done written in this will are so heinous that it's chilling! How long do you think you can maintain that false mask? Let me ask you. What is your real name?!"
The Marchioness's fierce shout echoed wildly off the round hall walls.
Grace felt the chilly wind brushing against her cheeks. The wind carried a faint metallic smell.
A lie, she says.
The best place to hide a lie is in the truth, and the truth that is not fully revealed confuses the enemy more than a fabricated lie.
"It's Grace."
"Ha."
The Marchioness let out a hollow laugh.
"Let me point something out. You may be hoping that His Excellency will save you like before, but it will be difficult this time. I'll ask again. What purpose did you come to Richmond for?"
"I simply followed the person I love."
Flora reacted as if she was having a seizure at Grace's answer.
"You murderer!! Do you think we don't know you're deceiving His Excellency?!"
"A murderer? Deceiving His Excellency? What are you talking about,"
Slap!!
Before she could even feel the pain, her body staggered to one side. While she was dazed as if everything was dark, the Marchioness's maid slapped the other cheek hard. Pushed by the strong force, she fell over, and the maid shouted.
"How dare you raise your voice!!"
Whether her ear was injured or not, the maid's shout felt like it was coming from far away, and her mouth tasted bloody as if it had burst. Grace glared and bit her lip hard.
As she supported herself on the floor and tried to raise her body halfway, something fell in front of her palm. It was the will that the maids had left behind. As she tried to get up from her seat holding the damp will, the maids pressed down hard on her shoulders.
"Read it."
In the end, Grace gave up on getting up and read the will. Her expression hardened coldly as she quickly read the pressed letters.
[…That woman's maid came again. Soldiers are guarding outside, but voices are heard in the empty room. This time, she asked where the key to the 'Blue Room,' which houses Richmond's Treasure, is, and where the secret passage is. She said she would kill us painfully if we didn't tell her…….]
The Marchioness, who had thrown the will at Grace, rose from her chair. She liked the disheveled hair and slumped figure.
"Flora's maids were in a room guarded by soldiers. But the threats continued. I know that you went to the Grand Duchess's residence with His Excellency at that time. But, your maid was not there?"
"……."
"At that time, where was your maid?"
Grace raised her eyes.
"Do you know about the 'Unseen Ones'?"
"……."
"They are said to be descendants of demons, hiding beyond the Wall of Death. They are still constantly sending monsters to threaten the Dekan Empire. They want to take over the Empire's prosperous land instead of the barren and poisonous land."
The Marchioness, who had approached Grace, bent her knees and lowered her body, then grabbed her chin tightly with one hand.
"The will says that your maid was not seen. She asked them where the key to the Blue Room is, where the secret passage is, and so on."
"It's a slander. Surely you're not trying to associate me with the 'Unseen Ones' right now?"
Slap!!
As soon as Grace finished speaking, the Marchioness slapped her cheek.
"Watch your mouth. The wills of the dead maids are saying that, not me. Where is your maid?"
"……."
"I was suspicious from the beginning. It was strange that you, who had just arrived yesterday as you said, would cause trouble, but there was no reason for the maids to make such statements, right? But, the truth that those poor children hid in fear tells everything."
The Marchioness's bloodshot eyes gleamed.
