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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: How to Avoid a Trap (1)
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Rachel whispered to the young maid, who was trembling uncontrollably.
"If you want to save your family..."
The maid, caught off guard by the sudden demand, shed tears profusely but couldn't defy the Duchess, who seemed impossibly high above her.
Although young and from the countryside, not knowing much, she understood the immense power of the Duchess standing before her.
Her parents and siblings living in the countryside could live or die by a single gesture from the Duchess.
Hours later, the young maid went to the Investigative Bureau, knelt before the investigators, and confessed.
"I killed him. I killed that man in the pergola."
The investigators watched with pity as the maid, her lips blue, trembled violently while confessing her crime.
What met the Chief Investigator's eyes upon his belated return, after hearing the news, was the maid's corpse, dead from poison, having sought atonement through death.
No one believed the maid's words, but with her having confessed and even taken poison, Victoria could no longer be held.
Rachel arrived with a smiling face and took Victoria back.
Even the crowds who had gathered, demanding severe punishment for Victoria and Rachel, couldn't bring themselves to throw stones at the Bronte Ducal Family's carriage.
The Chief Investigator watched the receding carriage with a grim expression.
"If Victoria Bronte were from an ordinary family, this much evidence would have been enough for a conviction."
But because Victoria was the Duke's daughter and the Western Duke's granddaughter, not only circumstantial evidence but also an eyewitness was needed.
The Chief Investigator searched frantically, but he couldn't find anyone who had directly witnessed Victoria killing the man.
An investigator dispatched from the Empire, much like the Chief Investigator, muttered.
"Status is a weapon, and status is a crime. Only the dead maid is to be pitied."
+++
Although Victoria was released, the rumors had not subsided. Now, whispers that Rachel had used the maid as a scapegoat were added to the mix.
But Rachel didn't care.
Rumors circulating among the public could simply be overshadowed by even bigger rumors.
Rachel had people make various preparations, then hastily got ready to depart for the Imperial Capital.
Jacob, who had been watching Rachel with a look of disdain, spoke.
"Going to the Empire will only make you a laughingstock."
"People in the Empire are less interested in news from the Western Territory than you'd think. They consider it a rural backwater. But people in the Western Territory are very interested in news from the Empire."
Many people in the Western Territory subscribed to newspapers published in the Empire.
"During social season, party news is often featured. If our girls stand out there, good articles will appear in the newspapers. Our girls' image will change significantly. They're like mindless commoners, swayed by what's printed in the papers, so if they only read good articles, they'll quickly forget incidents like this."
"...Do you really think so?"
"I'm telling you, it will. For now, there's nothing we can do here, so it's better to leave the Western Territory. If we're out of sight, the rumors will die down. Then, when news spreads that Helena has received the Empress's favor, the atmosphere will change."
"You know we have to take Ariana too, right? After what happened at the garden party, if we leave Ariana behind, people will talk."
"Don't worry, of course, we'll take her."
Rachel's eyes gleamed coldly.
"And we'll take her in a very nice carriage."
+++
At the news that the trip to the Empire had been decided, Ariana breathed a sigh of relief.
Although it was a roundabout way, Victoria was released, and Rachel acted exactly as expected.
'She must be planning to leave the Western Territory until the rumors subside.'
Rachel, who had visited this morning, spoke kindly to Ariana.
- "We're leaving for the Empire tomorrow. If you wish, you can bring one or two maids or ladies-in-waiting. It will be a long journey, so you'll need someone to attend to you. And that dress—the one you wear every time you try to vex me—if you don't throw it out immediately, I won't take you to the Empire, so think carefully before you act."
Since there was no longer a need to wear shabby clothes, Ariana did as told. She put on a good quality dress, though it was outdated and unfashionable, and changed into the shoes Rachel had given her.
Her feet ached, as these were the first shoes she had worn since her revival, but she knew this pain would soon become familiar.
Ariana told Rosalyn that she wanted her to accompany her, and Rosalyn accepted the offer without hesitation.
"Once we arrive in the Empire, I'll make sure you're well-compensated, enough so you won't have to work for the rest of your life."
At Ariana's words, Rosalyn bowed her head slightly to express her gratitude.
And so, the morning of their departure for the Empire arrived.
In front of the Ducal Estate, several carriages were waiting.
Carriages for the Ducal Family, and carriages for the servants, along with luggage carts.
As there were many carriages, there were also many knights to guard them.
"Oh, how lucky you are. You must be thrilled, going to the Empire, given your station."
Helena, excited about the trip to the Empire, seemed to have completely forgotten the gloomy atmosphere that had pervaded the estate until now, wearing a joyful expression.
However, Victoria, standing beside her, glared darkly at Ariana with a somber complexion.
"Get in the carriage quickly."
At Duke Jacob Bronte's urging, Helena huffed and boarded the carriage. Victoria also withdrew her piercing gaze from Ariana and got into the carriage.
Ariana was about to get into a carriage when the coachman closed the door.
"Milady, you will take this carriage."
A servant guided Ariana to a carriage at the back.
It was a bit smaller than the one Helena and Victoria had taken, but it was an ornate carriage bearing the Ducal Family's crest.
'Why am I being told to take such an ornate carriage separately? There must be a reason...'
As Ariana gazed at the carriage for a moment, wondering about the ulterior motive, Rachel placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke.
"Helena is practically itching to get rid of you. I don't want any more trouble, so stay a bit separate. You might get bored, so you can bring one maid with you."
Ariana boarded the carriage with Rosalyn.
Soon, the carriage set off.
Ariana slightly pulled back the curtain on the window and gazed outside.
The servants who had come to see them off and the Bronte Estate were gradually fading into the distance.
The splendid estate where she had lived for so long. An estate she would never return to.
There was no lingering regret.
She felt a sense of liberation, as if a hook caught in her wings had finally come loose.
'If I ever return here, it will be to utterly destroy that estate.'
With the power she currently possessed, she had done all she could in this estate.
The small stone Ariana had thrown had left only a minor scratch, but someday, when needed, that wound would widen, becoming an incurable scar.
'However... it's a pity I couldn't get my hands on that letter. I need to find a way to prevent the Eastern Duke from casting me aside, even without the letter.'
The thudding of multiple horses' hooves and the rattling of the carriage made it difficult to concentrate on her thoughts.
The memory of Cyrus arriving just as she was searching Rachel's room welled up, making her feel a surge of frustration again.
If he had appeared just a little later, she would have gotten her hands on the letter.
She knew there was no use dwelling on what had passed, yet she couldn't help but feel regret over the weapon that had slipped from her grasp just before she could seize it.
"Even if we hurry, it will take more than half a month to reach the capital."
Only when Rosalyn, who had been sitting silently opposite her, spoke, did Ariana snap out of her thoughts and look up.
Rosalyn's deep eyes calmly met Ariana's gaze.
"There's plenty of time, Milady."
Rosalyn's violet eyes were deep and serene.
For some time now, Ariana had sensed that Rosalyn was no ordinary maid. Even if she was helping Ariana for money, Rosalyn's actions were unhesitant.
Moreover, her gaze had changed the moment she boarded the carriage.
She had thought Rosalyn was merely a naive-looking but money-hungry and shrewd maid, but perhaps she harbored secrets even greater than that.
However, Ariana felt no inclination to be wary of Rosalyn.
'The Bronte family has many enemies. She must be a family member or friend of a maid or commoner killed because of the Brontes.'
By now, Rosalyn must have realized that Ariana held no good feelings towards the Bronte family.
As long as their interests aligned, Rosalyn had no reason to betray Ariana. Ariana was Rosalyn's good source of income.
"There won't be enough time. Judging by the Duchess putting me in a separate carriage, it seems she's concocted some scheme involving this carriage."
"There's nothing wrong with the carriage. I checked it last night."
"Then she must be planning something specifically for this carriage. Rosalyn, if something happens, can you protect yourself?"
Rosalyn offered a faint smile.
For some reason, she seemed amused.
But the smile quickly vanished, and Rosalyn replied with her usual stoic expression.
"I can protect Milady too."
"No, you don't need to protect me. I'll manage somehow, so you make sure to avoid danger. If we get separated here, I'll send money to your account."
Rosalyn gazed steadily at Ariana with a subtle expression, then replied obediently.
"Yes, Milady."
"At this speed, we'll reach a small city tonight. If we stay there for a day and depart at dawn, we'll enter the Wayfan Mountains in the afternoon."
The Wayfan Mountains were a long mountain range that horizontally traversed the Western Territory.
"If something happens, it will be around the time we enter the Wayfan Mountains. There's only one small village nearby, so no one will come to help."
It occurred to her that Rachel would never simply take Ariana to the Empire without incident.
Ariana believed Rachel had figured out the full story behind the pergola murder. Rachel, who had told Ariana to take a different carriage earlier, hadn't concealed the hatred in her eyes towards Ariana.
"The coachmen and knights are all part of the Bronte family, so I can't simply turn the carriage around. Many eyes guarding us also mean many eyes watching us. I can't even sneak away a horse and escape."
Rachel had cornered Ariana, leaving her no escape. She wouldn't miss this opportunity.
"Her telling me to bring a maid or lady-in-waiting was probably just to have something to say later. Something like, 'I assigned someone to look after her well, but I never expected something like this to happen.'"
Rosalyn was looking at Ariana with a slightly surprised expression.
If Rosalyn knew the full situation, there would be no reason for surprise at all. Ariana knew Rachel extremely well. Before meeting the Third Prince Harold, Ariana had been Rachel's right hand, handling all sorts of unpleasant tasks.
Predicting what she would plan, or how she would corner an enemy, was not difficult. The only problem was finding a way to break through that situation.
Ariana reached out to Rosalyn.
Her small, slender hand rested on Rosalyn's firm hand. Blue eyes gazed steadily into violet ones.
"Rosalyn. The Duchess will try to kill me. So, if something happens, don't look back, just run. Don't even think about saving me."
"If I run, what will become of Milady? With the dagger I brought you, it'll be hard to kill even one man."
"I know. I have a plan. I won't die here."
