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T/N: The way Marinda was killed was simply… brutal. It reminds me of how Angela’s legs were also twisted before being killed by Marinda 😨
E/N: I think even Marinda was brainwashed. Her assassination was so cold and brutal. They didn't wait at all to dispose of her.
While organizing the bandages and clothes, Benjamin suddenly decided to ask Edmund.
“Your Excellency, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s about the ledger. The one the Lady of the House is supposed to manage. It seems someone had been organizing it.”
“Who?”
“I may be mistaken, but it seems the Madam has been secretly managing the records.”“I can’t be sure of that.” Although he couldn’t confirm, Edmund had his suspicions. Benjamin hesitated for a moment.
“Has the Madam ever taken charge of the Lady of the House’s ledger?”
“No.”
Hearing Edmund’s firm response, Benjamin nodded. As expected, his guess was wrong.
“Then, have a safe trip.”
Leaving Benjamin behind, Edmund made his way to the banquet. The servants standing outside the dining room were lazily gathered but quickly snapped to attention when they saw him.
Someone was about to announce Edmund’s arrival to the guests and Sophia inside, but Edmund stopped them. Instead, he reached out and pushed open the half-closed door.
“Ah, so I was just—Oh! Your Excellency?!”
The seated guests hurriedly stood up.
Edmond’s eyes immediately fixed on Daphne, who was standing across from Sophia at the head of the table. Daphne was standing. Without a chair.
“What is going on here?”
“Your Excellency!”
Sophia quickly approached Edmund.
“Explain. Why is Daphne standing?”
The lively atmosphere that had been filling the room vanished instantly. Edmund, who usually didn’t even attend these dinners, surveyed the vassals with his cold gaze. A few, feeling uncomfortable, loosened their ties and avoided his eyes.
“You’d better answer quickly.”
“W-well, the madam accidentally spilled food on her chair, so she’s waiting while it’s being replaced. Right, Madam?”
“...Yes.” Daphne nodded.
Edmund didn’t take his eyes off her until a servant timidly brought a chair for her.
“It’s been quite a while since Your Excellency attended a banquet, hasn’t it?” Sophia tried to lighten the mood by raising her glass.
When Edmund finally sat next to Daphne, the atmosphere slowly began to return to normal. Edmund and Daphne ate in silence. Though she touched the food, little actually made its way to her mouth.
“Madam, you must have lost your appetite because of the pregnancy.”
“…A little.”
Sophia clapped her hands twice, as if she had been waiting for this moment. A servant appeared, carrying a dish.
“This is food that’s said to be good for pregnant women.”
Sophia watched Daphne closely.
Daphne remained as expressionless as she had been earlier when she was brought here, forced to stand, and ignored.
Could it be that Daphne had summoned Edmund? No, Edmund wasn’t the type to come just because someone called for him.
The reason Sophia had brought Daphne here was simple: there was no definite proof that Daphne was pregnant. Despite what Edmund had claimed. Sophia didn’t believe it.
“Please, try it. I went through great lengths to acquire it.”
Sophia had prepared this specific dish for one reason.
It was odorless to most people but emitted a foul stench that caused nausea in pregnant women. Obtaining it hadn’t been easy. This dish would be the key to reveal everything – whether Daphne was pretending to be pregnant to avoid divorce.
At last, the cover was lifted off the dish. Daphne, under the watchful eyes of everyone, picked up her utensils. Sophia's eyes widened as she watched Daphne eat the dish without issue.
“Ugh.”
But then Daphne gagged, covering her mouth. A moment later, blood trickled through her fingers.
* * *
“On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be any major issues.”
Baroness Nuvelle stood up.
“It seems she has passed the critical point. It wasn’t a poison, but rather a reaction caused by incompatible foods. There should be no risk to her life.”
The baroness hesitated briefly before continuing.
“Your Excellency, however, the Madam…”
“Thank you for coming at such a late hour, Baroness.”
“…I only did what any doctor would do.” The Baroness hesitated and left without another word.
Then, Johann entered. “It’s late, Your Excellency.”
“…What time is it?”
“Three in the morning.”
Time had slipped away unnoticed. After carrying Daphne, who collapsed coughing blood, into her room and waiting for the Baroness to arrive, every second was dragging painfully slow.
“You may go.”
“…Understood.”
When Johann left, Edmund leaned back and rubbed his tired eyes with his hands. His hands that were still trembling slightly,q clenched into a fist. When he closed his eyes, he could still vividly see the moment Daphne had collapsed.
Edmund looked down at Daphne, lying pale on the bed. If it weren’t for the dried blood on her lips, she could have been mistaken for a corpse. He reached out, his hand brushing against her cold, pale neck, feeling the faint pulse beneath his fingers. He slowly withdrew his hand.
When the sensation of her pulse faded, his heart felt hollowed. Edmund clenched his fist again and left the room.
“Your Excellency.” A voice emerged from the shadows.
“It’s me, Marinda. You remember me, don’t you? I was the one who found the lost painting that went missing five years ago.”
Marinda walked over to Edmund, leaving the shadows behind.
“What do you want?”
“I have something important to tell you.”
Marinda looked around nervously before whispering.
“The Madam... she’s menstruating.”
In the pitch-black corridor, Edmund’s face was unreadable. Marinda, out of breath from running, continued. She blurted out about her findings by accident. She saw the Madam’s bloodstained undergarments while doing the laundry.
“In other words, the Madam isn’t pregnant. I know this is hard to believe, but it’s true.”
As Edmund walked past her, Marinda chased after him, desperation in her voice.
“You see, if a woman doesn’t menstruate, it means she’s pregnant. But the Madam has been menstruating. She’s not pregnant…”
As the distance between them grew, Marinda gritted her teeth and sprinted forward, blocking his path.
“Your Excellency. I... I love you.”
Blushing, Marinda poured out her confession. With high hopes, she looked up at him. Bathed in moonlight by the window, Edmund stood there.
‘…What?’
But his face was cold, emotionless.
No, this wasn’t right. He was supposed to embrace her passionately and whisper his love, not look at her with such cold disdain.
A voice echoed in her mind. The same voice she had heard the first time she laid eyes on him.
“His Excellency loves you, Marinda.”
As if under a spell, Marinda repeated the words.
“You love me.”
“Ridiculous.”With a dismissive tone, Edmund walked past her. Alone in the corridor, Marinda lowered her head, thinking in a daze.
‘He must want a child.’
‘That’s why he’s ignoring me. I may not have a child, but the Madam does. That’s why he can’t leave her.’
“A child…”
‘I can have a child, too.’
Muttering to herself, Marinda suddenly turned back.
“I’ll tell him. I can have a child too. If I have a child, he’ll return to me. His Excellency will – Mmph!”
Someone pressed a handkerchief over Marinda’s mouth and nose. She struggled, but soon the scent of a sleep drug draught on the cloth pulled her into unconsciousness.
* * *
“Your Excellency. I... I love you.”
Edmund frowned as he recalled the earlier scene. He felt disgusted and repulsed. He had suppressed his revulsion only because of Daphne. Daphne was the one who had brought that maid into the household.
He lit a cigarette, intending to go over some documents, as sleep seemed unlikely.
“Marinda. You remember me, don’t you? I found the lost painting that went missing five years ago.”
He froze before taking a drag. He had never mentioned when the painting had gone missing. Of course, even he was unaware of when it had disappeared either.
Edmund opened a drawer and found the hastily scrawled additional clauses of Daphne’s contract, evidence of infidelity, and the note the maid had delivered. Edmund pulled out all three documents.
‘…Different.’
The handwriting, though subtle, was clearly different. The note and the evidence of infidelity were identical.
Edmund urgently rang the bell, and Johann quickly appeared.
“What is it, Your Excellency?”
“Marinda. Find the maid named Marinda. Immediately!”
At Edmund’s command, Johann hurried to give orders to search for Marinda. But he returned empty-handed.
“Your Excellency… you need to see this.”
Johann led Edmund outside the mansion, where the lifeless body of Marinda lay, her legs twisted unnaturally.
“We found this in her room.”
Edmund glanced at the body before taking the note Johann handed him.
Madam, I am truly sorry. Blinded by jealousy, I’ve acted terribly. Please forgive me.
“It seems this maid prepared the incompatible food for the Madam. We found more evidence in her room. It appears she left a suicide note and jumped from the rooftop.”
Everything seemed to fit perfectly.
“…Dispose of it.”
Marinda’s body was discarded outside the estate, left to be devoured by wild beasts or monsters. Something approached her body, and soon, not even a single bone remained.