If left to her own devices, there might be another incident like the debutante ball, so it seemed necessary to keep a certain level of supervision from now on.
Meanwhile, Ariella had to exert herself to suppress her laughter at how adorably proud Lizzy was just to be invited to the royal court.
At the same time, she felt a bit sorry for her.
Once they arrived at the palace and she met her future mother-in-law, she wouldn’t be able to be so blissfully happy.
‘Of all things, having two difficult mothers-in-law is going to be tough.’
In the palace, there are two mistresses.
If the Empress Genevieve, the wife of the Emperor in name and reality, is the mistress of the light, then Countess Annabelle, the Emperor’s favored concubine, who was given a separate palace despite the opposition around her, is the mistress of the shadows.
It is not unprecedented for a mere concubine to enter the palace, but it is not common either. This indicates just how deeply the current Emperor is infatuated with her.
Riding on that favor, Countess Annabelle began to act as if she were the Empress of Bingham.
Since giving birth to the Emperor’s son, she has become even more arrogant, even though a child born from a concubine cannot be recognized as a prince.
She was so haughty and extravagant that she even invited the prospective Crown Princess, who had no relation to her, directly to her palace. Did she really think she was the Empress, acting like a matriarch?
“I prepared tea brought from the far east for Lady Ariella. Did the princess not bring a single gift for the matriarch of the royal family?”
With such brazen words, Countess Annabelle acted like a mother-in-law, even though she was only four years older than Ariella.
‘By the way, where did I put that?’
Ariella lowered her long eyelashes and recalled the whereabouts of an item she had hidden away years ago.
At some point in the past, she had prepared a card to use against Countess Annabelle. It was when she thought she would be marrying Aaron without a choice.
Given the current situation, it seemed unlikely to have much effect now…
Ariella quietly shifted her gaze to Lizzy’s profile. Seeing her smile brightly made her mind, which had been momentarily stalled, start to race again.
***
After breakfast, Ariella returned to her room, dragging her painful leg, and immediately opened the wardrobe to check the item she had hidden deep inside.
Fortunately, the item was still there, just as she had left it. It didn’t look particularly appealing or useful, so it seemed that Lizzy hadn’t touched it at all.
Feeling relieved, she sat back down at the table just as Adam knocked on the door. After receiving Ariella’s permission to enter, he presented the report he had postponed.
“I have completed the investigation into the servants who worked at the Duke’s residence 15 years ago, those who held positions high enough to meet the Duchess directly. There are four individuals: the head maid, the butler, the Duchess’s maid, and the personal coachman.”
“Yes, please continue.”
“Upon checking, the head maid and the butler have already passed away due to old age, and the coachman also died in a carriage accident over a decade ago. The only survivor is Lady Hopkins, who has been living abroad for a long time.”
“That means there is no informant among them for Lizzy.”
“Considering the timing, that seems to be the case.”
Ariella narrowed her eyes.
Lizzy knew about the first meeting with Aaron, which even Ariella couldn’t recall. She also knew that her father used to bring tea for her mother and brew it.
This indicated that someone had provided her with information, but she still had no idea who that person was.
However, Ariella focused on something else.
“Three out of four have died. That’s quite a remarkable coincidence.”
It is common for a coachman to die in a carriage accident. The head maid and butler were also of an age where they could easily succumb to old age.
But could it really be a coincidence?
Ariella naturally harbored suspicions.
She knew that among matters related to Abercorn, there was rarely anything that happened purely by chance.
“…I need to dig deeper. Please continue the investigation.”
“Yes, understood. However, if, as you suspect, the deaths of the three are not coincidental… if they died as a result of being entangled in something, the investigation may take quite some time.”
“Yes, I think so too. Don’t overdo it. After all, that’s not what’s important right now.”
“Yes. Also, I have confirmed the residence of the Chestnut couple as you requested last time. They live at the edge of the capital.”
Adam handed over additional materials. The location marked on the map was indeed quite far from the Duke’s residence, as he had said.
