“As I said, Lizzy committed a grave crime. Although that crime hasn’t been revealed to everyone yet, it will soon come to light.”
“Serves her right! That ungrateful girl, it’s all her own doing.”
“Yes. If that happens, there would be no reason for innocent victims like you to be stuck in a place like this.”
“W, would that mean we could return to the center of Edinburgh?!”
The couple’s faces brightened instantly.
Strictly speaking, they had never lived in the center of Edinburgh, but they were so bored with their dreary life in the outskirts that they would be more than happy to move further into the city.
“Yes, considering the harm done to the criminal, I will personally consider providing you with a job.”
“R, really?! Oh my, thank you!”
“However, it’s still a bit early. I will contact you separately, so please come here then. I will provide you with a suitable job.”
This time, a white handkerchief was placed on the table.
The handkerchief, which looked quite valuable at first glance, was beautifully embroidered with two swans spreading their wings.
One swan was flying towards the sky, while the other was diving into the water. It was the symbol of Abercorn.
Smith stood there blankly, unable to grasp the meaning of the pattern, while Jane was startled and gasped.
“Oh, you are from the House of Duke Bedford! I didn’t realize that…! I’ll hurry out and buy something right now, please wait!”
“It’s fine. I was just about to leave anyway. I appreciate the sentiment.”
Ariella stood up and took one last look at the faces of the Chestnut couple.
Perhaps due to the passage of time, they looked older than in the portrait, but the malice etched into their faces remained unchanged.
“Is there any information you haven’t mentioned? Something useful?”
“Yes, yes. There’s nothing more.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. I apologize for any inconvenience.”
“No, no! We are the ones who have been rude to the noble lady. Please return safely!”
Smith hurriedly guided Ariella to the entrance, fearing she might snatch the jewels back. Ariella swallowed a laugh at his transparent behavior and moved on.
“Um, just a moment.”
At that moment, Jane, who had been following behind, suddenly spoke up.
“Actually, I’ve been puzzled since earlier, but I thought a noble lady wouldn’t make a mistake in her investigation, so I didn’t mention it. However, no matter how I think about it, I feel like you might be misunderstanding something…”
“Hey, Jane! Can’t you be quiet? What nonsense are you trying to say now?”
“No. Please continue. What am I misunderstanding?”
Despite Smith’s repeated warnings to his wife, Ariella quickly stopped him.
Jane Chestnut, fearing she might say something wrong and get into trouble, slowly began to explain.
“About Lizzy, that girl…”
Surprisingly, what she hesitated to reveal pointed out an error that Ariella had never considered.
Ariella was taken aback to realize that what she had never doubted until now was not the truth.
It had been a day filled with many realizations.
***
“We need to move the Chestnut couple to a place where Lizzy can’t see them.”
Before departing from the outskirts, Ariella leaned against the carriage window and spoke.
However, for some reason, there was no immediate response. When she glanced outside, she saw Adam wearing a blank expression, which was unusual for him.
“Sir Adam, what are you thinking so deeply about?”
“It’s nothing much. I was just thinking that the girl grew up in a more difficult environment than I expected…”
Adam stopped mid-sentence and fell silent. A look of confusion crossed his green eyes, reminiscent of nature. It seemed he had blurted out his thoughts without realizing it.
“I apologize, that was an indiscretion. I didn’t mean to sympathize with her—”
“It’s okay to sympathize.”
Ariella cut him off just in time. If she had let him continue, he would have surely dug himself deeper into a pit of self-reproach.
“I also think Lizzy’s childhood was quite pitiful. It’s obvious just by looking at it. Smith Chestnut and Jane Chestnut are both not proper adults.”
It was too much to see. It was uncomfortable to see even things one didn’t want to see.
Why did twelve-year-old Lizzy run out of the Chestnut couple’s house and head to the slums? What was the reason she never returned home, even though life in the slums must have been tough?
It was because it wasn’t a normal home. Even just drinking water quietly would earn her scorn, and despite taking on all the household chores with her young body, she had to eat only the leftovers because her sister didn’t send any living expenses. That was why she headed to the slums on her own.
