Chapter 93
The following day, Edmund received a visit from Baron Owen.
"What brought you here in such a hurry?" Edmund asked coldly.
But this time, he was not smiling that calm smile or showing any of the usual politeness.
Ever since his crushing defeat to Laszlo in the duel, Edmund had been in a state of psychological tension and defeat.
Baron Owen noticed the tense atmosphere, but hesitated a little before speaking.
“I can no longer keep that maid you entrusted to me.”
"Why suddenly?"
“Because everyone discovered that what she said was a lie. Yesterday, a group of women came to my house as if they were confronting me directly.”
Moreover, I heard that Count Crisis is searching for the source of those rumors. If things continue like this, our family will be ruined.”
Edmund clenched his fist tightly.
He began to feel as if all his plans were falling apart one after another, as if Laszlo was watching him from above, mocking him.
“Damn it…!”
"In any case, and with your consent, I will dismiss that maid effective today."
“Do that. But remember, never mention that I was the one who introduced her to you. And don’t forget that I have one of the three great families behind me. You have to keep that in mind.”
“I understand. I will remain silent… Goodbye.”
Despite Baron Owen's displeasure, he could not confront Edmund because his family relied heavily on the secret investments made by the Milton family for their joint venture.
Edmund watched Baron Owen leave, and thought that the Marsha matter was over.
But that night, Edmund received an urgent message from Baron Owen.
“When I informed her of the dismissal decision, Marsha began to cause a commotion and threatened to expose everything to Count Crisis. So, I calmed her down temporarily and told her to stay at home until I summoned her. What should I do?”
And here, Edmund's patience completely ran out.
"Why does everything associated with the name Crisis get on my nerves like this?"
Instead of replying to the Baron's message, he put on a mask that covered almost his entire face, a hooded cloak, and went outside.
A cheap sword hung from his waist, a weapon that did not attract attention.
***
Elsewhere, Edel headed to Laszlo's office after hearing that he wanted to meet her.
When I entered, Laszlo was staring at one of the papers, and said coldly without raising his eyes.
“Marsha Bohen… is dead.”
"What…?"
“It appears to have been a revenge killing. The body was found horribly mutilated.”
At that moment, Idil imagined Marsha's mutilated and bloodied body, and unconsciously put her hand over her mouth.
"Ah, was it too awful to hear?"
Edel swallowed the nausea that was rising inside her and shook her head quietly in denial.
"Has... has the killer been identified?"
“If he hadn’t been killed in such a horrific way, we might not have been able to guess who he was. But now I have a feeling.”
"What?"
Laszlo laughed with mild sarcasm.
“Mutilating a person’s body with a sword is not easy. The bones are not brittle enough to break easily on a blow, and the blood and fat can make the blade lose its sharpness.”
"if…?"
“This means that the assassin is very skilled in the use of the sword, not just an ordinary knight… but something even better.”
Laszlo placed the paper he was reading on the desk.
It contained details about Marsha's murder, from the scandal she experienced at Mrs. Owen's party, to the night she was thrown out and killed, including eyewitness accounts and the condition of the body.
But what caught Laszlo's attention the most and made him suspect the identity of the killer was the following part.
“A tall, strong-built man (believed to be a nobleman) was seen wearing a cloak that covered his entire body as he headed towards Marsha’s house. He walked with confident, measured steps, and his strides were wide.”
“Balanced steps, broad strides… these are the characteristics of the Imperial Guard knights.”
The Imperial Guards knights are known for their participation in various official events, where they are required to adhere to strict discipline even in the way they walk, which distinguishes them from other knights.
After reviewing these details, Laszlo recalled the connection between the Baron Owen family and the Milton family.
At first, he thought the Milton family were just minor investors to the Owen family, but now he was confident.
'Edmund Milton. Whether he acts himself or sends one of the Imperial Guards knights… it's him.'
At that moment, Idel interrupted his thoughts with a question.
"Could Sir Edmund Milton be the murderer?"
Laszlo looked at her with slight surprise before shrugging indifferently.
"Who knows? Why do you think it's him?"
“Because when he tried to get close to me at the party, he knew that I couldn’t use hot water at home, and he also knew that I was a laundry maid.”
Edel remembered her conversation with Edmund.
“At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to it, but after thinking about it, I realized that he wasn’t supposed to know those details. When he visited our house with the Imperial Guard knights, I was working as Lady Linnea’s personal maid, and he wouldn’t have known that I was a laundry maid.”
Laszlo shook his head thoughtfully.
“Even the issue of hot water… I myself was unaware of it until later.”
“But if Edmund was the one who contacted Marsha, then everything makes sense. It might just be a guess, but…”
Laszlo laughed with mild sarcasm.
“No, I think the same thing. Edmund seems very suspicious.”
"He must not have left any evidence, could he?"
“No, he’s not the type to leave evidence behind when he goes to kill someone. Even Calliope’s men searched the place before the police arrived and found nothing.”
Marsha's death was likely to be buried as an "unsolved" case; the police would not have cared about the murder of an ordinary woman.
“That woman, Marsha, she got attached to a bastard like that… No, it’s only natural. Like attracts like.”
Laszlo felt no sympathy towards Marsha.
The amount she had to pay him as compensation was not large enough to drive her to suicide.
She may have accumulated debts, but if she had worked hard and paid them off gradually, she could have overcome that.
'But when humans get used to luxury, it is difficult for them to give it up.'
Her desire for revenge also played a role in this, although he never understood how a perpetrator could want revenge.
"Anyway, we can stop worrying about Marsha Bohen now. Can't we? I think you were annoyed by her too."
Laszlo assumed that Edel would feel relieved or even happy to hear about Marsha's death, but he was surprised when he saw that her expression did not reflect that.
“I don’t know… I feel a little sad.”
“Yes, it’s a shame we couldn’t catch that bastard Edmund.”
“No, that’s not what I mean… I mean Marsha dying in this way.”
"What? And why are you feeling sorry for her? It was a perfectly fitting fate for her."
Laszlo's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly realized what Edel meant.
Even among the household servants, there were those who would speak with sarcasm and relief about the news of her death.
Edel had no intention of pretending to be nice. She hated Marsha.
I hated her malice, the reasons for which I did not understand, her extreme selfishness, and her morbid feeling of being wronged, as if she were always a victim.
But despite all that, her death in this manner left her with a feeling of bitterness.
“To be exploited so callously and then discarded after being drained… that is what I find painful.”
"And why? Anyone who strives for something beyond their capabilities should have expected this fate."
“She couldn’t have foreseen that then… just choosing between the options before her was difficult enough.”
At that moment, Laszlo realized that Edel saw a reflection of her own condition in Marsha's death.
True, there was a difference in degree, but both were exploited in the game of power and fell into the abyss.
“Whatever the case, you are not like her. She wanted to hurt others and ended up like this, but you…”
He paused for a moment, then continued in a firm but cautious tone.
"You ended up like this because you weren't tough enough."
Idyll remained silent, for she knew he was telling the truth.
Being not tough enough was merely a gentle expression meaning that she was weak and was manipulated to the end according to her family's wishes.
“Getting rid of blood restrictions is never easy.”
She grumbled inwardly with a slight sense of injustice, but she knew that Laszlo did not say those words lightly.
“A good daughter, a good wife… yes, there is nothing wrong with that. But the most important thing is to protect yourself. And to achieve that, sometimes you have to be tough and ruthless.”
Edel realized that Laszlo's gaze was not just stern; there was a hidden anxiety beneath his firm voice, and that was probably what expressed his true feelings.
'I didn't know he was such a kind-hearted person…'
Even as she thought about it, she felt that her statement didn't seem entirely logical, so she smiled slightly.
"I will take that into consideration."
“And if you need help in those moments when you should be tough, asking for help without hesitation is also courageous. Don’t forget that.”
"Yes. Thank you."
Edel remembered how she had lacked courage in the past, becoming the Duchess of Lancaster, and ending up as the wife of a traitor and a sinner.
Therefore, she vowed this time that if she faced similar circumstances, she would not hesitate to run away barefoot if necessary, and would never again allow herself to be bound by appearances or false excuses.