It was exactly as the coachman had stated.
“That woman, no, that kid, is she still alive?”
The Count instinctively called Odette 'woman', but then changed his words in surprise at the servant's questioning look.
There were a lot of eyes watching her.
“Odette, Odette!”
Ferdinand ran over and patted Odette on the back.
“Cough, cougj!”
When Odette vomited water, Ferdinand sighed in relief. Then he picked her up and carried her.
The Count was relieved that Odette was alive.
“Ferdinand, bring Odette to my office. And Rolf! You go find Paula!”
The Count was so focused on Odette's appearance that he didn't notice.
That someone sitting on the high wall of the Count's house was watching him as he gnashed his teeth and raised his gun.
“You don’t look like someone who dotes on their child.”
Karl, who had not yet left, muttered in a gruff voice. It was too late to climb over the fence as he was busy catching the hunting dogs that were trying to rush at Odette.
It would be a problem if the woman he was going to use to get revenge on the empire died first.
“Count Albrecht has to be killed anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to kill him first?”
He was also the enemy of the Fenrir clan, and the Count's family had to be destroyed to eliminate the rampage delay agent.
It was a moment when Karl, with his eyes wide open, put strength into his hand bones.
“Go now. If you successfully complete this order, I will grant you another wish.”
'It's strange. Becoming that woman's slave is merely a process of taking revenge on the empire, so I don't necessarily have to follow her orders.'
Even though he knew that Fenrir always came first, the woman's voice made Karl loosen his grip.
'Yes. I can kill the Count at any time anyway.'
It was at that moment that Karl, thinking that way, turned around and was about to jump down from the wall.
Karl paused and glanced at Odette.
Karl once looked at a woman like this. It was in the palace gardens before the fall of the kingdom of Fenrir.
A woman sitting as if buried in lace under the clear blue sky. She placed a bird of the same color as herself on her finger and carefully whistled.
The moment when Karl, who had never looked back even once on the battlefield, looked back at something for the first time.
The only time in his life that he looked back on something solely because he wanted to see it again.
The scene he saw that way was strangely engraved in his mind. The memory engraved in that way would pop up in his head every once in a while, very unexpectedly. Just like now.
It's that woman again. Wherever he turns, there she is.
“...”
He felt something like a subtle wave in his heart. He was curious about what it was, but he didn't have time to think long about it. The most important thing was to follow orders.
The small ripples were nothing special. There was no trace of regret in Karl's steps as he left the fence to follow the order.
The Count's voice was heard shouting behind Karl as he left.
“Catch Paula and drag her to my office. As long as she’s still breathing, whatever happens, I don’t care. Even if you have to beat her up, bring her here!”
WHACK!
The maid, Dolly, slapped Odette's cheek to wake her up. Odette slowly opened her eyes.
“Huh? This is...?”
“Wake up, young lady!”
To be exact, she opened her eyes and pretended to look around the office. Odette was conscious the whole time from the moment she pretended to fall into the pond.
So, before entering this office, she was able to exchange glances with Lize, who was secretly waiting in the hallway.
Lize gave her a signal that everything was over well.
'It means that the cellar key was well hidden on that woman's body. And it means that she gathered the maids and reported to the Count about Paula's testimony.'
“...Are you awake?”
“Yes... Father.”
“Then kneel on the floor.”
While Odette got up from the sofa and knelt on the floor, her father kept his eyes fixed on the papers on the desk in his office.
That document will contain the testimony of the coachman and the maids.
'Paula was muttering to the maids the whole time about Karl's visit.'
Paula's complaints were not unjustified.
Even without that, the Count's finances were not good and even the salaries of his subordinates were being cut, so it was only natural that he would feel dissatisfied with the Count's useless actions.
'But Paula is the only one who has gone so far as to gossip about her noble superiors.'
She is such an arrogant person even to her superiors. How could she have held back her complaints while considering her colleagues' feelings?
The surrounding maids must have been grumbling incessantly as if they were emotional trash cans.
They forget that they have feelings too, and when they are caught up in their dissatisfaction, they complain endlessly.
All Lize did was gather the maids who hated Paula and sneakily incited them to testify to what Paula had said.
“This girl doesn’t even know the subject-”
The Count, who had taken his eyes off the documents, stopped dead the moment he saw Odette. Anyone who saw her in a bright light could tell that she was in critical condition.
“Seriously, this is a mess.”
A white dress soaked in blood. And after being dipped in a pond once, the blood spread all over it, so how grotesque would that look?
'No matter how ruined your personality is, you can't help but flinch at least once.'
If it were normal, the Count would have stepped on her hand with his shoe. Whenever something upset him, he always took it out on her that way.
But because of her appearance, the Count could only sigh.
“Odette, tell me everything you know about what happened today, without leaving anything out, in detail.”
"Father."
“If you miss even one, you will be beaten severely by me and thrown into the dungeon.”
As he said that, the Count grabbed the rifle that was on the desk. If Odette doesn't do as he says, he'll probably beat her with the butt of the gun.
'But, the Count's target right now is not me.'
The reason the Count is angry now is because Karl has disappeared, and he is convinced that Paula did it.
'The only way to scare me is to make me testify about everything Paula did to Karl.'
Before Paula's statement, the story needed to be made more complete.
“Can’t you tell me right now?!”
“I don’t know what’s going on either, Father.”
Odette shook her head in a weak voice as if she knew nothing.
“I was riding in a carriage with Paula when I suddenly lost consciousness due to the fragrance coming from inside the carriage... When I came to, I saw Paula beating me in the pond.”
"So?"
“After she beat me up, she pushed me into the water and told me to die. I tried to resist, but I just couldn’t get the strength in my arms and legs.”
“...Keep talking.”
“I struggled and water came into my nose and mouth... I couldn’t breathe. No matter how much I screamed for help, Paula ignored me and ran to the entrance of the annex’s underground prison. I thought I was going to die, but when I came to, I was in the office... That’s all I know, Father.”
“Is that all? Paula didn’t say anything else?”
Odette took a moment to say,
“...I think I heard something like that right before I lost consciousness. That Odette was dead, so it was time to get rid of Karl from the mansion.”
Ferdinand, who had been standing still, muttered a curse next to him.
“This fucking bitch...”
“I really don’t remember anything after that. I’m sorry, Father.”
Ferdinand added.
“It seems that Karl went over the wall and out of the mansion. There were dead bodies and footprints of hunting dogs nearby. But as soon as he got over the wall, it suddenly stopped.”
"Shit."
The Count swore and slammed his fist on the desk. At that moment, a servant knocked and reported to the Count.
“Master! I found the scent of sleep that the coachman spoke of in the carriage.”
Now both her father and Ferdinand will have no choice but to believe her statement. Odette's statement, the coachman's statement, and the maids' statements will all match up perfectly.
“That woman, no, that kid, is she still alive?”
The Count instinctively called Odette 'woman', but then changed his words in surprise at the servant's questioning look.
There were a lot of eyes watching her.
“Odette, Odette!”
Ferdinand ran over and patted Odette on the back.
“Cough, cougj!”
When Odette vomited water, Ferdinand sighed in relief. Then he picked her up and carried her.
The Count was relieved that Odette was alive.
“Ferdinand, bring Odette to my office. And Rolf! You go find Paula!”
The Count was so focused on Odette's appearance that he didn't notice.
That someone sitting on the high wall of the Count's house was watching him as he gnashed his teeth and raised his gun.
“You don’t look like someone who dotes on their child.”
Karl, who had not yet left, muttered in a gruff voice. It was too late to climb over the fence as he was busy catching the hunting dogs that were trying to rush at Odette.
It would be a problem if the woman he was going to use to get revenge on the empire died first.
“Count Albrecht has to be killed anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to kill him first?”
He was also the enemy of the Fenrir clan, and the Count's family had to be destroyed to eliminate the rampage delay agent.
It was a moment when Karl, with his eyes wide open, put strength into his hand bones.
“Go now. If you successfully complete this order, I will grant you another wish.”
'It's strange. Becoming that woman's slave is merely a process of taking revenge on the empire, so I don't necessarily have to follow her orders.'
Even though he knew that Fenrir always came first, the woman's voice made Karl loosen his grip.
'Yes. I can kill the Count at any time anyway.'
It was at that moment that Karl, thinking that way, turned around and was about to jump down from the wall.
Karl paused and glanced at Odette.
Karl once looked at a woman like this. It was in the palace gardens before the fall of the kingdom of Fenrir.
A woman sitting as if buried in lace under the clear blue sky. She placed a bird of the same color as herself on her finger and carefully whistled.
The moment when Karl, who had never looked back even once on the battlefield, looked back at something for the first time.
The only time in his life that he looked back on something solely because he wanted to see it again.
The scene he saw that way was strangely engraved in his mind. The memory engraved in that way would pop up in his head every once in a while, very unexpectedly. Just like now.
It's that woman again. Wherever he turns, there she is.
“...”
He felt something like a subtle wave in his heart. He was curious about what it was, but he didn't have time to think long about it. The most important thing was to follow orders.
The small ripples were nothing special. There was no trace of regret in Karl's steps as he left the fence to follow the order.
The Count's voice was heard shouting behind Karl as he left.
“Catch Paula and drag her to my office. As long as she’s still breathing, whatever happens, I don’t care. Even if you have to beat her up, bring her here!”
***
WHACK!
The maid, Dolly, slapped Odette's cheek to wake her up. Odette slowly opened her eyes.
“Huh? This is...?”
“Wake up, young lady!”
To be exact, she opened her eyes and pretended to look around the office. Odette was conscious the whole time from the moment she pretended to fall into the pond.
So, before entering this office, she was able to exchange glances with Lize, who was secretly waiting in the hallway.
Lize gave her a signal that everything was over well.
'It means that the cellar key was well hidden on that woman's body. And it means that she gathered the maids and reported to the Count about Paula's testimony.'
“...Are you awake?”
“Yes... Father.”
“Then kneel on the floor.”
While Odette got up from the sofa and knelt on the floor, her father kept his eyes fixed on the papers on the desk in his office.
That document will contain the testimony of the coachman and the maids.
'Paula was muttering to the maids the whole time about Karl's visit.'
Paula's complaints were not unjustified.
Even without that, the Count's finances were not good and even the salaries of his subordinates were being cut, so it was only natural that he would feel dissatisfied with the Count's useless actions.
'But Paula is the only one who has gone so far as to gossip about her noble superiors.'
She is such an arrogant person even to her superiors. How could she have held back her complaints while considering her colleagues' feelings?
The surrounding maids must have been grumbling incessantly as if they were emotional trash cans.
They forget that they have feelings too, and when they are caught up in their dissatisfaction, they complain endlessly.
All Lize did was gather the maids who hated Paula and sneakily incited them to testify to what Paula had said.
“This girl doesn’t even know the subject-”
The Count, who had taken his eyes off the documents, stopped dead the moment he saw Odette. Anyone who saw her in a bright light could tell that she was in critical condition.
“Seriously, this is a mess.”
A white dress soaked in blood. And after being dipped in a pond once, the blood spread all over it, so how grotesque would that look?
'No matter how ruined your personality is, you can't help but flinch at least once.'
If it were normal, the Count would have stepped on her hand with his shoe. Whenever something upset him, he always took it out on her that way.
But because of her appearance, the Count could only sigh.
“Odette, tell me everything you know about what happened today, without leaving anything out, in detail.”
"Father."
“If you miss even one, you will be beaten severely by me and thrown into the dungeon.”
As he said that, the Count grabbed the rifle that was on the desk. If Odette doesn't do as he says, he'll probably beat her with the butt of the gun.
'But, the Count's target right now is not me.'
The reason the Count is angry now is because Karl has disappeared, and he is convinced that Paula did it.
'The only way to scare me is to make me testify about everything Paula did to Karl.'
Before Paula's statement, the story needed to be made more complete.
“Can’t you tell me right now?!”
“I don’t know what’s going on either, Father.”
Odette shook her head in a weak voice as if she knew nothing.
“I was riding in a carriage with Paula when I suddenly lost consciousness due to the fragrance coming from inside the carriage... When I came to, I saw Paula beating me in the pond.”
"So?"
“After she beat me up, she pushed me into the water and told me to die. I tried to resist, but I just couldn’t get the strength in my arms and legs.”
“...Keep talking.”
“I struggled and water came into my nose and mouth... I couldn’t breathe. No matter how much I screamed for help, Paula ignored me and ran to the entrance of the annex’s underground prison. I thought I was going to die, but when I came to, I was in the office... That’s all I know, Father.”
“Is that all? Paula didn’t say anything else?”
Odette took a moment to say,
“...I think I heard something like that right before I lost consciousness. That Odette was dead, so it was time to get rid of Karl from the mansion.”
Ferdinand, who had been standing still, muttered a curse next to him.
“This fucking bitch...”
“I really don’t remember anything after that. I’m sorry, Father.”
Ferdinand added.
“It seems that Karl went over the wall and out of the mansion. There were dead bodies and footprints of hunting dogs nearby. But as soon as he got over the wall, it suddenly stopped.”
"Shit."
The Count swore and slammed his fist on the desk. At that moment, a servant knocked and reported to the Count.
“Master! I found the scent of sleep that the coachman spoke of in the carriage.”
Now both her father and Ferdinand will have no choice but to believe her statement. Odette's statement, the coachman's statement, and the maids' statements will all match up perfectly.
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