Episode 79. Next time, Seira
Seira enjoyed tea time in the living room attached to her bedroom on the third floor.
The afternoon sunlight of approaching spring was languid, and the tea and dessert were more fragrant and sweet than usual.
She smiled faintly as she watched Christine giving instructions to the guards in the middle of the garden.
“I didn’t know the Count would help me like this.”
Stone had just been captured and dragged away by Christine’s guards.
To be honest, it was a bit shocking. Still, she never thought it would happen, but her own blood relative was that horrible serial killer.
Of course, she had a hunch when she saw the numerous skeletons in the catacombs last night.
In fact, Seira had a lot of worries yesterday.
Should she tell Stone the truth?
Since Adele knows about the skeletons, the guards will soon come to capture her brother. So get rid of the evidence quickly. It was right to say that, considering the family.
But the target was Stone.
According to Adele, he was a serial killer, and there was no guarantee that he would let her live knowing the truth of the evidence.
Of course, he could have been grateful and destroyed the evidence. After all, they were blood relatives.
But what happened after that?
Stone would become the Emperor's son-in-law, and April would become the mistress of this mansion. Seira had nothing left but the honor of being a relative of the royal family.
For the past eight years, she had been the de facto owner of this mansion. And now she had to hand everything over to a crazy murderer and that blind and naive Princess.
The Oswalds knew better, and she could rule them better.
"That monster will become more and more dangerous. Before you and your family are eaten... There must be a way for you to save the Oswalds."
And those words Adele had said kept lingering in her mind. They were sweet and seductive, like the whispers of the devil.
Her family.
Oswalds.
Yes, this is all a way to save her family.
No law says she can’t become a Marquis.
If only Stone disappeared...
So Seira left the ossuary. And in the morning, she acted more kindly and like a younger sibling to Stone than ever. She even cried like a frightened younger sister when she saw him being taken away by the guards.
Thanks to that, everything was so peaceful.
“You look happy.”
Seira turned around at the voice that suddenly came.
Before she knew it, Adele was approaching the window where she was.
***
“You, how dare you say this is...!”
Although there were scratches on the glass here and there, Adele was so confident as she entered Seira’s room.
“That’s right. How dare I come all this way? Me.”
As she said that, Adele looked around.
It was a place decorated as luxuriously as the Empress’s room with luxurious furniture and props.
She had been here before. Of course, it was to be harassed by Seira for some ridiculous reason.
She would order the maids to strip off Adele's clothes, saying that she thought she had stolen her favorite jewelry, or she would throw the tea she was drinking at her, saying that she was flirting with a noble child she had her eye on.
Every time she did that, she would get slapped in the face or her hair grabbed.
“It’s gotten more luxurious. Well, you’ve been acting like the owner of this place for the past eight years. You got a windfall because the previous Marquis asked you to send Stone as a diplomat before he passed away. In fact, he was going to send him to Orbis for me. Unfortunately, he passed away before that.”
“Get out if you’re going to talk nonsense. Otherwise, I’ll call people!”
“Well. Is there anyone in this mansion who would dare touch me right now?”
And Adele naturally sat down across from Seira.
“Who told you to sit down?”
Seira shouted, but she paid no attention.
“Then you plan on making your guests stand? Is that the manners of the Marquis?”
“Guest?”
Seira was shocked, but she was a little intimidated by Adele's expression and voice.
Adele was definitely different than before. Her throat was quite tense, perhaps because she was Christine's fiancée and was being held up by people.
No, it was different from that kind of shallow arrogance. This cool expression was similar to Christine's.
In the meantime, Adele elegantly picked up the cookies on the plate and put them in her mouth.
"Ugh!"
But she frowned and quickly spat them out. And in the teacup that Seira had just been drinking from.
"What are you doing?"
Adele looked like she had bitten a bug.
"You were eating such a tasteless thing."
Even though Adele was being so rude, Seira could not call the people over, but was rather furious.
As Adele said, all the servants in this mansion were only watching the guards. Most of them didn’t even show their noses for fear of getting entangled with Stone and being falsely accused.
Seira knew that too. She was quick-witted as she reigned as the queen of high society.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly and get out!”
Seira barely managed to hold back her anger and shouted.
Then Adele smiled faintly.
“Why didn’t you remove the skeletons in the crypt? If only they hadn’t been discovered, your brother wouldn’t have been arrested like this.”
Seira felt a sting but quickly hid her expression.
“I didn’t know what you said was true.”
Adele rested her chin on her clasped hands and stared at Seira. Her green eyes seemed to see through Seira’s mind. These eyes also somehow resembled Christine’s.
Could the two of them have become this similar just by living together?
“No, you didn’t remove the evidence on purpose.”
“What? Why me!”
“I already knew that. That’s why I told you.”
Seira gasped. For some reason, she felt manipulated by Adele.
“Ma, don’t talk nonsense...”
“If Stone is captured, you’ll be able to act as the head of this marquisate again. You must have connections with the Empress, so the Marquis might be greedy too.”
“No... really... no!”
Seira denied it strongly, as if she had been hit on the nail in the head.
“But Seira, you know what? You fell for my tricks.”
“What?”
“It’s easier to deal with one than two.”
“That...what are you talking about?”
Crunch.
Adele got up from her chair.
“It’s your turn next, Seira.”
Adele slowly poured the teacup with melted cookies over Seira’s head.
Crunch...
“And next time you come, be more polite to me.”
Seira froze like ice at the unexpected turn of events. Then, she soon got angry and screamed.
“Ah! This girl! Linda! Linda!”
The maid came running after hearing Seira’s scream.
“Miss, what happened...!”
The old maid, Linda, couldn’t close her mouth at the sight before her eyes.
The Princess of this mansion was like a wet mouse, running wild.
Leaving Seira behind, Adele approached.
“It’s been a while, maid.”
Linda doubted her own eyes. Adele’s attitude toward her was so arrogant and elegant. She only remembered Adele always cowering and timid in front of her.
However, the maid, who had always had the upper hand in her relationship with Adele, shouted confidently.
“Why do you dare come here?”
Crack!
The maid’s head turned sharply with a sharp sound.
“When you see me, bow your head first. You should behave properly as you’ve gotten older.”
The maid glared, holding her flushed cheek. But he couldn’t say anything because Adele’s expression, looking at her, was so majestic.
“Answer.”
“Yes...”
“Your head is still stiff.”
“I, I’m sorry... Madam.”
The maid had always mocked Adele and called her “basement lady.” But today, she couldn’t dare say the word “basement.” Moreover, she lowered her head so that it touched the ground.
“See you again soon, Seira.”
Only then did Adele leave Seira’s room.
Seira realized then that she was more helpless than she thought without Stone.
No. It wasn’t that she was helpless, but that Adele had become stronger.
After leaving Seira’s room, Adele headed to the guest bedroom where Tanya was.
Tanya had been rescued from the wine aging room a little while ago.
Stone had locked her in an oak barrel in the wine aging room. If she had been a little later, she might have suffocated to death.
Fortunately, the Oswald mansion’s doctor had administered emergency treatment and said that there were no major injuries.
However, she had not regained consciousness, so they were just waiting for her to wake up.
Knock knock.
As Adele opened the door and went in, Tanya smiled brightly from the bed.
“Miss...”
“...!”
Adele quickly ran to Tanya and hugged her tightly.
The doctor said she would wake up soon, but Adele was anxious. She was a maid, but to her, she was like family.
“She just came back to consciousness. She seems to be more alert than I thought.”
Zimmer, who was next to her, added an explanation.
Tanya glared at him and grumbled.
“I'm not okay. I really thought I was going to die. Isn’t that too much?”
“That’s okay. There’s no place more injured than Miss Adele?”
Tanya then noticed that there was blood here and there on Adele’s hand and forearm.
“Now that I think about it, you’re hurt too. Could it be that you were trying to save me...”
Adele shook her head.
“No. I had a problem that I absolutely had to solve. It’s been solved. Are you okay? You were really scared, weren’t you? I’m sorry. It’s because of me...”
Tanya smiled brightly, afraid that Adele would worry.
“I was really scared, but I believed that you would definitely save me. Just like you saved me before.”
There had been a similar situation before.
Tanya had been hung on a tree for days because she broke Stone’s favorite porcelain. Those who didn’t want to get on his bad side pretended not to see Tanya.
If Adele hadn’t stepped forward and saved her, Tanya would have starved to death. Instead, she heard later that Adele wasn’t given food for several days.
That was when Tanya started to treat Adele like her real sister.
“If you say that, maybe Sir Zimmer will be upset? You tried harder than I this time.”
“Really?”
Tanya looked at her as if she were surprised. She kept saying things that made her look neat and upset.
“No. It was my duty, of course.”
When Zimmer quickly waved his hand with an embarrassed face, Adele whispered to Tanya teasingly.
“You got into a fistfight with the guards because he wasn’t looking for her hard enough.”
“Miss Adele! That’s...!”
“Oh my, I’m sorry. Was it a secret?”
“Then I’ll be leaving!”
Zimmer’s face seemed to have turned a little red as he hurriedly got up from his chair. Tanya quickly shouted at Zimmer.
“Hey... thank you, Zimmer!”
Zimmer quickly lowered the corners of his lips that were slowly rising and bowed his head.
“Then you two, take a rest!”
Boom!
When the door closed and the two were left alone, Adele teased Tanya again.
“Oh my, the door will break through at this rate.”
Even after Zimmer disappeared, Tanya continued to stare at the door for a while.
“What did I do?”
“Just like that.”
Adele thought about Zimmer and Tanya meeting. She thought they would make a nice couple. Of course, she didn’t want to get in the middle and get excited.
“I think I should get up now.”
“Why, lie down any longer?”
“I don’t want to stay here any longer. I don’t have any good memories.”
“Yeah.”
Adele agreed with a bitter smile.
In fact, even the air in Oswald’s mansion was suffocating her.
Then Tanya asked carefully.
“Um... can I go to your house today?”
“My house?”
“Sorry, Miss’s house. That’s where I feel most comfortable.”
Adele smiled and nodded.
“That’s where I feel most comfortable, too. Let’s go together, Tanya.”
“You too?”
“Then it’s our house.”
“Get out if you’re going to talk nonsense. Otherwise, I’ll call people!”
“Well. Is there anyone in this mansion who would dare touch me right now?”
And Adele naturally sat down across from Seira.
“Who told you to sit down?”
Seira shouted, but she paid no attention.
“Then you plan on making your guests stand? Is that the manners of the Marquis?”
“Guest?”
Seira was shocked, but she was a little intimidated by Adele's expression and voice.
Adele was definitely different than before. Her throat was quite tense, perhaps because she was Christine's fiancée and was being held up by people.
No, it was different from that kind of shallow arrogance. This cool expression was similar to Christine's.
In the meantime, Adele elegantly picked up the cookies on the plate and put them in her mouth.
"Ugh!"
But she frowned and quickly spat them out. And in the teacup that Seira had just been drinking from.
"What are you doing?"
Adele looked like she had bitten a bug.
"You were eating such a tasteless thing."
Even though Adele was being so rude, Seira could not call the people over, but was rather furious.
As Adele said, all the servants in this mansion were only watching the guards. Most of them didn’t even show their noses for fear of getting entangled with Stone and being falsely accused.
Seira knew that too. She was quick-witted as she reigned as the queen of high society.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly and get out!”
Seira barely managed to hold back her anger and shouted.
Then Adele smiled faintly.
“Why didn’t you remove the skeletons in the crypt? If only they hadn’t been discovered, your brother wouldn’t have been arrested like this.”
Seira felt a sting but quickly hid her expression.
“I didn’t know what you said was true.”
Adele rested her chin on her clasped hands and stared at Seira. Her green eyes seemed to see through Seira’s mind. These eyes also somehow resembled Christine’s.
Could the two of them have become this similar just by living together?
“No, you didn’t remove the evidence on purpose.”
“What? Why me!”
“I already knew that. That’s why I told you.”
Seira gasped. For some reason, she felt manipulated by Adele.
“Ma, don’t talk nonsense...”
“If Stone is captured, you’ll be able to act as the head of this marquisate again. You must have connections with the Empress, so the Marquis might be greedy too.”
“No... really... no!”
Seira denied it strongly, as if she had been hit on the nail in the head.
“But Seira, you know what? You fell for my tricks.”
“What?”
“It’s easier to deal with one than two.”
“That...what are you talking about?”
Crunch.
Adele got up from her chair.
“It’s your turn next, Seira.”
Adele slowly poured the teacup with melted cookies over Seira’s head.
Crunch...
“And next time you come, be more polite to me.”
Seira froze like ice at the unexpected turn of events. Then, she soon got angry and screamed.
“Ah! This girl! Linda! Linda!”
The maid came running after hearing Seira’s scream.
“Miss, what happened...!”
The old maid, Linda, couldn’t close her mouth at the sight before her eyes.
The Princess of this mansion was like a wet mouse, running wild.
Leaving Seira behind, Adele approached.
“It’s been a while, maid.”
Linda doubted her own eyes. Adele’s attitude toward her was so arrogant and elegant. She only remembered Adele always cowering and timid in front of her.
However, the maid, who had always had the upper hand in her relationship with Adele, shouted confidently.
“Why do you dare come here?”
Crack!
The maid’s head turned sharply with a sharp sound.
“When you see me, bow your head first. You should behave properly as you’ve gotten older.”
The maid glared, holding her flushed cheek. But he couldn’t say anything because Adele’s expression, looking at her, was so majestic.
“Answer.”
“Yes...”
“Your head is still stiff.”
“I, I’m sorry... Madam.”
The maid had always mocked Adele and called her “basement lady.” But today, she couldn’t dare say the word “basement.” Moreover, she lowered her head so that it touched the ground.
“See you again soon, Seira.”
Only then did Adele leave Seira’s room.
Seira realized then that she was more helpless than she thought without Stone.
No. It wasn’t that she was helpless, but that Adele had become stronger.
***
After leaving Seira’s room, Adele headed to the guest bedroom where Tanya was.
Tanya had been rescued from the wine aging room a little while ago.
Stone had locked her in an oak barrel in the wine aging room. If she had been a little later, she might have suffocated to death.
Fortunately, the Oswald mansion’s doctor had administered emergency treatment and said that there were no major injuries.
However, she had not regained consciousness, so they were just waiting for her to wake up.
Knock knock.
As Adele opened the door and went in, Tanya smiled brightly from the bed.
“Miss...”
“...!”
Adele quickly ran to Tanya and hugged her tightly.
The doctor said she would wake up soon, but Adele was anxious. She was a maid, but to her, she was like family.
“She just came back to consciousness. She seems to be more alert than I thought.”
Zimmer, who was next to her, added an explanation.
Tanya glared at him and grumbled.
“I'm not okay. I really thought I was going to die. Isn’t that too much?”
“That’s okay. There’s no place more injured than Miss Adele?”
Tanya then noticed that there was blood here and there on Adele’s hand and forearm.
“Now that I think about it, you’re hurt too. Could it be that you were trying to save me...”
Adele shook her head.
“No. I had a problem that I absolutely had to solve. It’s been solved. Are you okay? You were really scared, weren’t you? I’m sorry. It’s because of me...”
Tanya smiled brightly, afraid that Adele would worry.
“I was really scared, but I believed that you would definitely save me. Just like you saved me before.”
There had been a similar situation before.
Tanya had been hung on a tree for days because she broke Stone’s favorite porcelain. Those who didn’t want to get on his bad side pretended not to see Tanya.
If Adele hadn’t stepped forward and saved her, Tanya would have starved to death. Instead, she heard later that Adele wasn’t given food for several days.
That was when Tanya started to treat Adele like her real sister.
“If you say that, maybe Sir Zimmer will be upset? You tried harder than I this time.”
“Really?”
Tanya looked at her as if she were surprised. She kept saying things that made her look neat and upset.
“No. It was my duty, of course.”
When Zimmer quickly waved his hand with an embarrassed face, Adele whispered to Tanya teasingly.
“You got into a fistfight with the guards because he wasn’t looking for her hard enough.”
“Miss Adele! That’s...!”
“Oh my, I’m sorry. Was it a secret?”
“Then I’ll be leaving!”
Zimmer’s face seemed to have turned a little red as he hurriedly got up from his chair. Tanya quickly shouted at Zimmer.
“Hey... thank you, Zimmer!”
Zimmer quickly lowered the corners of his lips that were slowly rising and bowed his head.
“Then you two, take a rest!”
Boom!
When the door closed and the two were left alone, Adele teased Tanya again.
“Oh my, the door will break through at this rate.”
Even after Zimmer disappeared, Tanya continued to stare at the door for a while.
“What did I do?”
“Just like that.”
Adele thought about Zimmer and Tanya meeting. She thought they would make a nice couple. Of course, she didn’t want to get in the middle and get excited.
“I think I should get up now.”
“Why, lie down any longer?”
“I don’t want to stay here any longer. I don’t have any good memories.”
“Yeah.”
Adele agreed with a bitter smile.
In fact, even the air in Oswald’s mansion was suffocating her.
Then Tanya asked carefully.
“Um... can I go to your house today?”
“My house?”
“Sorry, Miss’s house. That’s where I feel most comfortable.”
Adele smiled and nodded.
“That’s where I feel most comfortable, too. Let’s go together, Tanya.”
“You too?”
“Then it’s our house.”
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