Episode 82. April's Lie
"What's going on at this hour? Did the captain come back with you?"
Adele asked Zimmer with some hope.
"The captain won't be home for a few days because he's wrapping up a serial murder case. He asked me to check on the mansion, so I stopped by for a moment."
Although she was disappointed, Adele smiled without showing it.
"Yes, please tell him that everything's fine."
Then Mia quickly chimed in.
"What's wrong? He asked you to check on Adele because you were worried, right?"
"Yes, well..."
Zimmer laughed awkwardly, as if he'd hit the nail on the head.
Christine had been with the palace coroner since yesterday. They had arrested Stone, but they still hadn't identified the skeleton that came from the Oswald family. It would probably take a few more days.
Even so, Adele seemed worried. For a while, their relationship had been cold, but it seemed to have been quite heated a few days ago. Christine sent Zimmer frequently to check on the mansion to see if anything was wrong. In fact, he was more curious about her than the mansion.
“I’m fine, so please check on Tanya too.”
“Huh? What is that...?”
“Since she was someone Sir Zimmer saved, it’s your job to take care of her until the end.”
“She seemed okay.”
Mia eventually chimed in at Zimmer’s frustrated answer.
“What are you talking about? To me, it looked like she was pretending to be okay!”
Adele added a word.
“Tanya is the type of person who doesn’t show it when she’s sick. She’ll be anxious for a while since she’s been locked up like that.”
At the two people’s swearing, Zimmer took a step back awkwardly, but then he quickly made up his mind and ran to where Tanya had disappeared.
“Wow! This is a good time.”
Mia was jumping for joy as if it were her own love.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“Oh my. They really say those who have are scarier!”
“Then, Mia, you really have it all. Even the baby who’s about to be born.”
“And you? Could it be that you’re pregnant and don’t even know it? Check the dates carefully.”
Adele’s expression wavered at the mention of pregnancy. Of course, she didn’t show it to Mia.
“We decided to take it a little slower.”
Oh, why?”
Mia opened her eyes wide in surprise, but soon guessed the reason and laughed.
Adele asked Zimmer with some hope.
"The captain won't be home for a few days because he's wrapping up a serial murder case. He asked me to check on the mansion, so I stopped by for a moment."
Although she was disappointed, Adele smiled without showing it.
"Yes, please tell him that everything's fine."
Then Mia quickly chimed in.
"What's wrong? He asked you to check on Adele because you were worried, right?"
"Yes, well..."
Zimmer laughed awkwardly, as if he'd hit the nail on the head.
Christine had been with the palace coroner since yesterday. They had arrested Stone, but they still hadn't identified the skeleton that came from the Oswald family. It would probably take a few more days.
Even so, Adele seemed worried. For a while, their relationship had been cold, but it seemed to have been quite heated a few days ago. Christine sent Zimmer frequently to check on the mansion to see if anything was wrong. In fact, he was more curious about her than the mansion.
“I’m fine, so please check on Tanya too.”
“Huh? What is that...?”
“Since she was someone Sir Zimmer saved, it’s your job to take care of her until the end.”
“She seemed okay.”
Mia eventually chimed in at Zimmer’s frustrated answer.
“What are you talking about? To me, it looked like she was pretending to be okay!”
Adele added a word.
“Tanya is the type of person who doesn’t show it when she’s sick. She’ll be anxious for a while since she’s been locked up like that.”
At the two people’s swearing, Zimmer took a step back awkwardly, but then he quickly made up his mind and ran to where Tanya had disappeared.
“Wow! This is a good time.”
Mia was jumping for joy as if it were her own love.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“Oh my. They really say those who have are scarier!”
“Then, Mia, you really have it all. Even the baby who’s about to be born.”
“And you? Could it be that you’re pregnant and don’t even know it? Check the dates carefully.”
Adele’s expression wavered at the mention of pregnancy. Of course, she didn’t show it to Mia.
“We decided to take it a little slower.”
Oh, why?”
Mia opened her eyes wide in surprise, but soon guessed the reason and laughed.
“Oh, you want to enjoy the fun of being newlyweds a little more?”
“Well, I guess so.”
Adele shrugged and agreed. Even Adel couldn’t tell her everything about their situation.
“Ouch, you sassy and naughty thing! They say that late-learning thievery is scary!”
“That’s right.”
“Ah!”
Mia, who had been jeering as if envious, suddenly hugged her stomach.
“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”
“My stomach feels a little weird.”
“What’s wrong? Should I call a doctor?”
Unlike Adele, who was surprised, Mia stroked her stomach with a slightly naughty expression.
“It feels like water bubbles are popping inside my stomach.”
“A drop of water? Could it be something like the movement of a fetus...?”
“I don’t know. This feels really weird. Ahh... Again... Wow, this is really weird. But I like this so much.”
Mia laughed out loud with a bright face.
"Can I touch it?”
“Yes.”
Adele also carefully touched Mia’s belly, but she still didn’t feel anything. However, Mia continued to laugh in wonder.
“It’s really starting to feel real now. My baby is really growing inside me. I have to tell him right away, but how can I wait until I get off work?”
“Are you really happy?”
“Of course. Adele, it’s nice to have fun as a newlywed, but if you’re going to have a baby, have it quickly. If you have a baby who looks like you and him, another happiness awaits you. We’ve become closer since we got pregnant. Should I say we’ve become a real family?”
Mia certainly looked happier than anyone else right now.
She seemed to be filled with a different sense of stability than Tanya, who was about to start a new love, and Adele, who had a capable fiancé.
Christine and my baby...
A real family.
But it’s too much for now, right?
***
“Then you have to come out right now.”
The warden’s voice was heard from behind the firmly closed iron door.
Squeak!
Soon, the iron door opened, and a gorgeous and beautiful blonde woman who didn’t fit in here came in.
“Marquis Oswald...”
Stone, who was lying on the old bed with his arms propped up, slowly raised his lips.
As expected... I knew you’d come!
“Are you okay, Marquis?”
Stone slowly sat up at the sound of her tearful voice.
April, in front of him, looked like she was about to cry at any moment.
Stone was still in custody, his charges unconfirmed. Therefore, he was isolated in a facility before being sent to prison. It was small and old, but there were beds and furniture, and sunlight streamed in through the barred windows.
However, April felt sorry for him, locked up in a place like this.
“Oh, April. How did you get here...”
He called her name with a sorrowful expression.
Just that made April’s tears flow down.
“Don’t cry, April.”
When he reached out and wiped her eyes, April ran into his arms.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Marquis. I tried so hard to stop my father, and Count Weiss just did whatever he could to you...”
“It’s okay. I’m just sorry for putting such a noble person like you in that situation.”
“No, I could have told lies like that as many times as it was for you and my father. I really didn’t know. That the Count was the Silver Wolf. That he was so cruel and cunning. That he would blame you for the terrible things he did!”
“I’m more worried that someone like that is by His Majesty’s side. That His Majesty might end up following in the footsteps of the previous Emperor.”
Stone glanced at her as he said this, and April’s face turned pale.
“Tell me, Marquis. What else should I do?”
Stone pulled April around the waist and sat her on his lap. He stroked her hair as if he were soothing a child and whispered.
“Just stay by my side for now. Just having you here with me gives me strength.”
April looked moved by those words.
“It’s upsetting, everyone who doubts you!”
“It’s okay if you understand me.”
The hand that had been caressing April’s hair naturally grabbed her chin and lowered her lips. Then, as if possessed, April hugged his neck and kissed him.
It was so easy to seduce the innocent Princess.
Stone’s lips turned up thinly like a snake as he skillfully indulged her.
***
“Are you in your right mind, Your Majesty?”
Jan furrowed his brows at Christine’s question.
It seemed like that bastard didn’t even care about the Emperor anymore.
He arrested Stone without permission, and now he was talking so rudely when he was ordered to release him.
And now he was sitting on his desk as if he had given up on treating the Emperor.
But Jan had no choice but to endure it.
Right now, he had no way of dealing with this beast.
“Let me be clear. If we don’t identify the body that came out of Oswald’s house by tomorrow, there’s no reason to keep him locked up. So hurry back and hurry.”
“Isn’t the evidence overflowing with the corpses from the Orbis Kingdom, the skeletons from his mansion, and the people who were serially murdered being killed using the same method?”
“That alone won’t be enough to convince the nobles, that’s the problem!”
Jan shouted excitedly, but Christine glared at him calmly.
“I understand that the nobles haven’t made any moves yet.”
“...!”
Jan quickly avoided his gaze.
Those eyes that seemed to pierce through his heart. Now he was afraid.
The more things he had to hide from him.
That was it. For some reason, the nobles were keeping silent about Stone.
No, to be exact, the Duke of Rodwell, the head of the nobles, wasn’t moving.
“Now that I think about it, the evidence is meaningless. It seems like you want to let Stone go.
“What’s that...?”
That was when.
“Your Majesty, the princess’s personal doctor has arrived.”
At the sound of the chief chamberlain’s announcement, Jan politely said with a displeased face.
“Let’s talk later, Count Weiss.”
Bam!
Christine opened the door without saying goodbye and went out.
April’s doctor was standing outside the open door, sweating profusely. It was obvious that he had guessed why he had been called here.
“Come in.”
As the doctor entered the office, Jan fiercely swept his hair back and sat down at the desk.
“I think you have something to tell Jim about April?”
“If my father asks, tell her that I’m pregnant. This is all for His Majesty, so trust me. I won’t forget your honor later!”
The doctor hesitated to answer, thinking of April’s request. Then he carefully opened his mouth.
“I think it seems that the princess is... pregnant.”
Jan’s face hardened. Even though he had hoped so badly that it wasn’t true.
At the sight of the emperor, the physician lowered his head involuntarily.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But it’s not yet certain...”
“Go out.”
When Jan was left alone, he held his head in front of the desk.
“Damn...”
Then he suddenly jumped up and slammed his fist on the desk so hard that it shattered.
Boom! Kwaang!
“Stone, you son of a bitch! You damn beast!”
He picked up the sword hanging on the wall and kicked open the office door.
How dare you, to my daughter!
He felt like he would feel better if he decapitated the bastard.
***
Stop!
However, his fierce steps stopped.
Christine was leaning against the wall of the office.
In an instant, he felt as if his aging had subsided and all the blood in his body had drained away. Could it be that he had heard what the doctor was saying?
Of course, there was no way he hadn’t heard. The bastard had sharper ears than an animal.
Damn, I should have been more careful.
“You’re not back yet, what are you doing here?”
He asked with barely a hint of imperial dignity.
Christine turned around and looked Jan straight in the eye. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were sharp and fierce like ice picks.
“Now I understand. Why Your Majesty refused to allow the search of the Oswalds, and why he was releasing the Stone despite all the clear evidence.”
Jan glanced around unconsciously, worried that someone might be listening.
Fortunately, there were only servants and guards around him.
“What are you talking about? If you have something to say, go inside and say it.”
He planned to somehow coax him and take him inside. If people heard about April...
“How interesting.“The pregnancy of an unmarried Princess...”
Jan quickly shouted out like thunder.
“Watch your mouth, Count!”
Despite the Emperor’s fierce momentum, Christine seemed to have no intention of backing down.
Rather, Jan felt his throat tighten as he watched him approach closer.
“The Count must retreat immediately! What are your guards doing? Stop the Count!”
“Everyone, don’t move!”
Christine’s voice, as cold as frost, cut through the air.
At that moment, the guards’ movements all stopped. As if their master was Christine.
He narrowed his eyes at Jan, clearly showing his extreme displeasure.
“Well, the princess’s premarital pregnancy would be scandalous, but if the child’s father is a murderer... It’s only a matter of time before the honor of the royal family falls into ruin."
“Shut up. Stop talking nonsense!”
However, Christine, who had come right up to Jan’s nose, lowered her voice and whispered.
“But did you know, Jan? The wolf clan sleeps with only one partner for their entire lives.”
“...!”
Jan’s eyes widened in an instant.
Stone had already been married.
So, was April’s pregnancy a lie?
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