Chapter 65
The idea of marrying off Susan started as a simple plan to get rid of one of the sisters-in-law. I never intended for her to be unhappy.
The problem was that I didn’t expect Aileen’s animosity to run so deep. I had thought it was just jealousy and insecurity toward Susan, but I never imagined that she would push her friend into such a dangerous situation.
‘I should have been more careful, not just thinking about listening to Aileen’s true feelings, but also examining the suspicious connections closely.’
For example, offering Susan the proposal from the Marquis of Eden, who had previously been discussing marriage with Aileen, and insisting that she steal back my garnet ring were things that should have been suspected.
But it was too difficult to check everything on my own. The servants I befriended were only useful within the Duke’s residence, and I couldn’t exactly command the Countess of Cotta like my own hands and feet.
‘Then, the only remaining person is Stefan…’
Since I had kept Stefan at the Duke’s residence for now, I planned to use him to figure out a way to save Susan. He would be cooperative when it came to helping his sister, so he would be a valuable partner.
***
From the next day, Stefan never left the Duke’s residence, which reassured Rachel, but Rita was increasingly uneasy.
Elliot, who had come all the way to the capital, was expected to come to the Duke’s residence soon, and Rita didn’t want her son to find out about it.
However, after two days and then three, when her son still hadn’t shown up, Rita began to fear that he had already caught on.
‘Stefan hasn’t met with the Marquis yet, has he?’
Because the Duke’s residence was being so tightly guarded, Rita hadn’t received any updates about the Marquis of Eden or the people she had sent to look out for Susan’s safety.
‘I might just die from impatience.’
Perhaps sensing Rita’s frustration, on the fourth morning, another letter arrived. This time, the envelope had an emerald cufflink attached to it.
The letter stated that the payment for the promissory note issued for Susan’s wedding had been postponed, and it was requested that the Duke’s family settle the debt instead.
“Can you believe this shameless person? Was Susan the only one getting married?”
Rita was furious, but since she couldn’t send the messenger back empty-handed, she held back her anger and wrote a response agreeing to pay off the promissory note issued by the Marquis’s family.
She thought that once the immediate fire was put out, her son-in-law would return to Herkeni.
The Marquis’s debt was fully settled the next day. Since Rita couldn’t leave the Duke’s residence, she sent Thomas in her place to exchange all the Marquis’s promissory notes with ones from the Duke’s family.
Rita’s swift and bold handling of the situation was communicated directly to Stefan through Finn.
“This is ridiculous.”
The random and trivial details of the items the Marquis of Eden had paid for with promissory notes were absurd, but what baffled Stefan was that Rita had paid off their promissory notes with the Duke’s family’s money, even putting a ship up as collateral.
“Was the one to be tamed not Susan, but Rita? Well, she’s been obvious enough, so she must have been targeted for her money, tsk tsk.”
The next letter that arrived told of the Marquis of Eden having smoothly left the capital after achieving his objective, having stopped all urgent promissory notes.
“‘I’ve accomplished my goal, so I’ll leave for now?’”
Stefan let out a bitter laugh before narrowing his eyes and clenching his lips. It was frustrating to think that he had spent years traveling abroad while the Marquis had so easily made his move, and yet he was now stuck dealing with this.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Stefan started getting ready to go out, but Rachel blocked his way.
“My lord, are you leaving?”
“The Marquis of Eden has returned to Herkeni. I have to go out now.”
“When will Susan return?”
“Susan… why would she return?”
Stefan asked in confusion, and Rachel’s face turned pale.
“Are you just going to leave her like that?”
“The Marquis of Eden intends to extort money from us, not harm Susan.”
“That’s just your assumption. Susan could be trembling in fear, all alone without anyone on her side.”
Rachel’s face looked not just pale, but almost ghostly, as if she was imagining something terrible. Seeing her like that, Stefan, startled, gently led her to the sofa and tried to calm her.
“Please calm down, my lady. Why are you so serious?”
“My lord, please save Susan.”
“Divorce is a matter between the couple. Even if one is a Duke of the Empire, or a brother, no one can interfere in such matters.”
Rachel could understand this logically, but she couldn’t accept it. She knew that not all couples in the world were equal, and it made it hard for her to accept.
“Then, please ask Miss Susan. I need to know her situation, what she’s thinking.”
Stefan found her request absurd. If she were close enough to take such good care of Susan, shouldn’t she have opposed the marriage before it took place?
“Are you asking me to send a letter to Susan?”
“I would appreciate it if you could.”
“Then, will you write the letter, my lady?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Rachel sat at the desk Stefan had provided and began to write the letter. It was a heartfelt letter expressing concern for her sister-in-law’s well-being, and a desperate hope that Susan would return to the Duke’s residence as soon as possible.
However, the messenger returned without delivering the letter.
It took the Marquis of Eden three days to return to Herkeni. Rachel had hoped that, during that time, she would receive a reply from Susan via the messenger.
“Could it be that the messenger didn’t know the route properly?”
“That’s not likely, my lady.”
Instead of a pigeon, they had sent a trained hawk specialized for long-distance flight. The hawk was specially trained for such circumstances.
The fact that the letter had returned without being delivered meant one of two things: either Susan couldn’t be found at the Marquis’s residence, or even if she had been found, there was a situation that prevented the letter from being delivered.
Either way, it was clear that Susan’s situation wasn’t good.
“How about sending another messenger?”
She couldn’t bring herself to voice the ominous thoughts that were flooding her mind, so she simply stood quietly, looking at Stefan.
“That would likely be futile as well.”
“Then… what should we do?”
She was afraid that she might have been the one to put Susan in such a perilous situation. It was her fault for forcing a bond that shouldn’t have existed.
Seeing how Rachel seemed to be losing sleep over her worry for Susan, Stefan felt pity for her and decided to create a different situation. If they couldn’t find Susan, he would make her come to the Duke’s residence herself.
***
After hearing reports from the subordinates, Rita sat down in shock.
Although the Marquis of Eden had been pretending to be polite on the surface, she was stunned to learn that he was actually a well-known pirate from the southern region.
What made her even more terrified was hearing that no matter how much they searched through the Marquis’s estate, they couldn’t find a trace of Susan.
“How could this happen…? What state of mind was I in when I sent Susan into a pirate’s lair?”
“…I’ll go to Herkeni,” Thomas said.
“Do you think anything will change if you go?” Rita snapped.
“Then should I just stay here and lock myself in the Duke’s residence?”
Thomas’s cry, almost resembling a scream, made Rita glare at him. She found his raising of his voice after she made a mistake irritating.
“I’ll handle it, so you stay out of it.”
“How long are you going to keep doing this nonsense? It’s been twenty years! At this point, I think enough time has passed for me to atone.”
“How do you plan to leave the Duke’s residence? Do you think the Marquis will just hand Susan over if you go?”
Rita, in a fit of rage, trembled, clutching the hem of her dress. Seeing this, Thomas, with a strange sense of satisfaction, smirked and spoke out.
“Why not just spill everything now?”
“No! The picture I’ve been painting is only half complete!”
“Damn it, what more do you need to feel satisfied?”
Thomas scolded Rita loudly, as if reprimanding her.
“Can you really speak like that while watching your daughter slowly die? Rita, I knew your greed would eventually devour your child. You should’ve helped Susan escape your grasp long ago.”
Rita, who was now sneering at Thomas, looked at him with a mocking smile.
“You helping Susan? How? Do you think it’s possible after trampling on Susan’s pride, which she holds dear, as a member of the Edmond family?”
“I don’t need your permission anymore. From now on, I’ll act and decide according to what I think is best.”
With those cold words, Thomas left Rita’s room, only to come face to face with Stefan, who had a sly smile on his face.
“Y-Your Grace…”
Woah 🤯…..
🤭