SOWD Chapter 93

Chapter 93

The next day, Edmund received a visit from Baron Owen.

“What brings you here so urgently?” Edmund asked.

However, unlike before, he was no longer armed with his usual polite smile and courteous demeanor. After his humiliating defeat against Laszlo in their duel, Edmund was mentally on the defensive.

Baron Owen hesitated, sensing Edmund’s foul mood, but eventually spoke with difficulty.

“I can no longer keep the maid you entrusted to me.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Everyone has realized that she was lying. A group of noblewomen came yesterday and practically demanded an explanation. And now, Count Chrysos is searching for the source of the false rumors. If this continues, my family will be ruined.”

Edmund clenched his fists tightly.

It felt as if every plan he had carefully laid out was unraveling one by one, as though Laszlo was looking down on him from above, mocking his failure.

“Damn it…!”

“In any case, since you agreed, I will dismiss the maid today.”

“Go ahead. But you understand, don’t you? You must never reveal that I was the one who introduced her. Keep in mind that one of the ‘Three Great Houses’ stands behind me.”

“Ah, of course. Understood. I shall take my leave, then…”

Although Baron Owen was displeased, he couldn’t afford to express his anger. The Milton family had invested 80% of his major business venture through secret funds, making it impossible for him to oppose Edmund outright.

As Edmund watched Owen’s retreating figure, he considered the matter of Marsha to be settled.

However, that night, he received an urgent message from Baron Owen.

“When I informed her of her dismissal, Marsha threw a fit, threatening to expose everything to Count Chrysos. To calm her down, I told her to wait at home and that she might be called back later. What should we do?”

At that, Edmund’s patience snapped completely.

“Why is it that everything associated with ‘Chrysos’ is so damn irritating?”

Rather than sending a reply, he donned a mask that covered his face down to his eyes, threw on a hooded robe, and stepped outside. A cheap, easily obtainable sword hung from his waist.

---

Idel was on her way to Laszlo’s office after being summoned by him.

As she entered, she saw him looking down at a document before casually speaking.

“Marsha Boen is dead.”

“…What?”

“It appears to be a case of revenge. Her corpse was reportedly mutilated beyond recognition.”

A horrifying image of Marsha’s dismembered, bloodied body flashed in Idel’s mind, making her instinctively cover her mouth with her hand.

“Ah, was that too gruesome for you?”

Suppressing the nausea rising within her, Idel shook her head slightly.

“Do they have any suspects?”

“If the body hadn’t been so severely butchered, it might have been unclear. But now, I have a pretty good idea.”

“…What do you mean?”

Laszlo smirked.

“Dismembering a body isn’t easy. Bones aren’t weak enough to be severed with a simple swing of a blade, and blood and fat make the blade dull.”

“Then…?”

“It means the killer was highly skilled with a sword. Not just any knight, but someone beyond that level.”

He set the document he had been reading down on his desk.

It contained detailed information from Calliope regarding Marsha—how the noblewomen had confronted the Owen family at the party, how she was fired that evening, and even witness testimonies and the condition of her body on the day she died.

However, the detail that solidified Laszlo’s suspicions was this:

“…A tall, well-built man (presumed noble) was seen heading towards Marsha’s house, wearing a robe that completely concealed his body. Witnesses noted that his movements were precise and his strides were long.”

‘Precise movements, long strides… Those are characteristics of the Imperial Knights.’

Imperial Knights were deployed for various formal events, where they had to maintain a perfectly disciplined formation at all times. Their walking posture was meticulously trained, making it a distinctive trait that set them apart from other knights.

After verifying this, Laszlo recalled that the Milton family had ties to the Owen family.

At the time, he had only considered them a minor investor, but now he was certain.

‘Edmund Milton. Whether he did it himself or used one of his knight lackeys…’

Just as he reached this conclusion—

“Was it Sir Edmund Milton?”

Idel asked.

Laszlo raised an eyebrow in surprise before shrugging.

“Why do you think it was him?”

“The last time he approached me at the party, he knew that the mansion lacked hot water and that I had worked as a laundry maid.”

Idel recalled her conversation with Edmund.

“At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now that I look back, there was no way he could have known. When he visited the mansion on Imperial Knight business, I was already serving Lady Linia, so he wouldn’t have known I used to be a laundry maid.”

“And the fact that my servants didn’t have hot water? Even I only learned about that later.”

“But if Sir Milton had been in contact with Marsha, it all makes sense. Maybe I’m just grasping at straws, but…”

Laszlo chuckled.

“No, I think you’re on the right track. Edmund is highly suspicious.”

“Would he have left behind any evidence?”

“He’s not the type to be careless enough to leave traces behind. Calliope searched every inch of the crime scene before the city guards arrived, but they found nothing.”

Since the city guards wouldn’t waste resources on a mere commoner’s death, Marsha’s murder would likely remain an unsolved case forever.

“Marsha made a mistake choosing someone like him… No, actually, it makes sense. People tend to gravitate toward those who are similar to them.”

Laszlo had no sympathy for Marsha.

The compensation she had been ordered to pay him was not an amount that would drive her to desperation. She may have gone into debt, but if she had worked hard and paid it off little by little, she could have managed.

‘But once a person gets a taste of luxury, they can never forget it.’

Her desire for revenge had also played a part. Though why the wrongdoer would hold a grudge still baffled him.

“In any case, we don’t have to worry about Marsha Boen anymore. Weren’t you bothered by her?”

Laszlo assumed that Idel would be relieved, or even pleased, at the news.

However, her expression was far from satisfied.

“…For some reason, I find it a little sad.”

“It would’ve been great if we could have taken down Edmund as well, but unfortunately, we couldn’t.”

“No, that’s not it… It’s just… the way Marsha died.”

“What? Why would that be sad? She got exactly what she deserved.”

Laszlo looked at her incredulously.

Idel understood where he was coming from. If she shared the news with the mansion’s servants, there would be no shortage of people who found it satisfying.

She wasn’t going to pretend to be virtuous. She had despised Marsha. Her inexplicable malice towards others, her selfishness, and her hypocritical victim mentality had been impossible to tolerate.

But that aside, the nature of her death left a bitter taste in Idel’s mouth.

 

“To be used like a fool, then discarded once she was no longer useful… That’s what I find…”