“Miss Vivian, this letter was sent to the Fourth Lady by a friend named Benjamin.”
Vivian accepted the letter that was handed to her, bearing the emblem of Karkus Trading Company.
She remembered Edith had mentioned that a reply to the letter would come soon through a merchant.
『 It looks like this Benjamin really has an acquaintance at Karkus.』
Vivian bid farewell to him briefly and took the letter addressed to Edith.
Hoping that this letter would improve Edith’s mood, as she had been holed up in the library reading thick books after Thanksgiving dinner.
However, when Edith left the room, saying she would join Isabelle for tea and snacks, she returned with a more tired expression than when she had left.
“M’lady…?”
“Ah, Vivian.”
In fact, Edith was exhausted. Maybe it was because she had maintained a rigid posture all the time, perhaps to avoid appearing weak in front of Victor and Isabelle, and the snacks on the side seemed like a burden.
But her efforts were not in vain.
⋙“I believe I can fulfill your second condition as well.”⋘
When Victor said so and saw Isabelle nod, Edith felt like she had taken a big step towards escaping from this manor.
『 Under the current circumstances, Whitman may take the fall for all charges related to the embezzlement.』
To prepare for such a scenario, she needed to instill in people the perception that Sophia was not a trustworthy person. That would aid Walter’s plan to turn Helen into the future head of House Fortrion, and Edith could escape from Sophia’s weakened grasp.
『 I’m glad Isabelle willingly accepted my proposal.』
Dealing with the father and daughter at once was very nerve-wracking, but in the end, her plan to ruin Sophia’s reputation went off very well.
“You seem a bit tired. Should I tell the kitchen to make some sweet ice cream?”
“I just had a snack, so I’m fine. I must have been nervous. I’ll relax by reading a book.”
Vivian was concerned that Edith might get lost in the book.
“Ah, M’lady, on my way here, I received a letter from a merchant from Karkus.”
“Is it from Benjamin?”
“Yes, it seems he has quite a wide network.”
Vivian thought to herself that he cared a lot about her without adding any further comments.
Edith, who had just moments ago seemed like she might collapse onto the bed, was now focused as she began reading the letter.
Unlike the friendly introduction that begins with ‘Dear Edith’, the content of the letter is serious.
╭══════
I rushed to the lower reaches of the river as quickly as possible, but the situation is terrible. The village chief sent a letter requesting urgent help, but there has been no response.
══════╯
『 Just as I expected, it was like that.』
It seemed that the condition of the river embankment was not as good as she had initially thought.
Considering that the budget for the embankment repairs had been empty for thirteen years since Nicholas inherited the title, it was an expected result.
╭══════
And I also looked into the imprisonment spell you mentioned. The imprisonment spell creates an invisible barrier, so when you tear up the release spell after leaving the barrier, the spell is undone.
══════╯
╭══════
However, if you leave the barrier once with the release spell intact without tearing it, then from then on, you can’t re-enter the barrier without the spell; that’s what they said.
══════╯
『 The workings of the imprisonment spell seem more complex than I thought.』
It seemed that as long as she had the release spell, she could pass through the barrier. Edith continued reading the letter, grateful for Benjamin’s friendship in taking the time to investigate on her behalf.
╭══════
P.S. During my investigation, I heard about Viscount Fortrion committing a kidnapping in the past. I’m going to do my best to investigate so I can tell you the next time we meet.
══════╯
『 A kidnapping?』
Benjamin was a cautious person.
The fact that he didn’t go into detail about what he had heard meant there wasn’t enough evidence to make a definitive conclusion.
Although the mention of a kidnapping naturally brought Walter’s face to mind, Edith didn’t rush to make a judgment.
Nevertheless, the new information he had brought troubled her.
『 I wonder when I’ll be able to meet Benjamin again.』
╭══════
May my friendship be of help to you.
Benjamin Homan.
══════╯
『 Even Benjamin, who came to his hometown for a break after being placed on probation, is putting in such an effort for me, I can’t just sit still.』
Edith, filled with gratitude, read and reread the neatly written words, gathering her determination.
In order to escape, her priority was to thwart Sophia’s plan.
For that to happen, it was necessary to inform others that Sophia was untrustworthy and could have been deeply involved in Whitman’s embezzlement in order to deal an irreparable blow.
『 It would be best to reveal at the right time what kind of threats she made to me in order to obtain the fortune.』
Edith quickly formulated a plan in her mind.
──────────✿◦•
Late in the evening, as the servants returned to their respective quarters to rest, Edith, who had been waiting for this moment, asked Vivian, who had just finished her work.
“Can I take a walk in the garden for a moment now?”
“It should be fine. Lady Sophia is busy with the head butler’s work and hasn’t been able to sleep because of the accounting books.”
Edith wondered exactly why Sophia was so heartbroken that she lost control.
Is Sophia really sad about losing Whitman? Or is she suffering from being in a difficult situation due to the loss of Whitman’s hands and feet?
If Sophia’s true nature is to take advantage of the life of a woman she doesn’t know to satisfy her material desires, it would be the latter again this time.
“It’s quite a relief that Sophia isn’t paying attention to me right now. I’d like to take a walk.”
“The breeze is getting chilly, so I’ll fetch you a cloak.”
Edith put on the cloak that Vivian handed her and walked away.
She had taken many walks in the garden before, and now, even the nighttime path felt quite familiar.
『 When I first woke up here, I didn’t have any hope.』
Now, thinking about how she was hiding from Sophia and secretly talking to Lady Isabelle, Edith felt a sense of renewal.
She knew very well who had brought her this far.
-Walter.-
If he, the hidden power within the manor, had not helped her, it would have been difficult for her to even hope to escape from here.
It would have been impossible for her to deceive others by pretending that she was spending the night with someone.
And by some stroke of luck, someone else at the mansion helped her…
『 Would my heart race this much with another man as it did with Walter, even if it were just to deceive Sophia’s people?』
Every part of Walter’s body was as hard as a sack filled with sand.
Just looking at the veins bulging on his arms could make her heart tighten, and she found herself stealing glances without even realizing it.
『 Even his squinted eyes…』
Her heart had pounded as if it might leap out of her chest when she had gotten so close to him in order to deceive Whitman. The vivid and intense images that unfolded in her mind when their eyes met at a breath’s distance were hard to forget.
Like the moment when Jane had unexpectedly arrived and she had to sit on his lower abdomen. The firmness and warmth she had felt through the contact…
“Ahem.”
Then, Edith’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted as she recalled the intense scene in the warehouse…
“What could M’lady be thinking to make such a face?”
“!”
Perhaps by coincidence, Walter suddenly appeared in sight.
Edith was puzzled about how he managed to locate her.
She defended herself with the feeling of a thief caught in the act.
“I don’t often think about you. Right now, I’m just…”
“Thinking about me?”
Walter’s eyes sparkled mischievously as if he had found a fun toy to play with.
“I never thought you would have such a secret interest in me.”
“I misspoke. It’s just that I remembered the time we deceived Jane in the warehouse.”
“If it naturally comes to mind, it must not have been too bad.”
Edith decided to keep her mouth shut. She knew that if she tried to defend herself, her face would only get hotter.
Instead, she thought it would be better to change the subject naturally.
“Thanks to you, I was able to expose the embezzlement, so I thought I should say thank you.”
When she thanked him with a twinkle in her eye, Walter felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in his heart.
As he looked at her pretty, slightly blushing cheek, the joyful hymn Isabelle used to sing occasionally came to mind.
For some reason, Walter couldn’t make eye contact with her.
“Is that why you came out at this hour to say that?”
“Not exactly, but since I ran into you…”
Edith smiled and headed somewhere.
She clearly remembered seeing a certain plant when she had strolled in the garden with Walter before.
There was a lot of forest near where she lived, Barony Lowell, where she spent her childhood, so she was good at remembering the shapes and locations of plants.
Soon, she stopped in front of a thicket of red-fruited bushes.
“I came to pick these.”
Walter couldn’t quite understand her intention, as he didn’t know what kind of fruit this was.
With graceful movements, she reached out and plucked a handful of fruit.
The last time she saw them, the fruit was all green and unripe, but now, they had ripened considerably, each one plump and reddish.
“I think using this fruit will help us escape from here a little faster.”
Walter felt ominous for a moment.
It was because Edith’s eyes were shaking uneasily as she held a handful of the fruits in her white hands.
“I believe you’re not reckless enough to pick poisonous fruits and feed them to Sophia.”
Edith shook her head slightly and explained.
“These are ellick berries, a type of berry that grows wild throughout the Fortrion territory. I’ve seen them growing in the manor during our last walk.”
However, she had no intention of explaining in detail the effects of this fruit to Walter.
She was afraid that if she revealed their effects, Walter might prevent her from eating them.
『 For now, I have to eat this to hasten our escape.』
Edith continued speaking as she packed the berries into a pouch she had brought.
“Shall we take a walk first? After eating these ellickberries, it will be difficult for me to do outdoor activities for a while.”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
