On the following day, as the sun was setting, Aizen headed to the central shopping street of the Fortrion Estate and sensed that the atmosphere was far from normal.
[Sophia Fortrion’s Additional Charges]
[Residents of the territory demanded executions]
Articles in local newspapers, which were generally favorable to the feudal lords, called for the execution of Sophia and Whitman and for estate reform.
Furthermore, public opinion among the territory’s residents towards Viscount Fortrion was equally harsh.
“We can’t do anything since the Viscount is already dead, but shouldn’t the butler and the Viscountess, who embezzled the estate’s funds, be executed?”
“I can’t stand to see the territory in such a state, even if it means the taxes I’ve paid so far were wasted.”
“It would be better if all the servants who were involved were torn apart instead of imprisoned.”
The weather was so bad that it would not be surprising if it snowed soon, but people were gathering and raising their voices.
On every street corner and in the center of the square, people were gathered and engaged in similar conversations.
Looking at them, who seemed ready to storm into Fortrion Manor and set it on fire at any moment, Aizen thought he had chosen the right time to come when it was still somewhat dark.
『 With this kind of atmosphere, there’s no need to reveal that I came here on an errand for the Second Lady of the estate.』
It was only after he arrived at the main branch of the estate bank that he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Banks have always been places where wealthy customers come first, so the atmosphere inside was not as ominous as outside.
“Sir, how may I assist you?”
“I would like to speak with the bank manager.”
As Aizen said this, he handed over a document given to him by Elizabeth.
It contained a request for cooperation, stating that as the legitimate wife of the deceased Nicholas Fortrion, she was gathering information related to his death.
After verifying Elizabeth Fortrion’s signature and House Fortrion’s seal, the bank employee escorted him to an opulent private room and summoned the bank manager.
“I have come at the request of Lady Elizabeth Fortrion. I heard that the Viscount entrusted some items to a safe owned by a person named Geoffrey.”
Initially, the bank manager had refused to open it, stating that it was Geoffrey’s safe. However, upon receiving two gold coins, he became more flexible.
“But since Geoffrey attempted to kidnap the Viscount’s wife and met his end, we could consider this a compensation for the damages caused by that incident.”
Soon, the bank manager retrieved an elegant wooden box from Geoffrey’s safe.
“It was kept in Geoffrey’s safe, but I understand that it actually belongs to the Viscount. The Viscount was adamant that Geoffrey should not touch it and only look at it with his eyes.”
“I would like to inspect the item for a moment.”
At Aizen’s request, the bank manager stepped back.
As soon as he opened the wooden box, he was momentarily at a loss for words when he saw the framed object resting inside.
╭══════
Name is Edith.
Wavy, rich golden hair; beautiful aqua-colored eyes with long eyelashes; a lively yet elegant voice; lips like ripe fruit; a blue necklace given by her mother.
══════╯
Inside it, Edith’s characteristics were written in crooked handwriting.
『 So, the Viscount even borrowed someone else’s safe just to store this? Something seems strange…』
Aizen returned to Elizabeth with the frame in hand.
Meanwhile, Isabelle, who had paid Eugene’s bail, was interrogating him. He had worked as Sophia’s close aide and was also the chief doctor of Fortrion Manor.
While it was true that Eugene followed Sophia’s orders, he had never taken actions that contradicted the oath of a doctor to save lives.
Just when Elizabeth realized that Eugene knew nothing either, Aizen suddenly came back and handed her a framed picture.
“Lady Elizabeth, please take a moment to look at this.”
“What’s that?”
Elizabeth ordered Eugene to remain on his knees, and she moved to a nearby window to examine the frame.
At first, her reaction wasn’t much different from Aizen’s.
『 The note inside seems quite old, but did Nicholas become fixated on finding Edith after seeing this?』
However, his actions didn’t make sense logically.
If the description matched the appearance of a beauty that Nicholas Fortrion was searching for, did it really need to be Edith?
“Hmm?”
Elizabeth, who was examining the note in the frame with a puzzled look, suddenly widened her eyes as she noticed something.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the bottom of the note was not cut off but rather folded inward, tucked inside the frame.
Click—
As if she were possessed, she turned the frame over and retrieved the note hidden inside.
“…!”
And then, the signature of the note’s owner was revealed.
The last part of the long name was smeared with ink and difficult to read, but the front part was quite clear.
『 Walter Isaac Lexion…?』
Both Elizabeth and Aizen, who had verified the signature together, felt a sensation of their hair standing on end throughout their bodies.
While the middle name ‘Isaac’ was unfamiliar, the moment they read ‘Walter’ and ‘Lexion,’ their hearts raced, and their minds spun even faster.
They finally understood why Nicholas Fortrion had meticulously framed a crumpled paper and stored it in someone else’s safe.
It was clear that Nicholas had taken this note with him when he first found Walter.
From the beginning, he knew the boy’s lineage, his true name, and a woman related to him.
『 I don’t know what the relationship is between Walter and Edith, but…』
There was one thing Elizabeth could be sure of now.
Walter knew Edith.
And he had known her for a very long time.
Now that this secret was known, it was necessary to keep Edith captive, regardless of whether she had Lexion’s bloodline or not.
If Edith held significant meaning to Walter, they could use her to capture Walter again.
“Aizen, go to Edith’s room immediately and bring her to me.”
“Understood.”
Aizen immediately left Elizabeth’s room.
──────────✿◦•
Around the same time, Edith was searching through Sophia’s room, which was located in the eastern part of the mansion, just like her own bedroom.
Although she had summoned a mage through Isabelle, she couldn’t accurately predict when the mage would arrive, so she decided to search the room even with a little hope of succeeding.
『 Well, Sophia is going to the convent tomorrow anyway, so…』
Still, she couldn’t openly say she was searching Sophia’s room, so she kept the conversation about Anne and Marie in moderation.
⋙“I heard there’s a unique flower here at Fortrion Manor that doesn’t wither even in the winter. Did both of you know something about it?”⋘
⋙“Yes, that’s right. It’s not exactly a flower, but it looks like a flower because the plant’s leaves are red, but it’s really beautiful to look at.”⋘
⋙“Especially because flowers rarely bloom in winter. It looked so lovely among the barren branches.”⋘
⋙“Really? Then, I should take a stroll there for a change of scenery.”⋘
The only person who knew that she was searching Sophia’s room for an escape was Vivian.
If someone noticed that her room was empty, Anne and Marie, who were organizing the dressing room, would talk to them appropriately, allowing her to search Sophia’s room without worry.
『 By the way, where did Sophia hide the release spell scroll that breaks the imprisonment spell?』
There was no guarantee that Sophia would have hidden the release spell scroll in her own bedroom, and with no clues at the moment, she knew that finding it was practically impossible.
However, when she searched her bookshelf and drawers, even cutting her fingers with a piece of paper, she found nothing, and all strength left her body.
『 I should take a short break.』
Thinking that the sound of dragging the chair might make a noise, Edith sat on the bed and took a moment to catch her breath.
Maybe it’s because the weather has gotten colder, but Edith hasn’t been feeling well the past few days.
Even after resting enough, there were times when she felt like she had a low-grade fever and occasionally felt nauseous.
Well, right after using the ellickberries, she immediately brewed the cedar tree bark tea afterward, so it was natural that it would take a toll on her body.
Unless…
Just as Edith was about to check her opposite wrist’s pulse with her own hand, she heard a suspicious conversation…
“Do you know where Lady Edith is?”
Edith and Sophia’s bedrooms were quite far apart, even on the same floor, but there was a wall between the dressing room that Anne and Marie were organizing and Sophia’s study that she was rummaging through.
『 A man? Who is it?』
It wasn’t a voice Edith recognized.
It seemed that Anne and Marie were equally unfamiliar with the unexpected guest.
“Who are you?”
“If you have something to inquire about, you should have sent a servant to M’lady’s room.”
“Oh, I apologize. I’m Paul, and I started working here on Lady Elizabeth’s recommendation.”
『 …!』
Edith froze for a moment.
It was because as soon as she heard that Paul had come on Lady Elizabeth’s recommendation, she recognized the voice that she had heard before.
『 He’s the man who plotted with Elizabeth to kill Walter.』
He seemed to be using an alias to conceal his identity, but there was a slight hint of a capital accent in his voice.
Fortunately, Anne and Marie had replied as Edith had instructed and said she had gone out briefly to see the winter flowers in the garden.
A while later, when she looked out the window, she saw a group of servants heading towards the garden.
There were nearly ten of them.
『 Did she discover my secret meetings with Walter?』
She couldn’t determine the exact reason, but it was clear that Elizabeth and her accomplices were looking for her.
If the imprisonment spell had been lifted, she would have escaped at night, but that was impossible for now.
Edith began to tremble as she remembered how they had tried to kill Walter.
Suddenly, she missed Walter, who had always appeared in front of her when she needed him.
『 What should I do…』
Edith, who was biting her lips in nervousness, soon recalled one important fact.
『 There was definitely an entrance to the secret passage in Sophia’s room.』
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
