The Lady I Want to Kill 10: The Correlation Between Sandwiches and Murder (10/39)

10. The Correlation Between Sandwiches and Murder

After returning to the manor, Felix naturally followed Beatrice to her room as if it were the most obvious thing to do. He ended up snatching one of the sandwiches she had packed earlier and eating it, paying no attention to her furrowed brow.

Curious about what made the sandwich so delicious that she couldn’t stop eating it, he took a bite and, without another word, devoured the entire thing. Then, as if feeling a bit embarrassed, he muttered some lukewarm assessment like, “Well, it’s not bad.”

After giving Laura some time to eat the cake she had packed for herself, Beatrice rang the bell. Soon, another maid entered her room.

The person she actually needed wasn’t a maid, so she requested that the butler be summoned. It wasn’t long before a knock echoed through the room.

When she granted permission, it was, unsurprisingly, the butler of the Ember family who entered. She gave a casual gesture to the polite elderly gentleman and went straight to the point.

“I think it’s about time I had a personal maid.”

While Laura was around, she was merely a temporary maid. Laura originally served the Duchess directly, and now that Beatrice had finished her tasks, it was time for Laura to return to her original position. The butler nodded without asking any questions.

“I’ll post a notice. Do you have any specific requirements?”

“I’d prefer someone with a bit of experience, but not older than me.”

“I will do my best to find someone who meets your preferences.”

Someone younger than Beatrice but with experience—an odd combination, but surely there would be a suitable candidate among the applicants. Someone bound to be a perfect fit would show up.

Beatrice waited for the butler to recruit her personal maid while sending Laura out daily to buy sandwiches from Rosayu Street. No matter how often she ate them, she never grew tired of the flavor.

Laura seemed delighted that her lady enjoyed the food she had recommended. Beaming with pride, she explained that the shop’s chef and owner had developed a special sauce through much trial and error, which gave the sandwiches their unique taste. Beatrice, however, had no interest in what went into the sandwiches—flavor was all that mattered.

Each time she sent Laura on an errand, she also instructed her to buy a dessert for herself. Perhaps as a result, Laura now eagerly anticipated every trip to fetch sandwiches.

Today, as Laura returned with a cake in hand and Beatrice chewed on her sandwich, the butler arrived.

After swallowing the bite of sandwich in her mouth, Beatrice granted him permission to enter. The butler stepped in with a petite woman in tow—red hair and green eyes.

The woman’s eyes met Beatrice’s directly, and Beatrice smiled at her. Bowing respectfully, the woman introduced herself.

“My name is Lily, and I’ll be serving you starting today. Please take care of me.”

“Alright.”

Lily straightened her back and looked at her once more.

* * *

Laura stayed temporarily to train the new maid, but there were no issues with Lily’s behavior.

Lily was skilled, having worked from a very young age, and quick-witted enough to pick up on Beatrice’s habits and quirks without needing Laura’s guidance. Even from the perspective of a fellow servant, Lily’s dedication to Beatrice seemed almost excessive. It was as if she were serving a life savior. Laura clicked her tongue lightly.

She was happy that her lady now had such a competent maid, but a part of her felt regretful—she had grown too attached in just a few months. Still, since they were in the same household, she would get to see Beatrice from time to time.

As Laura observed, Lily devoted herself completely to Beatrice. In truth, Lily had wanted to serve by Beatrice’s side ever since the day Beatrice killed the Count.

She believed Beatrice’s cryptic words and actions—like sending her a letter—had all been deliberate choices to select her. Because of this, Lily had been biding her time, waiting for the right moment to quit working at the Count’s residence.

She thought resigning immediately after the murder would arouse suspicion, so she stayed quiet for a while. Just as she and her friends were dealing with Charlie and she was debating whether to submit her resignation, she came across the Ember Ducal Family’s notice for a maid.

She had even considered quitting and throwing herself at the feet of the gatekeeper at the duke’s estate, begging for work.

After discussing with her friends, Lily went straight to the head maid and expressed her desire to leave. She cited the haunting memories of the murder scene as her reason, claiming it had prevented her from sleeping properly. The head maid, understanding the reasoning, agreed easily. It seemed other servants had also resigned after the Imperial Knights left.

With the head maid’s letter of recommendation, Lily went directly to the duke’s residence and was successfully hired as Beatrice’s maid.

When Lily entered the room with the butler, Beatrice greeted her with a smile as if she had been expecting her arrival. Lily felt overwhelmed, knowing Beatrice still needed her.

* * *

Laura assisted Lily for exactly one week before returning to her original position. The room, now left with just the two of them, felt quiet.

While learning from Laura, Lily had learned a few things about Beatrice. What struck her the most was that Beatrice often suffered from bouts of melancholy.

Lily also recalled the tears Beatrice had shed on the day she killed the Count.

It had been intense. That expression, saturated with incomprehensible emotions, had been unlike anything Lily had ever seen in her short life.

Suddenly, Beatrice called out to Lily.

“How are you doing?”

“Thanks to you, my lady, I’m doing well.”

“And the others?”

“They’re all still at the Count’s estate, but they said they’d move if you wished it.”

“To any household?”

Lily gave a light smile.

“Yes.”

Before quitting, Lily had already discussed everything with her friends. They had agreed to act as needed for Beatrice’s sake.

Beatrice, still staring out the window, shifted her gaze to Lily. She had only wanted Lily, but somehow ended up with the others as well. It wasn’t a bad thing.

The more hands and feet she had to act on her behalf while she played this absurd role, the better.

“Is there someone among them who could enter the palace as a maid?”

After a brief thought, Lily answered.

“Rose would be the best choice.”

When selecting maids for the palace, appearance tended to be a factor, and Rose’s chances would be the highest. Though she was a commoner, her late father had held the title of quasi-baron.

While the title wasn’t inheritable and held no real status, it was better than nothing when applying for a position in the palace.

“Tell her to secure a job in the palace as soon as possible and to search for what I mentioned.”

“Yes, my lady. What is she to look for?”

“A hidden library within the palace.”

Even at such an improbable request, Lily didn’t question it. She simply nodded silently.

Beatrice turned her gaze from the window to Lily. She stared at her for a long moment, her eyes sinking with an unreadable emotion.

“I need it.”

“Whatever you wish, my lady.”

“And Lily, you…”

Beatrice’s voice softened, like snow. Lily focused intently on her lips, determined not to miss a word.

“Go to Rosayu Street and buy me a sandwich.”

“A sandwich…?”

“Yes.”

Lily blinked once, recalling what Laura had mentioned. Beatrice always sent Laura to run errands for sandwiches.

Laura had said that while Beatrice usually picked at her meals, she devoured those sandwiches with enthusiasm.

Lily already knew the location of the café, but there was a problem—it had been closed for two days.

Yesterday and the day before, the café had remained shut, causing Laura to worry aloud about what might have happened.

Still, assuming it was just a personal matter leading to an extended closure, Lily nodded diligently and prepared to go out.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

“Get one for yourself as well.”

Lily smiled awkwardly, told Beatrice to summon another maid if she needed anything, and took the servants’ carriage to run the errand.

Though Rosayu Street wasn’t far, the café was still dark and closed when Lily arrived. She stood in front of it, debating what to do.

If she returned empty-handed again and said the café hadn’t opened, Beatrice would undoubtedly be disappointed. Lily glanced around. She decided she needed to find out why the café was closed.

Stepping onto the stained brown pavement, Lily began walking.

She headed straight into another café across from the closed one. This café was similar in size but entirely different in atmosphere.

While the original café had a clean and warm vibe, this one had an elegant air, with its brown building wrapped in ivy.

As she entered, a staff member came forward to greet her. Despite her maid’s uniform, they greeted her politely and attempted to seat her at a table, but Lily waved them off.

“I’m here on an errand for my lady to buy some desserts. Could I see the menu?”

“The desserts will take a bit of time to prepare, so it might be better if you sit while you wait.”

The staff member responded with a kind smile. Their politeness made it hard to refuse, so Lily ended up being guided to a table by the window.

Feeling awkward just sitting there, she ordered the cheapest tea and asked for an assortment of sandwiches to be packed to go. The staff member, still smiling warmly, went to prepare her order.

Lily called them back before they could leave. Since the café was quiet at this early hour, it seemed okay to keep them for a moment.

“May I ask you something?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Has the café across the street permanently closed?”

“Oh, you mean Walbaret.”

The employee’s face twisted into a bitter smile. Lily caught the expression and pressed further.

“Don’t tell me something happened to the café?”

The employee answered without hesitation.

“The owner of Walbaret, Mrs. Briolette, lost her daughter a few days ago. She was hit by a carriage and killed.”

“Oh no…”

“Mrs. Briolette is divorced, so there was no one to look after her child. Most of the café’s revenue went toward repaying the debt she took on to open it, so she couldn’t afford to hire help and always brought her daughter to work.”

“And the owner of the carriage? Were they caught?”

The employee shook their head, confirming Lily’s expectations.

“It was a noble’s carriage.”

Lily bit her lower lip. Stories of commoners being killed by nobles’ carriages were tragically common. So common, in fact, that one could find dozens of families in any given neighborhood who had lost loved ones to such incidents.

Unconsciously, Lily clenched her skirt tightly. The employee also couldn’t suppress their bitter smile.

“Stella was a truly lovely child. When her mother was busy, she would sometimes come and play in this garden.”

Lily didn’t know what the child Stella looked like, but she nodded nonetheless.

For someone unrelated to speak so fondly of her, she must have been a sweet and beautiful child. After the employee left, Lily stared into her teacup. Her insides felt like they were burning. She downed the tea in one gulp and set the cup down with a loud clink.

When the employee returned to inform her that the sandwiches were ready for pickup, Lily quickly rushed over, grabbed the bag, and asked,

“Do you happen to know who owned that carriage?”

* * *

The surroundings were dark. Cold, hard, and damp air made her body feel heavy. It was perpetually dark, making it impossible to discern the time or even whether it was day or night.

A girl, who looked to be in her mid-teens, writhed on the floor several times.

The chains tightly binding her arms and legs made proper movement impossible. After a few more attempts, she finally managed to sit up. She shook her head to clear her vision, her filthy, unkempt hair obstructing her view.

In front of her were rusted iron bars, and beyond them, another set of bars enclosing a group of children huddled together, their bodies curled tightly.

There had been a commotion while she was asleep yesterday, so it seemed they had brought in more captives. The girl pressed herself against the wall and blinked her eyes.