Chapter 4

Salvador was persistent.

Once suspicion arose, he pursued the truth relentlessly, even if it meant chasing the other person to the ends of hell.

Emma, who fell for such a determined Salvador, naturally couldn’t help but expose the things she had stolen so far.

“Dare to touch mother’s heirloom…”

He couldn’t contain the rising anger and clenched his fist until blood appeared on his hand.

When he tore up the floor, not only Ophelia’s brooch but also several precious items were found.

Among them was the Duchess’s earring, stolen about three years ago.

‘It wasn’t a deal with burglars.’

Bunny had come to the mansion two years ago. So, this theft couldn’t be related to the current incident.

He got it all wrong.

Salvador stared at Emma with boiling eyes like a volcano.

‘I wonder why she specifically stole the brooch.’

Salvador despised Bunny to the extreme.

A fake aiming not only for Ophelia’s resemblance but also for her position.

It’s impossible to like her.

Since coming to Kredel Castle, Bunny had committed every possible trick.

Stealing Ophelia’s belongings and displaying them in my room as if they were trophies was routine.

After hearing Ophelia’s tone and behavior somewhere, she even imitated her to the point of giving chills.

It wasn’t just mimicking for a supporting role; it seemed like she was aiming for the real Ophelia’s position.

Meanwhile, his sister, who should rightfully enjoy her rights, was stuck in a rural corner without enjoying anything.

Moreover, she cursed Ophelia, who came to replace the curse.

‘This scoundrel has crossed the line long ago.’

However, he couldn’t absolutely drive her away.

He couldn’t afford to cause harm to Ophelia by harboring resentment and meddling with the curse.

So, the only maid decided to steal the only brooch that Bunny might aim for to frame her.

Even before Salvador could investigate properly, he knew he would confirm Bunny as the culprit.

‘Just a maid using me for theft?’

Salvador’s vision was whitening with the rising anger at first glance.

‘I’ll personally interrogate her.’

He was determined to make her pay for underestimating him.

However, on the other hand, another thought wouldn’t leave his mind.

Salvador recalled the last sight of Bunny.

Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes weakly.

As if she would stop breathing at any moment.

“Damn, that scoundrel.”

He didn’t care what happened to that scoundrel.

But it would be troublesome if she died.

How had he endured this until now?

Every time he felt the impulse to just kill her, he suppressed his temper and thoughts by remembering Ophelia’s lovely smile.

‘But you’re going to die all on your own?’

Did she think that he’d let her go just like that?

Salvador beckoned the knight commander to come close.

“Call the interrogator and pull out a confession.”

“Yes.”

Just as he was about to leave the room, he remembered what Bunny had said while berating other maids.

Once it was revealed that the maid Bunny pointed out was the real culprit, it was an undeniable statement that couldn’t be dismissed as nonsense.

“Investigate the remaining maids as well. Thoroughly examine not only their tasks within the mansion but also their reputation, family, and acquaintances.”

After giving such instructions, Salvador hastened his steps towards the western tower.

Bunny, in the same state as Salvador had last seen her, leaned against the wall with her eyes closed.

Salvador reached out, thinking she might be dead. As her faint breath touched his fingertips, he recoiled.

She was alive.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Hey, scoundrel.”

“…”

Pretending to be asleep.

Salvador, with no trace of consideration, gave her a light slap. Upon that, Bunny’s body slid down the wall.

She had collapsed.

The face of the girl, previously full of irritation, was now filled with surprise.

“Hey!”

He grabbed Bunny’s body and lifted her up. As she shook, Bunny whimpered, and Salvador had no choice but to hold her in his arms.

“Was she this light?”

Things he had never paid attention to before began to catch his eye.

He absentmindedly looked down at the hand that held her forearm.

It was excessively thin, almost feeling nothing but fragile bones.

Even Ophelia, who was born with a weak body and often fell ill, wasn’t this emaciated.

‘Has she eaten anything?’

Even though she came from a poor background, she must have had quality meals at the mansion for two years, yet she still looked so wretched.

‘What’s with these rag-like clothes? Why are you wearing something like this?’

It was a dress made of silk.

However, Salvador, born and raised in Kredel, known as the noble among nobles, had only seen the finest things in his life.

The clothes Bunny was wearing were nothing more than rags that fell far short of his aesthetic sense. Moreover, they were excessively thin. Was she really enduring the northern cold wearing such rags? It wasn’t like this when he saw her before, when did this happen?

‘Her hair is all tangled.’

The only thing tolerable was her face, resembling Ophelia. Even that, instead of being maintained, emitted an unpleasant odor, indicating she hadn’t bathed in who knows how long.

Something was off. Although she was allocated a budget of 200,000 festas regularly, despite being confined to the western tower, it was a considerable amount, equivalent to the dignity maintenance expenses of the princesses.

Of course, compared to Kredel’s vast wealth, it was still a small sum. ‘Rather than causing trouble, she should have spent the money generously.’

Where did she spend that money? Salvador confirmed in the ledger that she regularly purchased luxury items.

“Damn… What on earth happened?”

He uttered a short curse, lifted Bunny abruptly, and stepped out of the room. Well, he tried to.

Until he noticed the worn-out bowl at the entrance.

“…”

An unpleasant liquid with a foul rag smell. It didn’t take long to realize that it was a bowl containing soup. And that this food garbage was the only meal given to Bunny.