“Did I put the seal wrong?”
If that were the case, it would have been newly sealed. However, looking at it again, it was clear that both the color and the pattern belonged to the Count Heriond family. Rayleigh thought it was her fault for becoming more sensitive and carefully stood up.
she was about to go back to her room because she thought it wouldn’t be good for her child if she got a lot of cold air. She followed the path to the back of the mansion and turned to the side door. she didn’t want to go in, so she walked at a slow pace.
‘If I get any heavier, I won’t be able to get out as well.
She patted her belly and smiled. She felt sorry for her because she had been worrying about a lot of things.
“Maybe I should put some flowers in my room.”
She looked at the flowers in the garden, thinking that she should bring something pretty from the garden. she thought it would be pretty to mix a few types and put them in a vase. It would look good and make me feel much better.
As she leaned down to pick out the flowers, she heard a chattering voice nearby.
“…… talking about something here.
It was a corner of the garden where people rarely came.
Her maids knew that she often went to the garden, but they didn’t know that she also turned this way into the mansion.
If Theo had known, he would not have allowed her to use it. He hadn’t expected Riley to be there, as she’d always taken the same route in with the maids or when he picked her up.
“You’ve done a good job of keeping a low profile.”
“Really?”
“Good thing you didn’t burn the old one and hide it as a backup.”
“Yeah, you’re right, I’m glad I saved it just in case. Isn’t she an idiot?”
There was a giggle, followed by a snap, and at the sound of it, Riley held her breath and leaned a little closer.
It was Filia and Botte, who had been at Anna’s side every day.
She could see them standing at the back door, heads down, checking something out. With a strange anticipation, she stood still and listened to the voices.
“Where did you put the rest of the letter?”
Filia asked Bothe as they divided the gold coins.
“Don’t worry, I’ve hidden it well, just in case,” Botte said casually as she collected the gold coins. It wouldn’t hurt to tell, but I didn’t want to.
“Anna, she’s out of her mind, too. How could she tell you to burn letters from her family?”
“Don’t try to understand. How do we know what they’re thinking, besides, she’s got the Duke’s love, so she’s got the upper hand.”
Bothe shook his head in disgust. As she listened, Riley pulled out the letter she’d received today, the twisted seal mismatched as if someone had reattached it.
She hadn’t noticed it before because she’d been too busy thinking it was from Leta to look closely, but on closer inspection, the other side of the paper had been slightly torn and pasted over.
‘……No way.
There was no way the letter the maids were talking about could have been for her.
If she had wanted to intercept it, she could have.
Theo was busy with his work, and they spent time together in his office every day, and the maids listened to Anna rather than Riley. Theo never entrusted Riley with anything, so maybe it’s not a hypothesis.
If so, the letter was likely a fake.
“You weren’t stupid enough to hide it in the duke’s house, were you?”
“Of course not, I buried it in the ground.”
“What? In the garden?”
Filia turned to Bothe, narrowing her eyes. From the look on her face, she wasn’t lying. But it was hard to understand why Botte had hidden the letter there.
“Don’t you know his wife is often in the garden?”
Filia said to Botte, Her eyes darted anxiously to and fro, but Bothe looked relaxed.
“She rarely comes this far. She always goes the other way.”
“Although……. Well, there’s a lot of flowers blooming, so we shouldn’t get caught.”
“I checked it out today, too. It’s overgrown with weeds, so she won’t even look that way. There’s a blooming hydrangea right next to it, so why would she look the other way?”
“I see, you’re right.”
Filia breathed a sigh of relief at Bothe’s words and shook her head, and the two of them looked around, sharing the gold coins in their pockets.
The dense growth of hydrangeas hid Riley’s form from them. It was uncomfortable, but she couldn’t get up, or she wouldn’t be able to find the letter from Leta that the maid had hidden.
‘Leta…….’
Riley’s heart began to beat wildly.
She couldn’t believe it, but if what they were saying was true, she had to find Leta’s letter and check it out. She stood frozen in place, waiting for them to leave.
Through the stalks of hydrangeas, she watched them go. It was a while before she saw them enter the duke’s mansion.
Finally, Riley pushed herself to her feet.
“I need to find it before the others come out.”
They made their way through the hydrangeas that occupied a fairly large area at the back of the garden and circled the area, keeping their heads down and slowly scanning their surroundings in case they passed without being seen.
‘she said she hadn’t burned it yet, so it must be here.’
The hydrangeas were the only ones she remembered seeing when she came here often.
Out front were colourful flowers like roses and tulips, but it was more trees than flowers, so this must be the place Botte was talking about.
Since she rarely came, she must have thought it a suitable place to hide.
“Please, I hope not. I hope it’s from the real Leta…….”
She hoped the letter was real because it said she was happy.
Riley began to search the weedy area around the hydrangea, trying to control her nervousness.
She would have needed the Heronds’ envelope and seal to manipulate the letter.
There was no time. As the sun slowly set, Riley grew impatient. If she was too late, they would come looking for her.
Riley began scanning the floor, her eyes moving quickly as the clock ticked, searching for any trace of what might have been left on the ground.
“Huh?
After a while of staring at the ground, she spotted an awkward patch of weeds. she looked at the weeds and saw a haphazard covering of grass. she looked around and noticed that the colour of the soil was strangely different.
It was a slightly darker colour, as if the ground had been dug up and covered.
Riley immediately reached down and started digging. She didn’t dig deep enough, but a box quickly emerged.
She carefully lifted it up and opened it to reveal a letter from Leta.
[Dear Sister Lee.
I ran away from home because I didn’t want to get married, and then my father dragged me back. It’s so hard to see the side of the father I didn’t know when I was younger after you left. I didn’t know……. I feel like I’m finally seeing your pain. What the hell is the sigil……? He keeps asking me if the sigil hasn’t appeared to me. Sis, I’m scared].
[To my dear sister Li.
Sister, please come pick me up……. I hate my father, but I hate Count Herond even more. I thought you were supposed to be happy there, but it’s so hard to bear. He keeps looking at me with the same eyes as my father. Can’t I just, can’t I just come and live with you?]
[To my dear sister Li.
……Have you abandoned me? I only have you. Please save me from this hellish place. I’ve tried to hold on, but will this time ever end? Will there ever be a day when I’m actually comfortable? No, I don’t think so. I’m sending letters without my father’s knowledge, but why doesn’t you answer? Have you forgotten me?]
[To my dear sister Li.
Sister, no matter how hard I try, it’s no use. No one listens to me. I finally understand why you ran away and got married……. I’m getting married tomorrow, and I want you to be happy there. I’ll send the invitation without telling the father. I miss you, and I don’t blame you, so please come see me for once].
“Hmph.”
she felt like her hopes were crushed. she still had some hope that she would be better, but she was no better than she was.
Leta wrote to Riley until the end, and when she said she didn’t blame her, Riley’s resolve crumbled.
How she must have searched for herself, how she must have cried and written to her again and again, day after day. She reached out to her, and she did do nothing for her.
Her body shook with rage.
She could not forgive Anna, or the maid, for hiding the letter from her. she took the letter and went straight to the duke’s residence.
“Madam,” I said, “the Duke is busy with business, and he told me not to let anyone in!”
She don’t know where she found the strength to do that, but Riley gently pushed the handmaiden out of the way, and again, she swatted away the handmaiden’s hand that tried to stop her.
“I-I’ll tell the Duke that you are looking for him right away.”
“You won’t have to, because I’ve come looking for him myself.”
“Ha, but.”
“Why, are they two entangled inside?”
The maids’ faces went white. They had been told earlier that Anna had entered his chambers, and they knew what had happened since she had entered.
But the all-knowing tone in Riley’s voice was too much to bear.
She pushed the door open without knocking.
“Les, Riley.”
Anna’s faint smile appeared alongside Theo’s panicked expression.
The sight of the two of them half-naked, their clothes were a mess, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
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