ETDO Chapter 44

Mary nervously gauged her mistress’s mood. Ever since returning from the Crown Princess’s tea party, Lily seemed to be in a daze, as if her mind were elsewhere. Even now, she sat staring blankly into space, lost in thought.

Mary diligently brushed Lily’s hair, pretending to be oblivious. In truth, she had been summoned by Lady Wellington early that morning and had just returned.

To be honest, ever since her encounter with Lady Wellington, Mary hadn’t had a moment’s peace. She was secretly consumed by anxiety, feeling guilty for having divulged information detrimental to the Beaufort family.

Mrs. Wilson could be incredibly ruthless in such matters. Her fervent loyalty to the Beaufort Ducal family was well known.

Furthermore, the fact that she had spoken words that could potentially harm her mistress directly fueled her guilt. She had not only failed to repay her benefactor, who had generously given her bonuses and allowed her to visit her sick mother and siblings, but she had also uttered words that could certainly damage her reputation if they were to spread.

As she carefully brushed Lily’s lustrous, thick black hair, her mistress’s quiet voice reached her ears.

“Mary, how long have you been working for the Beaufort family?”

“Uh…”

Mary tilted her head at the unexpected question.

“It’s been about four or five years, Madam.”

“Hmm… Then do you know all the servants who work here in the Ducal mansion?”

“Yes, most of them, I think.”

Lily seemed to be gathering her thoughts. Mary was nervous, worried that the pounding of her heart would be audible to her mistress, who was so close.

“Then, do you happen to know a maid with the last name Howard?”

Mary froze, as if time had stopped. She felt the blood drain from her face.

Lady Wellington’s words suddenly echoed in her mind. She had been summoned by her just this morning and was given instructions.

“If she asks about the maid named Howard, just answer as I told you. That’s your next task.”

And once again, she had received a hefty sum of payment. Within a few days, she had received four months’ worth of wages. 

It’s finally come. 

Clenching her jaw, Mary struggled to steady her trembling breath and managed to answer.

“Y-yes.”

“You know her?”

Lily’s eyes widened, her expression brightening slightly. 

Mary mustered all her courage and answered.

“Yes, Howard is…”

She took a few deep breaths before she could compose herself.

“She’s my friend. Her name IS Alice Howard.”

“Ah…!”

Lily’s eyes widened again, and she looked at Mary through the mirror for a long moment. She seemed to have finally realized who it was. Her lips moved silently, as if testing the name Alice before she spoke again.

“What kind of friend was this Howard girl?”

“She was very skilled and dedicated to her work. We both graduated from the maid’s training school, and Alice started working for the Beaufort family about three months before me. At first, being young, she only helped with odd jobs, but as she got older, she became responsible for the current Duke’s room, when he was still the Young Master.”

Mary fought back the urge to flee, barely managing to answer. Unable to meet Lily’s eyes, she fixed her gaze on the top of her head.

“Is that so? And then…?”

“Alice… she secretly admired Young Master Arthur. So, she always served him willingly. But one day, Alice suddenly burst into my room, crying. She said the Young Master had… forced himself on her…”

Mary’s heart sank as she inadvertently glanced up at the mirror. Lily’s shocked expression was unmistakable. A wave of guilt washed over her.

She felt even more resentful towards Lady Wellington for giving her such a cruel task. But what could she do? She had already accepted the payment. Mary bit her lip.

“She was cleaning his room as usual, when suddenly the Young Master… Sh-she tried to resist, but he was too strong, and she couldn’t do anything…”

Mary finished brushing Lily’s hair, fidgeting nervously. Hesitant to look up, she finally summoned her courage. Lily’s face, which she glimpsed, was as pale as wax.

“And what happened after that?”

Lily asked after a moment of silence.

“Young Master Ethan also found out about it. He suspected Alice was someone’s spy. She was imprisoned in the basement and tortured, and although she managed to escape, she was caught by the former Duke. The former Duke, upon hearing the details of the incident, initially intended to dismiss Alice, but then it was discovered that she was pregnant…”

Mary could no longer look at Lily’s face. Staring at the floor, she mumbled,

“The former Duke was furious when he heard that. He said he didn’t need a bastard child from a lowly maid… So, Alice was… b-beaten to death by the Duke, and Young Master Arthur was also assaulted by the Duke…”

Unable to continue, she stopped speaking and trembled. Her legs felt weak. She struggled to stay upright, feeling as though she would collapse onto the carpet. After a long silence, Lily asked again in a strained voice.

“What happened after that?”

Mary looked up, startled.

“Mrs. Wilson told me I shouldn’t tell anyone about this. She said only a very few people knew about it, and that we should say Alice simply left for her hometown due to poor health…”

Lily sat in silence for a moment, then nodded and waved her hand dismissively, signaling for Mary to leave. Mary bowed her head and quickly retreated. Guilt choked her chest, but it was too late now.

Although it was true that Alice had died, she honestly didn’t know the truth about the pregnancy. Before the incident, Alice had boasted to her that she would seduce the Young Master and sleep with him to improve her situation.

Even Mrs. Wilson had been unaware about this. Alice had confided in her alone, and before Mary could report Alice’s intentions to Mrs. Wilson, the series of events unfolded like a storm.

Furthermore, even if she had reported it, Alice’s punishment for deceiving her master would have been inevitable. Whether she was actually pregnant or it was a lie, the outcome would have been the same.

No master would tolerate the audacity of a presumptuous servant who didn’t know her place. That’s why Mary had hesitated even more to report it.

Mary sighed and looked back at the Duchess’s room one last time. 

I hope Madam isn’t too hurt. 

Mary lowered her head and began to walk downstairs with heavy steps.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Arthur took a large gulp of wine. 

As usual, he and Ethan were sitting across from each other in the study after dinner.

“Things are getting interesting. It seems there a high chance things will continue to unfold as we anticipated.”

Ethan, sitting opposite him, said leisurely as he sipped his wine. He looked bored as if watching a predictable gambling game. 

Arthur chuckled, resting his chin on his hand.

“If your prediction is correct, shouldn’t you be more concerned?”

“Not likely. That fool’s actions are quite predictable.”

Ethan took another sip of his wine, looking as if the topic wasn’t worth discussing further.

“The important thing is to relay all this information to the Boss in a timely manner. Unfortunately, we still haven’t obtained clear evidence that can finish him off in one fell swoop.”

“Do you think the Boss will believe us?”

“They’ll have no choice but to believe us. They saw the package with his own eyes.”

Arthur nodded at Ethan’s words. He was right. Ethan had gone through a lot of trouble to transport that package to the capital.

Due to security concerns, they had to devise an elaborate plan to avoid prying eyes. Fortunately, everything worked out well in the end.

“More importantly, we need to keep an eye on Charlotte and make sure she doesn’t approach Lily unnecessarily. That woman is capable of saying all sorts of strange nonsense. You know that.”

Arthur nodded. His twin’s fiancée was no easy opponent. For years, she had clung tenaciously to Ethan, refusing to let go, despite him showing no interest whatsoever. Her leech-like persistence was remarkable.

The fact that she quickly latched onto the Crown Prince when things didn’t go her way showed that she was not someone to be trifled with. Regardless of her reason, it was highly undesirable for her to approach Lily and try to manipulate her.

They checked the time and rose from their seats. Arthur went straight to Lily’s room. He had noticed that her expression didn’t look well during dinner.

She had complained of a headache and barely touched her food, unlike usual, before excusing herself. He was worried about her.

Arthur stood in front of his wife’s door and knocked softly. He listened for a moment, but there was no response. He frowned slightly and gently opened the door.

Only a dim lamp, its flame turned down low, illuminated the room. Lily seemed to be already asleep, as only a human-shaped bulge was visible under the covers.