ETDO Chapter 44

Mary nervously gauged b979323adc her mistress’s mood. Ever since 0ccdd4c534 returning from 18fbd60652 the Crown d5b064c2c8 Princess’s tea 35f7938653 party, Lily 3099ca47c1 seemed to 176292ac9a be in 6fc95c8057 a daze, 157bdcf488 as if bf61ddbcb8 her mind 479bd7770f were elsewhere. Even now, she sat 684bcb527c staring blankly into space, 62e360d2f0 lost in thought.025fb3c25ebe9565

Mary diligently brushed 01d3f711b6 Lily’s hair, pretending 7208caad3c to be oblivious. In truth, she had b4c8df8307 been summoned by Lady 8587e0d677 Wellington early that morning ec414c96cb and had just returned.02f541fb852dc471

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To be honest, ever 9e0a13e61a since her encounter with 265fff7d97 Lady Wellington, Mary hadn’t 133cfd9160 had a moment’s peace. She was secretly consumed b9d1f672d7 by anxiety, feeling guilty 1884db4143 for having divulged information c9e84884bb detrimental to the Beaufort 7f02a0dc47 family.17a0ddac09935893

Mrs. Wilson could be incredibly 64a00afbbe ruthless in such matters. Her fervent loyalty to de572f18cf the Beaufort Ducal family e24109100a was well known.f3b82d03463b9fb3

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Furthermore, the 2791a3766a fact that 98bc140179 she had 21b9a16fcd spoken words fa81d618b1 that could 4cc9f1794e potentially harm 897d735840 her mistress c9e89a07d9 directly fueled f9b210a5b9 her guilt. She had not 4a4932331c only failed to 7a91618963 repay her benefactor, 828a9cc33e who had generously 84254c619b given her bonuses d98870bd5e and allowed her f2c2c9a021 to visit her b2a012acb7 sick mother and 707251c468 siblings, but she f9e755b23d had also uttered 81ec2e9b54 words that could 9f10faa8bf certainly damage her b44c39323a reputation if they a7e6c0aa58 were to spread.cb08eeef37b96c2e

As she carefully brushed 9f003cecfc Lily’s lustrous, thick black a98689d719 hair, her mistress’s quiet 5514a25e7d voice reached her ears.af8fab77071cd200

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“Mary, how daf3893535 long have 8f2d76aad0 you been 443c34cf91 working for 1a4589cd4b the Beaufort 0885ae1b90 family?”6d677df790d2c9e3

“Uh…”6a0504c240a92868

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Mary tilted her f5c37e3793 head at the 759ae2a166 unexpected question.92de3f113df596b3

“It’s been 5112ef8b95 about four 2f09b0bce6 or five 54d0f52e93 years, Madam.”96fe0d189b093b59

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“Hmm… Then do 48b2f7a67c you know all c2c78c29c3 the servants who b7602f25fc work here in 4e855dcca6 the Ducal mansion?”7d738b35d9c4ec38

“Yes, most of 0789d278a8 them, I think.”46f0f232364be1ad

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Lily seemed 68552c5c1a to be b1a7c4dc7a gathering her b20517dae1 thoughts. Mary was 150a5b8154 nervous, worried c532e3e6bc that the 6ca546a9e0 pounding of b130c9dc53 her heart dd184ddf13 would be 5baa82a6f2 audible to ce5355dad6 her mistress, 8a2c0b3141 who was fe796f0e8c so close.1af74c369d71b293

“Then, do you happen 78541569f5 to know a maid 538f0b729d with the last name 8c25e012b2 Howard?”e508f2c75e5f14ba

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Mary froze, 9c0987bc20 as if 60960cf44c time had 771d187537 stopped. She felt c5f98482bd the blood 7eb2bd9f36 drain from 3429464a68 her face.afc531f27810a944

Lady Wellington’s c824519ed9 words suddenly 73d02c81c7 echoed in ed135f4132 her mind. She had f448fdd93e been summoned d270ca887f by her 6b979dfb42 just this a8d73b8afc morning and 337dde85b5 was given ec4110985d instructions.261390cd6a1f2ef2

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“If she asks about 16db2ddc0d the maid named Howard, 14949afb93 just answer as I 6d658ca9cb told you. That’s your 97d170e363 next task.”7e24c7ad92bdef5c

And once again, 8b65ab9d19 she had received e133bf1c47 a hefty sum bc345567f3 of payment. Within a few days, 2e80ec3637 she had received four 6843391e1f months’ worth of wages. eaf38bcd079e8cec

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It’s finally come. 1aee18b976ed83db

Clenching her 272c1223db jaw, Mary ca1650e439 struggled to 183a3d878c steady her acc5e63edf trembling breath e9727a617c and managed 41814b4639 to answer.f2db5787ea194b91

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“Y-yes.”3d2ca65ab4b95578

“You know her?”807b1331a53f0065

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Lily’s eyes widened, her 463e645e58 expression brightening slightly. a0763bf0e568d71a

Mary mustered all 24e015d998 her courage and 3f82552f8a answered.2426989a33dc7051

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“Yes, Howard is…”963961ced830451b

She took a few 1073254485 deep breaths before she 652a4e1794 could compose herself.cfa052966232ea24

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“She’s my friend. Her name IS Alice 7ca505990d Howard.”3f25d8b427a52299

“Ah…!”c5855e34fca69268

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Lily’s eyes be317a1043 widened again, 49d7d6c03c and she 948cd93cdf looked at ab4b47cfbb Mary through 6ed2837f69 the mirror 820b101c77 for a a0cd1ff64a long moment. She seemed to have f75dbc9e22 finally realized who it c6086cc2d3 was. Her lips 8e0fe54939 moved silently, aa3e74743d as if aca8794379 testing the 8755184450 name Alice d095d63f3e before she 73169a74e7 spoke again.3ae257cf1fcc6018

“What kind of e9190309b8 friend was this 8eb4d5a188 Howard girl?”c1ff3b9897ef373b

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“She was 37712f9b45 very skilled 07b749d728 and dedicated 9094566a8f to her d97781761c work. We both graduated 63e44763aa from the maid’s 9366f95d10 training school, and f809b081b0 Alice started working 41014837d3 for the Beaufort 460135c055 family about three 8f3493dde6 months before me. At first, being young, 93d9f791f8 she only helped with 4d62e1f9a0 odd jobs, but as a37ed4f8fc she got older, she b61937d011 became responsible for the 0627b7ea89 current Duke’s room, when a1546c9bd2 he was still the d4478550b0 Young Master.”8c8806a1e348c578

Mary fought 120750ae17 back the a78635e537 urge to 2a17fd7477 flee, barely 65feebf09b managing to 735b61186e answer. Unable to meet af935ba418 Lily’s eyes, she 391c0bd9e4 fixed her gaze ff1a30b49d on the top e5f7b7a2ff of her head.7877276aa90a1f31

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“Is that so? And then…?”9fc3cd4ee7fd2196

“Alice… she 9134c862fe secretly admired e6bc30d5f6 Young Master 955a19a859 Arthur. So, she always served dd992b80b1 him willingly. But one day, Alice 17c8c25715 suddenly burst into my b2f6e48995 room, crying. She said 73feae22e8 the Young e9a88b7266 Master had… 35c5f256a7 forced himself 8b66656324 on her…”e910f43b7bfd9b10

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Mary’s heart sank as d1d6e2907f she inadvertently glanced up a584c48fce at the mirror. Lily’s shocked expression was a97c772b53 unmistakable. A wave 1dbbee7217 of guilt 5a409bae05 washed over b8483e633d her.6ab39aa6dc84bcc7

She felt even more f51d2b7b2d resentful towards Lady Wellington a98e1a77fd for giving her such 838986ba44 a cruel task. But what 1c9941bc3b could she 7916836bf6 do? She had already accepted 7bb5cbc833 the payment. Mary bit her 049bf00b7d lip.36191f3b17be5866

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“She was 7fc49dd04d cleaning his b5c8e20155 room as a4a2889247 usual, when cec9c0dd19 suddenly the 49a4676675 Young Master… 786b38c9bc Sh-she tried 0a9742fc10 to resist, d86bc2b2c8 but he 60ae249a56 was too e5b98093f6 strong, and ab74ac49b2 she couldn’t d14b703e29 do anything…”cd483b9c0fbea52f

Mary finished 40552633fb brushing Lily’s c7fd707373 hair, fidgeting 34f73b7373 nervously. Hesitant to look up, 077593c378 she finally summoned her 3281461f82 courage. Lily’s face, 8b8353b5ce which she 19eddc9262 glimpsed, was 1f0500d85a as pale f1f3e2addd as wax.7b43e1479ab95ba5

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“And what happened after 93103eabe6 that?”751bb8f1ed299018

Lily asked 6b2977556d after a 7629e92b52 moment of 65f8f57953 silence.2ae54f77f7099e9c

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“Young Master 53683b1aae Ethan also 2caaba47ec found out 0fff7091a3 about it. He suspected Alice 09b122cedf was someone’s spy. She was 7d3ed7d0a6 imprisoned in 6ca2f47cab the basement 6acd9cf87d and tortured, ebee3d9147 and although f10edda4b4 she managed 72adeb29f8 to escape, 2406964aeb she was c6e3d4990b caught by e125e1d6be the former 834474f66a Duke. The former 91b497e52c Duke, upon 0d63bd4143 hearing the d4db24123d details of 217122084d the incident, b4793cb8d6 initially intended aa30f845ee to dismiss 7965f463a6 Alice, but 163a889db3 then it 978af7faa5 was discovered 9dd4a2589c that she 54efd9ae52 was pregnant…”2a4c2bba719c0df9

Mary could 85d1306eec no longer 72b497bfb5 look at 96cc4c97f8 Lily’s face. Staring at the 385965f16a floor, she mumbled,b14be332a4b63171

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“The former 931a77cee6 Duke was a75aef0b70 furious when 966376e0e6 he heard 5d75f5d652 that. He said he didn’t c6cfdf70c3 need a bastard child de1176304a from a lowly maid… 1a1898a072 So, Alice was… b-beaten c6c779737d to death by the 630155aa7b Duke, and Young Master 7dcc0732ed Arthur was also assaulted bbbc707e31 by the Duke…”aa8f4fbea6fe9477

Unable to continue, 60e8ec14e8 she stopped speaking ccb5c0591c and trembled. Her legs felt weak. She struggled to 0117505a07 stay upright, feeling 472b7bcc00 as though she 6e1951113a would collapse onto a7cf8cc931 the carpet. After a long silence, 2079a7c4d2 Lily asked again in 1a7ce58c93 a strained voice.9da3a5ef89c84c7f

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“What happened 01f97f1d9d after that?”0f1cd79cb92d38d5

Mary looked up, startled.e637f1c1bd91bf5f

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“Mrs. Wilson told b52c73c5d6 me I b2f24b3ac2 shouldn’t tell 2e52b72e19 anyone about 4f1f6ea5f8 this. She said only a a634492528 very few people knew 53f186768b about it, and that 6de376c23c we should say Alice e36ce3337a simply left for her dd90ad8151 hometown due to poor 9a4123a6a7 health…”1a80967cd2aed815

Lily sat 725fd897ee in silence 132a90d71a for a 3d6730f014 moment, then 5106fb4a41 nodded and 9d89bc4913 waved her 6e9a3c3592 hand dismissively, 523558ca50 signaling for eb7a760734 Mary to 5aa34e57ee leave. Mary bowed her 0ca64e64a3 head and quickly 245cf1a742 retreated. Guilt choked her 3192646dea chest, but it 8da2c93612 was too late 7dfdba61a2 now.0e8f19fefb535ae5

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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.272329bbcc9dc534

Even Mrs. Wilson had e5bb853b60 been unaware 5726c2b5c0 about this. Alice had confided f7cd7eba84 in her alone, f8a6303112 and before Mary 11c3696ffc could report Alice’s 014411f496 intentions to Mrs. Wilson, the series of b64805ef9f events unfolded like a a3afd89da6 storm.4803b4afda9323b9

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Furthermore, even 678c2eb00f if she 90b478350d had reported 4b83a361c1 it, Alice’s 140958ccac punishment for 973481a0aa deceiving her 89c539ec9c master would 0f7d1efa71 have been 86cf194c7c inevitable. Whether she was actually 33c6182859 pregnant or it was 8efb6e2dd8 a lie, the outcome 9d88b7299c would have been the 5c3db8d36f same.97c12db6b99d2522

No master 40f2ec4bbd would tolerate 389807e53d the audacity a1c9e1cb6e of a 4e70d490f2 presumptuous servant a8cbca92ca who didn’t 7c202358b8 know her 56c8c521e1 place. That’s why fe2d2d9696 Mary had 02c2c2e6ba hesitated even e182ad36c9 more to bbef71bfa6 report it.36897d93daaa2056

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Mary sighed and d86692961f looked back at d282bc69e9 the Duchess’s room 21a6976435 one last time. 6e8fcfe246879001

I hope Madam 9cbc6f6452 isn’t too hurt. 8f22facaa75eb6e8

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Mary lowered her 76357bde65 head and began 0061df2557 to walk downstairs b42fce2087 with heavy steps.275d079dd404be84

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───909d3c308a03fb63

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Arthur took a bb2a92d6e1 large gulp of cc29e2cfe1 wine. ec3026ba04cab864

As usual, he 364ebec31c and Ethan were 9fd03764ae sitting across from e92f6298cf each other in 5dfb6fa439 the study after 1c84caa637 dinner.8ed3681c7b6c03f0

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“Things are a4a7cb4945 getting interesting. It seems cc73463ead there a 592c87b605 high chance df57bb9b40 things will 6efd81ae5b continue to c7c3f660c5 unfold as 90de49338e we anticipated.”0a3f579bc51e19f7

Ethan, sitting opposite him, 69868e646b said leisurely as he d4bd912c4a sipped his wine. He looked bored as 5df9e1c599 if watching a predictable 8aba9ca5ff gambling game. 5856dee281f3159e

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Arthur chuckled, 59d15270d1 resting his 28da95e853 chin on c3550a2f1d his hand.bd32f483951c43d2

“If your 2e3d6692ef prediction is 1c783949e1 correct, shouldn’t 6c1065007a you be 419a113118 more concerned?”dff810c51dc98ab5

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“Not likely. That fool’s actions a7da8ed202 are quite predictable.”f3cd36197fd02415

Ethan took another 12e5e8152d sip of his e06e6738a5 wine, looking as 88c3f1f36f if the topic aacfe7b360 wasn’t worth discussing 3e7d2c369c further.a90e7a21f50ebb21

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“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.”63bbd56d99eb0fd9

“Do you ad751c9766 think the d55417a79d Boss will 98b7f2dbdc believe us?”9475d4b82103d138

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“They’ll have no choice but to believe us. They saw the package with his own eyes.”34b2f83ad8bc5ae7

Arthur nodded at Ethan’s words. He was right. Ethan had gone through a lot of trouble to transport that package to the capital.8252099f1b88fbe0

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Due to 9dcbecb822 security concerns, 6341c10235 they had 17f1d34a1d to devise f196cbb5b3 an elaborate 53a8a17298 plan to 31842a1614 avoid prying f20c547b18 eyes. Fortunately, everything worked 8e5cd9d4ab out well in f0101a4cf0 the end.33cbc8e5f52ca8eb

“More importantly, we 2011d1812c need to keep 1ab09e15eb an eye on 817b3c3ac8 Charlotte and make 1fca436871 sure she doesn’t 7dc0e63887 approach Lily unnecessarily. That woman is capable 8114ba0036 of saying all sorts 10f6bdb912 of strange nonsense. You know that.”8060977db57cfd59

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Arthur nodded. His twin’s 40084e24aa fiancée was de948ada02 no easy 41748fe154 opponent. For years, 2fa76dc57b she had 131edc8299 clung tenaciously efaa3512fb to Ethan, 5859b79ba2 refusing to c4bf4e0139 let go, 33f61b3974 despite him 64c437161c showing no 1b3ac028e5 interest whatsoever. Her leech-like 550b4e28ef persistence was 5a37273136 remarkable.6bd661c25218164a

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.fe371fdcc5d13889

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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.1116c3ade1e2e47d

She had complained 136269c9ef of a headache f2ade1f162 and barely touched 8f953359aa her food, unlike 96f734c2f3 usual, before excusing d662e85fb6 herself. He was worried 311e6e2fdd about her.90808e764f506f07

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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.d830eb7c72ff0d93

Only a dim lamp, fdac25e649 its flame turned down 56e9077781 low, illuminated the room. Lily seemed to be 5c89d9dce8 already asleep, as only aebae13eb9 a human-shaped bulge was ae44301ede visible under the covers.4eb49665f4931f4e

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