Resetting Lady - Chapter 154

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Now only the two of them remained.

As soon as Verdick heard that a body presumed to be Isella had appeared, he left without even saying goodbye to them.

“Raymond.”

“Yes.”

“When Verdick Evans said he would be leaving soon, was that because he knew that news… news about Isella would come around this time?”

“That’s correct.”

Karen looked up at Raymond. He seemed somewhat thinner. But his face still wore that unchanging smile. The face looking down at Karen was always that of a young man who seemed to be in love. So Karen smiled back at him. At that man who had done everything for her.

What had he been doing all this time?

At first, she thought they were people moving on printed pages.

But now she thought they were like walking ghosts.

And most of all, the more she loved Raymond, the more the guilt that had been festering at the bottom slowly rose up. It was like a swamp that swallowed Karen whole.

“Karen, you don’t look well.”

“No… I’m fine.”

“Is something wrong?”

Raymond asked. He seemed to have lost sleep. But Karen lay facing Raymond.

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t know. I just wish you would tell me.”

“Lord Raymond doesn’t tell me everything either.”

“If you want… I’ll tell you.”

Raymond answered hesitantly. But Karen didn’t want to torment him. Karen just reached out and swept back Raymond’s fallen bangs. These were facts she already suspected.

Whatever Raymond did, whoever he killed and whoever he made sad, all of it was only for her. Karen was no longer tormented by this. The guilt she felt, the love, all those things were enough with Raymond.

Raymond didn’t need to feel guilty toward Karen.

But she had to feel it.

Because she was the one who had drawn him in.

“It’s not that. It’s not that… I’m just sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry to me either.”

But the fact that you fell to my side.

Karen couldn’t speak.

Raymond walking with Karen inside this paper was surely because she had chosen him.

Karen had dragged him down to this place.

So Karen felt breathless when she looked at Raymond.

And that day came.

* * *

They arrived at the capital in just two days. He didn’t know how they had driven the carriage. Verdick couldn’t think of anything. For two days, Verdick couldn’t say a single word. When he got out of the carriage, he heard “Have you arrived?” and was guided inside. Verdick led his trembling legs inside.

The place he was guided to was the morgue. At first, Verdick almost said he had come to the wrong place. But seeing Inspector Albert standing with a stern face, he turned around and approached. Verdick put his trembling hand on the cloth covering the corpse. He had to open it and check, but he was afraid to do it. But he had to.

“…”

Verdick pulled back the cloth and looked down.

“Isella.”

What was inside was certainly not a living person. But it was also difficult to call it an ordinary corpse.

He couldn’t say anything for a long time. It looked like some kind of ornament. A man spoke from behind.

“We compared it with the hair you provided before, and the height and build were also very similar to your missing daughter.”

But that was all.

Verdick wanted to immediately deny it, saying “This person is not my daughter.” But Verdick’s cold mind couldn’t simply deny reality like that.

“Is there nothing more?”

“…That’s why we need Mr. Evans’s confirmation.”

It looked elegant rather than horrific. Most of the body was embalmed like a doll. It looked more like a doll made from human materials. The head was completely shaved and wore a red wig.

And a crown was placed on top of it. The face was covered with a mask. The hands looked so exquisitely crafted that it was confusing whether they were doll hands or human hands.

“The hair was cut short, but we could compare the hair color with the hair left to secure the wig.”

“…My daughter doesn’t wear clothes like this.”

“The perpetrator must have dressed her.”

The body wore a slightly outdated dress.

When Verdick tried to touch the mask, Inspector Albert stopped him.

“It’s better not to open it.”

“…How can I confirm without seeing?”

“The face had already become skeletal.”

“But parts like the hands are still intact.”

“The face was carved out.”

“…”

Verdick had to think.

I can recognize my daughter just by looking at her hair color!

He had shouted that he could recognize his daughter just by looking at her hair, but was that really true? Verdick pondered. He couldn’t be certain. It would be easier if he admitted it was correct, but Verdick found it difficult to definitively say whether the corpse before him was really his daughter Isella.

What if what he received in the package wasn’t Isella’s hair, but similar hair? Could he be confident that his memory was accurate? Could he guarantee that he hadn’t just concluded it because he wanted to believe it? Verdick didn’t know. But he wanted to make a judgment quickly. Whether it was right or not.

Inspector Albert spoke.

“The skin… moles and scars are mostly intact. Mr. Verdick, are there any distinctive features on your daughter’s body? Do you remember any characteristics of your daughter?”

“…I don’t know.”

Verdick answered with some difficulty.

He couldn’t be certain if this was Isella.

The body… Verdick sighed. How could he know about his grown daughter’s body? He had rushed over as soon as he was called, but Isella’s maid would know this better than him. Verdick found it hard to be certain whether the girl before him, who had lost so much of her living appearance, was his daughter.

Verdick lifted the corpse’s hand. It was so cold. It was no longer a human hand. But it didn’t feel like meat either. With the blood drained, dried, and powder applied, it was hard to recognize its original form.

“…It would be better to send a telegram to the manor and call the maid.”

“Yes. Mr. Verdick, will you stay in the capital for a while then?”

“I will.”

Verdick answered briefly and adjusted his hat.

“Master, what will you do?”

“I’ll stay at the manor in the capital. And… there will be much to prepare.”

Verdick gritted his teeth.

He had been so nervous before coming, but now that he had seen it, he became calm.

Right now he knew too little. He couldn’t even be certain whether the corpse was his daughter or not after seeing it. Verdick realized anew that he had been an inadequate father. The misery and bitterness rather made Verdick’s head cold.

One thing became certain.

That corpse was Prince Guiz’s doing.

* * *

Prince Guiz was deeply financially entangled with Verdick Evans. He needed more flexible funds than the nobles could provide. And Verdick Evans had no reason to refuse his hand. Prince Guiz had many flaws, but the more flaws he had, the more men like Verdick liked him.

Prince Guiz borrowed large sums of money and passed documents and bills for Verdick. The current king was too old, so much authority already belonged to him. The final decisions were still approved by the king, but no one was unaware of Prince Guiz’s tremendous influence.

The old king was just holding on, trying to pass the throne to Prince Louis by any means.

Verdick knew Prince Guiz’s hobby.

Very few people knew his hobby, but there were some occasionally.

Some direct nobles, some servants, accomplices like himself who provided money.

Verdick had given him countless amounts of money and women, and among them were occasionally women who wouldn’t cause trouble if they disappeared. Of course, he gave them through several people so it wouldn’t be directly revealed, and once money and women entered his hands, they never came out of the palace.

People like the current king or Count Fankair would be disgusted, but for Verdick it was a joyful thing. It was a fatal weakness no matter who looked at it. The current king and his associates were anxious about Prince Guiz’s scandals becoming known, but in Verdick’s view, it wasn’t such a serious matter.

Enjoying murder or being a sexual deviant wasn’t that big a problem. Most perverts couldn’t hide it and went around leaking it everywhere, but Prince Guiz at least knew how to conceal it.

The people he used were mostly foreigners, or prostitutes and male prostitutes. Among them, if he thought their appearance was decent, he would make them into objects and enjoy them.

But that was of no great concern to Verdick.

Prince Guiz maintained a reasonably good relationship with Verdick. Considering that most royalty and nobles wanted to suck money from Verdick and then trample him, Prince Guiz was at least a man who gave back as much as he took.

So Verdick wanted to deny this fact even more.

He couldn’t have done that.

He couldn’t have.

Why would he kill his daughter?

Verdick picked up his pen. He didn’t know who to talk to or who to consult with. But he had to organize his thoughts.

Isella had disappeared. She didn’t take any jewelry and didn’t disappear with anyone. Who could have taken her? Until a few days ago, Verdick thought it was Raymond’s doing. He had enough resentment to do such a thing, and his attitude was enough to arouse suspicion.

But the discovered corpse was clearly Prince Guiz’s work. He had two ways of playing with corpses: one was the extremely common method of mutilating the belly and genitals.

And the second was making objects with various decorations like this. The types were different, but his taste showed in the stitching, knots, and decorations. Prince Guiz believed that the creator’s characteristics should be revealed in artworks. In any case, he never caused major damage to the face.

But why was the face carved out this time? Doesn’t it seem like someone deliberately did that because they didn’t want to be caught by someone?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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