She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 125
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 125. A Man Who Lost Everything (4)
The person driving the dagger into Evan’s body was
Margaret, who had been Elise’s head maid.
“Why are you…!”
Evan recoiled in shock at the unexpected assailant’s identity.
While he and Margaret were not particularly close,
he had always considered her reasonably amicable within the House of Hays.
Yet here she was now, driving a blade into him.
“…Haha.”
Margaret laughed softly, watching Evan’s eyes widen in disbelief.
It began as a quiet laugh.
But the sound grew steadily louder.
“Hahahaha!”
Margaret laughed like a madwoman.
Then she suddenly stopped and glared at Evan.
Her wild eyes gleamed with malice.
“Why? You really don’t know?”
“Then what exactly…?”
Evan’s face had already drained of all color.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Margaret laughed bitterly.
“It’s because of you.”
“…What?”
“If you had never brought someone like Rosena into the noble House of Hays,
Margaret’s voice began to tremble.
Tears of rage pooled in her eyes.
“the Dowager Duchess would never have met such a miserable end!”
Margaret spat out the words.
She was no longer in her right mind.
“You’re hiding that woman Rosena somewhere, aren’t you?”
“No, I… I’m not…”
“Tell me where!”
“Argh!”
Margaret applied more force to her grip.
Blood burst from Evan’s mouth.
His breathing became ragged and labored.
But Margaret showed no sign of releasing him.
No—it seemed she intended to keep him like this until his breath stopped entirely.
‘This is insane…’
Perhaps from losing so much blood,
Strength drained from Evan’s entire body.
His fingertips grew cold and numb.
His vision gradually darkened.
It felt as though a black curtain were descending before his eyes.
‘No… I can’t die like this…’
Women, money, power, honor.
He hadn’t grasped a single one of them yet.
Evan staggered and reached for the railing.
Thud!
But his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Gasp… hagh…”
His breathing came in ragged bursts.
Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and abdomen dripped onto the stone floor.
‘Save me…’
Evan’s hand clawed at the stone beneath him.
But his body no longer obeyed his will.
His vision narrowed further.
With each breath, it felt as though his lungs were tearing apart.
“Ugh… p-please… save…”
His fingers scraped desperately across the stone floor.
But that was the end.
Like a candle snuffed out before the wind.
Evan’s body collapsed lifelessly.
In eyes wide with terror and agony.
There remained no trace of life.
Such was the wretched and terrible end of Evan Machi.
…
Silence descended upon the Bridge.
Margaret stared wordlessly at the dead Evan below her.
Seeing the pool of blood gathering on the ground.
Only then did the reality that she had truly killed someone sink in.
‘No.’
Margaret’s eyes gleamed.
‘I didn’t kill anyone.’
She had merely done what needed to be done.
Unlike a murderer like Rosena.
Margaret believed this.
“…Ha.”
Soon, her lips twisted into a slow smile.
“Hahahaha!”
Margaret clutched her belly and began laughing like a madwoman.
Then she lifted her head and gazed up at the night sky.
Her disheveled hair scattered wildly in the night breeze.
“Dowager Duchess, I have taken my revenge.”
The stars scattered across the heavens seemed to gaze down upon her like Elise herself.
Margaret clenched her fists tightly.
‘Rosena Osburn… and even the Duke and Duchess.’
Those who had become the cause of the Dowager Duchess’s tragic end.
I intended to strike them down one by one with my own hands.
Her lips trembled as she gritted her teeth.
That was when it happened.
“Over there! I think someone killed a person!”
“Seize them!”
Shouts echoed from a distance.
Margaret’s body went rigid with shock.
Several torches were being waved at the entrance of the Bridge.
It was the Guard Corps of Capital Brisen.
“Murder!”
“Arrest them at once!”
The sound of footsteps rushing across the stone pavement cut through the night air.
Margaret’s breathing quickened.
I could not be captured yet.
My enemies were still very much alive, their eyes wide open!
For Elise’s sake, I had to endure longer!
‘This cannot be!’
Before I knew it, I was already running frantically.
Behind me, the Guard Corps’s shouts echoed.
“Stop!”
To make matters worse.
Guard Corps members were also rushing from the opposite side of the Bridge.
They must have seen the torch signals from across the way.
Margaret was completely surrounded.
‘Margaret, come this way.’
Suddenly, a longed-for voice reached my ears.
Margaret’s eyes flew wide open.
“D-Dowager Duchess?”
Her gaze turned toward the River.
The stars of the night sky shimmered upon the water’s surface.
It was as though Elise herself were beckoning to her.
Joy bloomed across Margaret’s face.
“Dowager Duchess! You’ve come to help me!”
She staggered toward the railing.
The Guard Corps’ shouts echoed from both directions, drawing ever closer.
Yet Margaret paid them no mind.
“I shall join you. Margaret has always been the Dowager Duchess’s Margaret, after all.”
Margaret smiled radiantly, leaning her body over the railing.
“Stop! Come down from there!”
Before the Guard Corps could even protest.
Margaret hurled herself over the railing without hesitation.
Splash!
A heavy splash tore through the night air.
The guards stood frozen, stunned by what had unfolded in an instant.
The Guard Captain gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Search the River immediately! Find the culprit!”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers rushed into action.
Their cries dispersed into the late-night air.
And yet, amidst it all.
Upon the Bridge.
“….”
Sprawled carelessly in pools of blood.
Evan’s corpse lay there, dead in pitiful silence.
* * *
The next day.
Upon receiving word from the Guard Corps, Rainer and Cecilia made their way to the Guard Post together.
“Duke, Duchess. Thank you for coming.”
The Guard Captain approached and bowed his head.
Rainer nodded with a stern expression.
“Evan Machi is dead?”
“Yes. We required formal identification of the body, which is why we’ve asked you to come. However….”
The Guard Captain glanced sideways at Cecilia.
It was only natural to hesitate.
After all, this was a murdered corpse—was it appropriate to show it to a noblewoman?
“It’s fine.”
Cecilia, sensing his concern, spoke calmly.
“I saw Evan far more frequently than my husband did, so my confirmation would be most reliable.”
Her voice was remarkably composed.
The Guard Captain hesitated briefly, then nodded.
“Yes, this way.”
The three of them walked into the interior of the Guard Post.
As the door opened, a chill swept through the air.
A bed sat in the center of the room.
A white cloth draped over it.
The Guard Captain carefully lifted the fabric.
“Due to the ongoing investigation, the body remains in the condition it was found. This may be somewhat disturbing.”
Cecilia nodded with composure.
The white cloth slowly fell away.
A face drained of all color, now a sickly purple, was revealed.
The face that had grown completely cold overnight.
Looked far more wretched than when I last saw it.
Bruises covered the face from beatings sustained throughout the night.
Blood that had been vomited along the lips and cheeks had dried to a dark crimson.
“….”
Cecilia gazed at that face in silence for a moment.
No thoughts came to mind.
I had expected to feel at least some measure of grief.
Yet as if I had known this all along.
My heart regarding Evan was remarkably numb.
“…Yes, it’s him.”
Cecilia spoke quietly.
The Guard Captain nodded and covered the face with the cloth once more.
“He was found on the bridge last night.”
“On the bridge?”
Rainer’s eyes narrowed.
His arm had already wrapped around Cecilia’s shoulders.
The Guard Captain nodded and continued.
“A short blade was lodged in his abdomen as he lay there. He was already dead when discovered.”
“The culprit?”
“Margaret Dopper.”
“What did you say?”
Cecilia’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected name.
The culprit was Margaret.
To be honest, it was far more shocking than news of Evan’s death.
“Where is she now? Has she been apprehended?”
“Well, that is….”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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