The Countess's Body Has Disappeared - Chapter 14

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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 14
Theodore Castledown.
The eldest of this household, six years Davion’s senior, was far more frequently called by the nickname “the Prodigal of Castledown” than by his own name. At eighteen, he’d been expelled from the Military Academy for causing trouble, then spent years drifting through the streets before eventually landing in prison.
“Don’t worry about Theodore, Davion. Even in there, he’s running the place like he owns it. Living so well, sometimes I think he’s on vacation rather than locked up.”
“I’m not worried about him.”
Davion rubbed his brow, then released a sigh so heavy it seemed the ground might cave in.
“Why would I be concerned for my brother? I’m simply troubled that he might tarnish the family name even from inside prison walls.”
“Still, with your father gone and you as her only remaining son, the burden the Duchess places on you must be considerable.”
“The situation is what it is. There’s no changing it—only accepting it.”
Colonel Hamilton regarded Davion with compassionate eyes, then gave his shoulder a light pat.
After offering a grateful salute in return, Davion staggered out of the Banquet Hall, his legs unsteady. Just a few sips of wine, yet the intoxication was already creeping through him.
The atmosphere had grown ripe enough that Blake and Liam seemed more than capable of managing the rest.
Yet for some reason, as he stepped outside for air, a fleeting image suddenly cut across his vision—the silhouette of a woman he’d glimpsed at the Inn.
Her back had resembled Cecilia’s so closely.
Ah, should he have feigned madness and seized her right then?
Belated regret was washing over him when a man’s voice drifted past on the wind, calling out “my dear”—the same tender inflection he remembered.
Davion’s face twisted rapidly.
He’d let it pass without thought at the time. But now a certainty crystallized: he’d heard that voice somewhere before.
‘An acquaintance of Mother’s? Or perhaps from the Military Academy?’
A woman who stirred memories of Cecilia, and a man with a familiar voice. The more he turned over the subtlety of that moment, the deeper the furrows grew between Davion’s brows.
Before he knew it, he’d left behind the expanse of luxury automobiles and stepped out onto the broad field that stretched toward the hills. The creek that had frozen solid days before had thawed, its water trickling down from the mountain in a gentle murmur.
After walking upstream for some distance, a modest two-story cabin built of wood appeared.
Only then did Davion stop, startled, and turn to look back. The lights of the distant Mansion pricked through the black darkness like stars.
‘When did I wander all the way out here?’
The alcohol’s grip released him suddenly, and clarity crashed in.
He should return to the Mansion at once. Yet his feet seemed rooted to the earth, refusing to budge. His gaze kept pulling toward the cabin.
This cabin was where Cecilia had lived with her grandmother before marriage.
A place holding countless memories, though he’d never visited once after their wedding. Consequently, spider webs hung thick beneath the eaves.
The inside was surely worse. Yet despite knowing it shouldn’t be allowed, Davion opened the door and stepped in.
A small living room with a fireplace on the right, a kitchen, and upstairs—opening a nearby door revealed Cecilia’s old bedroom. Everything remained exactly as memory held it, save for a thick blanket of dust marking the passage of time.
.
The moment Davion entered Cecilia’s former bedroom, he pressed his back against the door, his mind floating in a void.
It felt as though Cecilia might burst out from somewhere at any instant and startle him. Beyond sorrow or longing, something unnamed churned in the depths of his chest.
Davion moved legs that felt numb and foreign, each step labored, until he reached the bed and sat stiffly at its edge. Beside it stood a narrow desk with drawers and a shelf.
A glint caught his eye from the far end of the high shelf.
A Tin Case.
Cecilia used to collect coins that mice brought, stacking them carefully inside that case. As Davion dredged up the memory, a soft smile crossed his lips. But sensing something amiss, his brow furrowed again in an instant.
‘She demanded so much Travel Money, but there’s no way she wouldn’t have taken this with her.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Davion rose and seized the Tin Case.
When he forced open the stiff lid, an Oil Lighter rattled out in greeting.
‘This is…’
Had Cecilia possessed this? He’d never expected to recover the Oil Lighter he’d lost so long ago in such a manner.
Momentarily stunned, Davion then discovered paper beneath it.
A Letter left by Cecilia.
* * *
Hello, my dear.
If you’ve found this Letter, it means you’ve come to the cabin after I’m gone.
Don’t. Please, just forget me. You’re young, handsome, and wealthy besides. You’re far too perfect a man to carry me in your heart the rest of your life.
I remember the first time we met. I thought, what is this terrifying-looking man doing smoking by the creek? I never imagined we would come to this.
Looking back, we fought so much. I regret it now. I should have pushed you away harder. If we had never come together in the first place, we’d never have inflicted such deep wounds on each other.
Why did you break the promise you made when we married?
You swore you’d never abandon me, not ever. But you left my side the moment we were married. I know it wasn’t your fault. I know circumstances spiraled beyond anyone’s control. I know some of it was mine to bear. Yet I forgive you. Sometimes there are things even God cannot change.
I forgive you.
I love you.
You great fool,
I truly loved you.
* * *
Davion carefully folded the Letter and returned it to the Tin Case.
As he traced his thumb across the worn coating of the metal surface, he stood vacant-eyed, staring into emptiness for a long time.
“Cecilia…”
But that whisper never reached anywhere, scattering into fragments within the darkness.
1-4. The Lure of Peanuts
“Count.”
Davion woke slowly to a hand shaking him.
“Count.”
He had been curled up on Cecilia’s bed. When he lifted his heavy eyelids, Liam’s worried face came into focus. The man steadied him as he spoke.
“I nearly filed a missing persons report.”
“Sorry. I had a bit too much last night.”
It seemed he’d been dreaming of Cecilia, but the details wouldn’t come to mind.
His head throbbed as if gripped by a terrible hangover. The Tin Case he’d been holding against his chest had rolled loose across the mattress. Davion stared at it blankly for a moment, then sat on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his palms.
“I’m truly a fool…….”
The moment his senses returned, he craved a cigarette. He pulled one from the inside pocket of his coat and checked the time.
It was barely seven in the morning. Somehow, the bird calls seemed unusually sharp and clear.
Now that he thought about it, he’d failed to see the departing guests off. Including what had happened last night, he’d handed over all duties related to the charity event to Liam, and a wave of guilt washed over him.
Liam lit his cigarette and spoke first.
“A postman left a Travel Bag here early this morning. He said it was a Lost Item and that the Mansion’s owner might claim it.”
“A Lost Item?”
Davion looked at him blankly. Liam swallowed dryly and whispered near his ear.
“It’s that Travel Bag you placed in the young lady’s grave.”
Even then, Davion didn’t comprehend what Liam was saying and remained frowning for some time. Only after the nicotine kicked in did his mind begin to work.
When Davion leapt up in shock, Liam nodded and added,
“It’s in the study.”
Davion bolted from the Cabin and ran to the Mansion in a single stride.

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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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