The Countess's Body Has Disappeared - Chapter 59

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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 59
Under Betty’s sharp gaze, Cecilia froze entirely. Betty rarely lost her temper, but when she did, she was far more terrifying than Blake.
Silence settled over the narrow room until the hospital staff had left the Cottage.
Cecilia quietly pushed the door shut behind her with her back. Before she could, Ruby—having heard the commotion—came scurrying over and squeezed herself through the closing gap.
“While Grandmother was hospitalized, Aunt Aileen had a traffic accident. So I was taking care of her duties, but now that Grandmother has returned, I must be at her side again. My place is here.”
Though Betty hadn’t yet opened her mouth, Cecilia found herself already laying out explanations.
Betty pressed her thin lips together and exhaled a long breath through her nose.
“Cecilia, my condition will only get worse from here on.”
At those words, Cecilia’s heart sank.
“The hospital said that to you?”
Betty slowly shook her head. Cecilia approached cautiously and sat on the edge of the bed, gently taking Betty’s hand.
It was terribly cold—so much so it made her shiver.
“Child, all living things grow more painful each day until they die. I’ve lived long enough. I’ve married twice, and though I never bore children of my own body, I raised Theodore and you. I have no regrets about leaving this world—but you must remain and live with strength. It’s time now for you to focus on your own life.”
“Grandmother……”
“The mistress may seem stern on the surface, but her heart runs deep. If you show her that you work with sincerity, she’ll introduce you to better positions later and help you in many ways.”
Betty gripped Cecilia’s wrist, then pushed her hand away from her body.
“To leave your post so abruptly without notice—it’s disrespectful. Go back at once and apologize to your colleagues. Fulfill your duties.”
When Cecilia still sat stubbornly without moving, Betty let out a sharp “Hush!”—a warning that if she didn’t leave immediately, she’d be thoroughly scolded.
At last, Cecilia reluctantly rose and limped out on her injured foot.
Not long after the door closed, Betty drew out a medicine envelope she’d hidden beneath her pillow. As she buried her face in her wrinkled hands and wept quietly, Ruby, who had been watching silently, hopped onto the bed and sat pressed against her.
「Humans……」
From the window, crimson autumn leaves began to settle on the swaying branches.
The brilliant summer was fading away.
.
.
.
Davion furrowed his brow as he entered the room fastening his wristwatch.
He approached the window and flung it wide open. The tips of each leaf on the branches crossing his view were tinged with red. Autumn had arrived.
Davion reached out and snapped off a single maple leaf.
……
Remarkable. Now even the sight of red made him think of Cecilia.
Lost in turning the leaf over in his palm, Davion didn’t even glance back at Blake, who was entering with a maid. She took a seat on the stool, placing her feet up as she accepted the wine and newspaper.
“Ah, thank you.”
“And this has been sent by Master Theodore.”
“……Theodore?”
A crease formed between Blake’s brows as she straightened.
She stared at the letter envelope, thick with red candle wax, and let out a bitter laugh. She set the letter on the coffee table at knee height, then pressed it down gently with her fist as she asked.
“Was there anything else that came with it?”
“The letter is all, ma’am.”
Theodore had once committed the eccentricity of placing a severed mouse tail in an envelope. After that, she’d developed the habit of thoroughly checking the contents before opening any envelope.
As Blake inserted a knife blade into the envelope’s edge, Davion finally voiced the discontent he’d been harboring.
“I confess, I don’t understand why you keep looking after someone who’s abandoned this house. You’re not even appealing for him to return……”
“This household has no patriarch. If anything should happen to either of us, Theodore must come and look after the house.”
“You could simply hire a professional from outside.”
“Blood is blood, no matter how much you despise it. It’s far more resilient and unbreakable than any stranger.”
But if that’s truly so, how could Father have abandoned us?
Of course, he didn’t voice this thought.
Between Blake and the maid, a low conversation had begun. Their voices passed by Davion’s ear like wind, leaving not a single word in his mind.
Then a small cough from someone pierced clearly through his consciousness.
Davion set down the leaf in his hand and turned.
Behind the maid pouring wine, Cecilia stood with downcast eyes and a disheartened air. New servants were often trained this way, learning over the shoulder.
“I’m sorry.”
Covering her mouth and lowering her gaze, Cecilia’s face had turned crimson.
Blake’s eyes quietly drifted back to the letter. Cecilia peeked at Davion, and the moment their eyes met, she dropped her head completely. Her ears flushed pink.
Davion quickly averted his gaze, covering his mouth.
He was about to laugh.
“Ah, Rene speaks quite positively of your betrothal.”
Blake announced this as she read through Theodore’s reply. In that same instant, the smile playing at Davion’s lips vanished without trace, and a chill settled in its place.
He couldn’t help but grimace. The fact that Cecilia was here suddenly felt like a terrible catastrophe.
“That kleptomaniac, you know, Mother. She says now whenever she sees a passerby’s pocket, her hands itch so terribly she could go mad.”
Blake let out a laugh that bordered on mockery.
“So? Once you marry her, everything in that house will be yours anyway. What exactly is the problem? Just keep your hands off my jewels.”
“I’ve only met Esmerilda once.”
“Annulment suits are ancient history now, boy. Not every betrothal leads to marriage. For now, we’re simply cementing ties between the families.”
When Blake refused to yield even an inch, Davion was seized by a violent urge to tear at his own hair and scream. Of course, he did nothing of the sort. He would sooner die than make a spectacle of himself in front of Cecilia.
“Meet as many other women as you like. In the end, you’ll realize there’s no one but Esmerilda. Don’t tell me your eyes are blind.”
“I don’t know. I’m fairly certain there are prettier women out there…”
Blake dismissed his muttering entirely. In truth, her attention had already wandered elsewhere.
“Cecilia, aren’t you getting married?”
Davion spun around in alarm.
Before Cecilia could answer, a maid seized her by force and dragged her into Blake’s presence.
Blake held out her palm, turned upward, spread wide. Cecilia hesitated, uncertain of her intention, before carefully placing her left hand atop it.
“Being kept by a governess is a child’s arrangement. You’re a grown woman now. It’s time you thought about finding a good match and settling down.”
Blake closed her eyes as if lost in memory, her thumb tracing the smooth curve of Cecilia’s ring finger.
“It would be good for your ailing governess too.”
Forcing her gaze away from the man standing by the window, Cecilia forced the words from her dry throat.
“That may be, but there are no suitable men around.”
“Would you like me to arrange an introduction? As it happens, Rowen’s chauffeur at the villa is looking for a wife. Would you care to meet him?”
Blake tightened her grip, and pale veins rose across the back of Cecilia’s delicate hand. The matchmaking scheme was transparently designed to generate gossip for the other ladies, and Davion, finally reaching the limit of his patience, interjected.
“Mother.”
“What? I’m simply trying to find a good match for my own person. Is there a problem with that?”
Before he could speak further, Cecilia hastily offered her answer.
“I’ll meet him, madam.”

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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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