The Countess's Body Has Disappeared - Chapter 6

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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 6
The Sewer Rat startled and jerked his head up. The moment he spotted Cecilia staring down at him, he flew into a rage.
“You there!”
His voice came rough and grating, befitting a creature of harsh places.
“Get lost! I’m busy!”
“What did you say?”
Nagi, who’d been listening to the exchange, opened her mouth and made a threat.
“Want me to let you lounge in my belly forever?”
Squeak! The Sewer Rat covered his face with tiny paws and huddled in place, begging frantically.
“N-no! Please, please spare me!”
“Don’t, Nagi. I’m not even hungry.”
Flashing her sulfurous eyes as a warning toward the Sewer Rat, Nagi slipped back beneath the folds of Cecilia’s skirt.
The Sewer Rat groomed his fur as if entertaining an honored guest, then answered with grave courtesy.
“There are five humans, and they’re all asleep.”
Aside from dolphins and crows, most animals lacked the wit for deception. A deep crease formed between Cecilia’s brows.
“Asleep? All of them?”
“Yes, yes. They drank some water that smelled strange, and then they all… they all fell asleep.”
Water with a strange smell. There was little doubt what that meant.
The Sewer Rat caught her eye, then bolted before she could even thank him. Loaded revolver in hand, Cecilia shoved the creaking door wide open.
“Everyone outside is asleep. We have to go now. I’ll lead the way—follow me.”
The women exchanged glances without speaking. As they helped each other to their feet, Cecilia hurried from the room.
At the far end of the dark corridor, she spotted a staircase leading down.
They’d been locked on the second floor. What shocked her more was that this was an ordinary house.
Below the rotted wooden railing, the living room came into view. True to the Sewer Rat’s word, the thugs sitting around a circular table all slumped with their heads back, unconscious. Empty bottles rolled beneath the table.
A dust-covered incandescent bulb flickered above their heads.
‘Damn it.’
Her mouth had gone dry from tension. Eyes on the women following behind, Cecilia bent as low as she could and descended the stairs.
The front door was locked. Without hesitation, she changed course toward the window beside it.
Fortunately, the window opened smoothly.
A light rain fell from the night sky. The drop to the ground was considerable, but a pile of rubbish lay directly below—jumping shouldn’t cause injury.
“Cecilia! I’m here!”
Ruby, who’d somehow flown to a nearby rooftop, called out with her beak held high.
Cecilia hooked one leg over the windowsill, quickly grasped what was about to happen, and gave firm instructions to the ashen-faced women.
“I’ll jump first. Come down one at a time. I’ll catch you from below.”
Before stepping out, Cecilia wrapped Nagi—who’d been clinging to her leg—around her neck. As she flung herself downward, the rubbish heap beneath her let out a sickening “thump.”
“Ugh…”
Her lower back ached slightly, but there were no injuries as expected.
After that, she spread both arms and caught each woman as she came down. But before she could catch the last one, a gunshot tore through the silence like a scream.
“We’re spotted! Run!”
They shrieked and scattered. The thugs threw themselves out of the window in an instant and gave chase with the ferocity of predators that had caught the scent of blood.
“You crazy bitches! Where do you think you’re going!”
Cecilia’s white hair stood out especially in the darkness.
“Stop right there, now!”
Spotting the thug closing in fast from behind, she drove her legs harder and darted out of the alley.
But the man had a gun. As the muzzle swung toward the back of her head, Ruby shrieked.
“Cecilia! The gun!”
Bang.
The shot rang out. Cecilia’s eyes snapped shut by reflex. At the same moment, something large and warm enveloped her and fell with her to the ground.
When a dog’s bark echoed from somewhere, the thug cursed and fled.
Without time to feel relief, Cecilia scrambled up and checked the person who’d taken the bullet in her stead.
‘It’s…’
To her shock, it was the blonde woman who’d been sitting by the door.
Blood poured steadily from the thigh where the bullet had struck. The woman lay with her head against the rain-soaked ground, groaning in agony.
If the constable arrives, he’ll check identification. Then my husband will learn I’m alive.
The sound of barking grew closer. There was no time to deliberate. She wrapped her arms under the incapacitated woman’s armpits and hauled her up, then moved quickly away.
The woman was easily twice Cecilia’s size. She had no idea how she managed it. But the thought of Davion catching her—the thought alone—sent superhuman strength surging from her core.
Ruby guided them from the sky toward the inn.
Inside the inn they reached, the noise was thick. As if a traveling music troupe had arrived, the guests had all gathered on the first floor, playing guitars and singing.
Cecilia slipped back to her room while they were distracted and locked the door firmly behind her.
She was about to lay the woman on the bed and examine her wound when something slipped away from her head and fell to the floorboards with a soft tap.
It was a long blonde wig.
‘What…?’
Beneath it lay short, dark brown hair. Wig in hand, Cecilia stared down at the ‘man’ sprawled across her bed, gasping for breath in ragged, labored heaves.
Nagi and Ruby, who had taken up positions beside him to watch, spoke in unison.
“It’s male.”
“It’s a guy.”
They turned simultaneously to look at Cecilia.
“Oh, Cecilia picked up a new male.”
1-2. The Counterfeit Couple
Light rain had fallen all night and continued to pour.
Though it was only two in the afternoon, heavy clouds hung so thick that the world had darkened as if evening had already fallen. Standing with his back to the large window of his office, Davion had laid out a series of romance novels across his desk.
He’d found them in Cecilia’s bedroom, every one of them explicit, written plainly for adult readers.
‘Stealing the Duke’s Night’
The moment Liam read the elegant title inscribed on the stiffly bound cover, he twisted his face and laughed.
“So madam has these sorts of interests.”
“A woman who learned about love from novels.”
Davion spoke with his eyes closed, his fingers tracing the cover. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“That’s why I had to teach her everything, step by step, from the beginning.”
Liam said nothing, only gazed out the window.
The light rain had transformed into snow, swirling gently downward. Humble as it was, it marked the year’s first snow.
Soon the first snow drifting beyond the glass caught Davion’s eye as well.
When snow fell, that woman would always sit by the window and watch the world outside…
Had I packed a winter coat in that travel bag for her? He couldn’t remember.
Why did she have to run away from a comfortable home? Why did either of us have to suffer through this cold winter with snow falling? There was no need.
“Captain.”
Someone knocked, and Davion hastily smoothed the furrow from his brow.
The retired soldiers who had served alongside him called him by his military rank rather than ‘Count.’ Thanks to his practice of hiring wounded soldiers from the battlefield and helping them settle, he earned genuine respect—especially from veterans.
“What is it?”
“A shooting death occurred in East Hallow last night. Two victims, both unidentified. There are enough irregularities that we believe you should examine the scene yourself, Captain.”
All manner of incidents happened in East Hallow, so murder, in truth, was mundane enough. Which meant that the marshal’s personal summons indicated this was no ordinary killing.
“One of the victims is a young woman. But it seems the back-alley thugs wanted to obstruct the investigation—they’ve slashed her face with a blade beyond recognition.”
As he spoke, the young investigator contorted his face as though he’d witnessed something horrific.
‘A young woman?’
In that moment, Davion felt a sharp, jagged pain bloom across his chest.
“What color was her hair?”
“Black hair, sir. Though the roots were lighter in color—it appeared to be dyed.”
“We leave at once. Liam, you’re coming with me this time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Davion drew a revolver from the drawer and fastened it at his waist. Meanwhile, Liam draped a coat across his shoulders.
As Davion followed the investigator out, his pace quickened without his noticing.
‘Where the hell are you and what are you doing…?’
His chest felt tight.
That woman—like a weed in a greenhouse. Suddenly, uncontrollable rage boiled up toward her, and Davion’s fist clenched inside his pocket.
Cecilia.
I understand. I lost.
So if you come back now, I’ll let it all go. Consider it forgotten.

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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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