The Countess's Body Has Disappeared - Chapter 61

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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 61
At some point, another maid named Rowie had taken up position behind the counter, watching them with a measured gaze.
“He’ll come back soon. Before the engagement, his heart’s unsettled, that’s all. The mistress knows this, which is why she’s staying calm. If a situation truly warrants reporting, then we’ll move according to her instructions when the time comes.”
But the moment those words left her lips, the kitchen door burst open and Wade rushed in with urgency. After exchanging a quick glance with the startled Rowie, she swiftly issued orders to the maids in the kitchen, including Cecilia and Kate.
“A knight just took the mistress to the hospital. All of you, go to the young master’s bedroom right now and gather his clothes, gowns, and toiletries. If a phone call comes in, wait for the ring tone to sound three times, then tell them the mistress is away and hang up. And prepare to start a thorough cleaning as soon as the mistress returns from the hospital.”
Cecilia and Kate exchanged reflexive glances.
Kate was the first to raise her hand and speak.
“The mistress is going to the hospital? Did something terrible happen?”
Wade closed her eyes.
The answer that followed sent Cecilia’s heart plummeting.
“The young master was hit by a car.”
2-6. Nine Proposals
Sharp footsteps echoed down every corner of the hospital corridor.
Everyone passing through the hallway turned their heads searching for the source of the sound. It was fortunate, at least, that this was the top floor with sparse foot traffic. Esmeralda pulled her hat brim low to obscure her face.
And a black one-piece dress at a hospital—not the wisest choice, it seemed.
“I’ve come to visit an acquaintance. May I go in?”
She spotted a staff member lingering near the entrance to the long corridor lined with patient rooms and asked the question.
The woman, considerably shorter than Esmeralda, gave her black-clad figure a dubious once-over. Had she not been carrying a fruit basket, she might have been mistaken for the hospital’s longtime resident ghost.
“Do you have a Visitor Pass?”
“I left it with the staff downstairs. Oh, was I supposed to bring it with me?”
Esmeralda pushed her hat brim up with her fingertip and flashed a charming smile.
The woman’s eyes widened, then slowly narrowed. There was something familiar about that face.
Esmeralda added with a light wink.
“I work in theater.”
“Ah, I see. Go ahead.”
Esmeralda left a word of thanks and swept past her with the click of her heels.
As she walked slowly checking room numbers, her footsteps eventually stopped before one door.
Esmeralda hung her handbag on her arm, knocked on the door, and then pushed it open forcefully without waiting for permission.
…….
In the center of the spacious hospital room stood Davion, shirtless, biting into a peach.
His face was flushed a deep red and he was breathing heavily, his bronze skin glistening with sweat. He had clearly been exercising until just before Esmeralda’s arrival.
Esmeralda’s gaze caught on the tattoos that covered his left arm without gaps, then quickly bounced away. Only then did his actual injuries come into view.
Large bandages were affixed to Davion’s right temple and forehead. His eye sockets were bruised a bluish hue. As a result, he looked less like someone who’d been hit by a car and more like someone who’d just finished an intense fistfight.
Esmeralda quietly slid the glass door shut behind her and removed her hat. As she chewed and swallowed the peach that had been in her mouth, Davion furrowed his brow.
“Your first time seeing a patient visit like this?”
“Not my first visit, but my first without any warning in quite this manner.”
“Thistle Down asked me not to tell anyone and to come. She said you might jump out the window and run away.”
He had the four-bed room to himself. Esmeralda set the fruit basket down on one of the empty beds and laughed.
“You seem to like fruit. That works out well.”
Davion awkwardly lowered the half-eaten peach.
A belated regret for having been exercising crept in. Had he simply lain in bed feigning pain, he could have gotten Esmeralda out the door a full second faster.
He pulled his shirt, which hung draped over a nearby chair, over his head and asked.
“Did my mother perhaps come with you? Or with Rene?”
“No, I can drive myself, you know. Though I’m a terrible driver when it comes to parking, I’ll admit…….”
A sigh laced those words with the full weight of the arduous journey required to reach the hospital. She pushed the fruit basket aside and sat on the edge of the bed, gesturing to the one across from her for Davion to take.
“Sit down. You’re not going to keep standing like that, are you?”
“I’m a patient. I’m not in any condition to be conversing with someone.”
Esmeralda fixed him with an incredulous stare and let out a hollow laugh.
“You were just exercising. Sit down. There’s talk of an engagement happening among the adults, and I realized we haven’t finished the conversation we started that day.”
She crossed her stockinged legs and invited him to sit once more with deliberate courtesy. It was a moment that revealed her unwavering resolve—that she would not leave this place until her purpose was achieved.
Given how entangled their families had become, Davion would not be able to avoid her even after he was discharged.
‘Then…….’
The moment he made his decision, Davion first closed the window. Then he sat across from Esmeralda and opened his mouth.
“Do you happen to know of any cases of Cross-Class Marriage around you?”
Esmeralda looked up from examining her nails, her eyes widening. It was a reaction closer to puzzlement about the intent of the question.
“You’ve met many who aren’t nobles through your acting career. You’re far more well-connected than I am, so I’m asking you.”
“Well……. I heard that Count Howell recently married a tailor who graduated from La Belin Costume School. And Ford married a commoner businessman. These days, quite a few nobles are marrying self-made wealthy people. But why are you asking…….”
“There’s a woman I love. The problem is that she works as a maid in my household.”
“……Pardon?”
Esmeralda’s eyes grew even wider. This time, it was unmistakably a look of shock.
“Is there any way I could marry her?”
Esmeralda slowly uncrossed her legs, then laced her fingers together and rested them on her knees.
Davion met her gaze directly, waiting for her answer. His expression was far too earnest to brush aside with a clever smile. So Esmeralda had no choice but to offer what she believed was the best response.
“What era are we living in, Lieutenant? A single piece of paper is all anyone needs to become husband and wife.”
“I can’t run away with Cecilia. I can’t leave Mother alone.”
There was also the sense of responsibility to care for Blake, but more than anything, his pride wouldn’t allow it.
To Davion, his father and Theodore were nothing but cowards who had abandoned their family and fled. Becoming like them was worse than death itself.
“So the lady’s name is Cecilia.”
Esmeralda smiled, lowering her long mascaraed lashes.
“It’s a lovely name.”
“I think so too.”
Davion covered his mouth with the back of his hand and gave a gentle smile. It seemed to Esmeralda that this was the first time she’d seen him smile.
Ah. So that’s what a man in love looks like…
“Then how do you plan to convince Mrs. Thistle Down? She values your honor as much as her own life, after all.”
“Mm. I wonder how much bigger of a scandal I’ll need to create so that when Mother eventually learns of my relationship with Cecilia, the shock won’t be quite as severe.”
“…Pardon?”
A bewildered smile flickered across Esmeralda’s face as she struggled to understand his meaning. But it took only a few seconds for comprehension to dawn.
Beneath her heavy makeup, Esmeralda’s complexion drained of color. She leaned in closer, glancing around to confirm they were alone, then cupped her hands near her mouth and whispered.
“You didn’t intentionally get beaten, did you?”

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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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