Chapter 86

“It’s Olivia Willow.”

Mrs. Willow greeted perfectly with imperial etiquette.

“I’m Amelie Bourbon.”

Amelie also hurriedly followed the greeting.

“Let’s sit down”.

Amelie and Renia sat side by side on the sofa in the living room, and Mrs. Willow sat opposite it. Chad naturally stood behind Amelie.

“Thank you for taking your time to talk with me.”

Amelie smiled to cover the awkwardness. Mrs. Willow looked at Amelie’s face.

“….?”

“Have we met before?”

“Yes? No. It’s my first time seeing you.”

“…You look strangely familiar.”

Mrs. Willow was lost in thought. But she didn’t seem to have any particular memory.

“You’ve met so many different people while traveling. Maybe you met someone similar?”

In the kitchen, her daughter shouted.

“That could’ve happened.”

Mrs. Willow accepted what her daughter said.

‘Is that why she looked at me like that? I was nervous for nothing.’

Amelie was relaxed and at ease.

“I read Manvers Young Lady’s letter. Is there anything you want to ask me? Why are you curious about it?”

Amelie thought about how much she should say.

“Miss Amelie is a victim. So, she wants to know the truth about the case and any other information.”

Renia intervened. She told Mrs. Willow what had happened to her on the imperial party day.

“It often happened in the imperial palace. But I think it’s the first time for someone who’s not from the people of the imperial palace.”

Mrs. Willow was not surprised.

“If it happens often— have you ever seen people who were manipulated like that?”

Amelie asked.

“Everyone was similar. They were all covered in blood, and they murmured as if possessed by something.”

“Did that happen often?”

“Even when I just entered the Imperial Palace, there was a saying to be careful on foggy days, so it’s been a ong time ago. I think it’s been quiet since His Majesty took the throne, but it seems to be happening again.”

“I see.”

That was what Amelie confirmed through the data.

“But why are you asking me this? His Majesty would know better—”

“His Majesty? His Majesty said it’s something that he doesn’t know either.”

“Lady is so naive. To believe his word right away.”

“….”

Amelie frowned. No one else knew, but Serwin had no reason to lie to her about the disaster.

‘It’s about someone who doesn’t know the situation. Let’s not worry too much about it.’

Amelie comforted her emotional heart well. But Mrs. Willow didn’t stop there.

“If you want to learn something from me, give up. I have nothing to tell you. I have only one thing to say. If you don’t want to waste your life, break up with that monster as soon as possible!

Mrs. Willow shouted loudly.

“What?”

“That’s all I have to say. The reason I decided to meet Miss Bourbon today is to tell this story.”

Mrs. Willow turned her head with her mouth closed. It was an elegant expression that she didn’t want to talk about anymore.

‘Huh? Break up? Monster?’

Amelie was perplexed. She did not understand why Mrs. Willow was saying this to her. Serwin isn’t a good man—but should she listen to this old woman she never met? No, we’re not even dating in the first place!

“He may look shiny on the surface, but His Majesty is not. Stop seeing him before you see the terrible truth!”

“I think Mrs. Willow is misunderstanding something.”

“What do you mean by misunderstanding! If you know what he’s doing on a day like today—”

“Pardon?”

Amelie tried to continue the conversation somehow. However, Mrs. Willow even expressed with her whole body that she didn’t want to talk. Eventually, she got up from her seat.

“I’m done with this. I have to go upstairs. I’m tired. Old people should sleep a lot.”

Mrs. Willow went into the room after finishing only what she had to say. The sound of the door closing echoed around Amelie’s ear.

‘What? Did you really want to meet up just to tell me to break up?’

It was absurd and ridiculous. How can there be such a person?

“Huh? Did mother go inside? Ugh—I’m sorry. My mother is a bit stubborn—”

Mrs. Willow’s daughter jumped out of the kitchen in amazement. She was restless and knocked on Mrs. Willow’s door, but there was no response.

“We can’t talk anymore. Why don’t you go back for today—”

She looked into Renia’s eyes.

“What should we do, Miss Amelie?”

Renia was perplexed. She didn’t know that Mrs. Willow was going to meet Amelie to say that. She wasn’t very excited when she made her appointment by letter, but she agreed to meet her anyway, so she knew she would at least give her an answer to Amelie’s question.

Amelie looked at the tightly closed door. No matter what she said, the door didn’t seem to open. But she felt bad just going back like this.

‘What do you mean a monster! All bad things are the disaster’s fault! How could you say that? How hard was Serwin’s life? He alone is lonely. Thanks to that, you’re living a comfortable life right?’

Mrs. Willow said it without knowing, but the more she thought about it, the more angry and upset she was.

“Let’s go back. We can ask someone else.”

Eventually, Amelie was forced to leave Mrs. Wollow’s house without any result.

*****

Chad was in trouble as he guarded the carriage.

‘Fortunately or not, I don’t know—’

Contrary to his worries, Mrs. Willow didn’t tell Amelie about Serwin’s secret. But instead, she said strange things to Amelie and told her to break up with Serwin.

‘I have no idea what His Majesty will say if I report it to him.’

If the reaction has to be expected to some extent, the report must be prepared mentally.

Chad sighed. At that time, something ran quickly in their direction.

‘A woman on a horse?’

He didn’t pull out the sword because the direction might have been the same by coincidence. Instead, he instructed the coachman to turn. Then, the woman on the horse also turned around and followed behind the carriage. Chad put his hand on his sword, preparing for an unexpected attack. The knights were also nervous about the approach of a stranger.

“Miss Amelie! Miss Amelie! Please let me talk for a second!”

The woman screamed. She sounded so desperate that she screamed.

‘What? Isn’t that Count Bowen’s Young Lady?’

The person running was Serina Bowen. When he checked her, his tension was relieved. Chad turned his back and stopped her. Serina didn’t seem like a dangerous person, but he didn’t make it easy for her to get close to Amelie.

“Get off.”

“Yes?”

“First, get off of the horse.”

“But—”

Chad stared at Serina, still faced and stern. That alone discouraged Serina, and Serina came down from her horse.

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s something I really want to say to Miss Amelie. I thought she was coming to the hunting contest, but they said she wasn’t coming, so I went to the imperial palace and came back. I think I’ve seen Young Lady Renia around here.”

Serina gasped and spoke frantically. In the meantime, Amelie’s carriage was moving away, so she was very nervous.

“It’ll only take a moment. I have something to tell her today. Miss Amelie! Miss Amelie!”

“Please be quiet.”

Amelie’s carriage stopped, as if her desperate cry had reached. Renia came out as she opened the carriage door.

“Young Lady Serina?”

“As expected! There was also Young Lady Renia! Please, I just need a moment.”

“Huh? Why is Young Lady Serina here?”

Amelie also found Serena. She ran past Chad and ran to Amelie.

“I’ve been looking for Amelie all day today. I went to a hunting competition and waited there for a long time, but you didn’t come. So I went to the imperial palace, but I couldn’t go into the palace—I remembered seeing someone who looked like Young Lady Renia near the teahouse over there—”

Serina talked as if she was in a hurry.

“A, anyways, I wanted to give this to you—”

Serina showed a package of paper she had been wearing on her side.

“Do you have time? It’ll really be only for a moment.”

She looked very desperate.

“Let’s get in first.”

“Thank you!”

“Then I’ll leave.” Reina said, realizing that she had other business to take care of.

With Amelie’s permission, Serina entered the carriage, and Renia went out.

“What’s the matter?”

“You remember my request last time, right? I’d like to ask you to save my family.”

Is it that again?

Amelie’s head began to ache.

“Young Lady. Didn’t I tell you that I had nothing to do with His Majesty’s work and Count Bowen? And it’s twice now that I’ve said it!”

Amelie received Serina’s request and sent a letter after confirming the facts to Serwin. However, Serina didn’t believe what she said and came to see her again.

“To said that—”

“This time, I’m not asking you to do it as just a favor.”

Whatever Amelie said, Serina’s faith in her new card was strong. Amelie was on the verge of bursting into disbelief as to why she didn’t admit that the Count Bowen’s problem due to incompetence.

“I brought the information that you really need, Miss Amelie.”

She stuck out a package of paper. It was a thick book.

“What is this?”

“It’s data on abnormalities in the imperial palace. It’s the original copy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ data, which has not been modified at all, and a renowned scholar’s study of abnormalities. Isn’t that what you need?”

Serina was confident. She doesn’t know how hard she worked to make this material. She used her grandfather’s connections to find the research data. It wasn’t easy not to be caught by Serwin. Even after finding all that she could, the data was so scarce she even went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and stole the data on the pretext of meeting her brother.

Amelie was very surprised.

‘Young Lady Bowen… She really didn’t hear a word from me.’

She thinks she told her several times that it was not like that, but nothing worked. She had no idea how to make Serina give up.

“First of all, thank you for the data. Thank you so much— but as I said, I had nothing to do with Count Bowen, and even if it does, there’s nothing I can do about it!”

“I know! Miss Amelie, you have to say that, right?”

“No—”

“Please look at the data first. I worked really hard on it. You’ll like it.”

It would be less frustrating to talk to a wall. Amelie sighed and untied the string that tied the paper package. Since she had prepared the data, she was going to send Serina back after finding the right way to broach the subject.