The Fake Madam Disappeared-Chapter 56Vol. 1 -

Chapter 56

"Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a berserk episode."

Alec, who had belatedly followed Edmund and jumped off the cliff, examined Damian’s condition.

His fever was abnormally high, but there were no signs of him going berserk. With that immediate concern alleviated, Alec turned his attention to the situation before him.

Daphne, wrapped in Edmund’s jacket, sat blankly staring at Damian.

‘How is he unharmed?’

When he fell from the cliff, Damian had been in a berserk state. His aura must have flared wildly around him. A moment later, Daphne reached out and took Damian’s hand. However, when Alec stole a glance at her hands, he saw only a few small scratches – nothing more.

‘What on earth happened…?’

Suppressing his confusion, Alec continued checking Damian. Before long, the Black Knights arrived at the cave. Like Alec, they had followed the trail of scattered clothing to find their way.

“We’ve found a way back up.”

At the knight’s words, Alec hoisted Damian onto his back. Daphne, who had been dazedly sitting, staggered to her feet. Watching her, Edmund furrowed his brows and turned to Chris.

“Do you have any spare shoes?”

“No, sir.”

Edmund approached Daphne. She was so fixated on Damian that she didn’t even notice her jacket slipping from her shoulders. Seeing her thin dress soaked by the rain and turning semi-transparent, Edmund scowled before draping his jacket over her once more. He pulled the collar up to her chin and buttoned it securely. Only then did Daphne finally turn to look at him.

Without hesitation, Edmund lifted her into his arms. Caught off guard, Daphne let out a startled scream and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“The path is too rough to walk without shoes.”

“Oh….”

It was only then that Daphne realized she was barefoot. She must have lost her shoes in the chaos of running earlier. The moment she became aware of her injuries, pain from the cuts on her feet, torn by jagged stones, surged belatedly. Her toes curled at the sharp sting.

Stiff in Edmund’s arms for a moment, she hesitantly loosened her grip around his neck. She tried to minimize contact, but each step he took made her body shift, causing her cheek to brush against his chest. Her body, chilled from the rain, found warmth in Edmund’s embrace. As her tension melted away, exhaustion rapidly overtook her.

Daphne struggled to keep her eyes open, fighting off the drowsiness. But the warmth and the sense of security were too overpowering. Soon, her eyelids closed.

* * *

“…What?”

Elizabeth repeated, incredulous at what her spy had just reported.

“Duke Winter has found both the Duchess and the Young Lord… Agh!”

The spy let out a sharp scream, overcome by sudden pain. His body trembled violently as crimson blood streamed from his eyes.

“…What is going on?”

“You’ve come at the right time, Marquis Bled.”

Still seething with rage, Elizabeth turned to Sergei, who had stopped in his tracks upon seeing the bleeding spy.

“Duchess and the Young Lord are alive? How is that possible?”

“They’re alive?”

Sergei merely furrowed his brows, showing little reaction. At his signal, Noah escorted the spy out. Sergei then leisurely sipped his tea.

“Marquis Bled, this is no time to sit idly by!”

Elizabeth bit her nails anxiously.

“You said they would die! I even coordinated everything with my father and prepared to take my place as the Duchess Winter… But now the whole plan is ruined!”

“Calm yourself.”

Sergei replied lazily, clearly uninterested in her tantrum.

Too blinded by fury, Elizabeth failed to notice his indifference and snapped at him with fiery eyes.

“Calm? You expect me to stay calm when both of them have returned unharmed?!”

“…Unharmed, you say?”

“Yes!”

“Are you certain?”

“Why would I lie?”

Breathing heavily, Elizabeth collapsed onto the sofa.

‘Unharmed….’

Sergei turned her words over in his mind.

Both of them were completely unharmed. He had considered the possibility that they might have survived, but he hadn’t expected them to return without a scratch.

‘Is that even possible?’

As he resolved to search the ‘Records of Memory’ for information on aura, Elizabeth muttered under her breath.

“The poison didn’t work as planned, the ones who should be dead have returned unscathed….”

“…Your Highness, there is another way.”

“Another way?”

Elizabeth’s face was expressionless, as if she had lost all hope.

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

“Your Highness was nearly poisoned, correct?”

“Well, officially, yes.”

“And who was meant to be framed for the crime?”

“…Duchess Winter.”

“The investigation is still ongoing, as you have yet to provide your testimony.”

She had planned to pretend to be ill for several days before making her statement. But in the midst of all this, she had been so preoccupied with news of the Duchess and the Young Lord that she had completely forgotten.

“…I must see my father.”

Elizabeth sprang to her feet.

“I have a gift to prepare.”

She already knew what Sergei meant by ‘gift.’

“Will you accompany me, Marquis Bled?”

“I have no interest in sending my own sister to her death.”

And yet, he hadn’t so much as blinked when Daphne was caught in their schemes.

Elizabeth swallowed her retort and smiled.

“Then I’ll see you later, Marquis Bled.”

She turned to leave but hesitated momentarily before looking back.

“Marquis Bled, one thing I’ve been wondering.”

“What is it?”

“What is your goal in all this?”

The thought had crossed her mind before. For her, the objective was clear – to claim Edmund and seize the Winter Duchy. Sergei’s goals appeared similar, yet something about them felt different. She couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

“Well….”

Sergei looked momentarily surprised by her question.

“I think what’s more pressing is that if you don’t leave now, the meeting will begin without you.”

“Oh, that won’t do! See you later, Marquis!”

Elizabeth hurriedly exited the room.

— — —

Before leaving the palace, Elizabeth adjusted her appearance – her makeup was redone to make her look weak, her attire was simplified, and all jewelry was removed. She barely managed to request an audience with the emperor before the meeting commenced. As expected, Duke Bevelock was by his side.

“Elizabeth, your hair has lost its luster.”

The emperor, who cherished her golden locks more than anything, looked at her regretfully. Elizabeth gave him an awkward smile before dramatically covering her mouth.

“Cough, cough!”

“You still don’t seem well. What brings you here?”

“Father, I… have something to tell you.”

Deliberately rasping her voice, she ensured it sounded weak and broken.

“It’s about the one who tried to poison me.”

Behind her trembling hand, the corners of her lips curled into a dark smile.

* * *

Anna lifted her head as she continued cleaning the room, just as she had the day before. With even the Black Knights having vacated the mansion a few days ago, the place was eerily silent. The oppressive stillness reminded Anna of when the Madam had disappeared from the North. To shake off the unease creeping up on her, she busied herself by cleaning Daphne's already spotless room over and over again.

Gazing at the dust-free space, Anna eventually turned her attention to the window.

‘When will Madam return?’

Even without any concrete information, she could tell that something was off.

‘What if something bad happened to her…?’

The moment such a dreadful thought crossed her mind, Anna shook her head furiously and tightened her grip on the cleaning tools.

“No, she’ll be fine. She has to be….”

Letting out a deep sigh, Anna stepped out of Daphne's room. The mansion felt emptier than ever, especially with Benjamin away on business, making his absence all the more noticeable.

As she walked through the corridor, Anna caught sight of a carriage stationed at the mansion’s entrance through the window. Without hesitation, she hurried off to find Olga.

“Lady Olga, there's a carriage outside. Who does it belong to…? Lady Olga?”

Olga’s body was trembling. Anna sucked in a sharp breath when she noticed that Olga’s feet were hovering slightly above the ground.

“…Anna?”

Olga turned around, her voice as composed as ever. But her face was unnaturally stiff, like that of a doll, and her eyes blinked out of sync. On top of that… they were red.

“Why do you look like that? Did you see something?”

A deep instinct warned Anna that answering truthfully could bring grave consequences. She quickly shook her head.

“N-no. I just… didn’t hear that we were expecting a visitor, so I was surprised to see a carriage.”

“I must have forgotten to mention it. We have a guest.”

Olga spoke as she shifted her body slightly. Only then did Anna notice the unfamiliar figure – a small person, draped in a large robe that concealed their lower face.

“Oh, I see….”

Anna forced an awkward smile, hesitating.

“And there’s someone here to see you.”

“Me?”

“Anna.”

A familiar voice called her name from behind, accompanied by a firm hand gripping her shoulder.

T/N: I don’t like this