Chapter: 7
âDid I seal it wrong?â
If that were the case, it would have been resealed. But no matter how many times she looked, both the color and the crest were unmistakably those of Count Heriondâs house. Reilly told herself she was just being overly sensitive lately and carefully pushed herself upright.
She had been about to return to her room, thinking that exposing the child to too much cold wind wouldnât be good. Instead, she took the path behind the mansion and headed toward the side door. Since she wasnât quite ready to go back inside, she walked at a leisurely pace.
Once my body gets any heavier, I wonât be able to come out like this anymore.
She smiled as she stroked her belly. She should keep her mind at ease so the child could be at ease too, but lately there had been too many things weighing on her heart, and she felt sorry for the baby.
âI should put some flowers in the room.â
At the very least, she thought sheâd bring back some of the pretty flowers blooming in the garden. Mixing a few kinds in a vase would look quite lovely. They would be nice to look at when she felt stifled, and her mood would surely improve.
She was bending down to pick flowers when she heard hushed voices nearby.
âŠWhat are they talking about here?
It was a corner of the garden people rarely visited.
The maids knew she sometimes went into the garden, but they didnât know she occasionally came back into the mansion by circling around this way. If Theo had known, he would have forbidden it. Whenever she entered with a maid or when he came to fetch her himself, they always used the usual path, so they clearly didnât expect Reilly to be here.
âYou did a good job keeping it discreet. She rewarded me generously.â
âReally?â
âGood thing we didnât burn the earlier ones and hid them as collateral.â
âRight. Just like you said, it was smart to gather them just in case. Isnât that woman a fool?â
A giggle followed, along with the clinking sound of coins. At the mention of that woman, Reilly held her breath and crept closer.
It was Philia and Bote, the two maids who were always at Annaâs side.
She could see them standing near the back door, heads bowed as they checked something. A bad feeling washed over her, and she listened carefully.
âWhere did you put the rest of the letters?â
Philia asked as she divided up gold coins and handed them to Bote.
Since Philia had only pretended to take the letters to burn them and had actually passed them to Bote, she didnât know where they were. They were in this together, but it didnât hurt to know.
âDonât worry. I hid them well, just in case.â
Bote replied calmly as she pocketed the coins. She could tell her, but she didnât feel like it.
âAnna really isnât right in the head. How can she order someone to burn letters sent from a personâs family?â
âDonât try to understand her. How could we ever understand the way those people think? Besides, sheâs riding high after taking the dukeâs love.â
Bote clicked her tongue and shook her head in disgust. As Reilly quietly listened, she took out the letter she had received earlier. The distorted seal didnât align properly, as if someone had reattached it.
Earlier, in her rush at the thought that it was a letter from Leta, she hadnât examined it closely. But now that she looked carefully, she could see that the paper on the opposite side had been torn slightly and pasted back together.
âŠCould it be?
Surely the letters the maids mentioned couldnât be the ones sent to her. And yet, thinking back, Anna had always been present at the ducal estate.
If Anna had wanted to intercept them secretly, it would have been entirely possible.
Theo was busy and spent his days in his office, and the maids followed Annaâs words rather than Reillyâs. Theo entrusted nothing to Reillyâso perhaps this wasnât just a theory.
If so, then this letter too was likely a fake.
âYou didnât stupidly hide them inside the ducal estate, did you?â
âOf course not. I buried them.â
âWhat? Donât tell me⊠in the garden?â
Philia frowned deeply and questioned Bote. Judging by her expression, it didnât seem like a lie. Still, it was hard to understand why Bote would hide the letters there.
âDonât you know the madam comes to the garden often?â
Philia said, her face going pale. Her anxious eyes darted back and forth, but Bote looked relaxed.
âShe doesnât come this far. She always sticks to the same path.â
âStill⊠Well, I guess. There are lots of flowers, so they wonât be discovered.â
âI checked again today. There are weeds everywhereâshe wonât even look that way. There are hydrangeas right next to it; do you think sheâd bother looking elsewhere?â
âTrue⊠I guess youâre right.â
At Boteâs words, Philia let out a sigh of relief and nodded. Only after dividing up the coins in their pockets did the two look around cautiously.
Thanks to the densely grown hydrangeas, they couldnât see Reilly. It was uncomfortable, but she couldnât stand up now. If she did, she would never find Letaâs hidden letters.
LetaâŠ
Reillyâs heart began to pound violently.
She couldnât believe it, but if what they said was true, she had to find Letaâs letters immediately and confirm it for herself. She remained frozen in place, waiting for them to leave.
She watched the maids through the stems of the hydrangeas. Only after a long while did she see them head back toward the ducal estate.
Only then did Reilly carefully rise.
âI have to find them quickly, before anyone else comes out.â
She moved through the area filled with hydrangeas that covered a large portion of the gardenâs rear and began circling nearby. Afraid she might miss something, she bent her head low and examined the ground slowly.
They said they hadnât burned them yet. They must be here.
From her vague memory of coming here before, the hydrangeas were clustered only in this area.
Up front, flashy flowers like roses and tulips bloomed in abundance, and beyond that were mostly trees. This had to be the place Bote mentioned.
Since she rarely came here, they must have thought it an ideal hiding spot.
âPlease⊠no. Please let it really be from LetaâŠâ
She desperately wished that the letter saying her sister was happy had been genuine.
Forcing her trembling heart to steady, Reilly began searching through the weed-choked areas around the hydrangeas. To give her a letter, they would have had to dig it upâthere would surely be traces.
They would have needed an envelope and seal from the Heriond family to falsify the letter.
There wasnât much time. As the sun slowly began to set, Reilly grew anxious. If it got too late, they would surely come looking for her.
Careful not to strain herself, she scanned the ground. Her eyes moved quickly, searching for any trace left behind in the dwindling time.
Huh?
After staring at the ground for quite a while, she noticed a patch of weeds that had been pressed down unnaturally. The disturbed weeds and clumsily covered grass caught her eye. Looking closer, she saw that the color of the soil was subtly different.
It was slightly darker, as if the ground had been dug up and covered again.
Reilly immediately reached out and dug into the soil. As if it hadnât been buried deeply, a small box soon came into view.
She carefully lifted it and opened it. Inside were all the letters Leta had sent her over the years.
[To my beloved sister Ri,
I ran away saying I didnât want to get married, but Father dragged me back. Sister⊠how did you endure all this? After you left, Iâm seeing sides of Father I never noticed as a child, and itâs so hard. I didnât know⊠but now I think I finally see your pain. What on earth is that crestâŠ? He keeps asking me whether a mark has appeared on me. Sister, Iâm scared.]**
[To my beloved sister Ri,
Sister, please come get me⊠You can make me do anythingâjust please take me with you. I hate Father, but I hate Count Heriond even more. I thought it would be enough if you were happy there, but enduring this is too hard. The count keeps looking at me with the same eyes Father does. Couldnât I just⊠couldnât I live by your side?]**
[To my beloved sister Ri,
âŠDid you abandon me? Youâre all I have. Please save me from this hell. I tried to endure it. But when will this ever end? If I endure long enough, will a day of peace really come? No⊠I donât think it will. Iâve been sending letters in secret from Father, so why isnât any reply coming? Did you forget me?]**
[To my beloved sister Ri,
No matter how much I struggle, itâs no use. No one listens to me. Now I think I finally understand why you married as if you were fleeing⊠Iâm getting married tomorrow. I hope youâre happy there. Iâll send the invitation in secret from Father. I miss you. And I donât resent you, sisterâso please, even once, come see me.]**
âHicâŠâ
Even the last bit of hope she had been clinging to crumbled away. She had thoughtâhopedâthat her sister might be doing a little better. But it was no different from her own situation.
Leta had kept writing to her until the very end. The words saying she didnât resent her made Reilly feel as if her heart were being torn apart.
How desperately had she searched for her? How many times a day had she cried as she wrote those letters? Reilly had done nothing for Leta, who had reached out her hand to her.
Her body trembled with rage.
She could not forgive Anna for hiding the letters sent to her, nor the maids who helped her. Clutching the letters, she headed straight for the ducal estate.
âMadam, the duke is busy with work and ordered that no one be let in!â
She didnât know where the strength came from, but Reilly lightly shoved aside the maid who blocked her. When another maid tried to stop her, she slapped the womanâs hand away.
âI-Iâll inform the duke right away that youâre looking for him!â
âThereâs no need. Iâve already come to see him myself.â
âB-butâŠâ
âWhy? Are the two of them tangled up inside or something?â
The maidsâ faces turned deathly pale. They had heard that Anna had gone into his office earlier, and they knew exactly what was happening inside after she went in.
But at Reillyâs voiceâone that made it clear she already knewâthey could no longer stop her.
Reilly flung the door open without even knocking.
âR-Reilly.â
There stood Theo, his face full of shockâand beside him, Anna, wearing a faint smile.
Seeing the two of them half-undressed, clothes not yet properly arranged, a hollow laugh escaped Reillyâs lips.
