Resetting Lady

When Lind responded, it looked like he was about to cry. Verdic took out his pipe again and began puffing on it.

“It would have been much easier if it were the previous Baron Saytes.”

Lind recalled the former baron. As the eldest son, it was only natural for Raymond’s older brother to have become the household head of the barony. However, he had become so unwell that he had to be admitted to a nursing home, and eventually, the younger brother, Raymond, had to take up the mantle in his place.

“It would have been much better if it were him… But there’s no point in talking about hypotheticals.”

“How about requesting a proxy signature from the former Baron at the nursing home?”

However, even that was not a clear solution, and nor would it be certain. In the first place, heading straight to Raymond and asking for his permission was supposed to have cut down time for the investigation into Isella’s whereabouts.

Yet today, Raymond had openly mocked Verdic and refused. The former baron would not have reacted in such a way—not in the slightest.

“That… mother*cking bastard.”

“Sir?”

How could he deal with that wretch, Raymond? Verdic had essentially raised that scoundrel. He was a mere toy that Verdic had purchased to please his daughter.

When Raymond was young, he had been a boy full of a sense of justice, and he had even confronted Verdic when he tried to take over the barony unfairly.

“That person. He’s like a knight.”

Verdic agreed with his daughter. It was clearly in the nature of the boy to pursue that line of work, and it was something that remained constant in him even as he had been educated and had evolved in other ways.

And, true enough, this had not changed in all the years that Verdic had raised the lad. Even if the boy had no money, even after his family had diminished, even after he entered the army and went to war.

A person’s very essence was not so changeable.

Raymond had, for all his life, failed to shed it completely. He never spoke a harsh word to Isella and had remained diligent in the army.

But now… How could it be possible for the boy to display such a mocking attitude?

Verdic leaned back in his chair.

Well, it was possible, of course.

Verdic knew that Raymond didn’t have the fondest regard for his marriage to Isella. So he might have seized Isella’s disappearance as an opportunity.

But could ‘that’ Raymond do such a thing?

Could a person’s character, attitude, and essence change so dramatically, seemingly overnight?

Maybe. Possible.

But Verdic was determined to grasp at any straw.

Once you begin to doubt one thing, there are too many other things to doubt.

The woman Raymond was with. Perhaps he was infatuated with her. A man in love could easily become a puppet. In Verdic’s eyes, Raymond was still young, after all.

Then, Isella?

No. That thought was going too far. Verdic shook his head. That idea was out of the question. Raymond wouldn’t do anything to Isella.

Even if he wanted to get back at Verdic, he couldn’t have gone that far. The fact that Verdic was so sure that Raymond wouldn’t do any such thing was the very reason that Verdic chose Raymond for his daughter.

Even if he were a man in love, Raymond would not have thrown away his morals so easily—the boy’s essence would not have changed so drastically. Though Raymond harbored a sense of revenge against Verdic, he wouldn’t…

But he was acting so suspiciously.

Raymond had left the military rather abruptly. According to him, it’s because he had to take over as the new baron when the former baron’s health had rapidly declined.

Verdic had considered waiting a bit longer to make Raymond a member of the assembly, but suddenly, three mines exploded consecutively. After Verdic had to deal with that, Isella went missing.

Because of that, the engagement between Raymond and Isella had been nulled, and Raymond had repaid the entire principal during that time.

Seemingly in a blink of an eye, Raymond had become completely independent of Verdic.

Then, could it be?

Could all of that be just a coincidence?

Raymond didn’t even appear in high society. It wasn’t like he was pouring all his time into the estate as the new baron either. The Tes Manor, which Verdic had visited for the first time after a long while, looked utterly different. The countless servants it once had all vanished.

An empty manor.

Living there with only that red-haired maid.

“What happened to House Hare’s daughter?”

“Pardon?”

With that out-of-the-blue remark, Lind looked at Verdic confusedly. Verdic was annoyed by the subordinate who didn’t immediately understand.

Although the man was usually quick on the uptake, the drowsiness that had been pressing upon him seemed to render him helpless.

Verdic restrained his temper and continued.

“Lord Hare’s daughter. That fief that was supposed to be the last stop on the southern railway expansion proposal.”

“Ah, yes. The Hare estate.”

“The fief lord’s daughter met me a few months ago as her father’s representative. Do you remember?”

Lind thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I remember leading her to the drawing room at that time. Even amidst the confusion, a significant beauty…”

“Never mind that. Anyway, didn’t she look exactly like that maid at the Tes Manor earlier?”

Lind cleaned his glasses and shook his head. Verdic didn’t comment, as he understood Lind’s actions were to wake himself up. With his glasses back on, Lind continued.

“Now that you mention it, Master, she does bear quite a resemblance. She was dressed as a maid and was soaking wet at first, but it’s true that her features and hair color match.”

“Exactly.”

“Of course, it could also be someone else who only looks similar.”

“True, there should be no reason for that girl to be in that place anyway… But I need to consider all possibilities.”

Verdic scratched his chin. It felt strangely itchy.

He could feel the unease creeping up at him. He didn’t know what he should focus on.

He couldn’t ignore the suspicious person in front of him. While conducting the investigation on the package, he also needed to look into this woman.

What was her connection to Raymond, and why was she alone with him?

“First, we need to confirm if she’s Lord Hare’s daughter. Send someone out to their territory to check if Carynne Hare is there right now.”

* * *

Carynne glared at Raymond. He was shamelessly smiling. She didn’t like his face.

She asked in a sharp voice.

“Why did you spare that man’s life and let him escape?”

“Do you want to kill him?”

“Verdic Evans recognized me the moment he saw me. He needs to die. I’ve already gone through this several times before. That man might come back after sniffing around for clues again. We never know.”

Carynne grabbed Raymond’s arm as she said this.

Really, she couldn’t understand Raymond.

Verdic wasn’t an easy man. His cunning nature frequently caught them off guard.

Carynne could still remember that time, during her 117th year, when Verdic had been so hellbent on hacking away at her neck. He could come back any time.

If Raymond had killed Isella, Verdic was the kind of man who would return the favor tenfold, even if it meant coming back up from hell to take revenge.

“Kill him right now… Kill him. It’s not too late yet. Go after them and kill them all.”

But Raymond simply placed his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. His hand was large and warm.

“There’s no need to do that to Verdic.”

“He’s killed me so many times!”

Raymond smiled sadly.

“I know, Carynne.”

“But how…”

“But, Carynne, I’m always thinking of you. You are the only one who matters.”

“I know.”

“Then it’s okay, isn’t it?”

Carynne gnashed her teeth. Yet even as she tried to suppress them, the strong emotions swirling within her seemed to surge upward, and she could taste the bitterness lingering on her tongue.

“If you wanted to torture Verdic yourself, I’m sorry. But it will be okay.”

“…That’s not it.”

How easy life would be if it could be solved with just that. But resorting to torture wasn’t Carynne’s intent. That’s not the point here.

Neither was her intent to kill the man driven by some drive to enact her revenge. That was a trivial thing.

The greater problem was something else.

Carynne could not understand Raymond.

And Raymond wouldn’t tell her a single thing either.

Why was his behavior so inconsistent? He pulled out someone’s fingernails and killed all the foreigners that Carynne had never met before in that tower. Yet why did he leave her enemy alone—unscathed, alive?

Wasn’t it only right to kill them all?

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