X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerLucia finally matched the footsteps to the knight who had guarded her for eight years in her memory. A surge of joy, a feeling of being saved, welled within her. This revelation offered her a slight uplift in spirits.
Under the influence of the potent drug, she grew increasingly drowsy, trapped within an immobile darkness. Only sheer willpower kept her clinging to consciousness.
‘Betty Lane, breaking into Crowlina’s mansion to search for something?’
‘Is she here for me?’
Lucia struggled to vocalize, yet only a faint whimper escaped her lips. After merely three or four attempts, her strength utterly failed her. Her soft, mosquito-like cries couldn’t penetrate the thick fabric of the doll.
Changing tactics, she began to sway her body. With her full effort, the stuffed bear slowly began to tilt.
“Thump.”
The stuffed bear tumbled onto the bed, immediately capturing Betty Lane’s attention.
Betty Lane frowned slightly as she observed the three stuffed dolls arranged on the bed. She then approached the bed.
Crowlina’s heart pounded with anxiety, countless thoughts racing through her mind. She shot a desperate glance at Gina, but Gina, too, seemed devoid of any viable solution.
Just then, a knight rushed in, reporting to Betty Lane:
“Reporting, Knight Commander, a secret room has been discovered in the study.”
“A secret room?” Betty Lane turned her gaze to Crowlina.
Crowlina puffed out her chest, offering a demure smile. “Mere private aristocratic affairs.”
Her expression seemed to convey that it was perfectly normal for a noble to possess a secret room. Indeed, it was not uncommon for aristocrats to construct such hidden chambers within their estates.
Crowlina, desperate to divert Betty Lane’s attention, adopted an arrogant posture.
“If Your Excellency suspects a villain is hidden within, you are free to investigate.”
The corpse in the secret room had been disposed of long ago. While the room now contained some rather indescribable items, there was nothing that could be used as leverage.
Though the exposure of the secret room was somewhat embarrassing, it provided a opportune moment to buy time for Lucia’s transfer.
Betty Lane cast a final glance at the fallen stuffed bear before exiting the room with the others. They stood in the corridor, where she pulled the door, now missing its lock, shut, making the once-spacious hallway feel crowded.
Betty Lane looked at the reporting knight, then at Crowlina’s haughty face, and swept her gaze over the unease etched on the maids’ faces. After a moment of deliberation, she spoke:
“The manor’s layout is complex. I fear a villain might be lurking, intending harm to Her Highness. I must ask Your Highness to relocate with me. Once I’ve gathered sufficient personnel to thoroughly search the manor, you may return to reside here.”
Betty Lane’s words were a clear dismissal, an order for Crowlina—the owner of this manor, the Second Princess of the Yass family—to leave her own estate.
“You!” Crowlina was so incensed she could barely speak. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Betty Lane’s words were nothing but lies.
There were no villains lurking in the manor; it was all a pretense! This was clearly an excuse to search for the angel under the guise of searching for evildoers.
Only this could explain why Betty Lane possessed the Emperor’s personal letter, allowing her to act with such arrogance, disregarding even Duke Yass’s authority.
Betty Lane was now the acting representative of the Valga royal family. Even the Yass family found it difficult to confront her directly.
Crowlina swallowed her frustration, calming herself. She deduced that Betty Lane’s suspicion had been aroused by the secret room in the mansion, leading her to worry there might be more than one, and that the angel was hidden in one of them.
Therefore, Betty Lane intended to expel her first, in order to seal off the mansion. Her mention of “gathering personnel” undoubtedly referred to bringing in artisans and construction experts to conduct a thorough search of the mansion, ensuring every secret room was uncovered.
“Very well.”
“You all, come with me and pack our things.”
Crowlina summoned her maids to pack. She would temporarily accept this silent defeat and headed towards the original room. She planned to seize the opportunity of packing to take away the stuffed bear containing Lucia.
Suddenly, Betty Lane reached out and stopped her.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Your Highness, the mansion has been sealed, and no items within are permitted to be removed.”
“You!…” Crowlina was on the verge of exploding with fury, but she keenly realized that Betty Lane had not noticed anything unusual about the stuffed bear. If she insisted, it would only alert Betty Lane.
As dusk approached, night would soon fall. Even if the knights were to call for artisans to search the rooms, the earliest they could begin a full sweep would be the following morning, after sealing the estate overnight.
Her most rational course of action was to comply for now. Under the cover of darkness, she would send someone back to steal the stuffed bear containing Lucia.
She took several deep, gritting breaths, swallowing another wave of frustration. Then, she glared at Betty Lane and declared:
“Your Excellency is truly an excellent and devoted knight!”
“If anything of mine is damaged…”
“Full compensation will, of course, be provided.” Betty Lane cut her off, then made a ‘please’ gesture, escorting the mansion’s owner away.
All other knights had also received orders, shifting from searching to clearing the premises. Crowlina, filled with indignation, could only depart with her subordinates, driven out of her own manor to seek lodging elsewhere.
By the time night fell, the entire manor was deserted. Only Valga knights remained on patrol outside, forbidding any unauthorized personnel from approaching.
****
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Jinho's Story. Start reading now!
Read : Jinho's Story
