Chapter 167
Eli furrowed his brow involuntarily. Unlike her father, Baron Suffredi, Licia seemed to have a great deal of ambition and boldness. Such a personality might be welcomed in the Suffredi domain and the family, but it was hardly something Dehart would find agreeable.
Above all, Dehart had Bella.
She was the one who resembled the late Duchess and helped stabilize his manic episodes. Because of that, Eli felt the need to stop Licia, for his master’s sake.
“Hm…”
Eli, lost in his thoughts as he crossed his arms, was interrupted by a knock on the door. Then it was followed by a soft voice.
“Pettel here, Your Grace.”
“…Come in.”
After a brief silence, Dehart spoke. The door opened, and Pettel entered, pulling a letter from his pocket and placing it on the desk. Dehart’s eyes narrowed after seeing it.
“It’s news from the center.”
That was all Pettel said. Dehart nodded, and Pettel bowed deeply before leaving. Eli, sensing the mood, followed Pettel out of the office.
An unwelcome silence fell. Dehart stared at the envelope, slightly larger than the palm of his hand, and exhaled deeply. His hand twitched as he reached for the pen.
‘Sebelia.’
What Pettel had brought was news from a spy sent to the center. Not the Wheddon family known to the public, but information about the true Wheddon family, hidden beneath a thin curtain.
It was a story about how Sebelia Wheddon had lived before coming to Hillend Hall.
“Ah…”
Dehart’s pale face trembled as his hand shook. Why? He had commanded to know this information, to have it brought to him, but now he couldn’t bring himself to reach for it. He couldn’t tear open the simple paper envelope and look at the truth inside.
In the end, Dehart dropped the pen. His empty hands didn’t reach for the letter but instead cradled his face. The night passed, and dawn arrived.
Crack.
With bloodshot eyes, he tore open the thin envelope.
* * *
“I’m going to the post office. Would you like to come with me, Bella?”
Claude, holding a bowler hat in one hand, asked Sebelia. Unlike his time at the lab, he paid much more attention to his appearance as Karl Appenz. It seemed he wanted to appear like a dignified middle-aged man…
“Yes, I’d love to. I just need to grab my coat, please wait a moment?”
“I’ll wait in the hall on the first floor.”
Honestly, with his eyes sparkling so brightly, he didn’t appear very dignified. Sebelia smiled lightly at him before heading back to her room to grab her wallet and a light cape.
As she descended the stairs, she crossed paths with the maid who had given her a hard time a few days ago, but nothing happened. The maid merely glared at her with a look of clear disapproval.
“Let’s go.”
Claude extended his arm and spoke to Sebelia. With a short smile at his gentlemanly escort, Sebelia linked her arm with his.
As they strolled side by side as if they were an affectionate uncle and niece, Sebelia asked,
“Why are we stopping by the post office?”
“Oh, I forgot to mention.”
Claude nodded habitually and tapped his cane on the floor a couple of times.
“I received a dispatch notice that a few letters and parcels arrived at the mailbox. Somehow, they knew I was at the residence and sent them there. But…”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no. I was just wondering if I was taking away some of your joy with my ramblings.”
“Joy?”
Sebelia looked up at Claude with a puzzled expression. He gave a subtle smile, as if hinting at something, and then spoke.
“Actually, there shouldn’t be any letters or parcels for either me or Watts this month, Bella. Watts’ herb storage burned down, so all his research stopped, and as for me, I had to put my work aside because of my troublesome nephew. We both have been busy, so we made sure to tell anyone not to contact us.”
Sebelia still didn’t fully understand what he was trying to say. But as his next words sank in, her blue eyes froze.
“That leaves just one person. Mailbox 203 is shared by Watts, me, and you. So, the answer’s simple.”
“Wait, but who would send me a parcel and letter… Ah.”
Sebelia froze in place like a broken wind-up toy. Claude, noticing the empty space where her arm had been, stopped walking. He turned with a clumsy smile.
For a moment, he looked at Sebelia with sympathy as she took in a shallow breath. But before long, he was being pulled toward the post office by her, almost as if she was the one dragging him along.
“Wait a minute. Shouldn’t you be crying or something at a time like this?”
“I’ll do that on my own later. Please, just open it now.”
“You don’t need to beg. I’ll open it.”
Sebelia led Claude to the mailbox. When she saw him pull out the key, she let out a trembling breath.
‘Denisa.’
There was only one person in the world who would send her a letter—only her.
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