Chapter 246
“A woman who looks exactly like the late Duchess is an illusionist?”
Gren’s eyes twisted as she flung the newspaper aside. Her green eyes trembled with agitation.
The paper featured a special article on Bella Appenz, the person most responsible for exposing Nathan Wheddon’s crimes. But that wasn’t all. The entire issue seemed dedicated to the topic of illusionists.
[Illusion: A Power Approaching Authority! Where Are Its Limits?]
Even after government censorship, the headline remained sensational. The paper claimed Bella Appenz had ‘merely reproduced scenes from memory,’ but it also slyly hinted she might possess the ability to create illusions indistinguishable from real people.
After publication, the paper faced serious consequences thanks to Dehart, but Gren—holed up in the remote Marquis Limms estate up north—had no way of knowing that.
Her mind was occupied by just one phrase:
[Illusions resembling real people.]
Gren’s eyes lingered on that line, unable to look away. Such a simple, but utterly shocking phrase, was now seared into her mind.
“No way…”
A suspicion she had tried to bury came clawing back. It had been there since she’d first seen the ad placed by Marquis Wheddon, searching for his lost daughter—a seed of anxiety that never quite left her chest.
She’s alive!
Gren crumpled the paper and sprang to her feet, trembling with humiliation. If she’d known that woman was alive, she would never have suffered such disgrace at Dehart’s hands.
Frustration and fury burned in her throat.
“That vile witch. She stabs me in the back like this?”
Trying to suppress her boiling anger, Gren left the sitting room, her mind racing between Sebelia and Silas’s faces. How dare she deceive her. Like father, like daughter.
Hurrying down the corridor, she ran into Flora, who greeted her with a bright smile.
“Mother, where are you going? Weren’t we supposed to go for dress fittings today?”
Gren took a deep breath, struggling not to worry her daughter. Forcing her rage down, she responded with the gentle tone of a loving mother:
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, but could you go without me just this once? Something urgent came up.”
“But—”
“I’ll call for the jeweler for you instead. Come to think of it, it’s been ages since we had a new necklace made, hasn’t it?”
Flora’s brief pout vanished at the mention of jewelry, her eyes sparkling as she clung to Gren’s arm.
“Mother, you always know exactly what I need!”
Smiling, Gren gently brushed her daughter off. Flora stepped back without protest—just like she used to. The sight brought a sting to Gren’s eyes.
After being rescued by Marquis Limms, Flora had been so traumatized she lost the ability to speak for a while. The memory of her daughter’s haggard appearance on that terrible day still made Gren clench her fists in anger.
She can never let that child suffer that kind of pain again.
An illusionist, huh?
After sending Flora away, Gren racked her brain. She knew little about illusionists. Unlike wizards, their abilities were a mystery. Frowning, she recalled a detail from the newspaper.
Suddenly, a line she had previously ignored resurfaced with shocking clarity:
[Bella Appenz is said to be under the protection of Duke Inverness…]
Sebelia—alive and now appearing under a new identity, and Dehart keeping her close rather than casting her out. What could that possibly mean?
Gren’s eyes burned with anger.
“Could it be… they were both deceiving me from the very beginning?!”
That suspicion took deep root in her mind.
Gritting her teeth, she pressed a hand to her forehead. No wonder things had seemed to go so smoothly. While Dehart was away, Gren had planned to devour the Inverness estate with the help of Marquis Limms. Now she groaned in frustration.
There’s no time to lose.
If those two returned before she could sway the family elders, everything could fall apart. There was only one thing left: eliminate the source of the problem as soon as possible.
* * *
The scandal that rocked the capital showed no signs of calming down. Even among the central nobility, many voices rose in outrage over the heinous acts of Nathan Wheddon, heir to the renowned Marquisate Wheddon.
Finally, in answer to the mounting public outcry, Marquis Silas Wheddon broke his silence. His interview was scheduled to appear in today’s edition of the Lynn Post.
Sebelia got early that morning and headed to Dehart’s office, where Eli always brought and arranged the day’s papers on his desk.
–Click.
“Bella? What brings you here?”
Surprised, Dehart stood up to greet her. Sebelia offered a light smile, glancing at the newspapers stacked on the edge of his desk.
“Oh.”
“If you don’t mind, would it be alright if I read them here?”
She asked as she made her way to a small chair. Dehart got up from his seat in response.
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