Chapter 47
Even with the emphasis on an ‘innocent woman’… well. People would just gossip a few times, assuming she must have done something to fall out of favor.
It was astounding that she looked down on him enough to think she could threaten him with this.
“I’ll let you go today, so go back quietly.”
Claudie did not accept this meekly.
“Let go of me! I won’t leave until I see my sister! If Aniella isn’t back by Friday afternoon, I will really publish the article! I’ll do it!”
Cursing, Claudie was dragged away by the servants trying to restrain her. Paiki gave a beaming smile to Claudie as she was being dragged away.
His resolve not to send Aniella back solidified. And regarding that…
“Indeed, family members are a hindrance.”
A raindrop plopped onto the sketchbook of Aniella, who was drawing outside. It had been sunny just moments ago. Startled, she looked up at the sky to find it thick with dark clouds.
As the raindrops grew heavier, she hugged her sketchbook to her chest to keep it dry and ran towards the house. By the time she rushed inside the mansion through the suddenly pouring rain, her hair and shoulders were soaked. At least her sketchbook was only slightly damp.
As she closed the door, the sky, as if it had sprung a leak, poured down rain. Boom, crash! A tremendous thunderclap roared from the sky, as if a giant were scolding the earth.
“Is something else happening now?”
Seeing the weather had even started to hail made her worried. She made sure the door was securely closed to keep the hail out and headed towards her bedroom when a strange sound reached her from somewhere.
Aniella stopped in the middle of the hallway and listened carefully. She was sure she had heard something, but now there was no sound.
It must have been the wind, she thought, dismissing it as unimportant and turning to go back to her bedroom, when she heard the sound again.
“Ugh…”
It was someone’s moan. It was definitely different from the sound of the wind. Aniella looked around, trying to locate where the sound was coming from, and slowly moved her steps.
“Hack…!”
The agonized moan of a man came from behind a certain door. Aniella, about to open the door to check, hesitated. There was a large X mark on the door.
Had there ever been a door marked with an X here?
Puzzled, Aniella pressed her ear against the door. She heard something like a dragging sound on the floor. The heavy sensation felt like someone was dragging a person who had collapsed on the floor.
“Your Grace?”
Aniella called out, but there was no response. Was he in some kind of trouble so severe he couldn’t even answer? As she was about to call out again, she suddenly heard the sound of a whip striking flesh. Thwack!
“Argh! Stop, please sto-op, ack!”
The man began to wail. His voice, hoarse as if worn out, was slightly different from his usual one, but Aniella’s mind, thrown into emergency mode, was convinced it was Paiki.
If Paiki had been captured and was being beaten by someone, it explained the violently rough weather. She lowered her stance and looked around. Just then, a mop with a long handle leaning against the wall caught her eye.
It was a pitiful excuse for a weapon, but it was better than nothing. Gripping the mop handle tightly, she very carefully opened the door. She didn’t know who or what the intruder was, but since she had no skill to win a fair fight, her plan was to launch a surprise attack.
Peering into the room, Aniella’s jaw dropped at the scene unfolding before her. The intruder wasn’t a person, but a purple tentacle. It was binding a naked man and ruthlessly beating him.
“This is……”
Aniella was at a loss for words. Was it a relief? The man being beaten was wearing a blindfold, making it difficult to identify him, but judging by his hair and the beard on his chin, it was hard to believe it was him. Above all, he looked much older than Paiki.
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