Chapter 193
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
“Well, Duke Heinrich…”
“Looks like everyone has finished their tasks.”
“Oh, Marquis, you’re here again? There’s no need to keep watch. Everyone knows what they’re doing.”
“Just joking. I know well. The atmosphere has been so tense lately, so I thought I’d come check in.”
With Marquis Gepetto’s appearance, Emilia didn’t hear any more talk about the Duke.
“Marquis, it’s good to see you. I have something I’d like to ask.”
“Oh, I might have come at the wrong time.”
Marquis Gepetto visited the newspaper office once a week. Since Emilia had started staying here, he’d come two or three times.
Noticing Emilia’s serious expression, the attentive Marquis Gepetto took her aside.
The two of them left the printing room and headed to a designated rest area.
Emilia had many questions for him.
As soon as they sat at the table, she immediately asked him,
“How’s the atmosphere in the parliament lately?”
“It hasn’t opened yet. The royal family will soon announce the date when the session will begin, and if there’s anything you need to know, I’ll let you know.”
“I see. Understood. By the way, have you found anything about my mother?”
Emilia had naturally assumed her mother was at the Loren family estate, but according to Marquis Gepetto’s investigation, her whereabouts had been unclear for some time.
“I believe the Duchess was well cared for by Duke Heinrich.”
“…The Duke?”
Emilia looked at him with disbelief. Not her father, but why Duke Heinrich?
To him, her mother’s death would have been a joy. One less enemy, he must have felt relieved.
But hearing that he had cared for her mother, she tilted her head in confusion.
“If you’re saying this just for my sake, I’m really okay. Please tell me the truth.”
“It’s the truth. Why would I lie?”
Marquis Gepetto spoke without hesitation. While relieved that it didn’t seem to be a lie, Emilia was still at a loss.
“Are you worried?”
“A little… Honestly, I didn’t expect him to look for me this much.”
Emilia found Mikhail’s actions somewhat surprising. Even when she had seen him briefly, he had looked pale, almost like someone whose mind was slipping.
As if reading her thoughts, Marquis Gepetto spoke,
“Anyone would search for their wife if she suddenly disappeared. Duke Heinrich would be no different.”
“I suppose. But we were only married on the outside, and our relationship was worse than that of strangers, so I thought he would act differently than most people.”
“Madam, Duke Heinrich is still human.”
“…”
Marquis Gepetto’s words were true. No matter how cruel or blinded by revenge he was, he was still a person.
“To be honest, I want to go to my father and confront him. I really want to ask him what he did to my mother.”
Emilia wanted to go to the Loren estate immediately, but she knew she couldn’t. If she went there, she would inevitably be caught by him.
‘Besides, my father will just say he doesn’t know, even if I ask him.’
She sighed and looked out the window.
She never imagined she’d have the chance to see the back streets of Delphora so closely.
“Let’s focus on what we need to do for now. Go into the city before it gets too late. After dark, these alleys will be full of people who aren’t even human.”
Once again, the Marquis was right. Emilia nodded and wrapped her cloak around her.
After checking the dagger strapped to her thigh, she left the resting area. The Marquis watched her walk away.
‘I can’t keep hiding it forever… This is a big problem.’
He couldn’t bring himself to tell her, fearing it would shock her.
How could he tell her that even if she went to the Loren family estate, she wouldn’t hear anything from the already-dead Duke?
News that the Loren family had met its end at Duke Heinrich’s hands had spread far and wide.
‘It’s more likely that the Duke wasn’t involved, but she wouldn’t believe that.’
The rift between the two was deep. The Marquis did his best to prevent her from hearing the truth.
‘Hopefully, today passes without incident.’
If he couldn’t even protect her from this, everyone here would start to think something was off.
Here, everyone had their own duties, and they fulfilled them diligently.
Whether noble or commoner, in this place, everyone was equal.
The Marquis looked out the window, wishing for Emilia’s luck as she left, carrying the newspaper.
❖ ❖ ❖
Emilia looked around. She stepped out of the back streets of Delphora, wrapped in her cloak.
She just needed to load the newspapers onto the carriage in front of the Aria Public House, across the street.
With quick steps, she moved through the rain, cautiously navigating through the crowd to avoid being recognized.
She reached the carriage and quickly loaded the newspapers, then casually walked toward the café street.
She had to take a longer route to avoid suspicion—going straight through Delphora’s streets would raise questions.
She had to be careful; there could be a tail.
It would be troublesome if anyone noticed her, so she remained vigilant.
As she walked naturally down the street, Emilia opened her umbrella and removed her cloak.
Simply dyeing her hair brown wasn’t enough to make her feel secure. After seeing him, Emilia had cut her long hair short.
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