Chapter 181
Rough footsteps could be heard, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor harshly.
“Ugh…”
A groan came, as if the person didn’t even have the strength to scream. Lynette’s eyes widened. That faint sound clearly belonged to a woman.
Sillian slightly wrapped an arm around her while looking toward the door, as if he could see through to the other side.
“You should at least earn the cost of your meals! You damn parasite that just wastes money.”
Even without seeing him, it was easy to guess who the irritated male voice belonged to.
‘Nosh…’
When Lynette lifted her head and glanced at Sillian, he seemed to have thought the same thing and nodded slightly. The heavy footsteps seemed to approach the door, then turned back the way they had come.
As if his anger hadn’t subsided, Nosh hurled abuse at the woman.
“You can’t even manage one brat… Do you know how much money I’ve spent on you and that kid? Huh?”
No answer came back. Hearing the words “you and that kid”, it was immediately clear who the person receiving that terrible criticism was.
‘I expected it… but it seems worse than I thought.’
Just from Edwin’s condition alone, she hadn’t believed his mother had been living well, but it seemed worse than she had imagined. Lynette held her breath and listened to the sounds outside. A faint groan, barely audible, slipped through the crack of the door.
He was the kind of man who would use violence even against a small child. There was no way he wouldn’t strike a woman as well. Without realizing it, she tightly gripped Sillian’s clothes. It weighed on her a little that they had to pretend not to notice for now. But since they couldn’t rush out immediately and do anything to Nosh, she had to endure it.
Perhaps his anger had somewhat subsided, because the heavy footsteps gradually moved farther away.
Lynette had unconsciously pressed her ear against the door to listen, and just as she tried to go out, Sillian stopped her.
“Why?”
She tilted her head and whispered quietly.
“Finding the Count family’s seal comes first.”
“But we have to rescue Edwin’s mother too.”
“That is second.”
Lynette frowned slightly.
They had to do both anyway, so was it really necessary to argue about the order?
Nosh had left for now, but no one knew when he might come back or what kind of abuse and violence he might unleash again.
Shouldn’t they take her out quickly?
Besides, Edwin’s mother would surely want to escape from here as well.
“She’ll cooperate.”
“That’s not the issue.”
Sillian’s hand firmly held Lynette’s shoulder. After thinking for a moment, he spoke calmly, as if explaining something obvious.
“I also find this situation unfortunate. However, if we take Edwin’s mother away first, Nosh will notice immediately.”
“…Because Edwin has already disappeared. That’s what you mean, right?”
The man nodded slightly. Lynette closed her eyes tightly, inhaled deeply, then exhaled. Rather than clinging to what was right in front of her, she needed to think about the bigger picture. He was right.
Nosh had already lost Edwin to someone he didn’t know. Even if he had taken the Count’s title, it might be difficult for the child alone to reclaim it, but if someone raised a dispute by putting Edwin forward, it would surely become quite troublesome. Even if everything was perfect on paper, anyone looking at reality would know it was absurd. And if the woman who had been the previous Count’s wife were taken away as well, the situation would become even harder to deal with.
‘That must be why he locked her in the residence and never let her out.’
Deep down, he had probably wished that the mother and son would die. The reason he hadn’t killed them himself was either because it felt troublesome, or because he was preparing for possible complications. Since the family had been declining since Edwin’s father’s time, there were almost no interactions with other noble houses and no visitors came, but it was still a noble house in name. If both the mother and son died unnaturally, someone would surely become suspicious.
In any case, Nosh had kept the two of them barely alive, and he must have known that one day they could become a threat. But now someone had taken one of them away, so his nerves were probably on edge.
“If Edwin’s mother acts strangely or disappears, he’ll hide the seal first.”
“Thank you for thinking calmly, Lynette.”
Sillian smiled lightly. Lynette’s agitated feelings, which had flared up after hearing the abusive words so clearly, slowly calmed down.
‘I’m glad Sillian is here.’
If she had been alone, she might have rushed out immediately because of the shock of that moment.
Lynette let out a long breath.
“…Fortunately, it seems he’s going somewhere.”
He whispered softly. She tried to listen carefully, but perhaps because the footsteps were so light, she couldn’t hear anything clearly. Instead, the man’s breathing sounded louder.
She hadn’t expected to become aware of it at a moment like this. In this large room, and of all places right in front of the door, they were standing so close together.
Realizing it belatedly, Lynette awkwardly stepped back. Sillian looked at her with a puzzled expression. Somehow feeling a little embarrassed, she turned her head slightly and avoided his gaze.
How much time had passed?
Sillian carefully opened the door. He didn’t tell her what to do, but just like when they entered, she stayed close behind him, firmly gripping his clothes and quietly following.
As they walked, she glanced around the surroundings. Just like the first floor, everything that could be sold for money had disappeared. However, judging from the clumsy attempts at cleaning, it seemed the previous Count’s wife had been made to do the labor.
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