Chapter 36
“Racliffe family maid…?”
Sigh. Claude silently sighed.
Among the nobles’ gazes was Elise’s own look of disbelief.
Her furrowed brows suggested she thought this was revenge for that day.
Who in their right mind would take revenge so openly?
Already feeling the need to explain, Claude let out a deep sigh.
“There is no maid with silver hair.”
He offered the only explanation he could immediately.
At this, the nobles’ eyes brightened with curiosity.
They wanted to uncover who had dirtied Lady Elise’s dress, why it had been a maid dressed in the Racliffe family’s outfit, and who was behind it all.
From the moment they left the mansion, society would be abuzz.
Newspapers would relentlessly print rumors and gossip, and the ladies’ lips would move nonstop.
Probably more tea would be sold this year than last, and endless speculation would continue through every tea time.
Claude suddenly wished to go home immediately.
“First, I will return to the mansion. Though I am not involved in this, since the culprit wore our family’s uniform, I must apologize to Lady Elise. I will compensate for your dress and, once I find the culprit, hold them accountable.”
Claude began organizing the situation.
His mind was filled with finding Felice’s whereabouts.
“Apologies to the Count, but rather than greet him now, I think questioning my maids should come first. I will take my leave.”
* * *
“Pant, pant.”
Felice glanced back.
She had run far and, even when she felt safe, kept turning to run more.
At one point, she had entered Duchess Vanessa’s carriage to change clothes and hid the Racliffe maid outfit neatly on the carriage floor.
Once everything was settled and the Duchess returned to the mansion, the evidence would be destroyed.
Felice wiped the sweat off her brow with her sleeve as she trudged back to the mansion.
She had run quite a distance, changed clothes, and taken precautions, so much time had passed.
“…Miss Felice.”
At the mansion door stood Claude, leaning sideways like a gatekeeper. He hadn’t changed and seemed to have waited for Felice’s return.
“Yes?”
Feeling the sweat trickling down her forehead, Felice asked in a daze. She hadn’t expected Claude to arrive before her.
Surely, if she was dressed as a Racliffe maid, she should have been questioned amid the commotion.
“Hmm…”
His eyebrows rose on one side.
His steady blue eyes scanned her carefully like a detective from a novel, making Felice tense as she found herself caught in his gaze.
“You’re sweating quite a bit. It’s not summer, so it shouldn’t be that hot.”
Sweat trickled from her forehead down to her chin.
Claude looked at her with narrow eyes.
“Where have you been?”
“Oh… I was at the bookstore preparing for the lesson.”
“Preparing for the lesson at the bookstore?”
Felice smiled faintly, recalling the erotica she had in her room.
“I was trying to find some erotica books. Embarrassingly enough, I came up empty and returned.”
“Erotica books?”
Claude furrowed his brow, his lips moving slightly as he repeated the unfamiliar word.
“I thought it would be good to learn about them for your lessons.”
“…You’re very dedicated.”
Claude’s skeptical posture straightened thankfully, seeming unlikely to hold onto his doubts for long.
Felice smiled and was about to enter her room.
But Claude didn’t seem inclined to leave the doorway.
When Felice looked at him questioningly, Claude smiled gently.
His warmly curved eyes gave a creepy feeling, perhaps just her imagination.
“You seem to already own several works. Since it’s lesson material, I’d like to see them too.”
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