Chapter 210

Chapter 210

“The duke asked me to come out after a month and stayed at his place for a few days. He checked the items I brought and asked me to reveal everything in front of a gathering. After everything was done, he handed over this mansion and ordered me to keep quiet forever. He claimed to have known that I wasn’t my sister from the beginning. If the truth were to come out, my life would be in danger. He told me to live quietly without drawing attention.”

After she finished speaking, Deatrice, who had been silent for a while, asked suddenly.

“How did you confirm that Lucius was the count’s illegitimate child?”

“It was written in the letter. There were hints in several places about him inheriting the count’s title. I even saw the count’s face vaguely. I saw him on the day he took the child away.”

“The count?”

“Yes. My sister thought I didn’t see them, but it was undoubtedly the count who visited her. I still remember it.”

“I see… That’s how it was. He couldn’t send anyone else when he was taking away his deceased brother’s child.”

“What?”

At the sudden revelation, Elena Anise looked perplexe.

“At that time, the person exchanging letters with Bella Anise was not the current count but his deceased brother, Count Connor Penry. He was the eldest son, and he was supposed to inherit the title. You saw the second son, Chris Fenry. After Connor Fenry died, he became the count.”

“Then I must have been mistaken…”

“Yes. Connor Fenry married your sister. It was a legitimate marriage where both were unmarried, and they even had a legal wedding ceremony. Lucius has never been an illegitimate child.”

“Oh, my…”

Elena Anise, who had been kneeling, sank down as if her legs had given way. Deatrice stood up and, looking at her, spoke coldly.

“With that tongus, someone innocent suffered in hell. Were you happy all this time in that mansion you gained through such means?”

Anise couldn’t say a word and just looked around her pitifully.

“You will be cursed. You’ll receive the sins of making your sister an immoral woman and sending your nephew to hell for the rest of your life.”

Only then did Elena Anise’s face, realizing the weight of the sins she had committed, turn a dark color. However, no one among those who committed or witnessed these deeds would experience the same hell that Lucius went through.

***

At first, Deatrice considered that the duke might not have known that the Connor Fenry and Bella Anise married.

Given the resemblance between Connor and Chris, it was understandable that confusion could arise.

However, after meeting Elena Anise, Deatrice came to the realization that it made less sense for the duke to be unaware. The ease with which she revealed the truth, coupled with the duke’s prior knowledge of Elena Anise being an impostor, suggested that he must have been aware. As he knew that Bella Anise was Connor Fenry’s lover and wife, he would inevitably have discovered that Elena was an impostor.

On the way back, it began to rain.

The icy rain chilled Deatrice as it soaked her from head to toe. Her already heavy clothes became increasingly frozen in the cold winter wind. Deatrice, enduring the cold creeping into her body and the fading consciousness, dismounted from her horse and stood in front of the mansion where the duke resided.

The guards seemed quite surprised by Deatrice’s sudden appearance. Drenched and alone on horseback, she looked pale, as if on the verge of death.

When she dismounted, she even lost her balance and nearly fell, saved only by the quick reflexes of one of the knights. Without their intervention, a serious accident could have occurred.

They immediately summoned the steward and escorted her into the mansion.

Late at night, out of the blue, and in such inclement weather, the servants were bewildered by the sudden return of their former mistress.

Three maids hung onto her, stripping off her wet clothes, drying her hair, and dressing her in new garments. Servants draped her in a thick blanket, led her to a hearth, and presented her with hot tea.

“Oh my, are you alright, my lady?”

As the temperature suddenly changed, warmth began to emanate from her body. Deatrice, struggling to hold onto her fading consciousness, insisted that she needed to see his father.

“But… the duke has retired for the night.”

The maid spoke with uncertainty. Deatrice, crossing her trembling arms, shivered and spoke sternly.

“Then wake him. I don’t wish to disturb him by making a scene, but I must see my father.”

“Milady, I don’t know what’s going on, but…”

“It’s something I must discuss. I won’t insist if it’s trivial.”

Driven by determination, Deatrice’s attitude prompted the butler to volunteer to fetch the duke. Given her unexpected return to the mansion alone, soaked from head to toe and on horseback, the servants sensed that something was amiss.

Seated in the study, Deatrice awaited the duke, who was still using the fireplace. Despite the flames, no warmth seemed to emanate, and even in the cozy room, her body felt progressively frozen.

Suddenly, as she lowered her head, two rings caught her eye—Lucius’ engagement ring from six years ago and the diamond ring exchanged during their wedding a year ago. Overwhelmed, Deatrice covered her face with her hands.

“What on earth is all this commotion about?”