Chapter 99
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Chapter 99
"Y-yes? What?"
Startled, I stumbled over my words.
Suddenly wanting to see me, out of the blue like that?
"Why would you suddenly say something like that...?"
"I merely stated that I wanted to see you because I wanted to. Is there a problem with that?"
"I already told you. If you keep saying things like that... I'll misunderstand."
"I already told you as well. It's not a misunderstanding."
"..."
"What you're thinking, Young Lady—it's not a misunderstanding at all."
"..."
"I... you..."
"Oh, Amelia's coming!"
I hastily clamped my hand over Claude's mouth.
Truth be told, Amelia was just an excuse.
I'd covered Claude's mouth because I wasn't ready to hear what he was about to say.
"Amelia!"
Spotting Amelia in the distance, Lucian came bounding toward us at full speed.
"You cut your hair? It looks lovely!"
"Really? I only trimmed it a little."
"You look so much prettier than before. Oh, of course you were beautiful before too!"
The conversation shifted to Amelia's hair. Thanks to Lucian's timely arrival, I'd narrowly escaped the crisis.
"I heard you were tired. Why are you up so early?"
"Because Amelia's here! Of course I had to wake up!"
At my question, Lucian puffed out his chest proudly.
After ruffling Lucian's hair affectionately, I turned to the attendant waiting nearby.
"What about Edwin? Is he still asleep?"
"Yes."
"Since we have a guest, it might be good to wake him."
"I already went to wake him, but he simply wouldn't get up."
"He returned late yesterday, didn't he?"
"Yes. He arrived just before four in the morning."
"Then it's no wonder he can't wake up. Let him sleep undisturbed."
"Understood."
Dragging that child around until four in the morning—the Duke truly was the worst.
"By the way, where did you go yesterday, Young Lady?"
"You saw him at the banquet yesterday, didn't you? Count Kendel."
"Yes. I heard he was a vassal of Rilprey."
"We had some matters regarding territorial issues to discuss, so I met with him briefly. We also talked about my parents while we were at it."
"Your parents..."
At my words, Claude's expression grew somber. He seemed to recall the fact that my parents had perished in a carriage accident.
The Previous Marquis Agris and his wife as well.
But the carriage accident that befell the Marquis and his wife was no accident. It was a meticulously planned, deliberate incident.
'I need to tell them that the carriage accident was manipulated.'
After much deliberation, I opened my mouth.
"Amelia, you don't remember anything from the accident?"
"No, not entirely."
Amelia shook her head at my question.
"I do remember the carriage shaking terribly. And I remember walking alone down some unfamiliar path."
"But you were definitely in the carriage. How were you able to get out of it?"
"I don't remember that part, so I'm not sure."
Amelia lowered her head with a dejected expression.
"I found that part suspicious as well and conducted an investigation, but it's not easy to speculate on what happened. I can only assume that your brother and sister-in-law held Amelia tightly to protect her from injury."
"So you're saying Amelia escaped her parents' embrace and moved on her own?"
No matter how composed Amelia was, she couldn't have moved alone while her dead parents lay there. The shock of witnessing someone—especially one's parents—die before your eyes would be indescribable.
An ordinary person would be overwhelmed by the shock, fainting or weeping bitterly.
Moreover, the carriage carrying the Previous Marquis and his wife was said to be completely crushed, not a single part intact. The probability that a small child like Amelia could clear away the heavy debris that fell upon her and walk out alone was low.
"It is strange, but there's no other way to explain it."
"If you think it's strange, shouldn't you investigate further?"
This was a delicate matter to broach. It concerned the death of family—no trivial issue.
Yet I couldn't let it pass.
An internal enemy might target Amelia and Claude's lives at any moment.
"I've already investigated the suspicious aspects, but... I've gained no results. The Coachman died along with them, after all."
It was natural that the investigation was difficult, since the only person who could have proven the suspicion was dead.
"Wouldn't it be better to investigate the Coachman's family and acquaintances more thoroughly?"
Perhaps he had received a large sum from Count Desmond in exchange for his death.
"Everyone aboard died instantly in such a severe accident, yet Amelia emerged without a single wound. That's strange, isn't it? Perhaps..."
I lowered my voice so Amelia wouldn't hear.
"Did the Previous Marquis and his wife perhaps sense something was amiss?"
If they had sensed the danger and sent Amelia away, then her emerging unscathed would make sense.
"Amelia."
"Yes, Sister."
"Remember when you were at the Orphanage? You said Uncle would definitely find you."
"I did."
"How were you so certain that Uncle would find you?"
"Well, Father told me that..."
A flicker of doubt suddenly crossed Amelia's face as she spoke what seemed like an obvious fact.
"When did Father say that?"
The child's head tilted in confusion.
"He definitely said Uncle would come find me. But I can't remember when he said that."
"You're not mistaken, are you?"
"I'm smart enough not to get confused about something like that."
Amelia's voice was firm as she shook her head.
"You said you had no memory of the accident itself—only fragments of certain scenes."
"Yes."
"Then that means... you heard it during the accident, didn't you?"
Amelia's eyes widened at my question, her blue irises trembling—and Claude's did the same.
It seemed they had finally grasped that something was amiss.
* * *
"Uncle."
"What is it?"
"You did well today."
Amelia patted the back of Claude's hand as she spoke.
"When a rival appears, you have to act boldly like you did today. That way, they won't steal what's yours."
She was referring to Gillian.
"Where did you even learn the word 'rival'?"
"I read a lot of books, don't I? Everything's in books."
"I wonder what sort of books you're reading..."
Claude shook his head slowly and let out a deep sigh. His niece was far too intelligent and mature for her age—that was the problem.
"But Uncle."
"What is it this time?"
"About our mother and father."
The child's bright expression suddenly turned serious.
"Was it really not an accident?"
"..."
"After hearing what Sister Lucella said, I can't stop thinking about it. The way I ended up going to the Orphanage alone, and hearing that you would come pick me up..."
"..."
"I guess I'm not very smart after all. I remember all the useless things but can't recall anything important."
Amelia's face fell.
Claude placed his hand on her head.
"This isn't your fault, so don't make that face."
"But still... I wish I had been a little smarter. I feel terrible that my parents couldn't rest easy because of me."
Tears welled up in Amelia's green eyes.
Claude was taken aback by this.
It was rare for Amelia to bring up her parents, and rarer still for her to show tears.
"This is not a matter for a child to concern herself with."
Claude offered his awkward form of comfort in his own way.
"If anything, I'm relieved that you don't remember any of it."
"Why?"
It had been a horrific moment—a death. He had no wish to leave such a terrible memory etched in young Amelia's mind.
'And if my brother's death truly was orchestrated....'
Amelia's safety would be in jeopardy. She was the sole survivor and witness to the carriage accident.
'If Amelia remembered the circumstances of the accident, the culprit might grow anxious and attempt to eliminate her.'
From Claude's perspective, it was almost fortunate that Amelia's memory had vanished.
"Hm? Why is that fortunate?"
"There are reasons."
Claude moved his hand from the crown of Amelia's head and gently pinched her soft cheek.
"Tsk. You won't even explain it to me. How petty."
"There's nothing good about a child knowing such things."
"I'm not a child!"
"Of course, of course."
Claude answered without sincerity, his lips curving upward as he watched the indignant Amelia.
"You only act like an adult at times like this!"
"I'm not acting—I genuinely am an adult."
"Oh, whatever!"
The voices of the two bickering amicably echoed through the spacious corridor.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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