Now it was time to send the ladies home. If they stayed longer, they might discover something suspicious.

“I’m sorry for this unpleasant experience today. I need to send someone to the investigation agency, and it seems like I have a lot to do, so I must conclude here.”

Some of the noble ladies wanted to stay and continue to watch what was happening, but they couldn’t resist when the host issued the dismissal.

As the ladies slowly prepared to leave the place, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. Three men on horses appeared from the forest path.

Rachel’s face turned pale when she realized they were wearing investigator uniforms.

‘Why have the investigators come here?’

It was strange that the investigators, who had not been called, came as if they knew something had happened here.

Rachel hid her confusion and approached the investigators with a faint smile.

The investigators dismounted and greeted Rachel politely.

Rachel asked,

“What brings you here…?”

“We received a report of a suspicious man breaking into the Duke Bronthe’s mansion.”

“Here, here! There’s a corpse here!”

Rachel intended to buy time to think of her next move, but one of the noble ladies screamed in a panic. At the word ‘corpse’, the investigators changed their expressions and rushed towards the pagoda.

Rachel clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut.

Though it was Rachel’s planned incident, nothing was going as she wanted.

Her insides were boiling. Barely suppressing the urge to scream, Rachel turned around.

The investigators were quickly investigating the inside of the pagoda.

With the appearance of the investigators, the noble ladies who had stopped were gathered in groups, watching the investigation with great interest.

Rachel cautiously spoke,

“You should all go back for now…”

“You can’t leave, Duchess. Since a corpse has been found, everyone must stay here until the investigation is over.”

One of the investigators shouted, having heard Rachel’s voice.

The situation was not going as she wished, and Rachel’s heart felt stifled.

If only she knew why Laounder was found dead, this frustration would ease a bit.

‘Did Ariana kill him? No, that can’t be. How could Ariana break his neck and kill him like that? Maybe he fell accidentally while fighting and died like that…’

Although it was doubtful that Ariana could bring a strong man to such a state, there was no one else who could do that to Laounder.

The problem was that the investigators did not know that Ariana had come to this pagoda.

‘I need to find a way to subtly inform them that Ariana was here… without seeming inquisitive, in a way that seems to protect Ariana. What way could that be?’

Then, the investigator examining the body spoke.
“Chief, it seems he was stabbed in the chest and died. It looks as if he fell and broke his neck.”

Rachel’s face darkened at the word ‘chief.’

The head of the investigative agency was a person who had broken away from Seojehu’s influence and belonged to the empire. It meant that the incident that occurred in the Duke Bronthe family would not be overlooked quietly.

“No, rather, it’s a good thing. If they find out it’s Ariana’s doing, they’ll deal with it according to the law no matter how much I beg or try to stop them. Then, if we call the maid and have her mention Ariana’s name…….”

Rachel was thinking that far when,

“Chief! A lady’s handkerchief has been found here!”

An investigator shouted.

The observing ladies gasped, and Rachel’s eyes seemed to pop out.

“Whose handkerchief is it? Ariana doesn’t have a handkerchief…….”

The chief investigator examined the handkerchief and stared at Rachel. Seeing the subtle gleam in his eyes, Rachel swallowed her breath.

She had a bad feeling. The corners of her lips, barely holding a smile, were trembling stiffly.

The ladies also looked back and forth between the chief investigator and Rachel, sensing that something was wrong.

Soon, the chief investigator said,

“This handkerchief has ‘Victoria Bronthe’ written on it. Is that the name of the youngest lady of this house?”

Rachel’s vision turned black.

+++

Ariana, on her way back, wiped the bloody handle of the knife and threw it into the bushes.

Upon entering her room, she removed her makeup, changed back into her original dress, and came out.

A grave look settled on Ariana’s face as she walked down the hallway.

“Now that the body has been discovered, there will be a commotion for a while. I’ll have to put on an act in front of the accompanying ladies and send them away, so I have at least 30 minutes.”

Unaware that Sairus had called an investigator, Ariana thought she had bought herself about 30 minutes.

“I must get my hands on it today.”

Evidence that would be a weapon to entrust herself to Dongjehu, and a weakness for both Rachel and Seojehu.

While residing in Dongryeong after marrying Dongjehu, Rachel secretly corresponded with her father, Seojehu. Although Seojehu ordered her to burn the letters immediately after reading, Rachel saved a few for when they might be needed.

When Ariana was around 20, facing the risk of being used by Seojehu again, Rachel was able to escape his grasp using those letters.

“I sent one of those letters to Seojehu. To unleash his fury upon me.”

Rachel pulled out a letter in front of Ariana. After taking the letter and delivering Rachel’s words to Seojehu, Ariana was beaten by him and confined in Rosen Castle for a while.

Seojehu poured all his anger towards his untouchable daughter onto Ariana.

From the moment Rachel called Ariana into her room to dress her up, Ariana had suspected what she was planning. If she played her cards right, she knew this moment would surely come.

She had to hurry. She had to get those letters.

“Now those letters are mine.”

Ariana’s eyes shone sharply as she opened Rachel’s door.

“Now those letters will be used for my freedom, not yours.”