# 37
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Eliza, after a long time, received a full salute of the highest decorum. Her etiquette was as perfect as the flow of water, without a blemish or a flaw, and in the green eyes that rose to look at her there was a familiar flash of wisdom... as had been the case with her predecessors.
The two women exchanged glances in silence.
At that moment, Walter seemed to feel something, and moved towards the door. Joseph was standing outside it.
“What's the matter?”
Joseph leaned down slightly and whispered in a petrified voice:
“The two maids... committed suicide after leaving their wills.”
The air, which had been filled with a slight warmth moments before, froze. Mrs. Isaacs' shoulders stiffened with overwhelming terror, and even Eliza moved her eyebrows.
Grace took a deep breath three times, organized her thoughts, then turned to Eliza with a bright smile as if nothing had happened.
“Even if you don't feel like eating, please eat a little. "I'm leaving now."
Eliza did not answer, nor did she return the greeting. Grace wasn't even waiting for an answer; She greeted again lightly, then headed toward the door.
Walter also glanced at Eliza, and then went out with Grace.
The world that had seemed so bright a moment ago was descending into the darkness of twilight. In the corridor, where only the click of crossed heels could be heard, Jessie, who had been waiting around the corner, came forward and made her report:
“Duke Taylor signed the documents to disbar Miss. And the young Marquis of the House of Linkou, who attended the lady's wedding as a representative of the House of Richmond, will arrive in about three days.”
Walter suddenly stopped and asked:
“Can you hold on?”
Grace paused a step in front of him, then turned around and answered:
“Yes.”
Grace's gaze turned to the window. said Joseph, who looked out with her:
“The Marquise’s maids are coming.”
The Marquise's maids advanced with stern faces, as if they were messengers of death.
“Hunting is a matter of timing.” Grace said quietly. “Wait until they get closer. Now they will begin to doubt Your Highness's ability, and they will gather the nobles of Richmond. Wait three days, and when the young Marquis of Lenco arrives, let him prove my identity.”
“They will lock you in a solitary cell under the palace.”
“I expect so.”
“They say most people go crazy in three days there.”
The black and green eyes exchanged a deep look.
“I am confident in my ability to withstand. But if, God forbid, I cannot bear it, then, as you said, get rid of me.”
A heavy knock sounded on the annex door.
But Grace continued, in an unwavering tone:
“That won't happen. “I will survive, and I will eventually return to Taylor.”
A beautiful sheath conceals the sharpest blade.
Walter stared with dim eyes at the sword she was holding, then said with a merciless, metallic coldness:
“Okay. Then hold on, Grace Taylor.”
The woman, not half his height, did not show an ounce of fear. Grace nodded firmly, as if they had agreed upon an appointment, and they headed towards the door together.
＊ ＊ ＊
A basement without dawn or dusk. Candles sway at regular intervals due to a wind of unknown origin.
Under a black dome of stone, thick columns stood as if they were guardians of the gates of hell. What made her more frightened was that the knights of Richmond, led by Count Lewin, stood with their backs to her.
On a dais under the dome, the Marquis Linco sat in a huge black chair, the chair in which the Dukes and Duchesses of Richmond have sat down through the ages to interrogate the guilty.
The Marquise stopped reading the two maids' commands, and exhaled deeply.
“Huh...”
The steam of her breath broke in the cold air.
“The Duke did not realize that his eyes had been blinded by false beauty, so he acquired a poisonous snake.”
Her voice mingled with the cold, moist air. Countess Lewin shuddered and whispered to her daughter:
“Go back to your room. There is no need to see this ugly sight.”
But Flora shook her head, staring into the darkness. Her pink diamond earrings swung.
“If I become a duchess, there will come a day when I will investigate the guilty parties myf. “I have to see.”
At that moment, footsteps echoed on the stone stairs. The candles tilted taller, swaying.
The Marquise only looked up and saw Grace emerging from the darkness.
The Marquise's eyebrows rose.
Really… not an ordinary woman. Whether she was guilty or not, whoever was led to this place must tremble. As for her, she is chillingly calm.
But how long will this artificial elegance last?
When Grace reached the bottom of the stairs, the Marquise said with a stern face:
“The two maids committed suicide after leaving their wills. A witness appeared to say that he saw your maid secretly following them.”
“…”
“How impudent you are. No sign of surprise on your face. What was written in the two wills about your actions is evil to the point of chilling! How long will this mask last? Tell me, what is your real name?!”
Her harsh voice echoed off the walls of the rotunda.
Grace felt a cold wind pass over her cheek, carrying the smell of iron.
to lie?
The best place to hide a lie is within the truth, and an incomplete truth confuses the enemy more than a fabricated lie.
“Grace.”
“Ha!”
The Marquise laughed sarcastically.
“Let me make something clear. As before, you expect His Highness the Duke to save you. This time it will be more difficult. I repeat the question: For what purpose did you come to Richmond?
“I followed the one I love.”
Flora shouted frantically:
“You murderer!” You think we don't see your deception of His Highness?!
“Fatal? Fool His Highness? What are you saying?
Slap!
Before she felt the pain, her body went limp. Then a second slap from the Marchioness's maid. She was pushed to the ground hard.
“How dare you raise your voice!!”
The screams seemed distant, and the taste of blood filled her mouth. She opened her eyes and bit her lip hard.
When she tried to get up, something fell in front of her hand. It was the will. She grabbed it, but the shoulders were pushed harshly.
“Read.”
So I sat and read. With each line, her face hardened.
[…That woman’s maid came again. Soldiers guarded the outside, but in an empty room her voice could be heard. This time I asked about the key to the “Blue Room” where Richmond’s treasures were kept, and about the secret passages. She threatened to kill me if we did not talk...]
The Marquise rose, admiring the sight of the scattered blond hair and the collapsed body.
“Flora’s maids were in a room guarded by soldiers, and yet the threat continued. At that time, you were with His Highness the Duke at the residence of the Grand Duchess. But…your maid wasn’t there.”
“…”
“Where was your maid then?”
Grace raised her eyes.
“Do you know “The Invisibles”?”
“…”
“They are said to be the descendants of demons, hiding behind the Wall of Death, and sending monsters to threaten the empire. “They want our fertile land.”
The Marquise bent down and took Grace's chin harshly.
“The will says your maid has not been seen. And she asked about the keys to the Blue Room and the secret passages.”
“This is slander. Do you intend to connect me with the “invisible”?
slap!
“Watch your tongue. The commandments say that, not me. Where is your maid?
“…”
“I suspected you from the beginning. Your behavior yesterday seemed strange, as did the testimonies of the two maids. But the truth they hid in fear revealed everything.”
The Marquise's bloodshot eyes sparkled.