“W-what are you saying? One of our siblings?”

Only the listener was shocked; the person who uttered those terrifying words seemed calm.

Looking at her sister’s serious face, it didn’t seem like she was joking.

Marie continued.

“Our eldest brother, second brother, youngest brother, second sister, and me. Someone among these five people hired an assassin targeting your assets. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that it’s not just one person.”

“That’s impossible! It can’t be!”

“Why is it impossible? How much do you trust us?”

“What……?”

Adelaide’s mind turned blank as a sheet of paper.

She had indeed suggested Vivian might be the culprit, but that was merely words without any sincerity behind them.

It was a self-deprecating joke about the distance that had grown between the sisters.

She had never once considered her brothers or siblings might be the culprits.

It was a situation she didn’t even want to imagine.

The mere thought was so horrifying that Adelaide stopped thinking altogether.

Like blowing out the only lamp shining in darkness, her blank mind quickly fell into total blackness.

“According to what you said, I have sufficient motive since I’d inherit everything after eliminating you and Stefan. The same goes for our youngest brother who isn’t on good terms with you right now.”

While watching her sister shake her head in denial, Marie continued coldly presenting all possibilities.

“Our eldest brother and second sister stepped away from the inheritance dispute over father’s estate, which is worth far more than what you have, so we can rule them out. The most likely suspects narrow down to three: Felix, me, and our youngest brother. All three of us had ample opportunity to tamper with your medicine bottle at the villa that day.”

“……”

“If we’re being precise, Felix has known you’re a famous author for quite some time, and he meets the inheritance requirements, making him the most dangerous suspect.”

“Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and our second brother?”

Adelaide demanded with an angry face.

Her growing affection for her youngest sister was in danger of being derailed.

But Marie wasn’t saying these things to provoke her sister’s anger.

“Between your husband and our siblings, who do you trust more? Just considering our second brother and youngest brother, excluding me.”

“T-that’s……”

“Sister. Pay close attention now. There’s no such thing as 100% in human relationships. Whether parents, siblings, spouses, lovers, friends, relatives, or acquaintances. No one in this world can be trusted completely.”

“……”

“Humans can’t even trust the decisions they make themselves. So I’m telling you to judge coldly. Don’t completely trust anyone. Not even me who’s saying this.”

“Marie……”

“In the end, the only one who can protect you until the end is yourself.”

Adelaide finally understood why her youngest sister spoke so strongly.

Marie’s shock therapy had snapped her back to reality.

Her sister was right.

She had nearly died several times already.

If she blindly placed unlimited trust in everyone around her due to emotional attachment, her judgment would only become clouded, and she alone would bear the consequences.

Once dead, there would be no chance for regret.

“I understand what you’re saying.”

Adelaide nodded slowly.

To protect herself, she needed to become stronger from now on.

After finishing their conversation, the three rose from the tea house.

They planned to contact a security company affiliated with the Freude Law Office to assign bodyguards for Adelaide.

“Why didn’t you hire security after receiving several threats?”

“They weren’t regular, and they’ve been less frequent lately, so I grew complacent. Besides, if my husband and mother-in-law found out I had bodyguards, they’d ask what was going on and where the money came from.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. We can request security personnel who specialize in covert protection, invisible to others.”

“And if people recognize my face, it would be problematic in many ways. I even conducted legal consultations in writing. I used a pen name.”

The second reason was more significant in Adelaide’s decision not to hire bodyguards.

She had been a well-known figure in society before marriage, and despite the years that had passed, many people still remembered her.

Adelaide’s fame was so widespread that even commoners had heard her name at least once as the most beautiful woman in Valdek.

While consultations could be done under a pen name, contracts for hiring bodyguards or attorneys required using her real name.

There had been a stir when she married a commoner beneath her station, and if news of her divorce spread, it would attract public attention.

Additionally, if people learned that Adelaide, who had married a commoner with little wealth, was hiring bodyguards and attorneys for divorce proceedings, curiosity would snowball.

And if it became known that Adelaide was that famous author, the repercussions would be even greater.

This meant there was a high chance her husband and mother-in-law would hear about her divorce preparations before she was ready.

“Information security is most important in these matters. I’ll tell them to be especially careful, even though they’re already trustworthy.”

Marie said as she walked toward the door.

Hans had stepped outside first and naturally held the door open.

Adelaide found herself smiling slightly as she watched Marie walk outside just as naturally.

Of course, such manners were basic in high society.

But the two hadn’t met in social circles, weren’t lovers, and strictly speaking, were in an employer-employee relationship.

Though Hans wasn’t nobility, his profession involved dealing with nobles, so perhaps good manners had become second nature to him.

‘But it seems to be more than just manners.’

Not only did he hold the door, but throughout their time at the table, he had been attentive to Marie.

While maintaining eye contact with Adelaide during conversation, he occasionally used one hand to stop Marie’s hand from reaching for the teacup.

Then he would lightly touch the outside of the cup with his finger.

“This should be cool enough to drink now.”

As soon as he said this, Marie took a sip of tea with a beaming smile.

He had tested the temperature first, concerned that her impatient nature might lead her to burn her throat on hot tea.

Adelaide’s instincts as a former dating expert and current romance novelist were screaming.

These two were more than just ordinary friends.

“Sister, what are you doing standing there? Come on out.”

Adelaide, lost in thought, finally came to her senses at her sister’s voice and stepped out of the tea house.

That’s when it happened.

Just as she emerged outside, something fell rapidly from the building above.

In that brief moment, Marie spotted it and with quick reflexes grabbed her sister’s hand, yanking her forcefully toward herself.

CRASH!

Something shattered with a sharp sound as it landed right behind Adelaide, missing her by a hair’s breadth.

The object that broke into pieces was a flower pot.

It had targeted Adelaide precisely.

Marie and Hans almost simultaneously looked up at the building.

A dark figure standing at the rooftop railing disappeared in an instant.

The person had darted inside to escape.

Marie, who was closest to the stairway entrance, immediately ran back into the building.

“Aaaah!”

In her eagerness, she forgot to lift her skirt with both hands and tripped over her dress while running up the stairs, falling forward with a thud.

“Marie! Are you okay?”

Hans quickly followed with his long legs, bent down in front of her, and asked in alarm.

Marie had been looking only at the stairs above, but as if his words were a signal, she began to feel the pain.

Her knees were scraped, and either she had twisted her ankle or bruised it badly from hitting the stairs directly—the area around her ankle bone throbbed with pain.

“Go ahead, Hans! Catch them in the act first!”

At Marie’s cry, Hans reluctantly continued up the stairs with a worried face.

“Marie!”

Adelaide came running to her youngest sister, holding up her skirt with both hands.

“Are you hurt?”

Marie firmly grasped her tearful sister’s arm.

“Sister, could you help me stand up?”

“Of course!”

With her eldest sister’s support, Marie stood up and limped outside the building, looking around.

Adelaide followed right behind, offering to support her.

“Marie, where are you going with that foot! Put your hand on my shoulder!”

Having spotted a nearby alley, Marie rushed into it without time to answer her sister.

Adelaide approached people nearby to ask for help, risking the danger of being recognized.

Meanwhile, the culprit, who had encountered Hans on the stairs, hurriedly climbed back toward the roof.

After a breathless chase, the culprit reached the rooftop, barely managed to lock the door from inside, and took a moment to catch their breath.

However, the moment of relief didn’t last long.

The door shattered with one kick from Hans.

“Who are you?”

Startled by the menacing voice, the culprit backed away and glanced down past the railing.

Behind the building, a large cart loaded with hay was visible.

Without a moment’s hesitation, they jumped onto it.