Chapter 13 – Part 3

“You have an acquaintance? You’re not lying, are you?”

“Lying? I’m going to meet Lady Selena Scarlet.”

“What? Selena Scarlet? The lady who teaches at that noble school?”

At that moment, Elena’s shoulders flinched at the sound of Vernon’s voice.

Only then did Elena realize that Kristin had changed her tone toward her.

Vernon, after glancing at Elena, smiled broadly at Kristin and spoke.

“The Scarlet family is related to His Majesty the Emperor, aren’t they? I can’t believe Kristin is meeting Duke Raphael again and is also acquainted with Lady Selena. When did you two become friends?”

Lenci, who had been standing at a distance, carefully replied to Vernon.

“I’m not sure if I should be saying this, but Lady Selena Scarlet mentioned at the debutante ball that she thinks highly of you.”

Lenci hesitated to intervene in such a situation, but she didn’t want to keep watching Elena and Rose torment her lady. She spoke up, ready to face any consequences.It was rare for a servant to interrupt a noble’s conversation, so Lenci began to nervously watch Rose, expecting to be scolded.

But Kristin knew Lenci well, and before Rose could reprimand her, Kristin quickly spoke up.

“Lenci is right. There was a small commotion at the debutante ball, and Lady Selena Scarlet helped me.”

“A small commotion?”

Vernon frowned and lightly tossed the newspaper he was holding onto the sofa.

He seemed to be contemplating something for a moment before he continued.

“Was the commotion related to Duke Raphael?”

“Well, in a way, yes. Mostly.”

At that moment, Elena, unable to contain her anger, shouted.

“My sister even fought with other ladies at the sacred ball!”

“K-Kristin? Our Kristin? The one who didn’t even want to go to last year’s debutante ball and stayed in her room all day? She fought with someone. ”

Vernon spoke incredulously, looking between Kristin and Lenci.

Kristin met her father’s gaze and calmly replied.

“Yes, that’s right. But that isn’t important. Because of that incident, I got to know Lady Selena Scarlet. Isn’t that a good thing, Father?”

In the past, Kristin would have been easily bullied by Elena in such a situation, unable to say a word.

Elena had intended for Kristin to be scolded by their father, but things had turned out quite differently.

This was evident from Vernon’s next words.

“Of course. That makes sense. Besides, having a connection with Lady Selena is a wonderful thing. It means we’ve finally established ties with the Scarlet family, who are related to His Majesty. Well done, Kristin.”

Vernon smiled broadly, making it clear that he was very pleased. Elena, realizing she wouldn’t get the reaction she wanted, angrily stormed off to her room.

Rose, glaring at Kristin, spoke in a calm, soft tone.

“Very well done, Kristin. Do you know how difficult it was for me when your mother passed away and I came into this house? It was hard to see you struggling and not being able to help. Go on now and take care of your business.”

Rose no longer wanted to see Kristin.

If she could, she would have wanted to kick Kristin out of the house immediately.

She wanted to pair her with some insignificant noble and strip her of any pretense of being a noble herself.

Rose always believed that nobility wasn’t something you were born with but something you could achieve with enough effort.

After many cunning schemes and efforts, she had finally become the Viscountess.

“Kristin, have a good trip. Let me know how it went when you return. I’ll be waiting.”

“Yes, Father. I’ll go with Lenci.”

“Of course. It’s only right to have at least a maid accompany you.”

Vernon picked up the newspaper he had tossed aside and began reading again. He no longer had any intention of appeasing Elena.

Rose couldn’t stand that Vernon was increasingly siding with Kristin instead of her daughter.

With a smile on her face, Rose thought,

‘There’s nothing she can do. If I pair her with someone insignificant that I know, where can she go? No matter where she goes, she won’t be able to move outside my grasp. I just have to convince the Viscount. The position of Duchess or Marchioness will belong to our Elena, so Kristin has to step aside now.’

Rose decided to plant the idea in Vernon’s mind.

Kristin smiled at Rose and her father before addressing Lenci.

“Lenci, you could have gotten in trouble for stepping in like that.”Lenci, looking sorrowful, glanced at Kristin and replied.

“It just breaks my heart to see you losing your place in the Edith estate. I couldn’t help but intervene. I’m sorry.”

Lenci was almost on the verge of tears, and Kristin understood her feelings.

Gently patting Lenci’s shoulder, Kristin spoke kindly.

“It’s okay. In a little while, everything will go back to how it should be. I’ll restore the honor of the Edith family and drive stepmother and Elena out of this house. And Father…”

Thinking of her father made Kristin’s heart heavy, and she hesitated to say more.

“Yes, my Lady. But where are we going today? “

“We’re going to the newspaper office.”

“The newspaper office?”

Lenci’s eyes widened at the unexpected destination.

* * *

Kristin thought of the Jamir Newspaper Office, the most famous in the Empire, known for printing large volumes of newspapers.

While riding the carriage to the shopping district, Kristin thought about Finn Declan’s obituary.

If the doctor named Finn Declan was still residing within the Union Empire, he would surely see his obituary in the newspaper. He would instantly realize something was off.

Typically, obituaries in newspapers were sent out by the deceased’s children or surviving siblings to notify others, and Kristin had to think carefully about this method.

Kristin’s knowledge was limited to the doctor’s name and family name, Finn Declan. Furthermore, she didn’t know much about the Declan family.

Nevertheless, she was determined to uncover the truth about her mother’s death. If this could lead to ousting her stepmother, Rose, from the estate, she had to pursue it.

Kristin felt certain that her death and return were not without reason. Everything had a purpose.

Thus, it was her duty to reveal the unjust death of her mother.The incident had happened six years ago, and there was no way to bring her mother back. Moreover, her father and stepmother were involved, so she had to find a way to meet Finn Declan.

He, as a doctor, had essentially trampled on a life he was supposed to save. Even if he didn’t act out of self-interest, he owed it to the family to eventually reveal the truth.

If Beatrice Charlotte hadn’t discovered it, he would have kept his secret thoroughly hidden. Despite being threatened by her father, his actions were not justifiable.

Given the current situation, even if she showed the letter he sent to her father and stepmother, they might claim someone was impersonating the doctor to slander them.

Most likely, her stepmother would mock her. If that happened, it would complicate things further, making it impossible to investigate her mother’s mysterious death.

If she spoke out rashly, Kristin would once again be seen as the odd daughter.

Kristin didn’t want to create such a situation with a hasty decision, so she steeled herself.

“We’ve arrived at the Jamir Newspaper Office.”

The carriage came to a stop as they arrived at the newspaper office. The coachman’s voice was followed by Lenci, who looked out the window and turned to Kristin.

“My Lady, we’ve arrived. I’ll help you, so please get down slowly.”

Lenci opened the door and stepped out of the carriage first, extending her hand to help Kristin. As she stepped out, Kristin gazed at the Jamir Newspaper Office before her.

Kristin was astonished by the sight of the newspaper office. It was much larger than she had anticipated, and the building was four stories high.

She had imagined it to be a one- or two-story building, but it was grander than she had expected.

The Jamir Newspaper Office was located within the shopping district, but far from the area where ladies usually shop.

Thus, if one had a specific business in this area, it was common to see the Jamir Newspaper Office.

Kristin had mostly stayed within the estate before, and as a lady, she had no reason to visit a newspaper office, so this was her first time seeing it.”I didn’t expect the building to be this big. Well, I never had a reason to come here. The street is dark and gloomy, so I never really visited.”

Lenci, too, had never been to the newspaper office and was surprised. As she looked at the building, she turned to Kristin and spoke again.

“The building’s exterior is made of red bricks. It looks magnificent overall. It’s quite fascinating, my Lady. Even though it’s a newspaper office, it feels like looking at a noble’s mansion.”

“That’s true. This is my first time coming to a newspaper office.”

Kristin smiled at Lenci, who had her mouth agape, staring at the building. Lenci then realized she had her mouth open and quickly closed it, touching her face in embarrassment.

“Lenci, whatever I say inside, you mustn’t show any surprise. Even if I mention Finn Declan’s death, don’t act startled. There’s something I must find out here.”

“Oh, my Lady. I will be careful. Don’t worry.”

Lenci’s eyes widened briefly at Kristin’s words but quickly nodded in understanding.

Seeing this, Kristin felt relieved and continued,

“Shall we go in, Lenci? ”

“Yes, my Lady.”

Lenci answered and followed Kristin, then hurried ahead to open the large door for her.

Kristin took a deep breath before stepping inside.