Uncover the Death of the Villainess - Chapter 5

“I wonder what you’re sorry for. Are you sorry for taking my friend away and cutting off our connection? Or are you apologizing for being afraid that I might spread rumors about how I helped you when you were in trouble before, so you avoided me preemptively? Ah, there’s one more thing. Holding onto the land and buildings I needed for my business without selling them and continuing to hold out. Which of these three are you apologizing to me for today?”

“Just… just everything.”

Michael, who had always been so upright, bowed his head before me.

Now that Laura is dead, he finally apologizes to me. It was a moment when I doubted this man’s sincerity.

‘Is it as Cedric said?’

Is he bowing his head to me now because my business seems to be doing well, and that he’s thinking of adding investment to make money? Then he should have apologized earlier. If he had, Laura and I would have been good friends again before she died.

Thinking this way made my heart ache.

Even though this man probably didn’t kill my friend, I kept feeling resentful towards him.

‘Wait. What if it wasn’t suicide but murder?’

The moment I had that thought, goosebumps rose on my arms. This man in front of me doesn’t look at all like someone grieving over losing his fiancée. There wasn’t even a trace of him having cried. The capital’s police force is weak in investigative power, so their words can’t be blindly trusted either.

— And how that man, who seemed perfect, was actually such a mess and an imperfect demon.

The letter I received from Laura yesterday clearly stated this. Perhaps Laura wanted to tell me she was wronged?

There are always people who commit devilish acts with angelic faces. In the letter, didn’t Laura warn me to be careful of her fiancé?

Once doubt crept in, every action of that man felt like pretense.

As I stood with my arms crossed and a frown on my face, Michael spoke first.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“???”

“I heard you ran into Laura on the street recently. Could you tell me what you talked about?”

Michael’s eyes were sharp. For a moment, I almost mistook him for a police officer working at the station.

This wasn’t a question, but an interrogation. This man seemed like he had something to confirm with me.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath to organize my thoughts.

‘I shouldn’t tell the whole truth.’

I still don’t understand the intention behind his question. Suddenly feeling tense, sweat trickled down my back.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Because I can’t understand Laura’s death. I provided her with everything I could. I just can’t believe why she made such a choice.”

A tear formed in Michael’s eye and rolled down his cheek. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

Were they really such a loving couple? Then what about the content of the letter my friend sent me? But that man’s tears seemed more like feeling wronged than sadness over Laura’s death.

‘Should I be honest? Should I tell him that Laura told me to be careful of him?’

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I became confused, not knowing what to do.

Just then, I heard faint screams from the servants outside, followed by the hurried footsteps of several people filling the space in front of the reception room door. The door suddenly burst open and a young girl rushed in.

“Where’s Laura? I want to see her!”

A small-built blonde girl in a beige satin nightgown ran towards me barefoot and hugged me.

“Laura! Where have you been? You promised to play with me today.”

The girl grabbed my arm with frightening strength and tried to pull me off the sofa.

“What, what are you doing?”

“I did everything you told me to. So give me a reward. Okay?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My arm hurt. Why is this child, who’s even shorter than me, so strong? I tried to resist, but I didn’t have nearly enough strength to break free from the girl’s grip. In the end, I was forcibly pulled up from my seat and dragged towards the door.

I turned my head and glared at Michael, who was just watching this scene quietly. Noticing my gaze, he belatedly stepped between us. He removed the girl’s arms that were clinging to me.

“Gabrielle. This woman is not Laura. Calm down.”

“Huh? No. This is Laura.”

The look in the girl’s eyes as she tilted her head was strange. It was unstable, like that of a madwoman…

“I apologize. My sister Gabrielle is very ill, which is why she’s acting like this. I hope you understand.”

So it’s not her body that’s sick, but her mind?

So that’s why he restricted his sister’s outings. Perhaps Marquis Paine even prevented Laura’s external activities because he didn’t want this fact to be known?

If my friend, who loved parties and people so much, was forced to live only inside the mansion, she would naturally have become depressed. Could that be why she made such a bad choice? No, the Laura I knew wasn’t weak enough to throw away her life so easily.

As the servants were fidgeting nervously, Michael ordered,

“Take Gabrielle away! Make sure she can’t leave her room.”

Turning his head to me, he lowered his voice and pleaded,

“I hope you’ll keep this matter confidential.”

The servants forcibly took Michael’s sister away. The solid reception room door closed again.

“After getting engaged to the Marquis, Laura reduced the number of times she went out.”

“……”

“Even if you’re her fiancé, it was too much to take away her freedom of movement. What woman lives like that these days?”

Michael responded to my words with an irritated voice.

“I never interfered with where Laura went. You seem to have some misunderstanding.”

“Then why did you both reduce the number of times you attended parties after the engagement?”

My friend was obsessed with parties. She had an outgoing and friendly personality.

“Because Laura wanted it that way. That woman was obsessive and delusional. She didn’t want not only her but even me to go out. It was so frustrating!”

He gritted his teeth. Seemingly angry, a blue vein showed on Michael’s smooth forehead. His face was flushed red, unable to hide his excitement.

“I guess the rumors about you two not getting along were true.”

“Refrain from unnecessary speculation. No one knows what happened between Laura and me.”

Feeling upset, I turned towards the door.

“Since I’ve received your apology, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Wait a moment. I’m not finished talking yet.”

“I have nothing more to hear.”

He grabbed my shoulder in irritation.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, but it seems you’ve already found out about my sister. Just one favor, please.”

“I refuse even before hearing the favor. I’m a busy person.”

It’s obvious he’d ask me to keep what I saw today a secret. I didn’t have anyone to talk to anyway, and I wasn’t idle enough to spread someone else’s shame. As I grabbed the doorknob that had been closed, he shouted.

“I’ll sell you the land and buildings near Liv Department Store!”

It was too tempting an offer to refuse.

How much had I tried to persuade him through my employees all this time? It was displeasing that he was trying to negotiate with me only now, after Laura had gone to heaven, but I wanted to hear more of what the Marquis had to say.

“It seems I have time to drink one more cup of tea before leaving.”

Be careful of Michael. He’s not a good man.

The moment I sat on the sofa, I heard what seemed like Laura whispering in my ear. It felt as if my dead friend was grabbing my collar, telling me not to do this.

‘I’m sorry, Laura. But I need to investigate this man.’

Although the police department had concluded Laura’s death as suicide, I was still curious about the hidden aspects of my friend’s death. Moreover, I wanted to confirm if the treatment Laura received in this family was similar to the rumors.

“Please sit. If you have more to say to me, I’ll listen.”

Michael’s expression brightened at my response.

“As you just saw, my sister is mentally unstable. Laura had been helping to calm Gabrielle’s madness by keeping her company.”

“And?”

“I’d like you to take on Laura’s role from now on.”

Is he asking me to be a counselor? But I’m neither Laura nor a doctor.

“I refuse. Even if I become Gabrielle’s companion like Laura, I can’t be sure that her madness won’t flare up.”

“It’s enough just to be a friend to my lonely sister. Gabrielle hates change. You saw how she mistook you for Laura because of your similar appearance. Just come when you have time and keep her company once in a while.”

“There are already many young ladies looking for jobs with appearances similar to mine. And I’m not free enough to do such work.”

“I’ve already tried dressing the servants in Laura’s clothes. Among them were many women with brown hair and green eyes, but Gabrielle chased them all out of the room. You, Charlotte, are the only one Gabrielle called Laura.”

I glared at him.

This man shows no sign of grieving over his fiancée’s death. He’s only worried that his sister’s madness might worsen.

“How many hours has it been since Laura died, and you’re saying this to me? Even if she was a fiancée you didn’t get along with. Don’t you feel any pity for my friend?”