episode_0130

Does she know the letter exists?

but–

“… … .”

how?

My mind was saturated with countless unconvincing and incomprehensible questions, so even if it was just for a moment, my thinking was completely blocked.

It was truly a thought-block that occurred for a split second, but that split second created a gap in the conversation that was going well. That gap became the perfect reason for her to suspect me.

“Mel, why aren’t you answering?”

Sure enough, she broke through my silence.

The best answer I could come up with right now, with my perspective narrowed due to embarrassment and my thoughts shortened due to pressure, was ‘Buy time to come up with a suitable excuse.’

“The third letter… … . I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

Even though I believed that she was controlling it and that it was fake, and this time she outright lied, I didn’t feel anything.

As expected, the engraving was fake.

As I felt that the range of choices had expanded in an instant, I was able to relax, albeit a little.

“You really don’t know?”

“If you are talking about the duchess’s letter that was sent to you a while ago, those two pages were all. The third letter――was not received.”

I answered, subtly hiding the truth in a lie.

There are actually two letters addressed to her. Third letter? Because it wasn’t addressed to her, it was a letter written for me to read.

okay. I mixed up the facts a little bit, so it’s not a complete lie.

‘You lied again?’

Although the memory of that time came back to me and I felt horrified, fortunately, this lie wasn’t a complete lie, and perhaps because she didn’t sense anything strange, she didn’t respond in any way to what I said.

If things continue like this, there will definitely be no problems――

“I can hear you rolling your head all the way up here. What are you thinking so hard about?”

Her voice was full of laughter, as if teasing me, and I trembled.

“Did you really think I was asking because I didn’t know?”

“Well, that’s… … .”

“Do you know one and don’t know the other, or are you pretending not to know…? … . Either way, all I can say is that it’s really great.”

“Heh,” she laughed at me, then passed me by and said, stroking the railing of the central staircase leading up to the second floor.

“If I really didn’t know anything, I wouldn’t have come here.”

Unlike last time, when she crushed my uterus for lying, she didn’t impose any sanctions even though she discovered my lie.

So are you relieved? No, rather, her calm reaction was even more frightening.

Because I don’t know what I’m going to do. Because you never know when it might suddenly start moving. That’s why I feel more scared now than when I’m normally angry.

“Mel. I know my mother’s personality best. I know it too well so I can get away with it. Maybe I know better than she knows herself.”

Looking at the hand that was stroking the railing, she rubbed her fingers, and this time she approached the pillar supporting the roof of the mansion and wiped the cracks in the pillar with her fingertip and said.

Are you checking the cleaning status now? In this situation?

The sight of him inspecting the state of cleaning with a listless face was so out of sync with the current situation that it gave me goosebumps.

“My mother is a very, very cautious person. Unlike my younger brother. So that’s what I thought when the letter came to me. Something is strange.”

She looked down at her hands that had been wiping the pillar and rubbed her fingers again, this time turning towards the window and saying.

“My husband became strange when he started drinking wine. At first, I thought he was simply addicted to alcohol, but that was not entirely clear… … . What’s the problem? It must be wine, right? Who sent this wine?――”

With a thud, she stopped in front of the window and looked at me quietly.

“Okay. It comes right away.”

After saying that, she shrugged and turned her back again.

“The problem is the wine, the person who sent it was his daughter, and given the circumstances, I am the only one who can be seen as the culprit. Then why did my mother send me this letter?”

As she wiped the window frame with her finger, it made a swooshing sound, unlike the pillars and railings she had cleaned earlier, a slightly rough sound.

It was a small sound that I wouldn’t normally have heard, but my ears, which had become sensitive due to tension, and the silence of the early morning helped me hear the sound clearly.

“This letter was sent to me, the most suspected suspect, telling me to seek help from my sister as my father’s condition is critical.”

She said that and waved the letter over her shoulder.

It was the same letter I gave her that evening.

She let go of her fingers holding the letter, and the letter naturally fluttered and fell to the floor.

“Even… … .”

She looked back, trailing off, and the letter that fell to the floor was trampled by her feet.

She stepped on the letter under her feet, took out another letter with a displeased look on her face, and said,

“I even enclosed a letter listing the location of important physical evidence.”

“… … .”

I couldn’t say anything.

In this situation, no matter what I said, it would only offend her, so I decided to keep quiet.

She sighed quietly and crossed her arms, as if she didn’t like seeing me like that.

“It must be a trap. Everything from this letter to the items said to have been buried under the tree. Of course, this letter is just a trick; the real thing is the ‘wine’ buried under the tree, right?”

She pursed her lips as she spoke of wine, then frowned and slightly lowered her head.

” Since they wouldn’t have openly ambushed people, they must have set up a barrier that would make the caster aware if someone other than the authorized one touches it. Of course, inside the bottle so you can never notice it from the outside.”

She sneered, swept up her bangs, and spoke in a low voice.

“Do I look like an asshole to the point where I could be fooled by that?”

Togak――Togak――

The sound of shoes getting rougher than before was getting closer and closer to me. As the sound got louder, the resignation inside me also grew.

In the end, this is it. I quietly closed my eyes, realizing that this would be my last time.

“Mel.”

There was a subtle anger in her voice, but surprisingly, she wasn’t scared at all.

No, saying it’s not scary is a lie. just… … . Because I just didn’t have the strength to shake anymore.

I quietly raised my head and answered her call.

“Yes, lady.”

“My mother must have anticipated this and wrote the letter. Right to you.”

As she continued speaking, her anger faded more and more.

“It must have been written that if I come to visit you, you should tell me where the ‘Tree of Memories’ is.”

The anger that disappeared so quickly has now turned into a calm smile.

She smiled slightly and continued speaking.

“Or maybe he gave her a magic tool to contact her separately. Well, either way is a possibility, so before entering the villa, I set up a barrier around the entire villa to completely block interference from the outside. So it’s better to give up any hope. therefore… … .”

She finished speaking with a grin.

He spoke with a completely expressionless expression, as if all his emotions up until now were fake.

“Tell me where the third letter is.”

What is said and what is not said.

There were two options in front of me, but in reality, no matter which one I chose, I had no choice but to die.

If you feel like you’re going to die one way or another, wouldn’t it be better to die alone without saying anything?

no… … . There is no point in choosing which one. She is cold-blooded and already intends to frame and kill her younger brother.

Even if his biological mother is his opponent, he is a monster who will stab and kill his biological mother without hesitation if that mother interferes with his plans.

“The letter… … .”

Expanded your choices? under. That’s funny… … . In the end, you can’t choose anything, so what’s the point of expanding your options… … .

I smiled bitterly and closed my mouth quietly.

okay. No matter which one you choose, if you have no choice but to die. At least in my end, I want to be a ‘person’ who upholds the bare minimum as a human being, not a traitor.

“I did not receive such a letter.”

said.

I said it.

I said it.

I made eye contact with her with a resolute attitude, waiting for the imminent end to come.

She just stared at me, quietly blinking at my words, and didn’t show any reaction.

I guess he didn’t think that I would go against him so blatantly. But in the end, I got a kick out of it.

Feeling a little satisfaction, I quietly lowered my head and closed my eyes.

“Fuhu… … . Uhuhuhu… … . Kuhuhu… … .”

But she didn’t touch me or get angry.

“Ahahahaha!”

She laughed.

He was smiling so brightly and innocently like a child.

“I, kuhuhu… … . Are you thinking I’m going to kill you? That’s right… … . Hehehe… … . That’s a really interesting idea.”

“Ah… … ?”

“That expression is truly a masterpiece. It’s a face so goofy that I want to draw it and preserve it.”

She laughed until her cheeks turned red, took a few breaths, shook her head, and said.

“I won’t kill you. Mel. I have no intention of killing it, and there is no need to kill it. Above all, if I kill you now, it’s no different than playing into my mother’s hands, right? She probably had your death in her plans too.”

You’re not killing me? Really, you can buy it?

After I left, I swallowed dry saliva as I felt my hands and feet becoming cold from the belated fear of death.

She lightly held my fingertips and smiled kindly.

However, beneath that gentle mask――

“Where is Mia?”

It was filled with despair of unknown depth.