98: I Won’t Fall for Your Ruse
“Lady Teresa, was this ring really a gift from the former duke, the old master?”
“Like I said before, it is. I don’t care how expensive it is, what saddens me the most is that it was a gift from the previous master. How could you steal it? I no longer feel safe in this place, my life could be next…”
As Teresa tearfully implored, everyone understood her intentions. She wanted to switch from the former duke to Dylan. However, Avril was unfazed.
“—But I checked the ledger yesterday, and this ring wasn’t among the list of gifts given by the former duke to his mistresses.”
“!? I mean, you could’ve made a mistake? They probably missed it or something—also, you’re a laundry maid! There’s no way you have access to such a thing! Stop bluffing!”
Avril didn’t respond to Teresa’s rebuke and asked Dylan.
“Lord Dylan, the former duke seems to be a very meticulous person when it comes to the managing fund.”
“Indeed. The former duke may be uncouth and sleazy, but he’s also diligent and methodical. Otherwise, there’d be no way he’d have been able to maintain a separate building and so many mistresses for such a long time.”
Upon hearing that, Lucy—one of the mistresses—remarked, “That’s certainly true.” and the rest giggled. It seemed that everyone besides Teresa was a graceful and gentle beauty.
As a side note, the servants who overheard the commotion began to gather at the salon before Avril knew it. Everyone must’ve thought that if Clarissa, ‘the Beast Tamer and Savior’, had stolen something, an investigation would take a place immediately. Avril’s boss, Jesenia, could be seen among the crowd.
Having decided on the next course of action, Dylan held Avril’s shoulder. He was no longer playing nice.
“It seems like most of the people who work in this annex have gathered. Excellent. There’s someone I’d like to introduce.”
“M-my Lord… Are you planning to appoint Clarissa, the new laundrymaid, as your mistress instead of a senior servant…?”
The butler asked, his face twitching. Dylan snapped, looking extremely frustrated.
“You’re mistaken. Don’t confuse me with that old man. She’s Avril Allingham—my fiancée. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors.”
“Uhm, my name is Avril Allingham. I owe everyone many apologies…”
—First of all, I’m sorry for pretending to be Clarissa.
When she gracefully curtseyed to everyone, Jesenia—the head laundry maid—raised her voice from within the crowd.
“No way…!? Clarissa is the duchess…!? How could the future duchess be such a jack of all trades…!?”
“Jesenia, I apologize for lying to you all this time.”
Still refusing to listen as always, Jesenia continued to question Avril.
“—Also, why are the hands of the future duchess so firm and taut!?”
“Recently, my work as a servant has decreased a little, so my hands are closer to that of a villainess’ than before…”
In her daze, Jesenia seemed to recall a certain conversation she had with Avril.
“A villainess? I, I recall us servants speaking negatively of Lord Dylan’s fiancée during your first day… Something like, ‘If you get involved with Lord Dylan’s fiancée, who’s infamous for being a villainess, you’ll lose your job.’ Is that why you couldn’t come forward…? I see, so that’s why…”
“No, I told you several times that I’m Avril, but you didn’t listen.”
“But isn’t ‘Avril’ supposed to be your baptismal name?”
“No, that’s my real name.”
“Ah!”
In awe, Jesenia covered her mouth. Avril smiled in return. Now that that was settled, there didn’t seem to be any change in their closeness.
Then, Avril turned to face everyone.
“I’m truly sorry for deceiving everyone these past few days. By the way, in addition to laundry and cleaning, my expertise is in helping Lord Dylan with his work, which includes sorting documents.”
“I asked Avril to examine the flow of money in this building. Hence, I believe her claim that the ring isn’t listed in the ledger of the stingy former duke. …In other words, your previous argument about being bestowed that ring by him is untrustworthy.”
Upon hearing Dylan’s words, Teresa, who seemed to grasp that her plan had backfired, became flustered.
“N-no way… Right, it may have been a different gift…! I mean, my necklace and brooch also went missing…”
Avril heard this and timidly replied.
“Uhm… Unfortunately, there’s no record of the former duke giving those to Lady Teresa, either…”
“!? How do you know!?”
“I saw the ledger yesterday.”
“B-but you only saw it, right!? That isn’t enough proof!?”
“I remember most things once I see them… Lord Dylan and Chris are well aware of this.”
“…!?”
***T/N: I introduce you… Human Internet Browser History
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