Chapter 27
Aldritch, now pushed back, could only see Selachia’s back. And from where the servants lined up against the opposite wall stood, they could only see Sophie’s.
All the servants were trembling, heads lowered in fear—likely afraid they might get caught up in something.
Among them, Nancy stood out the most, holding her head high and nervously stomping her feet, as if she might bolt forward at any moment. Selachia pretended not to see her with all her might.
“……”
As she moved her gaze, Selachia’s eyes halted at one point. Amid the crowd of bowed heads, one face appeared—different from Nancy’s.
It was Amy.
Amy was staring straight at Selachia. Her dark brown eyes were completely different from when they last met in the drawing room.
The once-timid gaze was now sharp and unwavering, almost as if studying Selachia.
Selachia calmly looked past her and turned to Sophie.
“……”
Was this entire setup really Aldritch acting alone? The question suddenly struck her.
The ruby brooch Sophie presented as evidence had indeed been in Selachia’s dressing room. If Aldritch had gone there himself, someone would’ve surely noticed.
But a maid—Amy, in particular—could move freely. She could easily go in and out of the servants’ quarters or leave a letter on Sophie’s bed without drawing suspicion.
“Ha.”
Selachia gave a bitter chuckle. It felt like an unwanted puzzle piece had landed in her hands. Even if she assembled the whole thing perfectly, she had no intention of using it. That made it all the more frustrating.
She decided to empty her thoughts and focus on the present moment. What mattered now was deceiving Aldritch and bringing this performance to a safe end.
“Sophie.”
Selachia’s soft voice rang out like thunder in the quiet banquet hall.
Sophie didn’t budge, either resigned or numb. Her cheeks were swollen, and a long red trail of blood flowed from beneath her jaw—a truly wretched sight.
Selachia leaned in under the pretense of wiping the blood from Sophie’s neck. Then, in a voice only Sophie could hear, she whispered:
“Do you still have the letter?”
Sophie’s unfocused eyes slowly shifted to Selachia. Though she looked puzzled by the question, she gave a faint nod.
Selachia smiled gently and stroked Sophie’s cheek as if to reassure her. Whether Sophie understood the meaning was unclear.
Now it was Selachia’s turn to act.
She needed the quick wit to deceive everyone and the strength to protect herself.
Selachia gripped the dagger’s hilt tightly in both hands again.
Just as she steeled her resolve to strike—
“If you hold the blade like that, you’ll hurt yourself.”
Tennus appeared beside her, taking her hands softly before she even noticed he’d approached. His gentle grip over the back of her hand made her realize her hands were trembling.
“You’re shaking so much, I can’t just stand by and watch.”
He knelt beside her and gently took the dagger from her grasp.
“Let me handle the dirty work.”
The warmth of his touch distracted her completely, and she couldn’t even think to stop him.
In the blink of an eye, bright red blood splattered into her vision.
“Ah…”
For a moment, the flow of air seemed to stop. Selachia stared blankly at Sophie, forgetting even to breathe.
Drip, drip.
The sound of blood hitting the marble floor rang out, bone-chillingly clear.
“This dagger is too short for a clean kill.”
Tennus raised the bloodied weapon high for all to see. With his other hand, he supported Sophie’s limp body, which had collapsed sideways.
Why isn’t he letting her fall to the ground?
Even in her dazed state, Selachia noticed something odd—Tennus’ hand placement.
His hand rested on the shoulder of Sophie’s dark-blue maid uniform. But that part of the fabric was darker than the rest. As her eyes trailed downward, she saw Sophie’s stomach was perfectly intact. There wasn’t a scratch, let alone any blood.
A sudden flash of realization struck her like lightning.
Sophie hadn’t been stabbed.
So, she wasn’t fatally injured.
As that realization washed over her, Selachia felt relief surge in. The scent of blood in the air kicked her brain into motion again.
Then whose blood was it…?
“This son of a…”
She nearly shouted aloud. Biting her lower lip, Selachia silently cursed Tennus. It didn’t matter that what he did was exactly what she had intended to do herself.
“A funeral shroud is too much for a criminal. Just toss her into the sea.”
Tennus ordered Mark. His face was calm—like he hadn’t just spilled blood. His voice was equally steady.
Selachia glared at him and then clutched her head in haste.
“Ah… Seeing the blood made me dizzy…”
Not exactly something someone who had just threatened to execute Sophie should be saying. The shame was overwhelming, but she couldn’t think of anything else.
“My legs gave out. I can’t walk.”
She closed her eyes and leaned slightly toward Tennus, who instinctively caught her. The same hand that had supported Sophie now touched her back.
Just as she thought—his left hand was wet and warm with something thick. Blood, no doubt.
You crazy bastard, you absolute maniac.
Selachia opened her eyes into a narrow glare and looked up. Tennus’ polished face stared down at her with a furrowed brow.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but he looked a bit pale. Her heart pounded faster. She silently mouthed:
“Bedroom. Now.”
Tennus blinked his long silver lashes and paused for a second. Then a sly smile curved his lips, as if he were enjoying the situation.
“What are you doing?!”
Annoyed by his inappropriate smirk, Selachia glared harder. Finally, Tennus lifted her into his arms and stood up.
“The criminal has been executed. Let’s put this matter behind us. I trust you all know how to conduct yourselves.”
Instead of rushing straight for the door, Tennus glanced around at the servants—and even remembered to grab Aldritch.
“Since my lady is unwell, we’ll excuse ourselves now.”
He gave final instructions to clean up the banquet hall before striding out the door.
* * *
“Put me down. Now!”
Once the banquet doors closed and she confirmed the corridor was empty, Selachia snapped in a hushed voice.
She struggled to get down from his arms, but Tennus held her firmly.
“What are you doing? Let me down! You’re injured!”
“Didn’t you ask me to carry you?”
Tennus shrugged as if it were nothing and didn’t stop walking.
Luckily, there were no bloodstains on the floor. Her extravagant frilly dress didn’t just conceal the dagger well—it was also excellent at soaking up blood.
“I wasn’t trying to be sweet! I only used my dress to hide your blood!”
“How considerate of you.”
The more she moved, the tighter Tennus’ grip became. It was hard to ignore the discomfort of being carried like a log.
Looking down at her rigid figure, Tennus chuckled and said lightly,
“I won’t die from this.”
“Unless you’re planning to put me down, shut up and walk faster.”
“Maybe it’s better if I do die. That way, you’d finally get to leave this mansion, just like you wanted.”
“Don’t compare yourself to Aldritch. I’m not stepping over a corpse to leave this place!”
“Really? Then I guess I’ll decorate both the front and back gates with graves.”
Tennus said this dead-seriously. Selachia furrowed her brow in disbelief. Finally, they reached her bedroom.
With both arms full, Tennus had no way to open the heavy door. Sensing this, Selachia reached out and pushed the door open. Tennus stepped inside and closed it with his shoulder.
“Put me down!”
She practically yelled in his face from the center of the room. Tennus slowly set her down.
“You act like you hate being touched.”
As she stood tall, Selachia immediately grabbed his left arm. This time, he didn’t avoid her hand.
“You…”
A deep red line marked his inner wrist, blood still pouring steadily from it. It was the kind of wound that made your face scrunch just from looking.
“I just cut a vein to get some blood. It’s not deep.”
“You’re insane!”
Selachia finally voiced the words she’d been holding back.
She had always thought Tennus was a man she couldn’t understand. Now she knew why.
Of course she couldn’t understand him.
He was a madman.
