EID 29

EID Chapter 29

29. A Bad Woman

“You were deceived by her kindness, my lady.”

Olivia, starved for affection, was unable to make a rational judgment in the face of Diane’s warm and gentle demeanor. But Anne was different.

Diane might have become the owner of the Lily Key through the events she orchestrated for her own selfish desires, but in doing so, she also earned Anne’s suspicion.

“It’s true, my lady. She’s really a bad woman.”

And Anne’s distrust of Diane Brooke ultimately led to her being framed as the jewel thief.

Olivia’s trust in Diane ran deep. She was the first person Olivia had considered both a sister and a friend. That desperate desire made even Anne’s concerned advice sound like irritating nagging.

The more distant Johann became, the more Olivia clung to Diane. Her dependency only grew stronger.

“Please believe me, my lady.”

Anne’s eyes welled up with emotion, torn between frustration and pity.

“I believe you.”

Olivia placed her hands gently over Anne’s as they sat clasped together.

“I believe in you, Anne.”

She tightened her grip and carefully pulled Anne down into the seat across from her.

“Will you tell me about that woman?”

Olivia stroked Anne’s small hand with her thumb as she whispered. The back of Anne’s hand bore countless scars—wounds she had received while protecting Olivia since childhood.

Then, stories only Anne knew began to pour out. By the time she finished, it was well past noon. The sunlight beyond the window had turned golden.

Anne went downstairs to help Mrs. Marie with lunch, while Olivia sat quietly, staring at the necklace box with a listless expression. In the still room, only the ticking of the clock filled the air.

As time passed, her initial confusion gave way to clarity. Now that she had uncovered Diane Brooke’s true nature, Olivia could roughly piece together what had happened. Of course, it was still only speculation.

The real issue was how to handle this truth.

“Keep a cool head.”

She remembered the advice of a man who had once counseled her.

“And a warm heart?”

She had teased him because she liked the serious look on his face. Even if she knew the answer, she would ask anyway, just to stay near him a little longer. Their long conversations had been something she cherished.

“No. A cold heart, too. When it comes to making decisions, Jian, you must be rational.”

Olivia cooled her thoughts. She focused solely on the matter at hand. She didn’t let emotions cloud her judgment.

She didn’t want to be entangled with Johann Leopold again. He was a man engaged to someone else. Whatever this situation was, she didn’t want it to tie her back to him. Not like this. Not again.

But still…

Diane Brooke had to face the consequences of her actions.

Anne’s innocence, falsely stained, had to be proven. As for Elaine’s husband—well, that wasn’t Olivia’s concern. But Elaine…

If only Elaine hadn’t brought up the necklace in their very first meeting, none of this would’ve happened.

Olivia, who had been sitting still for a long while, finally made up her mind and stood up.

She sat at the desk beside her bed and pulled out some stationery. Dipping her pen into ink, she hesitated for a moment before the quill began to move across the page.

Meanwhile…

Morris arrived at Greythill at his usual hour. He always accompanied Johann from the ducal estate to the Leopold Group headquarters.

“Good morning, sir.”

A servant carrying a pile of mail greeted him as he descended from the carriage.

“Ah! Benjamin. Good morning to you.”

Morris smiled and climbed the steps to the front door with him. He tapped his shoes on the mat and stepped inside. While Morris entered, Benjamin sorted the mail on the table beside the hallway.

“Huh, who sent this?”

Morris stopped mid-stride toward the lobby and asked.

“What is it?”

“A letter with no return address. There used to be some for the madam, but this one’s addressed to the master.”

Benjamin handed over the envelope, stamped with the seal of the Kingdom of Brit and the local postmark. Morris’s eyes narrowed.

He looked down at the letter.

“Do you remember where the last one came from?”

“Of course. It had the Norton postmark.”

“Norton?”

“Yes. I remember clearly. It looked suspicious, so I paid attention.”

Norton…

He had heard that name recently. Where had it been? Morris furrowed his brow, trying to recall.

“Any other mail from Norton?”

“No. Other than the ones for the madam, nothing else.”

Benjamin responded without hesitation.

“Who in Norton would write to the duke? Only the staff from here, maybe.”

Not all capitals were equal. Norton was a district known for fallen nobility and social decline.

“Do you remember how many letters came?”

“Sure do. Three in total.”

That aligned with Diane’s earlier statement. Perhaps they were love letters from one of the duchess’s lovers? That explanation left Morris feeling uneasy.

And now, with an unmarked letter addressed to the duke, he felt a creeping tension at the back of his neck.

“I’ll take this and examine it myself.”

Leaving behind a brief word of thanks, Morris headed to his office.

Even if Johann Leopold was low in the line of succession, he was still a royal heir. Poison in the envelope couldn’t be ruled out.

Fortunately, no one in Rondos had dared to threaten Johann’s life. The letter turned out to be harmless—just a letter, albeit a strange one. On the surface, at least.

Unable to identify the sender, Morris brought the letter to Johann’s bedroom and knocked.

“Come in.”

Morris entered after steadying his breath.

Johann was dressing. As Morris entered, Johann was fastening the cufflinks of his black shirt. The crisp white fabric stood out under the clear morning sun.

“There’s something I must report.”

Johann gave a small nod while fastening his other cufflink.

“It’s an international express mail addressed to you, sir.”

Morris stepped around the butler and placed the envelope carefully on the table in front of Johann.

Johann glanced indifferently at the letter before dismissing the butler, who was helping him dress. Once the butler bowed and exited, Johann sat in the wingback chair.

After reading the letter Morris brought, Johann pulled out a cigar with an expressionless face. The tip lit up red as he drew a deep breath. Smoke drifted slowly as his gaze returned to the letter.

As the bluish smoke cleared, neat but clumsy handwriting came into view—clearly written with care by someone not used to writing.

Johann slid the letter between his long fingers.

The content was very short.

“To His Grace, Johann Leopold,

I have the pink diamond necklace.

How do you suppose I got it?”

What began as a polite letter ended in a bold provocation. A mocking jab at the owner, who hadn’t even realized the necklace was gone.

But even thieves have weaknesses.

This one, though daring, was sloppy. They hadn’t even bothered to disguise their handwriting.

Johann recognized it instantly. The awkward penmanship belonged to none other than Olivia Blanchett—his former wife.

She had only learned to write at seventeen, in a rush to be sold off on the marriage market. Of course it was messy. Everything about her had been unpolished and rough.

Staring at the immature handwriting, Johann’s eyes gleamed sharply.

He set the letter down again and exhaled another cloud of smoke.

If he assumed the sender was indeed his ex-wife, the next question was: how had the necklace ended up in Olivia’s hands?

He thought back to why he had given the Lily Key to his wife’s secretary. Then he remembered the incident from that day.

The night the necklace went missing—it was found in the maid’s room.

Had the maid swapped the real one with a fake back then?

Had the loyal maid then handed the original over to Olivia?

Hmm…

It was a plausible theory. But Johann dismissed it almost immediately.

He had given Olivia a life of material wealth. Why would she resort to stealing? And for just one necklace? The math didn’t add up. It made more sense to assume the maid had acted alone.

So, was the maid the real thief?

“…No.”

That couldn’t be it either.

What reason would Olivia have now to turn in her own maid—her only loyal servant who had been with her since the count’s manor?

No, that was another wrong assumption.

Then there was one possibility left:

Diane Brooke, the current holder of the Lily Key.

Feeling a wave of fatigue, Johann slowly closed his eyes. Smoke curled from his cigar as it burned.

If Diane Brooke was the thief, how had the necklace crossed the ocean… and ended up, of all places, in the hands of Olivia Blanchett?

How…

Johann tapped the armrest with his long fingers.

He would have to reconsider his vow not to get involved with his ex-wife.