23.
Lancelot learned of Duke Edenbahir’s passing just as he was about to welcome Countess Milena, who had only just arrived at the ducal estate.
“Young Master!”
Countess Milena’s intuition was sometimes sharp enough to startle even Lancelot.
It happened the moment Leonard, having shed all Butler-like decorum, came rushing out in a panic. It happened the moment he leaned in to whisper a secret into Lancelot’s ear, utterly ignoring the Countess’s presence. And it happened the moment Lancelot’s expression hardened.
*Oh my. It seems a major incident has occurred.*
A dark, flicking interest stirred in the Countess’s eyes.
“What is going on?”
Lancelot turned at her voice. Smoothing his features into a mask of composure, he replied with practiced courtesy.
“My apologies, Countess Milena. It seems we must postpone today’s appointment. His Excellency, Duke Edenbahir, has passed away.”
The Countess Milena blinked, bewildered.
“What did you say?”
Lancelot’s complexion was so tranquil that she had assumed the cancellation was merely a trivial family matter. Who did he just say died?
“He was not in a critical state as of this morning. It seems he suffered a sudden heart failure.”
Rather than turning away in a hurry, Lancelot calmly detailed the day’s events.
“My, oh my. I don’t know what to say… This is truly heartbreaking news.”
To be honest, the Duke’s passing was one thing—but that terrifying, icy composure of his son was even more shocking.
*Honestly, this Young Master…*
Sometimes, he didn’t even seem human.
“Would you like to come up with me? If you see him off on his final journey, my father will be able to depart more comfortably.”
He had already closed his eyes; what difference could it make? Yet, she and the Duke had maintained a connection since childhood. To visit this place and pretend to be ignorant of his death felt callous, even by her standards.
“…I shall.”
Lancelot escorted her to the Duke’s bedroom.
The space, unvisited for years, was thick with the scent of medicine. *The smell of ointment to prevent sores.* It was a scent that testified to how long the Duke had been bedridden.
Perhaps because his suffering had been so prolonged, the atmosphere was not as mournful as one might expect. The room was sparsely populated; aside from the assistant, Jill, there was only one physician present.
*Well, I suppose it makes sense. His wife passed away early, he was estranged from the Grand Duchess, and his only child is his son.*
The master of these vast lands had closed his eyes, yet the only family to grieve him was Lancelot. It was truly pitiable.
“You have arrived, Lancelot-nim.”
Lancelot stood at the bedside and drew back the white sheet covering the Duke’s face. The Duke’s eyes were shut, his brow slightly furrowed as if in dissatisfaction.
Duke Ludwig Edenbahir was dead.
Lancelot confirmed the fact with his own eyes before covering him again. His face remained so calm it was impossible to fathom his inner thoughts. On the other hand, Jill, her face stained with dejection, spoke quietly.
“As the Duke mentioned during his lifetime, the will shall be revealed after the encoffinment ceremony.”
“Did he leave any final words?”
“He left none for me.”
Lancelot turned his head. The physician, Volches, felt the weight of his gaze and answered with a strained voice.
“I had none either. His heart failed so suddenly…”
“You prepared a final testament for Anita Boellony, yet you prepared no final farewell for me, your own son?”
Volches’s face stiffened in a way that was almost pitiful—a reaction the Countess Milena noticed at once.
*Look at this.*
To bring up Anita Boellony in a discussion regarding Duke Edenbahir’s will. The Countess opened her ears wide, pretending not to listen.
“What do you think, Mr. Volches?”
Volches inhaled deeply. “I… I simply did as the Duke requested in advance…”
“Anita, who visited the Green Repository in the amusement park, left suddenly for the Buedort villa this morning.”
The Green Repository of Chaliwood For Eden. To an outsider, it was nothing special, but to the Countess Milena’s ears, it was different.
*It must be a repository used discreetly by drug dealers and organ traffickers.*
The only daughter of the Boellony house, who had been raised like a hothouse flower, visiting such a place?
*There is an obvious connection.*
The incident that turned the nobles of the Kingdom of Montebio upside down—the disappearance of Vincent Boellony.
*They say that as his whereabouts became unknown, the investment management rights of the Callasgo Trust passed to his only daughter. People are eyeing that young lady from all sides.*
How pitiful. The management rights were a burden too heavy for a mere commoner to bear. Originally, the Callasgo Trust had been a small real estate firm, but after Duke Edenbahir took it over, dozens of nobles flocked to it for tax evasion. Within ten years, it had established itself as the kingdom’s largest trust company.
The Countess Milena was one of those involved, and she had been watching the incident with keen interest.
“Mr. Volches.”
“…….”
“I will ask you one thing. Did you meet the Grand Duchess?”
Volches jumped, denying it frantically. “No! What are you… I didn’t even see her face!”
He knelt on the floor, looking up at Lancelot with eyes full of grievance. “I truly mean it. Please believe me! If I were the Grand Duchess’s person, the Duke would never have kept me as his physician!”
The Countess Milena’s eyes narrowed. *Hmm. He doesn’t seem to be lying.*
Jill glared at Volches with a gaze of faint distrust. “Then just who gave you such an order….”
At that moment, Lancelot’s cold voice rang out.
“Why are you here?”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward him. They thought he was questioning the physician, but his gaze was fixed on the two servants standing by the door.
“I distinctly told you to follow Anita Boellony. Wasn’t it you who boarded the train to Buedort with her?”
The Countess Milena secretly stole a glance at Lancelot’s profile. *So he does know how to get angry.*
The servant on the left answered respectfully. “This morning, I was informed that the task Lancelot-nim assigned to me would be handled by another servant. That servant is assisting Anita-agassi….”
“Jill. Get me a ticket to Buedort right now.”
Oh my. It seemed there was another major incident in this household besides the Duke’s death. *Has someone unverified gone off with Anita Boellony?*
As she watched with intrigued eyes, Jill replied calmly.
“Lancelot-nim. The fastest train to Buedort departs at 3:00 PM. To depart right now, a steam automobile….”
“Unless you want to see me return holding Anita Boellony’s corpse from Buedort, get me a train that will depart within 30 minutes.”
The Countess Milena was inwardly surprised by a drive hard to believe in such a young man. She knew this family was overflowing with money, but to bear that much loss so nonchalantly…
*Well. The other party is Anita Boellony. If one thinks of it as an investment for the future.*
Jill immediately offered an alternative. “I will charter the entire train. Where shall we take Mr. Volches?”
Icy green eyes turned toward the physician. “Bring him on the train. There are many stories I need to hear properly.”
“La, Lancelot-nim. No, Your Grace the Duke! I was just…!”
“Ah, the employment agency has been handled as you said. I don’t think you need to check it separately.”
After Volches was dragged away, Lancelot apologized politely to the Countess.
“I apologize for showing you such a tumultuous scene.”
By now, the Countess knew he hadn’t brought her here by accident.
“The death of a family head is chaotic. I understand. It must be the weight you—no, Your Grace—will have to bear from now on.”
What on earth was he planning?
“I do not want to waste your precious time by rescheduling our appointment. If it is alright with you, I would like to explain the reason I asked to see you separately, right here.”
The reason was clear as day. *What could it be if not business related to the Callasgo Trust?* That the heir, Lancelot, was visiting nobles to negotiate on behalf of the bedridden Duke was a story that had already spread through the social circles.
*It’s finally my turn.*
The Countess nodded, looking forward to seeing how the new Duke Edenbahir would attempt to persuade her.
“Please speak, Your Grace.”
However, Lancelot’s reply was completely unexpected.
“Please help my wife.”