Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Investigating Hidden Truths

Madam Melar hurriedly bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the teacup, and Seres walked over upon seeing this.

“Please stay seated, madam. I will take care of these.”

Madam Melar was stunned for a moment before slowly returning to her seat, but her hands fidgeted uneasily and her head was bowed.

“I am deeply saddened by this news. Lord Angus was a kind person; why did such a thing happen to him.” Her voice was intermittent, seemingly in great distress.

“Please accept my condolences,” said Loran Hill, waiting for Madam Melar to gradually calm down.

After a while, Madam Melar stopped her sobbing and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief before slowly lifting her head. Her eyes were somewhat swollen.

Seeing that she had calmed down, Loran Hill continued speaking.

“Although Lord Angus has passed away, he entrusted me with taking care of you and your child before his passing. You can rest assured about this.”

“Thank you, thank you, Miss Lacy. I don’t know how to repay this kindness. Please tell me if there’s anything you need.”

“There’s nothing specific needed, but today I would like to see your child,” Loran Hill stated her main purpose for the visit.

“Alright, please wait. Dil is upstairs, I’ll go call him.”

“It’s not necessary to trouble yourself. Let’s go together; I’m also here for the first time and quite interested in the layout here,” Loran Hill shook her head, smiling kindly, then stood up from the sofa.

“Very well, let’s go together,” said Madam Melar hesitantly, leading Loran Hill ahead.

The building had three floors; the second floor was for bedrooms, and the third floor connected to the roof for storage. The floors were all made of marble, with doors, railings, and furniture crafted from rosewood, looking quite new, likely made within recent years.

Passing through the corridor on the second floor, at the far end near the edge, Madam Melar took out a key to open the door. Inside was a child around ten years old, lying on the ground, painting with colorful pigments. Scattered around were many colored blocks.

Upon seeing the door open, the child looked up happily, showing off his painting to Madam Melar.

“Mama, look at what I drew. Is it nice?”

The thick white paper was crudely drawn with a little figure, yellow paint smeared for exaggerated hair, and light red paint for the mouth, which seemed to be smiling. It was barely recognizable as a human figure, with various colors piled up messily.

“You must be embarrassed, Miss Lacy,” said Madam Melar, quickly pulling the child away and tossing the drawing aside.

“It’s fine,” said Loran Hill, picking up the drawing and asking the child.

“Who is drawn in this picture, Dil?”

“It’s Mama.”

“Why is Mama’s hair yellow?”

“Because I want Mama to be like the sun, to take me out and smile. Mama rarely smiles at me,” the child’s voice was somewhat melancholic.

Hearing this, Madam Melar felt ashamed and wanted to stop him but didn’t dare speak directly.

Loran Hill didn’t mock him, observing the child being pulled aside by his mother. He wasn’t tall, wearing clean clothes, his big eyes staring straight at her, filled with curiosity and admiration.

“Come here, little brother,” Loran Hill squatted down, patting her hand, looking eye-to-eye with the child, smiling.

Madam Melar reluctantly let go, allowing the child to walk over.

Loran Hill patted Dil’s head, blinked, and examined the child’s condition.

Overall, he seemed healthy, with features similar to his mother, more gentle than Lord Angus who had distinct features.

After some conversation, Loran Hill handed Dil a box of snacks prepared for him and invited them to move to the Carithes Chamber of Commerce headquarters because it was safer.

However, Madam Melar refused, and Loran Hill didn’t insist further, saying she would visit again soon.

Putting on her black hooded cloak and boarding the carriage, Loran Hill began to ponder the details of their meeting.

“Seres, how did Lord Angus meet Madam Melar?”

“That was ten years ago at a banquet. At that time, the master’s business was booming, and he often attended various banquets. Once, he got drunk, and Miss Melar happened to be part of the banquet. She was the daughter of a small merchant.”

“So, under the influence, the master and Miss Melar had a relationship. Later, her father tried to curry favor with the master by offering to send her as a concubine. Although the master did not agree, he compensated the father for his guilt.”

“Over time, her father became greedier, making bigger demands and even threatening to expose the matter if the master did not comply.”

“Originally, the master still had feelings for her and was accommodating, but after that incident, he sent people to deal with the matter. Her father nearly went bankrupt, finally settling down. Madam Melar, caught in the middle, had obtained many benefits from her father on his behalf, feeling very uneasy, and later even feared the master.”

“Such a situation… Listening to Butler Seres’ account, I still feel something is unclear.”

“Why was Madam Melar more panicked than sad when she heard about Lord Angus? Why did she lock Dil in the room and keep it locked? Was she distrustful or abusive? Why did she immediately refuse when I invited her to move to the headquarters, without any hesitation?”

“Madam Melar must be hiding something. There might be other hidden truths between her and Lord Angus. Loran Hill sipped her tea, thinking about how to uncover the truth.”

After a while, she spoke again.

“Seres, can you arrange for someone to investigate Madam Melar’s past acquaintances? I want to know about her situation ten years ago, before she met Lord Angus, and the circumstances before and after that event.”

“That might be difficult, Miss Lacy. After all, it’s been ten years.”

“Even after ten years, many things leave traces. Send someone to investigate,” said Loran Hill.

“Very well, Miss Lacy.”

Back at the headquarters, after handling some matters of the Chamber of Commerce, Loran Hill sat in a chair on the balcony after dinner, enjoying the night scene with stars and lights twinkling, the cool breeze gently blowing.

Lady Chelsea, the head maid, gently pushed open the balcony door and walked over.

“Miss, did you call for me?”

“Yes, I have something for you to do,” she paused, looking at the distant lights, the wind gently blowing through the trees outside the balcony.

“Send a trusted messenger to secretly investigate Butler Seres and anyone he has contacted recently, then report back to me. You’ve been here the longest, so you should have many trustworthy people.”

Loran Hill turned to look at Lady Chelsea, her smooth hair fluttering in the night wind.

(End of Chapter)