Chapter 56: Grace’s thought
Despite the fact that I sincerely believed that the situation with the attempt on my life was finally over and I could simply erase it from my memory, the very next day a new, truly shocking event occurred that turned everything upside down and made me doubt that it was ever possible to truly leave the past behind.
To be more precise, the two people who organized the assassination attempt — Walter Creek and Hayley Rothberg — were suddenly dead. Their deaths came as a shock to me, like a bolt from the blue. I couldn’t believe that everything had turned into tragedy so quickly and unexpectedly.
This morning, their bodies were found on the outskirts of town, in an abandoned area where few people dared to go alone. And to top it all off, I found out about it before I even had my morning coffee.
Edison told me the news in a cool, almost emotionless tone, but I noticed that even he looked slightly embarrassed, as if he didn’t know how best to break the news. His voice, usually even and calm, faltered for a moment.
Yeah... I really was speechless. I just sat there, staring at my cup of cooling coffee, repeating the same phrase over and over in my head: "How could this have happened?!"
Hadn’t I made it perfectly clear to Serpens that, despite their transgression, I had decided to let these people live? I did so consciously, with full understanding of the consequences.
I even explained to him that I wanted them to pay for what they had done, not with their lives, but with years of imprisonment. I wanted justice, but not bloody revenge. So why were they found dead now? Who dared to disobey my order?
Unsurprisingly, the first person I had the most questions for was Serpens.
Even though I knew his character too well and understood that he wouldn’t have had the determination to pull something like this behind my back, I was still tormented by doubts. He had been my loyal companion all this time, a man I could rely on, but now a shadow of suspicion had crept into my heart.
Despite the early morning and my fatigue, I didn’t have the patience to wait. I immediately headed to the armory. One thought ran through my head: I would give this man a real interrogation. If he really dared to disobey me, the consequences for him would be extremely unpleasant!
But to my surprise, as soon as I crossed the threshold of the shop and spoke to him about it, Serpens, as if anticipating my thoughts, immediately objected.
"Madam!" His voice sounded even a little offended. "Who do you take me for? Do you really think I would dare to act without your orders?!"
I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest, trying to hide my inner turmoil.
"What are you talking about?" I asked coldly.
"Madam, if it were up to me, I would have killed those two bastards with my own hands. But I understand clearly that without your direct order, I would never have acted. Under no circumstances."
I narrowed my eyes, trying to read his true thoughts.
"So you’re saying you didn’t do it?"
"Exactly," he muttered grimly.
To be honest, it wasn’t easy to believe his words.
I remembered how enthusiastically he had suggested killing them. His tone and the bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes... all of this made me doubt him.
But on the other hand, I had known Serpens for three years. During that time, he had proven himself to be a devoted, fanatically loyal person. He could be cruel and bloodthirsty, but he had never acted behind my back before.
This thought was confusing and forced me to look for other explanations.If he didn’t do it, then who did? After all, no one except the members of our organization should have known the truth about who was behind the assassination attempt. And my people were loyal to me to the core. So... was it someone from outside? But how did he find out their identities? And how did they manage to infiltrate our circle?
The questions only multiplied, and with each new thought, the situation seemed more and more confusing and dangerous.
I had to admit that the situation was incredibly complicated and confusing. The woman from the bakery and the notorious Count Creek were both dead. They had been killed by someone whose existence I had never even suspected. This meant that an unknown enemy had appeared in my circle, one who acted secretly and decisively.
But at that moment, another voice awoke in me — cold, detached, as if coming not from me, but from an outside observer.
"Should I even care about this?"
After all, what difference did it make? These people were no longer a threat to me. Whether they were dead or not, what did I care? I had already made my choice, and now the consequences were beyond my control.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
"All right," I said in an even voice, trying to sound confident. "If you really have nothing to do with this, then I suppose there’s nothing we can do about it."
"Hmm... Mistress," Serpens raised an eyebrow, as if trying to understand my thoughts. "What do you intend to do now?"
"Nothing." I shrugged. "The deaths of these people are none of our concern. We have enough of our own business to spend time on."
"Yes, ma’am," he agreed obediently.
The conversation was over. I turned around and soon left the armory, feeling the weight of responsibility lift slightly from my shoulders.
Yes, on the way home, I still thought about their deaths. These thoughts kept spinning around in my head, but gradually lost their weight. An hour later, I felt calmer.
After all, time can dull even the most acute experiences, and I tried to focus primarily on the present and the future.
***
When I returned to the estate, I was greeted by Ruby, my niece, a little ray of light in this difficult and dark world.
"Auntie!" she exclaimed happily, running out to meet me with open arms.
I smiled involuntarily, bent down, and gently ran my hand through her soft chestnut hair.
"Oh, were you waiting for me? I’m sorry, dear, I had things to do today, so we couldn’t have breakfast together."
"It’s okay," Ruby said seriously. "I understand that my aunt is often busy."
Wow... how lucky I am to have such an understanding niece! Unlike many other children her age, Ruby never threw tantrums or complained that I didn’t pay enough attention to her. She grew up calm and sensible, as if she were older than her years.
Sometimes it amazed me. But at the same time, I wanted Ruby to allow herself to be a child — to be mischievous, capricious, and demand more attention. All of this is natural and normal for her age, and I dreamed of seeing more carefree joy in her.
"Auntie, look! I drew a picture especially for you!" she said proudly, handing me a piece of paper.
"Oh? Let me see, sweetie."
I looked closely at her work and couldn’t help but smile: the picture showed the two of us — Ruby and me, hand in hand, as if symbolizing our strong bond.
Even though she had never had a real teacher, the drawing looked surprisingly good. She had clearly put a lot of effort into it, putting a piece of her soul into it.
"Do you like it?" the girl asked, looking down slightly, a little embarrassed.
"Of course!" I smiled. "You did a very good job."
Ruby’s cheeks flushed slightly. I could see how important my approval was to her, and it touched me deeply.
And at that moment, as I looked at her work, a thought flashed through my mind. It wasn’t a sudden thought — I had thought about it many times before. But now the feeling was particularly strong.
"Ahem... Ruby," I began cautiously, trying to find the right words.
"Yes, Auntie?" my niece responded immediately, looking at me intently.
"What do you think about hiring a governess for you?"
The girl blinked in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected such a suggestion.
"A governess? But... Auntie, why? Aren’t you happy with me?"
I quickly touched her shoulder to dispel her doubts.
"Darling, that’s not the point. You’re smart, and I’m proud of you. But you need a mentor who can teach you many things that I don’t have time for. Painting, music, languages... everything that will help you develop your talents and prepare for adult life."
She frowned like a little adult and said:
"But I want my aunt to teach me."
These words pierced my heart with unexpected warmth. I smiled and sighed quietly, feeling tenderness and care welling up inside me.
"I will always be there for you. But believe me, a governess cannot replace me. She will only help you discover your talents and give you knowledge that I cannot always give you myself."
Ruby looked thoughtfully at her drawing, then back at me.
"Okay... if that’s what you want, Auntie. But you promise you’ll still spend time with me?"
"Of course I promise," I smiled and hugged her tightly, feeling that despite all the difficulties and trials, I definitely had something worth living and fighting for.