Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

“Hello, Countess Turner.”The Countess Turner was almost the only person in the Honor Society who had shown me favor.Although she was given the title of Countess, her husband was the chief judge of the Imperial family, so neither the Empress nor the Duchess of Eaton could treat her rudely.In addition to that, like her older sister, the Countess of Walford, each act was graceful and dignified, and I had an instant crush on her.“Are you here to match the dress?”“Yeah, I’m on my way back now.”“I see.”Countess Turner smiled faintly.“Well then, see you next time.”I bowed lightly and climbed into the carriage.“I… Would it be okay if I could talk to you for a moment?”She carefully grabbed me.What’s going on?I thought it was a strange idea because I was not personally acquainted with her, but I felt that it was somehow not good for me to refuse her, so I readily accepted the offer.“Okay.”“Shall we go somewhere quiet?”“Come with me to my carriage.”I got into the carriage with Countess Turner.Her expression looked very serious, as if she had something important to do.She opened her mouth only after telling the coachman to cover the window with a curtain and turn around the street cautiously.“Now, speak comfortably.”“It’s not a big deal… Before I left, I wanted to say goodbye to madam.”“You are leaving?”“Yes. In fact, after Duke Eaton’s trial, My husband has been under a lot of pressure.”“Count Turner?”“Yes.”Countess Turner nodded her head darkly.It was incomprehensible.Who dares to press the Imperial chief judge?“Who is… Maybe Your Majesty the Empress?”“I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing so. Seeing all the people who were close to the Duke of Eaton, and the nobles who were close to me, behind my back are swearing at my husband.”“Count Turner only doing his job, wasn’t he? The Count made a decision, but that was something he negotiated with His Majesty the Emperor…”“Well, you need someone to take your anger out on anyway.”She said bluntly.I frowned at her words, which seemed to reflect the unjust reality of the situation.Helios and I were the ones who triggered the downfall of the Duke of Eaton, but since they couldn’t touch the Dukes of Anthemion, it was clear that they were seeking revenge on Count Turner.“So the Count is giving up his position as Chief Judge?”“Yes. His Majesty said to rest and come back, but I think it would be better to leave.”“I’m cautious about saying this, but wouldn’t it be necessary to leave? Now, it’s been a while since the incident happened, so everyone has become more sensitive, and after a while they’ll be forgotten…”“I want to, but…”Countess Turner trailed off, her expression dark.As if hesitating to speak, she pulled something out of her dress pocket.“Actually, I have been receiving letters like this since the day after the Duke of Eaton’s trial.”When I opened the letter she gave me, I was astonished.The words ” I will kill you” were scrawled in black and red across the white stationery.“Who would do this?”“I don’t know. At first, I thought it was a joke and ignored it, but I was afraid to receive a letter like this every day….”“Did you not catch the culprit?”“I reported it to the imperial investigation and tried to catch the culprit, but they said there was no one suspicious, but there was a letter in my mailbox, so I thought I’d check it out…”A dark cloud fell over Countess Turner’s face.As I was examining the letter, wondering if there was any clue to the culprit, I frowned at a strange feeling.“This letter… It was not written in ink.”“Yes. It’s animal blood.”A chill went down my spine.If someone was going to do this on purpose, Count Turner would have thought that it would be best to avoid it.They are two people, but they also have children, so they can’t help but feel even more anxious.What’s more, Countess Turner had seen Escal accident with her own eyes… for a moment. “He took him away in the carriage.”“Ga-Gail brother’s uncle.” Princess Adela’s words flashed through my mind.That man.The Duke of Eton’s dog who had killed Baron Rockefeller and kidnapped Escal.“Maybe he….”“Yes?”“Oh, no.”I quickly shook my head and avoided answering.I’m not sure, but I can’t say it rashly.“Does Your Majesty know about this too?”“This is the first time I tell Madam, I want to ask if you have ever gone through the same thing.”“I went to see my parents right after the trial, so nothing like that happened.”“That’s right, I’m glad.”Countess Turner nodded and said.The reason the criminal only sent a threatening letter to Count Turner was probably because he wasn’t confident enough to deal with the Knights of the Duke of Anthemion.In other words, there was only one culprit, two or three at most, who sent the letter.They wouldn’t have sent a letter if they really intended to do harm with an empty cart.So this is just a show-off of intimidation.However, I didn’t think it would be comforting to say such a thing in front of an anxious person, so I turned away.“Then when are you leaving?”“I will only attend the Empress’s birthday party and go down to the estate immediately.”“That’s a shame, you’ve taken such good care of me in such a short time.”“You’re welcome. Anyway, be careful, Madam… and the Empress…”“Yes?”Countess Turner hesitated at the implied advice, then said.“It’s a rumor, but I’ve heard… that Her Majesty the Empress has been secretly in contact with the Marquis of Melkes.”Marquis Melks?I frowned at the unwelcome name, the Countess Turner spoke cautiously.“It’s not exact, but there are rumors that there was a conversation about young master Escalium.”“Escal?”“Yes, I think they were talking about Escal’s disappearance.”Countess Turner’s tone was one of uncertainty, but she had a point.In fact, if that wasn’t the case, the Empress had no reason to meet the Marquis Melks.Marquis Melks claims that Escal’s kidnapping is a self-made play of Helios and me, so it is tempting for the Empress.It was only a matter of time before the karma of the Duke of Eaton was revealed, but in the end, Escal’s disappearance was the equivalent of being caught by the tail.If it wasn’t for Countess Turner, I’d be ignorant.“Thank you for letting me know.”I bowed deeply to thank Countess Turner.By the time the long conversation was over, the carriage had circled the street and arrived in front of the dressing room again.The Countess Turner, who had stopped the carriage, stood up.“Then I will go.”“Be careful going in.”“See you in the Imperial Palace.” ***** “Her Majesty has met the Marquis Melks?”Helios, who had just arrived home and had taken off his coat, raised his eyebrows and asked. I shook my head vigorously.“Yes, according to Countess Turner. I don’t know if it’s believable.”“Countess Turner is not a liar.”“Since the last trial, there has been a lot of pressure on Count Turner as well, Her Majesty must be keeping a tight rein on him.”“So?”“She said Count would soon resign his position and go down to the estate. It would be hard to bear with threatening letters flying into your home.”“A letter of intimidation?”I nodded and added to Helios’ response.“I saw it myself, and it said that I will kill you with red blood.”“Who is the culprit?”“They told the imperial investigation, but they didn’t catch it.”“I see… is trying to appease Her Majesty in a strange way.”He murmured as if he knew how things were going.The Emperor might feel sorry for the Empress, since her wishes had not been taken into trial when deciding on the Duke of Eton’s punishment.Though it would be quite odd for that remorse to be expressed in the form of cutting off the person involved in the incident.“By the way, where have you been?”“I came to meet the Marquis of Hallstein.”“Why is he?”“Something similar to the Countess Turner.”Helios said as he sat down on the sofa.“He must have gotten in trouble with the Emperor for sending enlisted soldiers to the Duke of Eaton’s estate at my request.”“Trouble?”“At that time, it was questioned whether the situation was serious enough to enter the estate of the Duke of Eaton, and whether the number of enlisted men was more than the permitted number.”It was a rebuke that could only be called coercion.Helios had testified before the Emperor himself when he interrogated the Duke of Eaton about the circumstances of that day’s visit to the crystal mine, and he had said that the number of knights in a noble family… was legally limited, but not enforced.If you’re going to bring up the Marquis of Halstein’s private army, we should bring up the Duke of Eaton’s as well.“I think it will be us next time.”Helios smiled bitterly.It would have been obvious if the Marquis had been summoned.… So what now?Seeing that the Empress doesn’t even bat an eye in Grand Duchess Crawford, asking her for help would be counterproductive.Helios opened his mouth as he shook his head contemplating how to overcome this difficulty.“Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”“What are you going to do about it if it’s what the Emperor does?”“I’m sure there’s a way.”A meaningful smile lingered on his lips.