Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 37: Something suspicious

Chapter 37: Something suspicious

When the other officers from the inspection house arrived, Lauren was asked to come to the council for her statement as a witness. As it was something that no one could explain yet, the chief councilman asked her to not disclose it to the public as it would create many rumors. The rise of black mages alone instilled fear in the townspeople, and the council wanted to conduct a proper investigation first before letting the public know.

"Have you heard the rumor?" Ethan asked while holding his glass of wine.

After her brief visit to the council, Lauren went to meet Ethan as she originally planned. The two were in a private room in the establishment owned by the Sullivan family.

"What rumor?" Lauren asked, confused.

"That Bodeville is offering a marriage of alliance with Evardin and Prince Dominic might marry one of your sisters. I heard it from my father this morning. It was tackled in the court."

Lauren wasn’t surprised. She knew sooner or later this would happen. After all, it wasn’t a secret how the only male heir to Evardin’s throne was badly ill and could die anytime.

"Royals like Prince Dominic who stand no chance against his older brother in the fight for their land’s throne will surely opt for another way which is to marry a princess from another land whose family has no male heir. As a royal blood, I’m sure he thinks he will have a fair right to the throne once he marries the King’s daughter."

"And what will you do if he really marries one of your sisters?" inquired Ethan which brought a wicked smile to Lauren’s lips.

"Do you really think I will allow that to happen?"

Ethan raised his brow, wondering what the princess was secretly brewing. He knew her the best but at times like this, he couldn’t read her next moves.

While the two continued to talk, a knock interrupted them.

A young man in a black cape entered the room. He had black shoulder-length hair and his eyes weren’t a pair that one could deem normal. His right eye was deep sea green, while the other was blood red. There was a big scar across his face, crossing his red eye. With his rough and strange appearance, the man was feared by most people he came across because of how formidable he looked.

"Your Highness, I have found some information about the marksman who attempted to assassinate you recently," the man said as he stood beside the sitting lady. "The arrow is made by a shop in the north village. The marksman was a man named Jasper Owens, Lord Owens’ son to his first wife who is currently residing in a mansion in the town."

"Have you checked if the shop had something to do with it?" Lauren’s index finger traced the rim of her wine glass slowly.

"Yes, but the shop seemed to be not related to the assassination. Jasper Owens is not a regular customer in the shop and only went there once to have an arrow customized, one with a unique mark that wouldn’t point at any craftsman so it would be hard to trace the arrow’s origin."

"Hmm... Lord Owens, isn’t he the lord who owns several gambling houses?" Ethan asked. "I never heard about Jasper Owens though. There was only this rumor a few years ago saying that his son to his first wife killed his second wife, then the issue was soon forgotten when the lord married for the third time."

Lauren’s eyes narrowed. "The Queen was the mastermind of the assassination so how was she related to this Jasper Owens? If he is a son of a rich lord and living in a mansion, then he must not be in need of money. I wonder why he did the Queen such a dangerous favor..."

"I will dig on it, Your Highness."

Lauren smiled at the man. "Thank you, Darius."

It was already dark when Lauren went back to the mansion. After the butler informed her that Alec had yet to return, she went to the kitchen to see what the maids were cooking for dinner.

While the head maid, Mary, was asking her what she wanted to eat, Lauren noticed the woman’s eyes held a bit of tear that she tried hard to suppress. Her warm smile could not hide the slight trembling of her lips when she spoke, which made Lauren think that something happened that brought fear to the woman.

"May I talk to you in private, Mary?"

In the garden where only the two of them could hear what they would talk about, Lauren asked the middle-aged woman, "Did something happen while I’m not around?"

The head maid bowed her head nervously, "N-no, Your Highness."

"Let me rephrase it. Did the lord do something?" With how Alec just killed a man in the mansion yesterday, she would not be surprised if he did it again.

"N-no, Your Highness," Mary’s answer was still the same, but Lauren knew something serious happened. She could see it in the way the woman was trying to hold her emotions.

Lauren also noticed something suspicious when she entered the mansion. There was a small drop of fresh blood on the floor that one could barely see.

"I’m curious, Mary. You better tell me or else..." with how Lauren’s tone suddenly changed, the woman raised her head and saw the warning in the princess’ blue eyes.

"I know you are afraid of your master. But I am his wife. If you tell me what you know, I will give you my word that you shall not be harmed in any way."

Lauren had a feeling that the business Alec was trying to settle in two weeks of staying here in his mansion was a far more serious matter.

"I saw a small drop of blood near the doors. Did someone get injured... or perhaps someone died?"

If it was a small thing, the maid wouldn’t be acting like this. Her lips were trembling hard now and her eyes grew unfocused.

"Answer me, Mary," Lauren demanded.

"I-it was Lyla, Your Highness... she is a maid... and she is d-dead."

"How did she die?"

Mary shook her head, tears were pouring down her face. "T-the lord has a special task for her... every day at the same time, she goes down to the wine cellar with a tray of food... the other maids are forbidden to go down there, even me... Lyla never spoke about it, and as servants, we didn’t dare pry on the lord’s personal matters." Mary sobbed and hid her face in her palms. "B-but today, something strange happened... when she went back from the cellar, she was bleeding so hard! Oh the poor child! She was trying to speak, probably to tell me what happened... but h-her eyes... her eyes had lost life before she could utter a word..."