Chapter 69
「Keep in mind.
Black is obstinate and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. There is no such thing as family and bloodline in his eyes.
If by chance Black becomes the head of the Maktus family, the most probable reason is that it is intricately connected with his desires.
However, if he doesn’t get what he wants, the family is doomed to extinction. On the other hand, if his wish is satisfied, the family line will flourish as long as he is present. 」
White and black… It couldn’t be? Adele carefully mulled over the words in her head. Dubiously, she saw a bit of a connection when she compared it to reality.
If this is real, Enon seems to be the white one and Noah his black counterpart.
Adele’s fingers grazed over a single sentence that filled her with anxiety.
‘There is no such thing as family and bloodline in his eyes.’ She didn’t have time to think things through because of her recent marriage, health troubles, and so on. But now that she thought about it, Enon’s death was truly somewhat strange.
No matter how clumsy and easygoing he was, Enon never left out the important details. Because of his fragile nature, he didn’t do anything dangerous, nor did he have any grudges.
She cautiously glanced at the contents of the book.
Then, did Noah kill Enon to get what he wanted…?
“No, no.”
She shook her head vigorously. That would be too far-fetched. Although the two of them were awkward, their relationship wasn’t bad and Enon was at sea when he died. Adele hurriedly closed the book, but a seed of doubt had already taken root in her mind and gradually sprouted in suspicion.
It was strange, did Noah covet something in Enon’s possession?
To be honest, Noah possessed more than Enon. The only thing Enon had, and Noah didn’t was the duke’s position. The Noah she knew wasn’t interested in such a thing.
Mn, he wouldn’t…
Adele shook her head to clear her thoughts. But then, she remembered Enon’s body in the coffin. More precisely, his pitch-black lips.
Come to think of it, the people he killed that day had their lips turn into a ghastly black.
Adele thought for a long time and slowly put the book inside the empty slot of the bookshelf.
Knock, knock.
Having made a big contribution in the war, Noah is beheld with great importance by the nobles and many of them would want to converse with this elusive hero. Adele thought it was unlikely that he would return this early.
She held her breath as she waited apprehensively.
“Is there anyone inside?”
A soft voice was heard, and Adele exhaled heavily.
It was a woman’s voice. Adele rang her bell instead of answering, wondering if she was a servant. The one who opened the door and entered was Ellie, the most meticulous of the maids.
Ellie stared at her; eyes widened in incredulity. She was surprised to find the lady of the house who was supposed to be at the dinner party standing here in this room.
“Milady?”
Adele frowned, “This the lord’s study, why are you here?”
“Ah, t-that is…”
Surprised by Adele’s unyielding tone and stern attitude, Ellie stuttered in response.
“S-starting next year, I’ll be the one in charge of logistics on behalf of my father. So, I have to be knowledgeable and be able to handwrite.” Her neck shrank as she continued nervously, “My skills are passable, but I d-don’t know the Nammon language. Therefore, the b-butler gave me permission to read books…”
Ellie’s father, Arthur, was responsible for managing the items that entered the duke’s house. Back then, he was Enon’s right hand. Unfortunately, after his death, Arthur suddenly quit his job, so Noah had to appoint a new person into the position.
However, he was reluctant to hire outsiders. The person should be trustworthy enough to manage his belongings. The butler said that this would take a long time, so in the meantime, he said he had taken it upon himself to train a new logistics manager.
Adele saw Ellie perspiring profusely and spoke, “You want to learn the Nammon language?”
“Ah, yes!” When she wasn’t scolded, Ellie was inwardly relieved. “I couldn’t find a book of the Nammon language anywhere in the market, so I came here to the study…”
This was because Nammon is a language exclusive only to merchants and large-scale businessmen. Hence, it’s very difficult for commoners to obtain them. The butler had long been aware of this problem and was flexible enough to allow the maid to borrow books from here.
However, Adele noted it was a little irresponsible to let a servant enter the lord’s study without supervision. One can never be too careful, there are many important and confidential information that could be stolen after all. She felt a little restless at the though and bit her lip.
Nevertheless, Adele smiled proudly at Ellie who seemed resolute enough to shoulder her father’s previous responsibilities.
“You are a meticulous person. I am sure that you will do a better job than your father.”
The maid was silent, and Adele prodded, “Oh, and how is Arthur?”
At the warm praise, Ellie hesitated, and then she burst into tears after hearing her question. Adele hurriedly came to her side.
“Did something bad happen? Don’t cry, hm? Tell me.”
The maid plopped down and kneeled.
“Milady! The late duke died because of my father!” she bawled out.