novelNo matter what you call a flower, its color never changes (7)
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Chapter 102: Chapter 102 No matter what you call a flower, its color never changes (7)
Lard returned to his office of the Imperial Palace looking at the paper, lost in thought. It contained information about a woman looking like Wendy. The paper that Zephyllin reluctantly gave him, sweating profusely like a man with hyperhidrosis, was crumpled in one corner by his sweat stains.
Written on the paper by the client's neat handwriting was the woman's hair color, eye color, and facial appearance. The color of the dark green dress that Wendy was wearing at the imperial banquet was very clearly described. All the descriptions on the paper reminded Lard of Wendy Waltz, but there was one strange thing in his eyes. But he was not so sure. He noticed the name 'Olivia Hazlet'.
Knock knock!
"Please come in."
After a slight knock, Jean entered the office with his permission. He carefully opened the parchment in his hand, looking at Lard's face.
"Lady Francis Hazlet appears to have attended the eve party to make her social debut as the only daughter of the Hazlet family. She is still staying in the capital with Countess Hazlet. She has not done anything else except for her attendance at the tea party hosted by the daughter of Count Setorang three days ago. Countess Hazlet had never left her estate in the most recent years."
"Any other unusual things?"
"Well, one strange thing is that although Francis is known as Hazlet's only daughter, she allegedly has an older sister who was excommunicated from the family several years ago."
"Then, is she Olivia Hazlet?"
"Yes. It looks like she wasn't excommunicated officially because her name is still on the nobles' list. It seems that the Hazlet family announced her excommunication hastily. At that time, there was a cancelled marriage between Olivia and Earl Duoldran. It seems that the Hazlet family announced it to prevent any negative repercussions."
Lard tightened his hands. He felt unbearable anxiety surging in his heart.
Marriage, cancellation of marriage, Earl Duoldran.
The words spat out by Jean complicated his thoughts.
"Olivia..."
He mentioned it while looking at the ink marks on the paper. He spoke it to figure his thoughts out, but he felt stuffy.
Olivia.
It was the name Dylan Lennox with the 2nd Knights Division called at the recent title award ceremony. Lard was reminded of that name, it echoed in his mind in Dylan's desperate voice.
"Is there anything close to Belta, the estate of Earl Hazlet?" Lard asked.
As his voice was pitched with emotion, Jean paused for a second to look at him and then opened and examined the parchment in his hand.
"There are two places, Madran and Mullerdon."
"Mullerdon... It's the estate of Marquis Lennox, " said Lard as if he expected, standing up.
"Sir Simian, dispatch someone right now to keep an eye on Francis Hazlet and Countess Hazlet. If you find anything suspicious, let me know right away."
"Yes, sir."
"And... try to find some more detailed information about Olivia Hazlet. Don't go through anyone else. You must find it out for yourself. No one should pay attention to her or try to know her."
Jean, who recalled the woman's impressions on the paper, nodded heavily. There was some regret on his face.
"You can go now."
After Jean left the office, Lard pulled the shirt collar as if he was frustrated. As his heartbeat was pounding unusually high, he was troubled. It was too early for him to be convinced of everything, but he felt he could grasp some clue to his curiosity about this woman.
"Olivia Hazlet..."
He muttered the name once again, which he was already familiar with.
Around that time Zephyllin, who had been raided by the imperial knights and felt offended, urgently sent a messenger to Francis. It was his final consideration for his client.
"Regarding my request, did the imperial knights come and investigate?"
"That's right. As you are looking for the woman who attended the party to celebrate the emperor's birthday, it looks like your request drew their attention. As you know, the atmosphere of the imperial family these days is..."
"Who are you blaming now? How come you can boast as the best intelligence center of the empire when you have failed to take care of my request? Besides, you exposed your client's identity."
Francis screamed loudly. Her lips, which turned white, moved up and down.
"...Our center will refund the money five times over as an apology..."
"Nonsense!"
Francis stared at the messenger, throwing away the bag containing the money.
"... Zephyllin says you had better be careful about your actions for the time being. As the imperial knights are paying attention to you, it is good for you to act carefully."
The messenger barely conveyed his message and left in a hurry.
The bundle of money he left behind was scattered on the floor like the excrement of dirty sin. Francis stood up for a while and stared at the bundle of money.
Imperial knights? She was not sure how their involvement would affect her. She was nervous that her visit to the Eldon center would harm her family. She knew her family had suffered too much because of the cancellation of the marriage of Olivia and Earl Duoldran.
Then, suddenly she hit upon an assumption.
'Dylan Lennox, what if he already knew this?'
Francis wrapped her arms with a pale expression and stroked her forearm. He looked at her so in such detestation when she asked him if he saw Olivia at the party.
When she recalled Dylan, she was shrouded with extreme anxiety. If Dylan learned that she tried to find Olivia's whereabouts by using the Eldon Information Center, he would certainly cast a more hateful glance at her. She was so scared about that possibility.
Consumed by anxiety, Francis urgently called a maid.
"Get ready for me to go out. Right now."
The maid was surprised at her pale face, but Francis didn't explain anything and pressed her on the preparation.
Just before going out, Francis had a knight who was familiar with the situation in the capital accompany her. Of course, she did not reveal her destination to the knight or anyone else. Recalling Zephyllin's warning that she should act cautiously in and out of her house, she did not use her private carriage and left the house through the back door where the servants came and went. She was also careful enough to put on the hairpins that the maids usually used.
As it happened that Countess Hazlet was out, she had no problem going out.
"Why don't you use the wagon?"
The middle-aged knight Douglas asked her with a worried voice, but she diligently walked, pretending not to have heard his suggestion. The hat she took off was held in the knight's hand. The knight escorted her, holding it anxiously. They walked on and on for very long and finally reached their destination. It was the Lennox mansion.
"Is he out now?"
"That's right."
"... Can you find out when he is coming back?"
"He didn't tell us when he would come back, " the Lennox's butler said with a hard expression.
Francis again asked when Dylan would return home, but she could not hear the answer she wanted to hear. As a result, she had to leave the mansion as if she had been expelled without even being escorted into the parlor. Douglas protested to the butler, as if he felt disgraced, but there was no chance that the butler could react favorably.
Recalling Dylan's hatred of her the previous day, Francis left the mansion silently as if she had expected such a reply in advance. She felt humiliated but she had to hide it because she didn't have the nerve to reveal it, so she held back the urge. She did not want to look more ugly in his mansion.
Leaving the house of Lennox, she had no place else to go. Francis stayed put along the wall and didn't move for a long time. She really didn't know where to go now.
Understanding her sentiment, Douglas, who kept silent, asked, "Why don't you go back to the mansion?"Nevertheless, she kept silent and stood there. It looked like she was waiting for Dylan Lennox. Staring at the road leading to the Lennox mansion, she didn't take her eyes off of it, just in case he would appear. As she could not know when he would come back home, she had no choice but to wait helplessly.
She had no specific plan when she met him. She just wanted to check his face. Even if he showed the same resentment as he did the previous day, she wished he didn't show her the irreversible hatred. The longer she waited, the more desperate she became.
She even felt sorry for herself as if she was falling into hypnosis created by herself.
'What should I do now if he already knows everything?'
Francis blinked quickly as if she was nervous. Although she tried to find Olivia in a fit of anger, she had never assumed that she would be faced with this kind of situation, so she became nervous and worried all the more.
Only when the sun, which had risen high, tilted westward, did she begin to walk away at a staggering pace. Douglas reached out to support her as the huge iron gate of the mansion opened with a squeaking noise. On the spur of the moment, she got alert and strained her wobbly legs. She saw Dylan coming into the mansion.
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