Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 106

Gale’s pupils froze as if nailed in place. Meanwhile, his lower lip began to tremble uncontrollably.

 

“W-What i-is this…” With shaking hands, Gale rubbed his eyes and looked down at the note again.

 

[Have you perhaps lost a precious button?]

 

“Gasp!” He hadn’t seen it wrong. This was undoubtedly a threatening letter sent by someone who had ‘evidence that he tried to kill Epirosa’!

 

“W-Who on earth is it…!”

 

Gale shot up from his seat. In that instant, a sharp ringing sound echoed in his ears. Clutching his head in pain, he groaned as the door opened and his doctor and servants rushed in.

 

“What happened, Milord?! That scream just now—”

 

“Who…!” Gale, who had been shouting while clutching the note, suddenly froze.

 

“If there had been clear evidence regarding the Epirosa incident, I would have dealt with you right here and now.”

 

Hubert’s cold voice echoed in his mind. And so did the merciless gaze that accompanied it.

 

If I start questioning who delivered this note to me here and now… The contents of the note might reach Hubert’s ears. No, they would definitely reach him. And the evidence that he tried to kill Epirosa would be laid bare. Then Father will surely ‘deal’ with me! Terror filled Gale’s eyes.

 

“I-It’s nothing. Leave me alone.”

 

“Pardon? But you’re clutching your head like that…”

 

“I said get out!” Gale shouted abruptly.

 

The attending doctor and the servants, terrified, fled once again. Hearing the door slam shut, Gale collapsed onto the bed.

 

“Which crazy b*stard did this to me?”

 

It had to be the person who struggled with him while he was trying to escape. I need to find that b*stard. But how…?

 

As Gale trembled, someone he’d forgotten about suddenly came to mind. He jumped up from his seat and rushed to the desk. Then, pulling out a pen and paper, he began to write a letter frantically.

 

[Kobel Blanche! Things are turning strange! You must return home at once! This is an order of a recall!]

 

* * *

“Count Gale has ordered this letter to be sent urgently to the Marquis Mateng’s residence.” Paterson said this as he came downstairs carrying two letters.

 

Seeing that he was handing over only one letter, the mailman asked. “Aren’t you sending the other as well?”

 

“This one…” Paterson hastily tucked the letter into his coat. This one was meant to be sent secretly! I was careless. “This is my letter. I’ll send it personally.” Making an excuse, he hurried out of the room. But someone suddenly blocked his path.

 

“A letter to send personally? What’s going on?”

 

The voice was faint, small, and delicate. A gentle tone that felt strangely unfamiliar, as though he were hearing it for the first time. When Paterson saw who it was, his eyes widened.

 

“La-Lady Juliet!”

 

The young lady, who rarely showed herself or spoke, was standing before him. It was Juliet, the daughter of Kobel. She glanced at the pocket where Paterson had hidden the letter and spoke.

 

“Sorry. I came here wondering if there might be a letter for my father, and I overheard what you said.” Her voice was blunt, but perhaps because of the mention of her father, her green eyes, which usually seemed cold and sharp, appeared faintly tinged with longing.

 

Softened, Paterson whispered. “Your father will soon return to this mansion.”

 

Juliet’s eyes widened. With a faint smile, Paterson bowed and quickly passed by her.

 

Left alone, Juliet muttered under her breath. “…That monster is coming back?”

 

As if making up her mind, she stepped into the mailroom. The servants were busy working and failed to notice her quiet presence. Perhaps because of that, no one noticed Juliet’s quiet entrance. She discreetly picked up a letter lying in the corner. It was a letter Gale had written to the Marquis Mateng.

 

Stepping out into the hallway, Juliet glanced around. After confirming no one was nearby, she carefully opened the letter. “!” Her eyes widened as she read its contents.

 

Quickly, she tucked the letter into her chest. I should keep this. It might come in handy someday.

 

* * *

It was late at night. After finishing her busy duties as head maid, Mizulin came to give me a household report.

 

“Count Gale has been acting like a madman, repeatedly dismissing both the doctor and the servants.” Once the household report was over, Mizulin got to the main point. “It seemed like he was hiding something.” She was talking about Gale’s reaction to the note I sent him. It seemed the note had been delivered safely.

 

Thanks to having control over the household, it was easy to approach Gale without anyone noticing. Expelling problematic employees like Marie and bringing in many new hires also helped. The new staff I personally selected all quickly became my loyal subordinates.

 

“And what else?”

 

“He quietly summoned Paterson. Paterson then went straight to the mail room.”

 

“What kind of letter could he have sent in such a hurry?”

 

“Well… that’s the strange part.” Mizulin tilted her head in confusion. “There wasn’t a single letter sent by Count Gale that was found in the mail room.”

 

“What?”

 

“It seems someone intercepted it along the way.”

 

Intercepting Gale’s letter? This was an unexpected obstacle. Who intercepted Gale’s letter? There were hardly any of Gale’s loyal followers left in the household. And there’s no way he would intercept his own letter.

 

Someone who intercepted the letter without it passing through my hands. That left only Hubert or Stella. If it was Hubert who took the letter, it would be to keep an eye on Gale, to make sure he wasn’t up to something. But if it were Stella, the story changes. Even though her own father was about to be exiled to Hepas, Stella behaved as if it were none of her concern. That could only mean she intended to act solely for her own survival. If she intercepted the letter, it must have contained something that could work against her.

 

A certain rumor popped into my head. The rumor that Gale was trying to marry Stella off to Marquis Mateng. The missing letter might have been a marriage proposal from Gale to Marquis Mateng. If that’s the case, I need to get my hands on that letter. It could be an incredible weapon.

 

After organizing my thoughts, I gave an order to Mizulin. “Quietly find out where the letter went. I must have that letter.”

 

“Understood.”

 

“And make sure the postal workers keep quiet about the missing letter. Tell them you’ll handle it.”

 

“Yes. I’ll make sure this doesn’t reach Count Gale’s ears. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

 

Just in time, there was one more. I pulled out a piece of clothing and placed it on the desk. Mizulin flinched at the sight of it.

 

“This is…!”

 

“It’s the clothes Gale was wearing on the day he tried to kill me.”

 

Mizulin looked as if she’d just seen a ghost. “But those clothes, didn’t Count Gale already burn them?”

 

She was right. By the time I tried to find those clothes, Gale had already burned them. There were even witnesses among the staff who saw it happen, so it was a confirmed fact.

 

“How did you find clothes that were burned?”

 

“Mizulin, look closely at the sleeves.” I smiled faintly and pointed to the sleeves. Both buttons were perfectly intact.

 

“Huh?” The more hints I gave, the more puzzled Mizulin’s expression became.

 

“Do you remember when I asked you what Gale was wearing that day?”

 

“Of course. Since my memory wasn’t clear, I even called in the staff who assisted Count Gale that day to figure out what he was wearing.”

 

“Based on that, I ordered a shirt identical to the one Gale wore that day.”

 

Naturally, I placed the order at the tailor Gale frequented. Fortunately, the clothes tailored at that boutique fit perfectly. When I said, “My uncle’s favorite clothes were damaged, so I wish to give him a replacement,” the boutique recreated the exact same outfit. Of course, my words about wanting to give a gift were sincere.

 

“Give these clothes to my uncle. Very quietly.” I said with a smile.

 

I can’t just let Gale leave so peacefully. Right now, being sent to Hepas probably felt like an immense punishment to him. But the day will come when he begs to be sent there instead.

 

Such a mild punishment didn’t suit Gale. If he had only used me in my past life, I might have let it end here. But I could never forgive him for casting that horrific curse on my mother. Not only I, but my mother as well had died because of him. There was no way I could ever forgive that. Therefore, for Gale, who thoroughly exploited and cruelly discarded both my mother and me, a far more desperate and dreadful punishment had to await him.