Chapter 86

“Lishi” moved more naturally as she walked. By the time she was fully adjusted, she looked exactly like the people around her. I couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Wow, she really looks like Lishi…”

“Ted is very observant. He’s good at details,” Laila said proudly, like showing off a trained dog.

I nodded. It had taken some time for Ted to walk exactly like Lishi, but from the start, he was already good at copying her expression—the half-lowered eyes, the chin held high, and the habit of tilting her head to the left when curious.

“I’m going to stick close to Ted. Don’t cause any trouble while I’m gone.”

“You’re the one who usually causes trouble,” Keith shot back.

Keith pouted, annoyed.
“How did I even get this kind of reputation?”

“Think about how you usually act,” someone said.

“I’m… responsible… and decent…”

Enoch frowned like he didn’t want to hear any more.
“Just get lost.”

“Oh, I might lose her. I’m leaving,” Keith said quickly, glancing at me before running off after “Lishi.”

I waited, thinking he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. He just left.

I believe Keith also liked Mari.

But we never really talked about her after she died. We didn’t have the time, and honestly, I wasn’t ready to talk about her like a memory yet. Maybe I needed a lot more time.

Anyway, I wanted to be in a place where I could say “sorry” to Mari before I talked about her.

Keith planned to go with “Lishi” to the Seymour mansion. They had to act like she was still alive for now.

Grace, who had married Count Ingram a few years ago, had a son with him. She only took a short break for childbirth, but she was still very active as a royal magician. She and her father, Marquis Seymour, practically controlled the Royal Magician Association. Her reputation in society was excellent.

Even while raising her child, she actively participated in outside events and charity work to maintain her reputation. Her marriage was also going well. Marquis Ingram never stopped praising his wife’s beauty and talent.

Enoch commented,
“She’s managed to hide her true self for all these years.”

Marquis Ingram was known as a rare, genuinely good person. Regardless of status, he was praised for his kind and gentle personality. He was born into a wealthy, powerful family and lived a comfortable life. He preferred reading quietly in his study over any power struggles. He was respected in botany, but compared to his family’s status, he seemed like an unfit head of the household.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. He must really believe that Grace was a kind and wise person.

“If Grace is considered kind, then there are no kind people in this world.”

“She’s not kind; she’s just clueless. He doesn’t even know the truth about the wife he lives with,” I said.

“Grace must have sweet-talked him well,” Laila replied.

“Yeah, she’s always been good with words,” I admitted.

“Grace was like that even before. Didn’t she act like a good person in front of you too?”

“She did. She treated me like a generous noblewoman.”

Enoch frowned.
“She knew exactly how effective it was to show kindness to someone in front of others.”

Grace never kept around people who weren’t useful or who didn’t match her status. That alone should have made me realize she would never see Enoch as real family. But back then, I was too angry and upset about her hating me to think like that.

“So what now? Even if we expose everything Grace has done through Lishi, no one would believe us,” I said.

Lishi was definitely Grace’s weak spot. She knew too much about Grace from their childhood. But Grace would likely label her as crazy and have her killed.

“Taking down Grace Margaret Ingram will be easy. Same for the Seymour family,” Enoch said confidently.

Grace was Keith’s enemy. Since he asked us to leave it to him, Laila and I didn’t ask for detailed plans.

“You should get ready too. Wear this,” Enoch said.

“What is it?”

“We’re going to the Ingram mansion.”

A few days passed.

Like many nobles, Marquis Marius Balkan Ingram didn’t need to work outside of his responsibilities as head of the household. His schedule mostly consisted of social events and hobbies.

He was the head of the Ingram family but wasn’t power-hungry. He left government matters to the elders of the family and enjoyed a leisurely life. He could do so because he had a strong wife he completely trusted.

Grace handled all the socializing for her quiet husband. While working as a royal magician, she frequently hosted gatherings and parties at the mansion. She was active in charity and fundraising events too.

Grace had many followers. I even recognized some of them—people who used to visit her often when I lived at the Seymour mansion. They seemed to keep in touch even after her marriage.

But that was only her reputation among nobles.

Grace had always been cruel to people. When she was young, she enjoyed direct violence. As she got older, she became more manipulative, humiliating others and controlling them. Her targets were usually servants—people who were weak, who couldn’t fight back, and who couldn’t harm her even if they tried.

“There’s a rumor that if you work for the Ingram family and catch the lady’s eye, you’ll earn a huge fortune. Families get big payouts while the servant goes abroad for school or business. But of course, those people never return,” I said.

It seemed Grace made sure to “clean up” afterwards. People knew what really happened to those who “went abroad,” but they stayed silent out of fear of retaliation.

The power of the Ingram and Seymour families seemed unshakable. But that was only true while they stayed on top.

There were always people ready to take advantage of any weakness, and those people were usually the closest ones.

“Wouldn’t it just be easier to kill her?” Laila muttered, frustrated.

Enoch shook his head.
“You said it yourself, right? Killing someone who wants to die is a reward. Think about what would hurt her the most.”

“I was planning to make them beg for life before killing them,” Laila said.

To Laila, revenge meant death. She didn’t care much about making people suffer in small ways. She only added the step of making them beg for life before killing them. But Enoch and Keith thought that wasn’t enough.

“Sneaking in at night and killing her would be too easy. Keith could do it alone without your help, Laila. But then all anyone would see is a tragic headline about a noblewoman dying. Grace would be remembered as a kind person, and no one would know what she did.”

“Dying like that isn’t exactly an honorable death either,” Laila muttered.

“From Grace’s perspective, being exposed for who she really is would be worse than dying. She seems to genuinely love her husband,” Enoch said.

The truth was, Grace and her husband looked like a very happy couple. Over the next few days, that was the one thing we confirmed for sure.

“Today’s tea party is for Grace’s closest friends,” I said.

“And Father will be there too,” I added.

I had sent my father an invitation in my own name. Inside it, I placed Axel’s handkerchief—Grace’s child’s. By now, he was probably panicking and rushing over.

“Lishi” was already inside the Ingram mansion through the door we left open.

“Ppbl! Pploo, hold me,” Axel babbled.

“Yes, young master. I’ll hold you now,” someone said softly.

We were taking him with us anyway.

Just sleep in my arms for now, Axel. You’re innocent, so you shouldn’t see any of this. My dear nephew.