It all happened completely unexpectedly.
Livius Carter stood, unable to take his eyes off his sister's lifeless body.
His heart beat softly and unnaturally. He didn't scream, as if his throat was hoarse. There were no tears, only a growing numbness. His chest was tight with the iron grip of utter despair.
— Sir, — a quiet voice behind him said again, belonging to a servant.
Livius slowly turned his head. The servant's face was expressionless, his eyes moving to the body lying below, then back to his master's distraught face.
— What... what have I done... — Livius whispered desperately. — I didn't mean to... I really didn't mean to... I just... she... She started talking about my father... and I...
While the duke's second son continued to mumble incoherently in horror, his personal servant appeared more composed. Instantly assessing the situation, the man sighed and said:
— It was an accident, — he said calmly. — But what will happen now?'
— What...? But I told you... I didn't mean to... It was...
— It doesn't matter, sir. No one will listen to explanations when the duke's daughter is lying dead on the stairs and you're standing next to her.
A silence hung between them, broken only by the sound of raindrops hitting the tall windows.
Livius stared at him in horror.
— You mean they could accuse me of this...? — he muttered in despair.
— That is probably the case, — he said grimly, — as you understand, this is not a simple matter. Lady Katrina is not someone you can just turn a blind eye to. Not only is she the eldest daughter of the Carter family, she is also the lawful wife of the Dexsin family. Even if it was an accident, you could still be blamed for what happened.
— .....
— If you are accused, you understand that it will be the end of everything, don't you? — the man said in a low voice.
The servant's words sounded ruthless, but it was the cruel truth.
As the second son in a family with little authority, would the duke stand up for him in such a situation?
After all, it was his eldest daughter who, like Michelle, had previously been considered Michael Carter's favourite. Livius himself knew perfectly well that this was not the case.
The young man's hands were shaking desperately, and with every word the servant spoke, he became more and more frightened. Of course, this was the last thing he wanted.
But what could be done about the situation that had already arisen?
The servant, looking at his desperate expression, sighed again.
— Sir, if it were up to me, I would do everything in my power to save you. I could even take the blame myself. But... Even then, you would not be able to escape responsibility.
— .....
— If your personal servant confesses to being involved in the lady's death, it will cause major problems for you as well.
— Morris, but then... what are we to do now?
Livius hesitated, unable to assess the situation clearly due to the stress. But his servant acted more confidently. He took the initiative:
— The backyard is empty right now. Most of the servants are in their rooms because of the rain or busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. The ground is soft and damp, so it will be easy to dig in this weather. We need to get rid of the body as soon as possible.
Unlike his servant, who was now guided solely by cold reason, Livius was truly stunned by these words. He stared at him in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he had heard.
— Wait...! — he exclaimed in alarm. — How can we do that?!
— What else do you suggest? — Morris replied impassively. — Wait until the rest of them find the lady's bloody body?
Livius's lips turned white and trembled. After all, the idea proposed by his servant was too horrible.
— But how... How...
While the duke's second son blinked slowly, continuing to mumble incoherently, the servant decided to act more decisively.
— Listen to me, sir, — Morris's voice became sharper. — You need to pull yourself together. Immediately. In a few minutes, someone will walk down this corridor, and then it will all be over. You understand that, don't you?
Livius still did not move.
Then the servant approached him and shook him gently by the shoulders, as if trying to convey the truth to him physically, and said firmly:
— Sir, if you do not pull yourself together now, all your previous efforts will ultimately be in vain. You will lose everything you have strived for over many years. Do you really want that to happen?
After the servant's decisive words, the duke's second son seemed to wake up and come to his senses. He looked confusedly at the man standing in front of him, then blinked.
— I'll lose everything...? — he said quietly.
— That is exactly what will happen, — said the servant, confirming his words with a nod.
Finally, Livius slowly lowered his gaze and looked at his sister again. He looked at Katrina as if he still hoped that she would soon moan and stir, and that it would all turn out to be a misunderstanding. But that did not happen. The woman's body still lay motionless, showing no signs of life.
— You said we should get rid of the body... But sooner or later someone will discover her disappearance, — he muttered hoarsely.
— That's true. But until that happens, we'll still have time to find an excuse.
— What do you mean...? — Livius interrupted.
— If your older brother asks, just tell him that the lady changed her mind about speaking with His Highness and decided to return home. As for the Dexsin estate... We can send them a letter saying that the lady has decided to stay at the family estate for a while longer.
The idea suggested by the servant seemed completely insane.
After all, it was simply a reckless risk.
— But won't someone suspect something is wrong and start looking for her?
— I'm sure no one will think of that at first, — Morris said firmly.
"........"
Hesitating for a moment, the young man asked quietly:
— But what about the servants who came with her...?
As far as Livius himself had heard, Katrina had arrived at the estate accompanied by her maid and coachman.
And the young man did not know what to do with these people, who would surely refuse to return unless Katrina ordered them to do so directly. But his servant responded to his concern with the same imperturbable calm:
— That question is not so difficult to resolve. Do not worry, sir, I will take care of everything.
Finally, Livius took a deep breath. Having made his decision, he nodded slowly, as if on autopilot.
— All right.
He slowly, step by step, descended the stairs and saw his sister's body even closer. But she wasn't moving. Her brown eyes were open but empty.
A dark stain was rapidly spreading beneath her head. Deep down, Livius still hoped that this was all just a bad dream. He wanted so badly for it to be just a bad dream.
While Livius hesitated, his servant had already managed to find an old blanket somewhere.
Morris picked up the body, carefully but quickly. He signalled to Livius to help. Livius staggered over and, with trembling hands, took his sister by the legs, unable to look at her face, which had already turned pale. Livius gently closed her eyes before, with the help of his servant, wrapping her in an old blanket from the sofa. All the while, an ominous silence continued to reign in the living room.
Their walk down the corridor was agonisingly long, even though it took no more than five minutes. The rain continued to beat against the windows with frenzied fury.
They went out through a side door into the garden, where the servants usually took out the rubbish. The ground was soggy from the rain. Their boots sank into the mud, and Livius could not shake the feeling that he himself was sinking into the mud.
— Over there, — the servant pointed to an old greenhouse overgrown with ivy. — Behind the greenhouse, where the rose garden used to be. No one usually goes there.
The ground was still wet from the rain as they walked through the abandoned greenhouse, carrying their burdens on either side. It was a greenhouse that had not been used for a very long time. However, as it was part of the duke's estate, even here the grass was neatly trimmed, but the place itself looked gloomy and abandoned. They left the body on the ground behind the greenhouse, and the servant brought two shovels from the stable.
Livius stood clutching the wooden handle of the tool, unable to move.
— I... I can't.... — he muttered desperately, unable to take a step.
— Sir, you must, — Morris insisted.
"......."
Although Livius did not want to do such dirty work, he had no other choice. Otherwise, the servant would not have been able to dig a deep enough hole on his own. Therefore, the duke's second son had no choice but to help him.
With trembling hands, he grabbed the shovel and began to dig.
Each movement seemed to take an eternity. His boots were completely covered in sticky mud that pulled him down.
A puddle of water quickly formed at the bottom of the pit. Finally, the servant nodded - enough. They slowly and carefully lowered the body down. Since there was no time, the hole was not as deep as it usually was in such cases.
The first clods of earth fell on the face of the duke's eldest daughter.
For a while, they buried her in silence. One threw earth onto the grave, while the other stood and stared at the place where his sister's face had been just a moment ago.
At that moment, Livius experienced strange feelings that he could not explain even to himself.
— I'm sorry... Forgive me, Katrina, — Livius whispered with trembling lips.
Finally, the boy turned away, unable to look at it. Meanwhile, the servant was already finishing his work.
They smoothed out the grass. Under the pouring rain, the traces of the fresh grave were not so noticeable. In the end, this place was now no different from any other.
Only when everything was finished did a faint silhouette flash near the scene.
A woman stood there with a basket in her hands, containing freshly washed laundry that the maid had forgotten to pick up before the rain. Now, having returned for it, she never expected to see such a scene. Her face was as white as chalk.
Seila's maid stood in horror, unable to move.