Chapter 81
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81
Behind her, the door closed silently. The cold, deserted air sent a chill to the tip of her nose, and her mouth went dry with tension. Vanessa carefully locked the door from the inside, taking care not to make a single sound.
Though it was midday, the room was shrouded in darkness behind the heavy, drawn curtains, forcing her to light a gas lamp. She turned up the flame on the wall-mounted lamp and cautiously scanned her surroundings. This was the first time she had been alone in this space since her father’s death.
The Count’s study was the very heart of Somerset. Its value had remained unchanged, both seven years ago when they had been forced to sell the Linden townhouse, and now, as the last of their glory slowly faded into memory.
Her ancestors had kept all manner of valuables in this vast study: land ledgers, wills, items too sensitive to entrust even to the butler, and precious heirlooms bestowed by the King. Of course, nothing was as it had been when her father was alive, yet a distinct sense of intimidation still lingered in the air.
“…”
Vanessa stood before the massive mahogany desk. The wall behind it was covered entirely by bookshelves, crammed with disorganized documents and ledgers. It felt like standing before a cemetery made of paper.
Finding what she was looking for in a space like this seemed almost impossible. Fortunately, the document she sought was the original will.
A valid will had three requirements. First, it had to be handwritten. Second, the date and time of its creation had to be clearly stated. Third, it had to bear a handwritten signature.
This meant she could ignore any typewritten documents without a second glance. Anything written on relatively clean, new paper could also be dismissed. Vanessa quickly scanned a few bookshelves, her hand sliding down the spines of the books. She pulled out a few folders to check their contents before sliding them back into place.
This won’t work.
Perhaps it was time to unleash every ounce of her imagination. At the same time, this was a moment that called for reason and deduction.
Think.
What if she were to cast her uncle, Wyatt, as a character in one of her novels? What if he were the wicked, villainous mastermind pursued by ‘Miss Welsh’?
‘The Count’ is reckless, suspicious, and fond of gambling and drink, driven by an insatiable need for control and vanity. He is a man who would do absolutely anything to satisfy his own greed. If such a cruel, deeply flawed man were to keep something precious for a long time…
He would keep it within arm’s reach at all times, so he could take it out and check on it whenever his anxiety flared.
‘The Count’ spent most of his time in the castle in one of three places: his study, his bedroom, or the library attached to the study. He seemed less like the master of the house and more like a sentry. Or perhaps a greedy dragon guarding its treasure.
The ‘treasure’ would naturally be the will and the land deeds granted with the peerage. He might have taken them out a few times recently, but he wouldn't have been careless with them.
He wouldn’t have mixed them in with the ledgers or other documents. He’s far too anxious and suspicious for that.
Then was he carrying them on his person? Impossible. ‘The Count’ drank heavily and frequented gambling dens. He often lost things and had even returned home with his collar and buttons torn off after a brawl. A man like that would never carry something so precious on his body.
The key to the study was currently in her own hands. So, what place would a man so deeply suspicious consider the safest in the world?
A safe.
The reason ‘the Count’ locked the study with a key every time he left was because of a safe. The deduction felt sound. It aligned perfectly with his personality.
Vanessa narrowed her eyes, carefully scanning the vast study. Generally, safes were bulky and required structural work to install, which would cost a fortune. While ‘the Count’ squandered money on his pleasures, he begrudged spending even a single Pin on anything else.
It was highly unlikely that a man who postponed even the most basic repairs to the castle would spend a large sum to install a new safe. If there was one already here, he would most likely continue using it. Then where on earth could it be? As her eyes slowly swept across the room, they settled on one spot.
Somewhere not too far from the desk.
The floor was structurally impossible, and the wall to the left had a window. Vanessa calmly faced the wall to the right. Hanging there were a stuffed stag’s head, various medals, portraits, and a large tapestry. It was the perfect place to hide an ancient, suspicious secret.
She flipped up the large, faded tapestry depicting a goddess sitting by a lake.
“…”
Her first deduction missed the mark entirely. She was greeted only by a cloud of fluttering dust. Coughing, Vanessa let the tapestry fall back into place.
A place that can be easily opened without a ladder or a footstool.
No matter how large the study was, the possible hiding spots for a safe were limited.
In novels, there’s usually some mechanism that moves the bookshelves.
She knelt to check if there were any recurring scratch marks on the carpet in front of the bookshelves. A moment later, she stood up in disappointment.
It's clean. Not a single trace.
Vanessa bit her lip anxiously. She checked behind the portraits and even inside the fireplace, but found nothing. If only she didn’t feel the pressure of having to restore everything she touched to its exact original state, she could have been more thorough. Her gaze naturally drifted back to the first bookshelf.
What if it wasn't a safe after all? As her train of thought began to falter, a sudden realization struck her. Vanessa rushed back to the bookshelf and meticulously examined each shelf within her reach. And, finally…
I knew it. There are traces where the dust was recently wiped away.
Vanessa hurriedly pulled out all the books on that shelf. On the back wall, something seemed out of place. Just as she noticed a faint reflection, she saw a metal plate engraved with a picture.
She felt around the thin copperplate engraving and pried it from the loose groove it was fitted into. The safe hidden behind it was finally revealed.
There really is a safe!
She gently ran her hand over its surface. There was no mistake. It was a household steel dial safe manufactured by the Nocturne Company. They were so common that they were a staple in mystery novels. Naturally, ‘Miss Welsh’ had dealt with one before.
This particular model seemed to have been purchased at least fifteen years ago. Around that time, the Nocturne Company had added gold-plated decorations to the handles of their safes, and this one bore those very marks. And if it was from that era…
It means the person who installed this safe was my father.
The characteristics of a Nocturne Company safe were clear. It had a three-digit dial, and the initially set combination could not be changed.
Vanessa bit her lip. The combination. If her father had prepared his will so thoroughly out of concern for her being left alone, he would surely have left a clue she could recognize.
The problem is that my uncle figured it out, too.
Vanessa stared blankly at the copperplate engraving in her hand. It depicted Death, a bleeding lion, and a grim reaper waiting at the lion’s head for its soul to escape. A papyrus scroll, looking like some kind of will, was crushed under the lion’s massive paw.
The will!
Vanessa almost gasped aloud. How had she not thought of it immediately? She had stared at the copy of the will until she had practically memorized it. She hurriedly pulled the document from her clothes. The first sentence of the page that bequeathed the company to her always began the same way:
R, V, L, II, R, IX…
If ‘R’ stood for Right and ‘L’ stood for Left, then the meaning was clear. The Roman numerals were the combination: V, II, IX. Five, two, and nine.
In a state of extreme tension, Vanessa turned the dial. Right to 5. Left to 2. Right to 9. As she aligned the final digit, there was a heavy clunk of metal against metal, and the safe door swung open. Her pale lips trembled. Wyatt would never imagine what she had just dared to accomplish. Or how much further she would go.
I have to hurry.
Inside the safe, several types of documents were neatly organized, a stark contrast to the messy study. A bundle of mortgage documents, land deeds, contracts that looked suspiciously illegal… and, finally.
The original will.
She found it lying at the very bottom of the stack. With trembling hands, Vanessa swapped the copy with the original. She was about to quickly tidy the scattered documents, return them to their original state, and close the safe when something caught her eye.
A signature scribbled on a piece of paper.
Theodore Liam Battenberg