Don't Ask, It'll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 24
Was Bianca Lloyd kindhearted? Thinking back to their meeting on the terrace at Rumonie, it didn’t seem that way at all.
“Thank you for the compliment. So, what brings you here today?”
“Ah, well, regarding the dead maid, I was hoping to meet with Viscount Lloyd, or if that’s difficult, the Viscountess……. I wanted to know when I might be able to see them.”
“Well, I’m not sure about that either.”
“What? You don’t know…… about your parents’ affairs?”
When the investigator looked at her as if to say ‘How could that be possible?’ Chloe simply shrugged. If it had been her real parents, the Count and Countess Elena, she would have known of course, but she had no desire to know the schedule of the Viscount and Viscountess Lloyd whom she’d never even seen. She wasn’t interested either.
“The butler or head maid should know, so let’s ask them.”
Chloe immediately summoned the head maid and butler. Normally, servants would drop whatever they were doing and come running when their lady called, but they took their time appearing.
Not only were they late, but they walked leisurely instead of hurrying, making the investigator more fidgety than they were.
“You called for us, Miss.”
Their sullen tone and the way they looked at Chloe was thick with disapproval. Even if they disrespected Bianca, they should at least act courteous in front of others, but they didn’t bother at all.
Then I don’t need to maintain their dignity either. Chloe’s lips curved into a crooked smile.
“Yes, I called. Quite a while ago.”
As she answered, a teacup fell. The sharp sound of breaking porcelain cut through the uncomfortable air. Chloe deliberately kicked the broken teacup with her toe and ordered the head maid.
“Clean it up.”
The head maid momentarily frowned, displeased with Chloe’s tone, then let out a deep sigh before saying.
“I’ll call a maid to clean it.”
“No. You clean it yourself.”
The head maid’s face visibly hardened when ordered to do menial work usually left to new maids. When she looked at Chloe as if to ask if she was serious, Chloe answered with just a sweet smile.
As the already uncomfortable atmosphere grew even colder, the investigator called out ‘Lady’ in a small voice.
The head maid glanced at the investigator before letting out another deep sigh.
“Then I’ll go get cleaning supplies.”
“There’s something to clean with right there.”
What Chloe pointed to was none other than the butler’s outer coat. Suddenly singled out and hearing the absurd order to clean the floor with his own clothes, the butler’s face became as rigid as the head maid’s.
“Your joke goes too far, Miss.”
“It’s not a joke though.”
Chloe looked at them with a smile as bright as the rose the investigator had given her.
“I’m serious, so clean it up quickly.”
* * *
No matter how much the servants disapproved of and disrespected Bianca, the fact that she was the eldest daughter of Viscount Lloyd’s family remained unchanged. She was their lady whom they had to serve whether they liked it or not, and they had to follow her orders.
Of course, things might have been different if the Viscountess Lloyd or her stepsister were present, but the important thing was that neither of them was here. Therefore, having no way to refuse Chloe, the head maid and butler eventually followed her orders.
After telling her when the Viscount and Viscountess Lloyd would return, the head maid and butler disappeared quickly, unlike their slow arrival.
“As you just heard, mother will return next week, and father the week after.”
Mother and father. Using these terms that she had only ever used for two specific people to refer to others made her mouth feel gritty, like chewing sand.
“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
“No, nothing at all.”
The investigator shook his head vigorously in denial, almost excessively so. It seems he was thoroughly frightened by what happened with the servants earlier. Chloe wondered a bit how someone with such weak nerves could investigate murder cases.
“But why do you need to meet my parents? They should have nothing to do with the maid’s death.”
“Ah, well…….”
The content seemed difficult to explain as the investigator fidgeted while watching Chloe’s reaction. Finding his behavior both frustrating and irritating, Chloe frowned, causing him to startle and confess.
“T-to close this case here, we need either of their seals!”
