The Maid and The Usurper - Chapter 59
“How lucky. There are dry clothes in the cabin.”
Bern put on Leopold’s clothes and moved around, testing its fit. Layla kept moistening her dry lips with her tongue. Just blinking her eyes once would be enough. These were sights she had often seen in La Ellosa. There were countless people who bought corpses to disguise themselves as the dead and escape.
If a face was damaged, the body was identified by belongings and hair color. There was no other way to ascertain identity. Bern had a physique similar to Leopold’s. He had black hair and blue eyes, and also Leopold’s clothes.
How many bodies had fallen off cliffs, unrecognizable because their faces were mangled?
So, Bern would suffice. A corpse pushed off the cliff, with its face smashed by a rock, would raise no suspicion. This was an opportunity.
Layla subtly moved towards the cliff.
“It looks like it’s about to rain again. What unpredictable weather.”
“The weather in Rhineland is quite capricious. It keeps alternating between rain and no rain.”
Layla was so dazed that she didn’t even realize what she was saying. Even though she had made up her mind, she was still wavering. If she could just harden her resolve a little more, she could escape easily. There would be no witnesses, no evidence. Yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to do it.
‘You don’t belong here. You don’t have the mindset to survive in La Ellosa.’
Benedict had stupidly said that, unaware she was stealing his money. In La Ellosa, it was better to flaunt stupidity and innocence than to show off intelligence. That way, they would let their guard down. So, that’s how she acted.
‘You might act clever, but when it comes down to it, you’ll hesitate when you really need to do it. Getting blood on your hands? You won’t be able to do it.’
Benedict had slurred those words, indistinguishable between mockery and the last remnants of his humanity. The uncontrollable tremor in her hands still made her hesitate and falter.
‘You’re not as ruthless as you think, Layla.’
She wondered why, at this moment, Leopold’s words flashed through her mind. It was something she had to do for him. She just had to push Bern off the cliff. It was so simple. All she had to do was reach out, the path was slippery anyway, and it was very common for someone to slip and fall off the cliff.
“Hey, are you sure this is the right way?”
“Yes. We’re going this way.”
“Really? If we go a little further, we’ll hit the cliff.”
At the glint in his eyes, Layla instinctively took a step back. Bern grabbed her wrist. He pulled her to the edge of the cliff.
“Look with your own eyes. See where you are.”
“It’s dark, so I can’t see well.”
“Enough with the excuses.”
At his harsh words, Layla’s shoulders slumped. He grabbed her collar and pushed her dangerously close to the cliff’s edge.
“I can find it without a girl like you.”
Layla’s body struggled. She was precariously balanced at the precipice. Her toes touched the edge. If he let go, she would fall. Layla clawed at his arm with her nails. She was desperate to survive. She clung tightly to his arm.
“Spare me… spare me, please.”
She gasped for breath as she spoke. Layla’s struggles had little effect on Bern. Like a rat cornered by a cat, she fought with all her might.
“This is your last chance. Tell me. Where is that bastard?”
“I’ll… I’ll tell you…”
She spoke between gasps. Bern’s suspicious gaze didn’t waver. He loosened his grip on Layla’s neck slightly. He took a step back, allowing Layla’s feet to touch the ground fully. Even though one step back would lead her to the dizzying abyss, it was better than being suspended over the cliff.
