The Sleepless Night of the Maid

Chapter 39

Translator: Eonnicorn / Editor: Scarlet

“Todd!”

Finally realizing what happened, Eva’s hand swept Todd’s shoulder area and the back of his neck. A lot of thicker blood covered her hand. She recognized that this blood had flowed out of Todd’s head. Because the corner of the candlestick had hit the back of Todd’s head.

Eva fell off on her butt with a frightened look on her face. Her entire body shuddered from horror, as if she had been struck by lightning. She didn’t even want to think about it, but if Todd died like this, what should they do?

“N-Nanny… I-I’ll go and find the Baronet…”

“Stay right here.”

Cecil stopped Eva using a firm tone after standing on her feet with a devastated expression. She hurriedly sat next to Todd and put her finger under his nose. Then she repeatedly retreated and raised her finger. This time she laid her head and rested her ear to Todd’s chest. As time passed, Cecil’s pupils widened and her expression hardened. After a while, Cecil looked at Eva with bewilderment and mumbled, “Todd is… dead…”

As soon as Eva heard that, she felt her heart stop because of shock. She couldn’t believe that Cecil couldn’t feel his breath from his nose and hear his heartbeat from his chest. Dread and shock became one, and drove her into panic.

‘Todd is dead. I killed a person.’

She heard buzzing noises ringing from somewhere. The state of her mind was in disarray.

“…ly. My lady.”

“Nanny?”

Cecil held Eva’s body and shook her, barely pulling her back to reality. It was only a few seconds but she felt like a hundred years had passed.

Her dazed pupils eventually dilated. Because the candlestick she had been holding from before was now in Cecil’s hand.

“This is my doing, understand?”

“What?”

Eva, once she came back to reality, asked with narrow eyes.

“Sir Biti and his wife will never stay still. This case will be transferred to the Investigation Bureau and you’re going to be arrested for murder. Do you understand, my lady? Murderer is the most grave crime out of all.”

“B-But, Todd is the first one…”

Todd jumped onto her first. He sneaked into her room at night and tried to ravish her while she was sleeping. If Cecil hadn’t come, he would have tainted her. If Eva hadn’t hit Todd in the back of his head, Cecil would have been beaten to death by his fist. She wielded it to survive, she felt it was unfair because Cecil was the one who was taking the blame.

“Then, how are you going to prove it? I’m sure they’ll blame you, saying you seduceda him. Even if we’re lucky and our arguments are accepted and things are taken into account, going to jail is inevitable.”

“Nanny!”

“Maybe we’ll get released a thousand years later. Now you understand how the laws of this country are centered around aristocrats and men. Besides, the chief inspector of the Crocs Field goes to the same gambling house as Todd. Rumor has it that Sir Biti and the chief are close friends because he did something illegal and bribed him. We really are at a disadvantage.”

While struggling holding her cough, Cecil declaimed in a low voice. The person who had been lying weak until a while ago seemed gone and became quick-witted and energetic. The energy was like a miracle that was summoned in order to keep her daughter-like Eva alive.

“So what am I supposed to do? Why would you take the blame for what I did? I’ll never let you do that.”

Eva was adamant, likewise. From the moment Cecil said she would take the blame, she was also predicting what would happen.

The crime far heavier than defaming the aristocracy was the murder of the aristocrat. Cecil was a noble from birth, but her parents had already lost their title, now she was a commoner. If a commoner had killed a noble, that commoner could not avoid a dire punishment no matter what the circumstances were. Because to the aristocrats, it was an insult to defy them.

“My lady, you’ll be labeled as a murderer for the rest of your life. I refuse to see that. If you’re being stubborn, I’d rather bite my tongue and die here, you know that.”

Cecil squeezed one of Eva’s shoulders tightly and drew up her eyes grimly. She looked like a warrior in the final battle, like an iceberg that couldn’t be penetrated by mere questions or rebuttals. It felt like Eva was standing on the other side of the frozen river as Cecil broke the ice so Eva couldn’t come.

Eva noticed that Cecil didn’t speak of this because of the overwhelming emotion of the moment. However, she also had no intention of accusing Cecil of her crime.

For the first time in their lives, they stared at each other and tried to contend with each other. Not long ago, she wanted someone to hear what happened in the room, but now she was extremely careful about who was going to listen.

“Nanny.”

Eva took Cecil’s hand with determined eyes. There was no time to fight like this now. If Cecil still insisted and Eva didn’t intend to yield either, this wouldn’t go anywhere. Then she had to find another way.

“Let’s run away.”

“What did you say?”

Cecil reaffirmed with eyes wide open at Eva’s suggestion. She seemed shocked by the suggestion that was never in their options, perhaps even more dangerous.