WCMBI - Chapter 207: Same Old Reasons (Patreon)

Ian persisted in moving his exhausted body despite the objections of both the physician and the housekeeper. Unable to directly go in search of Melissa, he couldn't lie still in impatience.

The more he investigated the whereabouts of the employees, the more his anger grew, leaving him unable to catch his breath properly.

Their collective utterances were all the same. They claimed, "It's not just me who disregards Omega. All the imperial subjects must think the same," or they babbled, "I thought it didn't matter because of the contract."

Hearing the same lame excuses repeatedly had a mind-disturbing effect on Ian.

Finally, Ian descended to the underground cell to interrogate the chambermaid who had been imprisoned there. As soon as she saw Ian's face, she rushed to the bars and began to beg earnestly.

"Just give me a chance, Your Grace! It was all at the Countess' behest! I had no malicious intent."

Ian looked down at the chambermaid in silence. The child who had been neglected by her parents and left to herself responded excessively even to a slight bit of attention. In her childhood, the chambermaid was no different from a surrogate mother to him.

That's why, when she caused some unfortunate incident, Ian merely disciplined her with a reduction in her privileges. The fact that she could still work in the Duke's residence as a chambermaid was all thanks to Ian's consideration.

Seeing no reaction from him, the chambermaid's fear escalated, and she began to blurt out anything to avoid her fate.

"Yo-Your Highness, it's me. Your handmaiden. Please, believe me. I am innocent!"

"Can you claim innocence for all the words you uttered when Mel left?"

Her words landed like a heavy blow, and the chambermaid trembled. She had betrayed Melissa, who had treated her like a foster mother, and dragged herself to the lowest point.

Although it was just a reduction in privileges, being unable to participate in important events at the mansion deprived her of the respect and treatment given to other maids. When the maids disregarded her, the servants naturally followed suit.

Enduring humiliating times, she was finally driven out like a cunning fox. But then, she ended up receiving more than a few slaps for what she had said.

"She was the one who hit me instead. I said those things out of concern for Your Grace, and she dared to strike me!"

"I suppose you should be grateful that your neck is still intact."

"How can you say such things to me, Your Highness?"

"What right do you have to compare yourself to my mother?"

"Ha."

Ian couldn't believe her response and let out a hollow laugh. Yes, perhaps she had imagined something like that when she was young. What would it have been like if she had been born an ordinary Beta, loved and raised like an ordinary person?

But as she grew older, she keenly felt that she was an Alpha. Hearing such sentimental words now only brought discomfort instead of nostalgia.

"If that's what you believe, then all my mothers must be selfish."

"Your Grace, no, please. Trust me."

"How will you explain the letters exchanged with the Rosewood Countess?"

"That, well, I was also deceived by the Countess. She told me she was Your Grace's prospective duchess. She said it was a relationship that had already been approved. So if I didn't obey her orders, she said she would harm me."

"I find it hard to believe that you stole the Duke's secrets out of fear for your own safety."

"No! That can't be true! How much dedication have I shown to the Duke's family!"

As the chambermaid protested, shouting in defiance, Ian, who was becoming more disgusted by the minute, instructed the knight with a cold expression.

"Drag her out and begin the interrogation."

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"Though your chances of survival are slim, consider the possibility if you fully confess."

As the knight roughly dragged her away, the chambermaid screamed in pain, and her agony-filled cries filled the underground prison. Ian sat a little further away, his eyes fixed on her without missing a single moment.

When my Omega returns, I must inform her in detail how these tormentors suffered and what kind of punishment the deceitful chambermaid received. Only then will my wife's heart be relieved.

As the stench of blood pervaded the air, Ian's face took on a sinister change. He couldn't stop cleaning the slate for those who had tormented Melissa so cruelly.