Chapter 38.2

Chapter 38 – Part 2

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Someone stole the duchess’ medical records. Those were important documents detailing her health.

But that wasn’t all. Those records also summarized everything about the food and toxic medicines that the duchess was not supposed to ingest.

If the person who stole the records was someone with vile intentions, then that’s a huge problem.

Jane immediately informed Duke Valentino of this incident.

And as soon as Theodore heard this, his expression hardened coldly.

“So you left without locking the door properly.”

“…I had locked it properly, Your Grace! I am telling only the truth! But when I came back, the door was unlocked…”

Theodore just continued to stare at Jane, who hesitated and panicked, but he soon let out a sigh.

He immediately called the chief attendant and gave a brief, concise order.

“A thief came into Jane Thorpe’s clinic. It’s highly likely that it’s an inside job, so investigate the mansion’s servants at once.”

“Yes, Milord.”

The chief attendant replied with a look of surprise the moment he heard that there was a thief.

He bowed to Theodore and was about to leave through the door, but at that moment, someone knocked from the hallway.

Knock, knock—

Theodore frowned, then he asked.

“What is it?”

Outside the door came the polite voice of a young attendant.

“Um… Milord. I’ve come to inform you that Missus Seymour is looking for you urgently. She is asking that you come to the living room right away.”

The creases deepened over Theodore’s forehead.

He murmured to himself.

“…My aunt? But why now…”

Inadvertently glancing towards Jane, he paused for a moment. Then, his eyes widened.

There was a hint of a realization there.

“…Chief Attendant, postpone the investigation for the moment. I’ll be off to see my aunt first. Doctor Thorpe, follow me.”

“Ah… Yes, Your Grace.”

Jane was very surprised to hear that the investigation was being delayed. Still, she accepted this calmly because she could not go against the duke’s orders.

And soon after that, it didn’t take long for them both to reach the living room at the first floor.

Before the door was opened, Theodore looked back at Jane and ordered.

“Doctor Thorpe, wait here for a moment. Come in when I call you.”

“I understand, Your Grace.”

Jane then took a step back.

And Theodore, facing forward once more, motioned for the attendant to open the door.

Along with a bell and an announcement to signal his arrival, the door opened.

Theodore took a step into the living room. As expected, Missus Seymour was already there, sitting on the sofa.

However, there was one face that he didn’t expect to see here.

Theodore’s eyes grew wide as he opened his lips to speak.

“Lily, why are you here… You haven’t even recovered yet.”

“Theo, take a seat.”

Missus Seymour addressed him with a serious tone.

Theodore glanced back at Missus Seymour, then he greeted her for the sake of courtesy.

And when he sat down, a maid approached and poured tea for him.

Theodore looked sideways at Lily, who was sitting next to him.

She was holding a teacup in her hands, an indifferent expression donned upon her features. She looked like a doll that felt nothing at all.

The tea in that cup remained flat and motionless.

“…What’s going on that you’ve summoned us here, Aunt? For whatever reason it is, you should know that my wife still needs to rest more.”

“Who is waiting outside the door?”

However, Missus Seymour answered Theodore’s question with a question of her own.

Theodore paused for a moment, then he replied.

“Doctor Jane Thorpe, Lily’s exclusive doctor.”

“And why is she outside?”

“…Just recently, I heard from her that someone had broken into her clinic.”

Without giving any significant reaction, Missus Seymour took a sip of tea.

While he studied her movements closely, Theodore soon spoke with more force.

“But strangely enough, her valuables were still there. The thief instead stole something unexpected.”

“……”

“My wife’s medical records.”

Lily, who had been sitting beside him like a doll until then, reacted to this remark.

While holding the teacup, her hands flinched slightly. She soon put the cup down on the table, then she murmured softly.

“Ah, no wonder…”

Then, she laughed under her breath.

Hearing this, Theodore glanced towards Lily, but before he could ask her anything, Missus Seymour spoke first.

“I was going to tell you anyway, so I’ll explain it here. I’m the one who took those medical records.”

“…Aunt, you—”

“Even though you were aware that her health was not normal, you just covered for her and didn’t even ask for my opinion or even discuss it with me. At the back of my mind, I knew that you were hiding something. Doctor Thorpe said that she was just following your orders, so she wouldn’t show me Lily’s medical records right away—that’s why I ordered my people to search through the clinic. And I found this.”

Missus Seymour took out a pile of documents and threw them onto the table. Those papers detailed Lily’s health record.

Theodore glared silently at Missus Seymour.

The atmosphere inside the living room turned icily sharp, as if they had become trapped inside a glacier.

Without a look of remorse, Missus Seymour angrily shot straightforwardly.

“Theo. How could you hide the fact that Lily Everett is barren?”

——