Chapter 68 68. Julietta Iris Kiellini, Part VI
Editor: Aelryinth
"I feel different. The hair color, the lean chin line and the body shape are similar, but something is different. I don’t know what it is, but I felt a sense of heterogeneity," Adam spoke up at Killian’s answer.
"Your Highness, I know you don’t want to believe it, but you were right. Didn’t you say the maid was wearing a bigger suit than herself to hide herself? You were the only one who knew about her appearance," Adam continued, looking at a baggy suit soaked in water and wrapped in clothes like a sack.
"No, my heart says that it’s not Julietta. Of course, I don’t want to believe what you said. I’ll check it out carefully. Valerian, cover that knight’s eyes. The rest of you, all turn around."
Valerian tied his cravat over the eyes of the knight who was pointed out, then turned around.
The knight who had to strip the body with a blindfold was baffled. As he hesitated in embarrassment, he was ordered hastily, "Hurry up!"
Killian put the hands of the knight on the front button of the corpse. When he saw someone else’s hands touching the maid’s uniform that Julietta used to wear at ordinary times, he was suddenly uncomfortable and pushed the knight aside.
"Step back, I will do it."
"Your Highness!"
The men who had turned around turned back to restrain Killian, but he was as firm as a rock.
"Everybody stay back. Are you going to make me say it twice?"
Albert wailed to Killian who was horribly angry, and began to stop him, "Your Majesty, please kill me. It’s the sin of this old man who didn’t know anything until Julietta disappeared."
As Albert was about to kneel down and even hit his head, Adam also knelt down toward Killian, who was sitting in front of the body. Your Highness, I’ll call a maid. Just a moment, I’ll be back in a hurry, so please stop touching the body."
Killian looked around. Albert, his servant Ian, and the knight who had carried the body, as well as his close aides, were all kneeling, and they all looked pale.
When Killian finally stood up, conflicted with the concern of those about him and his need to identify the body in a hurry, Adam hurriedly ordered the knight, "Bring anyone in as soon as possible."
The knight who was standing by the gate opened the door to the Oval Office and hurried out, and quickly brought in a maid as if he caught who was just passing by.
When she saw the ugly body, she fell on her buttocks with a scream. Valerian’s sword, angered by the way she dared to scream and show ugliness in front of Killian, pointed at the maid’s neck.
"Shut up and undress the body."
As she slid back sitting in surprise, the maid managed to remember where she was. Seeing the subjects and knights gazing fiercely at her, and the Prince with eyes fixed on the corpse, the maid came to her sense and crept towards the body.
The maid began to strip the body without knowing why, shivering and sickened by the smell. Watching the scene, Killian began to burst into laughter when the clothes were completely stripped.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
At the sound of the crazy laughter, Adam turned around and hastily sent the knights and the maid out of the Oval Office.
"Your Highness." ’Was Julietta’s death this shocking?’ Albert did not know what to do when he saw Killian laughing like a madman.
Killian stopped laughing, stared fiercely at the body and said. "No, no. It’s not Julietta." At his words, all who had turned back turned around and finally looked down at the body.
They looked down to see if there was anything to characterize, but they couldn’t tell at all. They didn’t know when he had ever seen her naked, but it was just amazing how he found out that she was not Julietta just by gazing on the pale bloated corpse.
While looking at each other with curious faces, Killian regained his usual coolness.
"Is there anything in the body that could be characterized?" When Adam asked carefully, Killian nodded.
"Yes, there was something only I could recognize. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it, but I remember I’d seen it before."
Killian beckoned Valerian to take out the body.
At Valerian’s command, the knights outside entered and hurriedly wrapped the body in a cloak. Killian looked at it and ordered them, "That is the body of a girl who worked as my maid. Be formal and bury it in a sunny place."
Killian wanted the body to be identified as Julietta’s. It was to be handled by aides who knew his intentions.
As the knights took out the body, Oswald, who had backed away to the far corner of the Oval Office, came back to the round table where Killian was sitting. Looking at Oswald who sat in a chair looking rather ill, Albert hurried to ventilate and prepare the tea. Adam frowned at the sight.
"You hate the smell of blood, and you are afraid of dead bodies. How on earth did you learn swordsmanship?"
"Gracefully."
"That’s right. I’m sorry I asked you."
Oswald replied to Adam, who acted as if he had given up, "No, I’ve seen people dead, too. But I’ve never seen anything like that soaked in the water. I just have the soul of an artist who loves beauty and grace."
Letting what Oswald said go through one ear and out the other ear, Adam glanced at Killian. "Your Highness, what did you mean by what you said?"
Looking at Killian drinking tea with an expressionless face, Adam asked him what he was curious about. Despite Adam’s question, Killian pretended not to hear and drank tea without responding.
"Are you sure it’s not Julietta? You wanted to think so, didn’t you?"
At Adam’s voice full of doubt, Killian took a glance at his close associates looking at him. He didn’t mean to answer, but everyone was wondering so much they were about to die.
"The body’s figure was different. Even if it was swollen in the water, its waist was not as thin as Julietta’s, and its legs were different in length, when I looked at the overall figure."
’And there was no spot which Julietta had...’
"Then what do you mean you’ve seen it before?" Oswald asked, but Killian only drank tea without a word again.
At his unwillingness to tell, Adam gave up seeking an answer and asked a different question. "Why did you turn that body into Julietta’s?"
"Someone’s trying to hide Julietta, even if they had to fake a corpse. We don’t know what they would do if we keep trying to find her. Stop the search for the time being, but try to strengthen the surveillance of the outer doors and borders under the pretext of the soon-to-be-held hunting competition."
"Who the Hell are they? It’s too weird to relate Julietta to those who sent her to prison. It would be better for them if they killed Julietta like Lady Chaister."
Killian nodded silently.
It was certainly strange. It was clear that Julietta left the castle to reject his offer. She must have run away as soon as she refused Albert. She even took her bag with her.
If Duke Kiellini’s words were true, he could not help but think that something had happened to Julietta after getting out of the carriage in the city.
’Who is trying to hide Julietta? Why the hell?’
"Albert."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Did you say Spencer was the one who wrote the letter of introduction to Julietta?"
"Yes, Your Highness. She brought a letter of introduction from Marquis Rhodius, and Johnna, the head maid, employed her as a cleaning maid."
"Valerian, send a man to the Eileen Theatre. Meet the actress, Lillian, and find out more about Julietta. You’ll have to find out quietly, without anyone knowing."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As soon as Valerian answered, Oswald stepped in. "Your Highness, Lillian must be retired."
Adam and Valerian looked at Oswald, wondering how he knew the whereabouts of an actress who was in Austern, as he stayed at Bertino, and quickly accepted it, seeing his appearance. Oswald who decorated himself as conservatively as possible to suit Killian’s mood, and was still more colorful than anyone else in the office.