"When... When?" Angelina asked, her voice was slightly shaky.
"The day before I sent you that letter... They told me if I don't, she'll send another finger..." Alice answered as she let a tear fall.
"Do you have proof it was Evelina?" Angelina quickly closed the wooden box. She didn't want to see that finger anymore.
"No..." Alice's voice cracked. "It was just me. No one else saw. I was asleep when that maid threw this box on my face and woke me up. Then she told me... You know. I didn't dare tell anyone..."
Angelina knew how painful Alice's heart felt right now. She and little Oscar were extremely close. Everyone else in the family were too busy so most of the time it was just the two of them.
"I don't know what to do! If I tell my parents they'll either not believe me... Or they do and something might happen to my little brother!" Alice dropped the wooden box and fell to her knees, crying with no restraint. "He must be so scared! He's never been alone... He must be waiting for his family to save him and yet I'm doing nothing but act like a complete coward!"
"Shh Ally... I'm sure everything will be okay... We'll find a way..." Angelina was not used to comforting people so she doesn't know if her words were working or not.
"I know you have good intentions Lina. But... You don't understand. He always depends on me. He trusted me. I still remember when he would say if he was in danger, I would always save him. Hah... He must be so disappointed that his ' great elder sister ' is such a coward..." Alice smiled self deprecatingly.
"No Alice... Your a great person. Not everyone has the bravery to just act like hero." Angelina tried her best to calm Alice.
"It's just.. I know I should be doing something about this. I would always imagine what I would do in my head but when it comes to actually doing it... I get scared. Then I end up just not doing anything..." Alice wiped her tears and got up with little difficulty.
"We'll find a way Ally. For now let's go eat lunch with your family. I think I heard someone call us from outside earlier." Angelina held Alice's trembling hand.
"Mhm." Alice smiled.
**************
"It's truly a joy to have you join us for lunch lady Angelina. How's the food?" Viscountess Illiya asked Angelina.
"The food's delicious your grace." Angelina nodded politely as she cut her piece of braised pork.
"Oh right, I have forgot to introduce my son. Lady Angelina this is my eldest son Austin." Viscountess Illiya gestured for Austin to introduce himself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you my lady. I have never seen such a beautiful woman such as yourself." Austin stood up and bowed before Angelina.
Seeing her brother say words of praise, Alice felt uncomfortable. She has never seen this side of her brother before. Actually... She barely even sees her brother!
"Oh thank you." Angelina responded with a smile.
They ate for a few more minutes in peace before a servant rushed inside in a panicked state.
"You! How dare you intrude!" The viscount screamed at the servant and looked at Angelina with embarrassment.
"But your grace... There... We found something...!" The servant nervously reported.
"What do you mean?" The viscount furrowed his brows.
"I... I think it's better for your grace to see yourself...."
***************
With a scared expression, the male servant led them all outside, into the mansion's garden and showed them the wet body of a little boy.
"What...." Seeing such a horrifying sight, the viscountess nearly fainted from fright.
"Wait... This couldn't possibly be..." Alice grabbed Angelina's sleeve and clenched it tightly.
"What- where did you all find this!?" The viscount turned to the servants near the body.
"We found the body in the lake..." A female servant answered.
Angelina looked and saw that behind the body was a lake. Behind the lake is a forest that seemed to go on outside the Illiya estate. It wouldn't be impossible for someone to just come in through the forest and dump the body in the lake...
Alice ran to the body and knelt down so she could look at it closely. Her hands were shaking as she tried to hold back tears.
She could barely identify the face. It was simply too bruised and injured. If not for the missing index finger of one of the hands... Alice might not be completely sure of the corpse's Identity.
"Ah! Oscar!" Tears bursted out with no warning. Alice didn't care that the body was dirty, wet, and bloody. She didn't hesitate and immediately pulled the corpse of her little brother into her arms.
Hearing the name of their missing son, the viscount and viscountess too ran to the body and knelt down. It really was their son! The body was wearing what Oscar wore the last time he was seen!
Alice cried and cried. Her tears were never ending. She knew she should've done something! She shouldn't have hesitated! This was all her fault... Maybe she could've saved him...
It all happened so suddenly. Alice didn't know what she should do. All she felt now was extreme guilt and anger. Anger towards herself!
Angelina wasn't crying but her eyes were red. Such a cute little boy was brutally murdered by such a cruel hearted woman...
When it was examined by physicians, they found out that, aside from the missing index finger and the extremely bruised face, the tongue was missing...
It looked to have been cut with a dagger...
Viscount Illiya immediately got on a carriage, went to the Imperial palace, and reported the murder of his son to the Emperor.
This incident naturally shocked the hearts of the other aristocrats and stirred heated discussions. In the end all the nobles were to be questioned in the Imperial palace the next day.
*************
When Angelina returned to the Skyler estate, the weather was fitting of her expression, gloomy and dark.
Angelina walked down the hall as the heavy rain outside continued to pour down. She kept thinking... What should she do about this? Let it be handled by others? let Evelina off? Attempt to expose Evelina but risk getting into trouble and ruining herself?
Implicating Evelina is simply too risky... At least for now. If Evelina is able to twists her words right, it could backfire on Angelina herself.
Right now it isn't wise to underestimate her enemy...
"Dear sister, welcome back." Angelina turned a corner and saw Evelina, smirking. Thunder could be heard in the distance.
' Speak of the devil... ' Angelina's frown deepened.
"Oh! Have you heard the news? The youngest master of the Illiya family turned up dead!" Evelina made a shocked expression, yet it seemed as if she was trying to make it obvious she was faking it.
"Hah... You would do anything to get your way, huh?" Angelina sneered mockingly.
"Oh Lilith, I'm sure if I push you far enough... You would do it too. I'm sure of it. Your just hiding your true self." Evelina approached Angelina and whispered into her ears.
"What are you talking about?" Angelina pushed Evelina away.
Evelina hummed. "You can't say that you have never wished upon someone's death right? I mean, I'm sure you want me dead. The only difference between you and I is that I do it. You want to kill me. But you don't want to do it by your own hands. You want someone else to do it for you."
"......" Angelina merely stared at her.
"Well then, I'm looking forward to what you will do." Evelina smirked before walking away.
**************
After closing the door behind her, Evelina's triumphant smile faded into an outraged one.
"That damn Carol! How dare she!" Evelina screamed.
"...." Lia merely stood in the corner timidly.
"She actually dared do such a thing behind my back! She actually dared send the body to the Illiya estate!" Evelina knocked everything down on her desk.
Carol had a feeling Evelina would abandon her. So before returning to Evelina's room from the Perdonley family's event, she took the dead body of Oscar Illiya that they hid in a locked shed and made a quick trip to the Illiya estate.
She entered through the forest and quickly dumped the body into the lake. She hoped that somehow Evelina will be found out. Fortunately, the Illiya estate wasn't to far from the Skyler estate so she wasn't caught by Evelina.
**************
The next day, the Illiya family were called by the imperial palace to be questioned.
The first to be questioned was Alice's father. Then it would be her mother. Then her brother. And finally Alice.
While waiting outside, Alice patted her pocket where she stored the wooden box that contained Oscar's finger. She remembered Angelina's words.
----------------------
Before coming to the imperial palace, Angelina visited her once more and told her, "Bring the finger. Report Carol but don't report Evelina."
"What why?" Alice was confused. She wanted to report Evelina. She was mad. She wanted to avenge her brother!
"It's too risky. Just do as I say and I promise you'll be able to bring justice to your brother in the future." Angelina reassured her.
"But..." Alice clenched the wooden box in her hand.
"Trust me. This is what's best to do right now. Evelina's manipulative. If she twists her words to make it seem like she's innocent and your suspicious, what would you say? You do have Oscar's finger." Angelina's eyes landed on the wooden box.
"I... I understand. Thank you Lina." Alice sighed and pulled Angelina for a hug.
"Shh shh... It'll be okay Ally." Angelina patted Alice's back, which was trembling.
----------------------
"Lady Alice Illiya." One guard opened the door and called her.
"Ah yes!" Alice stood up. Her posture was stiff. She tried to compose herself and entered the room for questioning.
