Third Event II

"Miss Tine, where are you going?" Vivian asked as she watched Tine dressing herself up.

"Don't talk to me," Tine said in a stern tone.

There was a reason why Tine was angry and slightly annoyed. Once again, all the attention went to her sister, Laura.

On the other hand, hundreds of letters coming from different churches flooded her schedule. Tine regretted faking her identity and wanted to escape from all the tasks she needed to do. But because of her foolishness, this was her punishment.

Doing things like charity and spending time with orphans was the last thing in the world she wanted to do. It reminded Tine about her orphaned sister, and thought it was pathetic.

Just because Laura quite resembled her mother doesn't mean she'll treat her with kindness. Tine was willing to do anything to get rid of Laura.

"Ready the carriage. I have a meeting with someone," Tine ordered, and Vivian immediately followed.

From the mirror, Tine watched the hurried Vivan who walked out of the door and rolled her eyes. In the first place, Tine wondered why her father assigned an idiot and clumsy maid like Vivian to her.

Tine needed a smarter and better maid. Someone like Helga, who's quiet, composed, and reasonable. Tine frowned, looking at the mirror and thought about what a mess her life is now. And it's all because of Laura.

Vivan entered the room, informing Tine that she called the carriage for her and that it'll be ready in a few minutes. Tine smiled at Vivian and praised her, treating Vivan like a house dog.

There is no use of having an unloyal dog. Use the dog once and discard it after, when it becomes useless to its own master. Simple as it sounded, but Tine could use Vivan to her advantage.

For now, there is no need to discard a loyal and faithful dog, one who'll eventually die for its own master.

Tine walked out of the room as soon she was informed that the carriage arrived. She had no time to spare and needed things to be ready before Laura interrupts her plans.

Rushing was the only plan Tine had in mind. Just like in a track and field race, Tine would push anyone who dares to stop her. On the other hand, Laura would run without leaving any casualties.

"Miss Tine, do you want me to go with you?" Vivan asked as she placed her hands on her chest.

"No need. I don't need anyone to be by my side," Tine answer coldly.

"I see…" Vivan frowned and watched the coachman close the door.

It felt disappointing not to have your master approve of you. Even Vivan herself knew that Tine didn't like her. Was it because she was a klutz? She didn't understand what part Tine didn't like about her.

Vivan hoped to be useful to Tine, but no matter how much she tried, Tine always pushed her away. Sometimes she wondered if she's fit to become a maid. Maybe she should have just stayed being a waitress in a small restaurant.

In another room in the estate, happiness and joy were radiating. Laura laughed at Mary's jokes and embarrassed Lester at the same time. Never she thought Lester was the type to worry about someone else.

"Let me explain," Lester insisted and continued, "I was not worried, but I didn't want to see this room gloomy."

"Excuses," Laura and Mary said in unison, making both of them laugh out loud. At the same time, Lester sighed out of frustration.

Lester felt defeated against the two women who were teasing him. Indeed he was worried about the both and comforted Mary but never expected her to snitch on him. There was proof that he was concerned about them, and it all came out of Mary's mouth.

"You can't keep denying," Mary smirked, poking Lester's shoulder as he tried staying composed.

In Lester's mind, he sang a random folk song that his father taught him and ignored Mary's words. But the more Mary poked his shoulder, the more he could help but feel annoyed. 'Just what does this woman want from me,' he thought.

"Miss, look at his face. It's twitching," Mary said, holding in her laughter.

"Mary, please stop," Lester begged.

"Alright, let's stop teasing this poor man and move to what we're supposed to be doing," Laura reminded as she held a paper on her hand.

"That's right, Miss Laura. I almost forgot to tell you that Miss Tine went out today," Lester informed.

"Do you know where she went?" Laura asked as her eyes focused on the paper she held.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's Marquess Rogen's estate," Lester answered, and like air Laura's attention shifted to him.

"Marquess Rogen…" Laura muttered, placing the paper down onto the table.

It wasn't a big problem meeting her supporter, but what's Tine doing? She's supposed to be busy doing charity and not spending her work time with Marquess Rogen.

Suddenly, Laura's face lit up like a lightbulb, as she remembered reading in a paper made by Lester saying that Marquess Rogen had a connection with Silence. 

Then it means there's a possible chance that Tine is a supporter of that organization too.

But just to be sure, Laura needed to read through the reports once more. But with the number of papers stacked onto her table. It will take a while for her to be sure of it.

Laura wished there was a tool that would help her read and summarize the whole paper. But at the same time, she thought it was best to understand each report carefully and fully grasp the information.

As Laura continued to read the documents, she heard a knock from the door and turned her head to see who it was. Her eyes shifted to a big envelope, and her stomach sank, seeing the emblem.

Lester handed the envelope to Laura, who looked hesitant to get it, but in the end, she did. It was unusual to receive a big envelope from someone else, and it pinned her interest.

This time without hesitation, Laura opened the envelope and got a document around five pages and a note saying, "Here's some information you would need." From the writing itself, Laura knew it was from Erwin.

Laura felt guilty as she looked at the small note. Her mind wandered in space, thinking if their relationship would restore one day as she noticed that she only received a short note from Erwin and not a letter. It seems like it wasn't time yet.

Laura's eyes scanned through the documents, and slowly, as she took in more and more information, the more she felt surprised. 

All the information she needed was all answered from the report that Erwin sent her. It was the perfect timing, and she thanked Erwin quietly.

In the report, Erwin wrote that Marquess Rogen, or rather his uncle, connected with the underground market. The underground market is where the organization group originated from and a place where illegal things happened.

For instance, selling slaves and illegal substances were all prohibited, as stated by the law. But because the underground market expanded in a short time. Greed filled into some nobles as they start selling slaves to other countries.

The Emperor ordered a mandate of that, but still, some nobles didn't stop. But what bothered Laura the most was why Marquess Rogen had connections to the underground market, despite the fortune he had.

Just what reasons does he have to be in there? Laura felt Marquess Rogen was there to annihilate them, but to side with them. Does he need to go that far just to eliminate Erwin?

If that so, then there was a possible chance Tine had connections with the underground market. That's what she thought of, but there wasn't any evidence of her being there yet.

Laura knew nothing of Tine at all. It was difficult, and she needed to dig deeper. But it was hard because no one followed Tine, and it's as if she lived in a secret life. A life Laura will never know how she got to where she is today.

"Lester, I want you to dig more in-depth about this and include Tine in it. Try to relate the report of Erwin with what you will find. I don't need it now, but it would be good if I have it earlier," Laura said, handling the report to Lester, who nodded his head as an answer.

"Will you write a letter back to His Grace?" Mary asked, curious as she didn't know how the situation between them was.

"No, not, today," Laura sighed and slumped on her chair.

'It was best for her not to talk or write to him right now, especially when things were s tense,' Laura thought it would be all fine to do things on her own. And she didn't ask for help as it might bother Erwin, and they were not in the best condition to see each other either. 

The situation was bad, and Laura felt a heavyweight on her shoulders, once again thinking about what had happened that night, to what was happening now.

One was hurt, and one was unsure.