Chapter 222: Lonely People
The place the Countess brought us to with her carriage was an old mansion. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“I don’t know the details, but I heard it used to belong to a fallen noble. It was bought at an auction.”
Apparently, the mansion wasn’t her property. The Countess didn’t seem to know much about it as her explanation ended there.
“….”
However, I know this place very well. I could barely recognize it at first as it was old and dilapidated, far from its former glory.
“Isn’t this the Green Mansion?”
It was the mansion where I lived when I went by the name ‘Fiona Green’.
The mansion of the Count Green family.
Guards stood at the entrance, so I concealed my surprise and walked in, maintaining a calm demeanor. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
While it was widely known in society that I was an illegitimate child, the fact that I was from the ‘Green family’ wasn’t as famous. Moreover, even though the Green family was a respectable noble family, they weren’t as renowned as the Priscilla Duchy. So it made sense that Countess Sterre didn’t know these details and brought me here.
Unless it was a trap.
Anyway, to think it was sold at an auction and used as a hideout for criminal activities is quite something.
I swallowed a sigh and stepped inside.
Unlike its shabby exterior, the inside was a different world.
“A…ball?”
The interior looked no different from a ball held by high society.
Then why did they move so secretly, and why did they leave the exterior of the mansion so eerie?
“What is this, Countess?”
The only thing unusual was that there were so many children dressed up nicely. Did the guests bring their children? Or….
“Our group often recreates the old trends of nobility. And this time, it’s this.” In dazzling light, Countess Sterre smiled elegantly. “It’s ‘doll dressing’.”
Upon hearing those words, I immediately frowned. I looked at Carl. He seemed remarkably calm as if he had anticipated this situation. He continued to play his part smoothly.
“Quite an interesting concept,” Carl remarked to Countess Ster.
His words helped me regain my composure. I couldn’t afford to show any signs of distress here. “Yes, indeed. Fascinating. Would you give us a tour, Countess?”
Fortunately, the countess seemed oblivious to my earlier unease. She began introducing us to people, clearly pleased by our apparent interest. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
As we conversed with the attendees, the disgusting truth behind this event became clear. The so-called “doll dressing” was essentially a competition to see who could present the most beautiful servant.
These servants were, of course, the children who were supposedly adopted. Taken in under the guise of providing a loving home, they were instead being treated like toys.
Throughout the event, it was common to see children being starved, as these nobles saying that skinny children were prettier, or being forced to wear clothes that were too tight to the point of being uncomfortable.
Needless to say, this was child abuse.
In the middle of the conversation, Carl gently grabbed my hand and whispered, “Even if it’s disgusting, please bear with it for a while, Miss.”
I nodded briefly. I tried my best to hide my emotions, but it seemed some of my discomfort had shown.
Carl, who was trying to comfort me, didn’t look so well either. His face was pale.
“We’d love to try this out, but we don’t have any ‘dolls’. How might we acquire one?”
The “dolls” here referred to children around ten years old.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I can introduce you to a broker,” the countess replied kindly. “For your first time, I’d recommend choosing an obedient doll, even if it’s a little less pretty..”
It was appalling to think that these “dolls” were actual children. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Carl smiled gently. “Thank you for your help. Thanks to you, we’ve discovered something quite interesting.”
Fortunately, our claim of not having a doll provided a convenient reason to leave at the right moment. Of course, it wasn’t easy to step away. The sight of the children, dressed in splendid clothes like little princes and princesses but with lifeless, dead eyes, kept tugging at our hearts.
Carl whispered soothingly, “You have to hold on for now, miss.”
Emotionally, I wanted to turn everything upside down, but he was right.
“I know.”
I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, barely managing to leave the hall.
***
What we uncovered from this charity organization was completely unexpected.
Our goal was to find someone who helped the Crown Prince offer a sacrifice to the Darkness. However, this gathering seemed to have nothing to do with the Crown Prince.
“We’ve uncovered an entirely different crime… but we can’t just ignore it.”
“This organization might not be related, but the broker they introduced us to could be. Since they’re involved in human trafficking, there’s a good chance they’re supplying people to the crown prince too.”
Indeed, this broker’s clientele probably wasn’t limited to just this organization. I sighed. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“…Supplying, huh. Please don’t use words like that, Carl.”
“I’m sorry, miss. But I’m trying to approach this as unemotionally as possible.”
Yeah, it was a tough situation to handle with a clear mind. It was making me think about alcohol for the first time in a while.
“Let’s catch the broker and secure the client list. With that evidence, we can take down the people involved in the organization.”
There might even be a chance the crown prince was on that list.
Carl agreed with my plan. “Yes, let’s do that.”
I rested my chin on my hand and looked at him thoughtfully. Now that I think about it, Carl seemed relatively calm despite having witnessed those scenes earlier. “Did you already know they were doing such things in the organization, Carl?”
Carl gave me a slightly apologetic look. “I didn’t have any concrete evidence. But I had a feeling they might be.”
“Why?”
He responded with a somewhat pale face. “I’ve seen such a ‘play’ before. Although it was on a smaller scale.”
A game for some nobles, showing off who has the youngest and prettiest servants. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“….”
Looking at Carl’s face, which must have been very beautiful when he was young, I couldn’t bring myself to ask anything more.
***
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