Magdalene returned to the house and was greeted by the outdoor guards. This time, she didn't have her cloak on. She walked into the building and saw some police officers speaking with Dominic and some other people inspecting the house. She bumped into one of the cleaners.
"I'm sorry, Madame Magdalene, I didn't see you there," the young woman said, bowing her head in apology.
"It's fine, no worries," Magdalene replied.
"Magdalene, where have you been?" Dominic asked as he walked over to her. The cleaner left quietly.
"I went for a walk... I needed some fresh air," Magdalene replied, bowing her head.
Dominic shrugged and nodded, but then he heard a voice saying, "Report!" which caught everyone's attention.
Evangeline was alone with Richard in her bedroom while he was massaging her foot.
"Tonight's sky is beautiful," Evangeline said with a sigh as she drank her medicinal soup, staring at Richard.
"Well, it's as beautiful as you, my lady," Richard blushed as he complimented her while gently massaging her feet. Evangeline smacked her spoon on his head hard.
"Ow!" he yelled in pain, holding his head and wincing.
"Stubborn brat! I told you not to address me as 'my lady.' Call me Evangeline! God, why are men this stubborn?!" she said to Richard and continued drinking her soup. She raised her legs for him to massage them again.
"Yes, ma'am," Richard replied. Seeing Evangeline's stare, which made his bones chill, he cleared his throat. "Ahem, yes, Evangeline." He bowed his head and resumed massaging her feet.
"Now that's a good boy!" she giggled at him while she cleaned her mouth with a napkin, enjoying her foot massage. Then, Richard started caressing her thighs seductively, Evangeline raised her head upwards, holding the bedsheets tightly, looking at Richard and breathing heavily.
"She's beautiful when looking like that," he said to himself while his cheeks turned red. Then, the bedroom doors swung open with a bang, interrupting their alone time. Evangeline and Richard turned their heads towards the door.
"My lady! Something happened, it's Magdalene!" A brunette servant barged into the room.
"Magdalene?" Evangeline asked in confusion and curiosity. She felt something had happened to her lady-in-waiting.
In the living room, Magdalene was pinned down by some officers under arrest. She was struggling and telling Dominic she was innocent of the incident that happened to Evangeline.
"We found this in her room," an officer showed Dominic a pack of peach-flavored tea, which they claimed was from Magdalene's room. Dominic stared at her, clenching his fingers.
"My wife trusted you, and you treated her this way," Dominic pointed his fingers at Magdalene. Deep down, he doubted it was Magdalene's doing and was also suspicious of her absence in the building.
"What's going on here?" Evangeline's voice interrupted Dominic and the officers.
Evangeline walked into the living room in her garment, with Richard standing by her side, supporting her by holding her hand. The servants greeted her.
"Magdalene, what's going on?" she asked out of concern.
"The peach tea was found in her room. We found a pack of only peach-flavored tea. The king banned this product from Verdaselles years ago," Dominic replied to Evangeline.
Evangeline closed her eyes, unable to believe what she heard, but then she opened her eyes and turned to the officer. "You there! Release her at once!" The officers obeyed, releasing Magdalene.
"Evangeline, what are you doing?!" Dominic scolded her out of anger. Evangeline walked up to Dominic, leaving Richard behind, and slapped him on the face, making everyone gasp and leaving him speechless.
"Magdalene would never do such a thing. Ever since you came here, my grandmother gave you everything instead of her own blood, and you think you can just come here and do things at your free will, even changing my attendants?! How dare you!" Evangeline yelled at Dominic. She was about to say more, but she held her words.
"Leave Magdalene out of this. Do better in your investigation unless you want to lose your position as officers." Evangeline's serious tone and warning made the officers flinch. Dominic just smiled at her tone, saying to himself, "Now that's confidence, I like that. Magdalene would never do such a thing, but I'll watch her." He smirked slightly and sighed, replying in sarcasm and chuckling, "You heard her Highness. Do better on your investigation." He did that to get on her nerves, as he watched her clenching her fingers to hide the humiliation. He chuckled again and walked up to Evangeline, whispering in her ear, "I did it for your protection. We have to fish out the culprit and the person who framed Magdalene." He breathed heavily on her after perceiving the hair oil she applied, which he liked, wishing he could touch it. But Evangeline pushed him away and walked away, with Richard following her and Magdalene as well, thanking Evangeline for saving her as she went to rest.
"This bastard," Dominic said to himself. He turned to the officers, giving them money to execute their fears, and asked them to send someone to investigate the house.
Evangeline told Richard to wait for her in the bedroom and went to the office. Curious about Dominic's activities, she decided to go inside and saw some papers on the table. She hastily went through them, not paying attention. She saw her father's medals, which were displayed by her mother, and sighed, walking past them.
"He didn't change anything in the office. That's good, and I hope it stays that way." She noticed a lip gloss mark on an envelope and saw the writing on it: "To Enrique." She opened the envelope and brought out a paper and saw the contents of the message on the letter. At the end, it said, "Yours truly, Your Rose of the Lake." She gritted her teeth in anger. She placed the letter back into the envelope and went through the other letters from the writer in desperation. She clenched her hand in annoyance and a little jealousy, then took a deep breath and dropped the envelope, leaving the office.
"I will come back here tomorrow," she said as she walked out of the office, heading toward her bedroom. She met a servant and asked her to bring some food to her room. The servant nodded and went towards the kitchen.
"Enrique? Who's he? Could it be Dominic? And who is he seeing in two weeks?" She held her chin while she was walking to her bedroom door.
~CHAPTER END~
NB: Erinque was the nickname Eliza Venison used for Dominic. Dominic's full name was Dominic Frederick Brusward. Eliza created the nickname by using his middle name, Frederick, and transforming it into "Erinque" as a variation of "Eric." Meanwhile, Dominic called her his "Rose of the Lake" when they were in a relationship.
Eliza liked Roses a lot so he gave her that nickname.