If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 81

At Locke’s question, Henry’s head dropped even lower.

“There had been other women who went missing in that area before, but for now, the remains were identified as belonging to Miss Georgiana. The townspeople all agreed that there was no sign of anyone leaving the village after that day, and since there were no witnesses, they concluded that she must have burned to death along with the innkeeper.”

“No, that can’t be. It must be someone else. Did you search the area thoroughly?”

Locke could not believe it unless he confirmed Georgiana’s body with his own eyes.

“Of course. Afterward, I searched through every mansion and plantation in the vicinity, checking if anyone new had arrived. I even planned to investigate Sir Raymond’s plantation far from there, but when I met the head maid in town, she told me that his estate was the same. There was nowhere else left to search.”

“No, you must have missed something. That can’t be true.”

Locke was certain—he could still vividly recall Georgiana. There was no way she had met such an empty, meaningless death.

Something had to be wrong.

“Get up right now! We’re going back to check again. We’ll start from the beginning!”

“Captain… I have already done everything.”

Henry grasped Locke’s arm with hands that were nothing but skin and bone.

Only then did Locke properly take in his subordinate’s face, noticing that he had grown significantly thinner since his departure. The dark circles beneath his eyes indicated he had barely slept.

Locke knew.

There was no way Henry had overlooked anything.

If Henry said he had searched the entire area, then he truly had gone to every single house. He had probably sacrificed his sleep as well.

That explained his current state.

Locke didn’t want to admit it, but he could no longer deny reality.

The strength in his legs gave out, and his body collapsed back to the floor.

He had considered the possibility that Georgiana would be difficult to find, but he had never once thought she might be dead.

The gentle way she spoke, her warm smile whenever their eyes met, the delicate and small frame that fit perfectly in his arms.

The thought that he would never again see or touch even a single strand of her radiant hair burned through his heart like fire.

Sympathy had turned into affection, and affection had grown into love.

He had realized his feelings far too late.

Because he had never fully understood them, he had never been able to express them. Now, those unspoken emotions exploded within him.

His chest tightened with unbearable pain, suffocating his breath.

Hic. Hic.

A sob racked his body from deep within, making his entire frame shake.

Heavy tears finally spilled from his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I should have been there that day.”

At Henry’s apology, Locke’s last shred of composure collapsed into darkness.

From that day on, Locke remained in his tent, utterly lost. A despair with no end consumed him.

A suffocating emptiness overtook him, and the world around him faded into a lifeless monochrome.

Every night, memories of Georgiana surfaced, robbing him of sleep. If he did manage to pass out for a moment, he would dream of her burned body, glaring at him with resentment.

The boundary between day and night blurred, and his mind spiraled into ruin.

Seeing his condition, Henry petitioned for Locke’s discharge, but with a major battle looming, his superior officers refused the request.

Then, war broke out once more with the Imperial Army.

Even in the blood-drenched battlefield, Locke remained vacant, barely reacting as he faced death again and again.

Then, at some point, he realized—

That every time pain wracked his body, the guilt he felt toward Georgiana lessened. He began to believe that, since he could not punish himself, the enemy was exacting that punishment on her behalf.

Yes, what did a worthless life like his even matter?

From then on, despite Henry’s protests, Locke threw himself into the frontlines.

He volunteered for every dangerous mission.

With bloodshot eyes, he roamed the battlefield like a specter, earning the name “madman” among allies and enemies alike.

On days when he led the charge, even enemy commanders retreated in horror.

Though his comrades called him the Mad Cat, those who fought alongside him grew in number, drawn to his reckless ferocity.

The vacant major’s position soon became his, and rumors spread that his promotion to lieutenant colonel was imminent.

Among the entire battalion, only Henry and Locke himself were left without a reason to celebrate.

***

The incident of being falsely accused as a thief was resolved as a misunderstanding.

Liv and the cleaning maid, who had initially testified that they had seen her, later admitted that they must have mistaken someone else. However, they were not spared from a week’s pay deduction.

Rumors spread that they could be expelled as an example for falsely accusing someone, and as a result, the harassment toward her noticeably decreased.

The next day, Georgiana took a carriage to the city, purchased several sets of clothes, and returned all of Veronica’s clothing to Catherine. Even though they were just clothes, she did not want to accept unnecessary goodwill.

During that time, she also returned the hidden jewelry.

In fact, she had already found the jewelry that Joan had hidden in her room that day and had concealed it elsewhere.

She had marked specific areas in her room that only she would recognize, allowing her to easily notice any signs of intrusion and recover the hidden jewels.

Since she didn’t have many belongings, she was able to find them quickly. If that hadn’t been the case, she might have been helplessly framed as a thief. Georgiana reminded herself once again to never let her guard down.

With her identity still uncertain, there was no place better for her than here.

Moreover, she had no desire to seek work through an employment office that could be easily bribed.

No matter what hardships came, she was determined to endure.

And she would make sure that Catherine paid for her crimes.

After having a proper meal for the first time in days, Georgiana patiently waited for the right moment.

Her instincts told her that the man would return within a few days.

Every night, after putting Angela to sleep, she secretly hid in the back garden around midnight to observe.

The maid assigned to Angela had returned, but Angela still preferred to sleep with Georgiana. Concerned that this arrangement might inconvenience Raymond, she had asked for his opinion. Instead, he had thanked her and told her to do as Angela wished.

And today.

At last, the man with the cart appeared.

As soon as Georgiana confirmed his face, she ran straight to the butler’s room, intending to raid the scene with him.

She knocked on the inner door on the first floor, which she had previously noted, but there was no response.

“Are you there?”

Knowing it was impolite, but given the urgency, she turned the doorknob. The door clicked open.

Her gaze landed on the butler, lying on the bed in his daytime attire. On the bedside table next to him, a teacup sat with its contents half-finished.

The scene looked strangely disorderly for someone who had simply dozed off while drinking tea.

Although she hadn’t known him for long, the butler she knew would never fall asleep so defenselessly.

In that instant, she recalled the image of Catherine taking an animal sedative.

“Fine. Just make sure you arrive on time next time. Lately, the butler hasn’t been sleeping much, so I keep worrying he might wake up at dawn.”

Even her complaint from before echoed in Georgiana’s mind.

Judging by the circumstances, it was highly likely that Catherine had used the drug on the butler to ensure today’s deal went through.

No matter how much she shook him, he wouldn’t wake.

“Butler, please wake up!”

Fearing potential side effects of the drug, she placed her fingers under his nose. Fortunately, he was still breathing faintly.

However, he did not seem to be in a condition where he could wake up immediately.

After a moment of hesitation, Georgiana went to Raymond’s room but had to return when the attendant informed her that he was out.

Taking an attendant in Raymond’s stead was not an option—at this moment, she could trust no one.

She had no idea how far Catherine’s influence reached. As frustrating as it was, tonight, she might have to settle for merely watching. Another opportunity would come.

Georgiana once again softened her footsteps and approached the back garden. As before, Catherine and the maids were engaged in conversation.

By now, the cart was nearly full of sacks.

This time, there were also several rolls of fabric included. There was no way they had been gifts; she was certain this was yet another act of embezzlement.

But… where was the man?

Had he gone to fetch more goods?

Georgiana looked around, searching for the man who should have been nearby, craning her neck and scanning the surroundings.

Since the cart was nearly full, he would either be receiving payment or preparing to leave.

Had he vanished into thin air? Had he flown up into the sky?

She could not figure out why the man had disappeared, and an uneasy feeling crept over her.

That should be enough for today.

Just as she turned to leave, hidden among the flowers, someone suddenly grabbed her and pulled her back.