If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 83

“Angela, I have an urgent matter to attend to right now. Can we talk later?”

Angela was always Raymond’s priority, but for some reason, his mind felt rushed. His anxious gaze flicked to the clock as he sought her understanding.

Where was the maid responsible for looking after the child?

There wasn’t a single maid in sight along the corridor to entrust her to.

“But I have something urgent too.”

Angela spread her arms wide and stomped her feet, urging him.

“What is it?”

Raymond lowered himself to meet the child’s eyes, gazing at her steadily. She was not one to act like this without reason.

“Leona is missing. She wasn’t in the room next to mine when I woke up. I asked where she went, but no one knows.”

Ah…

Since he had only just heard about it from the butler and given his orders, it made sense that the reason for Leona’s absence had not yet been relayed to Angela.

After organizing his thoughts to provide an explanation the child could understand, he carefully opened his mouth.

“Lady Leona had to take a sudden leave. She had to leave in a hurry, so she asked me to apologize for not saying goodbye.”

“Really?”

Seeing the gloom cloud Angela’s face, he quickly added, “She said she wouldn’t be gone long. Can you wait patiently until she returns?”

“Yes. I can wait.”

Hearing that Leona would return, Angela nodded vigorously. Then, after looking around, she took a small folded note from her pocket and handed it to him.

“Then I should give this to you, Daddy. Leona said if she ever disappeared without saying goodbye, I should make sure you got this. She told me it was a secret just between us, so I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Lady Leona gave you this?”

When he asked again, holding the note, Angela nodded.

“Yes. She said I must show it only to you.”

So that was why Angela had come all the way to his office alone, without a maid—just to deliver this.

His pupils trembled violently as he unfolded the paper, folded three times.

Mr. Rivern, this is Leona Owen.

I apologize for sending this letter through Miss Angela. I had no one I could trust, so I had no choice but to ask her. If this letter has reached you, I am likely no longer in the mansion.

While inspecting the estate, I discovered inappropriate dealings involving the head maid and some maids concerning tobacco leaves, and I have been working to expose them. The reason I did not report it immediately was that without concrete evidence, they would escape punishment once again, so I needed time to gather proof.

If I suddenly disappear, it is highly likely to be connected to this matter. Since I have no reason to leave without saying goodbye, please look for me through them if I vanish.

The letter was as neat and graceful as her usual demeanor.

But the content was anything but.

“Daddy?”

Only when Angela called out to him did Raymond realize that he had been staring at the letter as if he would tear it apart. The corner he was gripping had been stretched taut.

Of course, there was always the possibility that she had left this behind as a deception before fleeing. She could have intended to create confusion for others.

But if that had been her goal, she would have written a longer and more detailed letter and left it somewhere anyone could find.

There was no reason to entrust it specifically to Angela.

Raymond’s suspicions solidified.

Regardless of the truth, he had already decided to search for Leona. This letter had merely narrowed the scope of his search.

Though he wanted to drag Catherine in for questioning immediately, the thought that it might put Leona’s life in danger made him hold back.

He forced himself to suppress the thought that something terrible might have already happened.

“Our Angela has done something very important. Thank you. Just in case, let’s keep this secret about Leona between us. Even delivering this letter to me should stay just between us. Understand?”

“Of course! Angela won’t tell anyone.”

Angela confidently raised her chin.

Raymond ruffled the child’s hair several times, using the moment to calm his turbulent emotions.

After carrying Angela in his arms back to her room, he called for Bill, who had been following him in secrecy.

Once, when Angela had encountered Bill, she had burst into tears upon seeing his large frame clad in black. Since then, Bill had taken care to keep his presence hidden whenever Angela was around.

“Bill, it looks like Leona has been kidnapped. Catherine is behind it. It’s connected to the missing tobacco leaves.”

Raymond handed the letter he held to him.

As Bill read the letter, the usual lack of expression on his face slowly shifted, his brows drawing tightly together. The time the two had spent together during their shooting lessons had certainly brought them closer.

Raymond had recently heard reports from Evan that there were increasing discrepancies in the quantity of tobacco leaves. It seemed that someone had been regularly taking from both the stored tobacco and the sacks of lower-quality leaves meant for disposal.

Suspecting that they were being mixed and sold together, they had been investigating the culprit. Somehow, in the midst of this, Leona had become involved.

If her note was true, then the head maid was behind it all.

He also considered the possibility that she had been discovered while investigating, leading to the previous incident where she was framed and almost driven out of the mansion.

“If she’s been kidnapped, we must find her before a day has passed.”

“Yes.”

The longer they delayed, the greater the risk to her life or the possibility that she would be taken somewhere worse.

Even if it wasn’t his plantation, other estates were desperate for slaves. The illegal human trafficking market thrived because plantation owners needed laborers.

Raymond had been supporting the independence forces in the hopes that, once an independent government was established, slavery would finally be abolished.

“First, I will monitor the head maid’s actions. If she hasn’t left the mansion since last night’s incident, she will likely try to make external contact today. That will be our opportunity. Moving too hastily might put Leona in greater danger.”

“Alright. If necessary, force her to talk.”

“I will do so.”

Watching Bill hurry away, Raymond clenched his fists.

‘Was I too complacent?’

He blamed himself, believing that if he had acted sooner, this wouldn’t have happened.

Leona, who had only been at the mansion for a short time, had immediately taken action upon discovering the corruption. Yet he, the master of the estate, had neglected everything after his wife’s death, allowing things to fester.

And now, an innocent person had suffered because of it.

Raymond gritted his teeth.

This time, he was determined to put an end to the long-standing corruption and bad practices he had previously ignored. While it would be difficult due to labor shortages, he intended to expel all servants involved in illegal activities.

He summoned a servant and sent a letter to Evan in town, informing him that a large-scale replacement of the workforce would be necessary.

***

After Scat, Liv’s uncle, took Leona away, Catherine had spent the night restless. The way Scat had looked at the governess with his greedy eyes unsettled her.

She had a nagging suspicion that he wouldn’t kill her but rather smuggle her away instead.

‘I should have killed her myself back then.’

With her appearance, even if she were sold to a brothel, she would fetch a high price. Women were already scarce in this region, and someone like her would have nobles vying to purchase her.

Even Raymond, who had never looked at any woman besides his wife, had turned his head to glance at her multiple times.

Whether it was admiration or something else, she didn’t know. But it was the first time Raymond had ever behaved like an ordinary man.

And of all places, that woman had ended up here.

Catherine had disliked Leona from the start. Her shabby attire and lack of status were one thing, but it was her composed demeanor and self-righteous air that irritated her the most.

And without Veronica in the mansion, Leona had freely interacted with Angela without even acknowledging Catherine’s authority over the maids.

On top of that, the way she calmly responded to everything made Catherine furious.

That woman needed to die for all the evidence to be erased.

First, she planned to speak with the butler in the morning and then head to town in the afternoon. She wouldn’t feel at ease until she personally confirmed that Leona was dead.

In the morning, Catherine gathered the maids and distributed the day’s tasks, making sure to assign all of Liv’s work to Joan. The girl, already timid from the past few days, lowered her head even further.

Catherine had suffered because of Joan’s incompetence that day.

She had failed to hide the stolen goods properly, embarrassing Catherine in front of everyone. Though she found it difficult to forgive, she decided to keep Joan around for now.

There were too many shared secrets between them to simply discard her. If she were to be disposed of, it would have to be through more drastic means.

Leaving Liv with reduced duties, Catherine set out for town. She dismissed the carriage halfway and planned to rent another for temporary travel. Just as she was about to proceed, someone suddenly stepped in front of her.

“It’s been a while, Catherine.”

“Who… Ah!”

Catherine’s face stiffened as she recognized Henry, whose once-proud face had become gaunt over the past few months.