Chapter 20 Bullet and the other two watched in silence as the pieces of paper...
The two of them watched in silence as the pieces of paper flew farther and farther away, disappearing in front of them with the wind, just like watching a soul gradually dissipate in the air, never to be seen again.
"Let Ms. Tel sleep first." Mary was the first to break the silence around her, and started shoveling the soil back into the pit with a shovel. Manden also came over to help without saying a word.
Morning had arrived, and the damp mist clung to their faces, chilling even the sticks they held. Birds began to sing from the branches, preening their feathers. Rodents timidly dotted around them, nimbly slithering into the grass.
All things show vitality because of the alternation of life and death.
Looking at Ms. Tel's tombstone, Mary said good morning to her in her heart.
Lilith and Terl exchanged only a few letters, and no one knows if they continued communicating, or where those letters are. Was they destroyed by Terl, or did Lilith unilaterally sever ties? This abrupt end to the story feels like an aborted ending, making it even more heartbreaking.
The earth covered the intricate coffin, and Mary pressed the loose dirt firmly. After making sure the surface was smooth, she placed the carefully preserved turf back in its original position, without missing a beat.
"I think it must be Lilith who gave Ms. Tel a magic medicine to prevent her body from rotting. But... where did Lilith go?" Mary no longer thought that the other party was dead, but had escaped and gone somewhere else.
Manden also had this guess: "It seems that Ms. Tel and Miss Lilith have become close friends regardless of age. She must have a way to protect Lilith, and Lilith will definitely be wary now that she has recognized Diego's true face." Manden touched the only letter he had kept in his pocket, but hesitated: "According to the contents of the letter, Diego did intend to kill, but Ms. Tel deliberately condoned it... This..."
Mary also felt that this matter was complicated. Although Diego had dark thoughts, what he did was condoned by Ms. Tel, and in the end Ms. Tel did not die of poisoning, and Diego did not continue to poison after being exposed.
"Anyway, there's a good chance Lilith isn't dead. That's a good thing." Mary decided to make a clean break. "Let's keep the evidence. Just because it's not useful now doesn't mean it won't be useful in the future."
"That makes sense." Manden watched as the dark sky gradually faded, and from the sun's side, a pale gold and white appeared. He knew that time was running out for both Mary and himself. "We've been working on this all night. You should go back and rest. I'll tell her good friend the whole story and see what she decides."
"Well, let's do it this way."
It was already six in the morning, and the gravekeepers should be getting up soon to clean the graves. The two men left the cemetery quietly, riding together in the dim light of dawn, galloping through the deserted streets.
The morning air was refreshingly brisk, and Mary felt her social instincts activated. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool breeze brought on by the speed, and said with a smile, "Mr. Manden, can you finally rest? Lilith is fine, and Ms. Ter's case is considered resolved."
"Unfortunately, not yet." Manden smiled. "Today I will give this letter to Ms. Tel's good friend, and tomorrow I will leave to investigate a murder case in another place."
"Such a rush?" Mary felt exhausted just thinking about such a journey. "You won't be able to handle it, Manden."
The man behind him sighed softly, his expression inexplicably complex. "Who told me... I'm a cowboy? I have no place to go, and I can only spend my life on horseback." He wanted to put his arm around Mary's waist and embrace her, but in the end, he did nothing and said nothing.
The familiar, luxurious villa appeared before them. Mary had arrived at her destination. She glanced down at her watch. She was half an hour ahead of schedule, which was quite advantageous for her. However, if she didn't speed up, she would still be easily exposed.
The two looked at each other and then parted ways.
Mary's shoes were covered in mud, and her body was inevitably covered in dust. She simply took off her shoes and held them in her hands, nimbly climbing up the tree closest to her room, then easily jumped from the branch into the open window and successfully returned to her room.
Still without taking a breath, Mary quickly took off her clothes and began to wipe the stains on them. If she had known to change clothes before going out, she wouldn't be busy taking care of her maid outfit now.
Luckily, maid uniforms are mostly dark in color, so they don't look dirty. After making sure the clothes are clean, Mary goes to the bathroom to rinse the mud off the soles of her shoes.
After finishing the cleanup, there were still ten minutes left. Mary quickly combed her hair and washed her face, using this short time to transform herself back into the hardworking maid she had been before.
Smiling at herself in the mirror, she walked out the door with a broom and started cleaning.
The sky outside the window had turned a romantic pink, and it looked like today would be a bright and sunny day. Feeling the strong wind, which carried the scent of earth, Mary didn't feel tired at all, only a simple satisfaction in her heart. It was a relief that Lilith hadn't gotten into trouble because of her.
"Oh, my lovely Mary, what are you doing?" A voice as elegant and smooth as a cello reached Mary's ears as the door opened. Diego, wearing a racing suit, stood by the door and greeted her.
Mary knew Diego was no fool. He must have known that she had done something to make him faint. Mary had been prepared for Diego to get angry, but seeing his bright smile, she became even more alert.
"Uh...good morning." Mary said, then lowered her head and continued sweeping the floor, telling Diego what she was doing with her actions. Diego did not leave, he stood in front of her, with a guilty inquiry on his face.
One second
Diego suddenly swung his fist, a powerful blow aimed straight at Mary's face, but this attack, which was not intended to kill, was easy to dodge. The sweeping stick easily blocked the fist that attacked her. Mary tilted her head slightly and avoided the knee that was aimed at her jaw.
Her dodging not only failed to calm Diego down, but he actually started to get angry. Frowning, he made a strange sound: "wryyyyyyy!"
? ?
Mary had never heard such an outrageous cry before. She was slightly distracted and was accidentally kicked by Diego on the edge of her skirt, leaving a gray shoe print on it.
…Looking at Diego, who wasn't ready to retreat, Mary's eyes darkened. With incredible speed, she crouched down, her long legs straightening like a compass, and swiped hard at Diego's ankle, knocking him off balance. But the opponent's physique was also quite good, and he twisted his body mid-fall, landing as smoothly as a cat.
But before Diego could breathe a sigh of relief, Mary had already quietly arrived in front of him and kicked him in the chest. The sharp pain spread from his chest to his brain, and he thought in a trance that he had been kicked by a mad horse.
A rusty taste rose in Diego's throat, and he finally realized that the woman before him was nothing less than a humanoid combat weapon. It seemed Blackmore wasn't too weak, but Mary was too strong... so his suspicions were correct!
"Do you want to continue, sir?" That damn woman could actually say such a thing. Diego felt that he had not been so angry for many years, but the desire to win in his heart had never been so strong.
This world is always filled with light and darkness, and Mary is one of those who lurks in the darkness. She must know more secrets than he can imagine, and the benefits she can bring him are definitely greater than he can imagine!
She is a gold mine, but how much you can get from her depends on your ability.
The man lying on the ground let out a meaningless chuckle. Mary hesitated for a moment, then leaned over and opened her hand. "Sir, are you okay?"
The other person's blue-green eyes were like the pupils of a wild beast, and a familiar curve appeared at the corners of the handsome man's mouth: "I'm fine, Mary." He grabbed Mary's hand, but did not get up immediately. Instead, he sniffed Mary's fingers like an animal, and finally kissed her wrist.
"My lovely Mary, you smell like dirt and rust." Diego stared at Mary's pale face and asked, "What on earth did you do last night?"
Seeing Mary moving her mouth as if to fool him, Diego's voice turned cold: "Don't try to fool me. Although I don't know the truth, it doesn't mean I don't have a brain."
The situation reversed, and although Diego was now under Mary, he had the upper hand in this confrontation.
"I've never hurt you, nor have I ever lied to you. It's only natural that I need a reasonable explanation after being knocked unconscious by you, right?" Diego spoke quickly. Taking advantage of Mary's moment of distraction, he used all his strength to pull her to the ground and approached her. "Or are you just a cruel and indifferent woman?"
"Because you pulled me into your room, I felt..."
"What do you think? Oh, my lovely sweetheart, you don't think I have any bad intentions, do you? I just want to protect you. It really hurts me that you say that." Diego stroked Mary's cheek, as intimate as a couple in love. "Then let me guess what you did?"
He sniffed Mary's neck: "There's no smell of after-sex. It seems you're not having a tryst with a man. No, that's not right..."
He only thought about it for a few seconds, then said in disbelief, "You have a very unpleasant earthy smell. Did you dig up some dirt and bury a corpse?"
Diego had clearly uncovered a glimpse of the truth. His speech quickened, and the pressure in his eyes grew stronger. "No, you don't smell of blood. You couldn't have killed anyone. And with your skills, you wouldn't be content to be just a maid. So you came here to investigate me. It seems you're the one rummaging through my things, Mary."
Although she knew Diego was smart, she didn't expect him to figure out the truth so quickly. Mary sighed: "Yeah, that's right." She was a little curious about what he would do next.
fury?
Still feeling uneasy?
But Diego's reaction was still beyond Mary's expectations. He smiled again: "Mary, I think you are here on someone's behalf, so why don't you make a deal with me?"
"Deal?" When Mary heard this word, many bad memories came to her mind. She immediately pushed Diego who was on top of her over and stood up quickly with a suspicious expression on her face.
Diego wasn't angry. He just had a coaxing expression that was hard to describe, just like the serpent that tempted Eve to eat the apple. "Yes, this is a deal that will free you."
The woman opposite him had returned to her composure. Diego gritted his teeth secretly at her impeccable poker face, but continued speaking fluently, "Don't you want to escape from a life controlled by others?"
Mary didn't know what Diego was up to. His attitude towards his change of identity could no longer be described as effortless, but rather a little outrageous.
At first they were master and servant, then it seemed like they were developing into a couple, and now they acted like they were going to be accomplices, leaving Mary feeling a little lost.
Although she didn't know how much Diego had guessed, Mary didn't think he had the ability to let her go completely free. Unless...
Just when Diego thought his lobbying had failed, the woman in front of him finally spoke. She said very cautiously, "You should... know about substitutes, right?"
A double? What double? Was she saying the current president had a double who looked just like him, to confuse snipers? Or was she saying something else? Diego looked at her suspiciously, racking his brains to figure out if this was a code. But no matter how quickly he thought, he couldn't fully grasp the meaning. Mary's hopeful expression faded, much to Diego's displeasure.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, guy"
“Get down!!”
The woman in front of him suddenly jumped up and pushed him to the ground, but Diego still couldn't dodge in time. The bullet grazed his arm, leaving a bloody mark.
"I'm really disappointed, Mary." The visitor whispered softly, "But I will polish you back to your original appearance."
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
