Chapter 42: Emerald Hummingbird

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Edited by: bafflinghaze

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Countess Astella Moores was a woman who rarely participated in Noble Society.

She appeared one day without any explanation, claiming that the Earl was the father of her son.

A visit to the Magic Tower revealed that the child belonged to the Earl.

Several months later, Earl Moores married Astella Castas and stepped down as the head of the Moores Family.

Close friends of his visited the manor to see him, in fear of a conspiracy. But the truth was, he was still grieving for his late wife despite his remarriage, and would not leave their shared bedroom.

Earl Moores was swallowed by his grief and ignored the present, forgetting he still had a sickly son left by his first love in favor of living in his delusions.

As a result, all responsibilities of the Earldom fell to the current Countess, and so her reputation plummeted.

In the beginning, it was rumored she was the daughter of a humble seamstress and lowly merchant from a rural village in the desert.

She had no backing in the aristocracy, no proper standing or lineage, and no particular talent worth admiring.

But she was beautiful and a little strange, and there was an unnaturalness about her that drew eyes.

It was enough to catch the interests of the higher-ranking families, and those with the proper clearances did a little digging.

Then they found the classified documents.

Whispers floated within the banquets and balls.

If one traced the timeline between the death of the late Countess Lydia and the age of the current Countess' son, they were met with a discrepancy in the timelines.

Everyone knew the Earl was loyal to his wife. He even defied the previous Earl and wedded the then-servant Lydia after the war.

And yet, there was a three-year age difference between his two sons.

What happened between the Earl Moores and his new wife?

The suspicious passing of Lydia Moores, the arrival of Astella Castas, and the sudden seclusion of Earl Moores after his second marriage...

It smelled of intrigue.

The higher-ranking families were quiet despite the rumors, allowing the whispers to spiral into several directions.

It was better that way, especially after their discovery.

Astella Moores was the heir of the Castas Family, a key player in the criminal underworld.

It was best not to offend, especially when the Castas led the two most infamous criminal organizations in the underworld—The Syndicate and The Iron Lotus.

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In the Moores Family Manor.

A handsome servant arrived at the Countess' Garden.

He was a tall man. His hair was ash-grey, and his face was marked with a scar that stretched from his chin to his cheek. His eyes were narrower, his skin darker, as if he used to live somewhere warmer than the mild climates of the Rhine.

It was clear he was not native to the Empire, but the mystique that came with his foreignness made him one of the most attractive men among the Earl's staff.

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