Chapter 20

꧁꧂

‘Ah, I feel refreshed. I’m so happy that a lot of money is coming to my hands soon.’

Isabel was in a good mood today. Isabel went out to her heart’s content and was lazy because Mother kept sleeping like a sick chicken.

In addition, Nicole was kinder and more attentive than usual, rather than controlling Isabel.

“Nicole, that idiot must have felt sorry that she dared to rebel against me.”

Didn’t Nicole say she would give Isabel a chance to go out with an excuse for gathering herbs today?

‘I heard there were people who had stomachache because of the milk that came from Grace’s house last week’

Ignorant rural people fed milk porridge to their children and became sick.

There’s gonna be dead children coming out soon enough.….

‘Jen will do something to make the strange woman who lives in that house a witch.’

By the way, Nicole was a little weird.

‘Does that idiot go out every night? It seemed like she was walking around in the early morning yesterday. I thought it was because she was preparing for breakfast.’

But when she arrived at Grace’s house, Isabel’s expression changed innocently.

First, Isabel headed to the cattle shed and fed the cows with poisonous weeds.

Then she went into the house and acted cute to Grace, pretending not to know anything.

“Ta-da! Isabel made a surprise appearance. Hehe, you didn’t expect me to come at this time, did you? My mother allowed me to go out secretly.”

“Here you are, Isabel.”

But Grace looked strange.

She seemed tired, as she would normally shower Isabel with affection and serve her a lot of delicious snacks.

“What’s wrong with you? I’m afraid you’re sick.”

Isabel said calmly and examined Grace’s face closely.

Sometimes Isabel felt a strange cold terror from Grace. Just like now.

Sometimes there was a moment when she felt like a country bumpkin in front of a person of high status whom she couldn’t even make eye contact with.

“Isabel, would you like to sit down?”

Grace said, tapping slowly on the table. Isabel sat down quietly.

Grace took a sip of tea and asked quietly.

“Do you have an older sister, Isabel?”

Isabel’s smiling mouth hardened slightly.

She blinked exaggeratedly to hide her trembling eyes.

‘Oh, really. My bad hunch is always true.’

What did her damn sister do?

But unlike her busy head, Isabel immediately nodded.

“Yes! Have you met my sister by any chance?”

“Yeah. I happened to know her. Your sister is a calm and nice child. By the way, your sister was talking about my barn. She looked at the cows and she said they seemed sick.”

“Oh, did she?”

“When I heard that, she said they looked as if they had eaten something wrong. Do you remember the servants who come and go into my house? Do you think any of them are suspicious?”

Grace said affectionately. Isabel rolled her eyes.

‘This woman… Is she testing me?’

Isabel has to frame someone else.

‘Because Isabel seems to be a pure and kind person to people’s eyes.’

The answer in this case was simple.

“Well, maybe……. Did my sister give Grace a present or did she do you a favor when you talked to her?”

Turning her attention to gossip about others altogether. Isabel instinctively knew how to get rid of people’s suspicions.

Grace paused. Isabel’s lips went up as if she could see it.

‘What did she give her? She probably didn’t know how to get close to people, so she tried to do them a favor. I’m sure she gave her herbs or fruit chips. It’s obvious what she did.’

“Why do you ask that?”

“What she gave you wasn’t food, was it?” It’s a big problem if you take it yourself. Please tell me right away. Then it could be dangerous.”

Isabel hasn’t taken off her girlish mask yet, and she wasn’t just a beauty.

Her audience sees a transparent and girlish charm enough to melt their heart.

“She did give me medicine.”

Isabel said.

“Is this the medicine?”

It’s obvious that it’s from their home. They always classified medicine bottles in the same way. Isabel found the bottle on the fireplace without difficulty.

As expected, this pill was made by her sister.

“She said it’s a cure for insomnia.”

“Did you take it?”

“I haven’t taken it yet. There was an eventful incident yesterday.”

“Oh, thank God.”

“What do you want to say?”

Isabel is turning toward the fireplace. She turned her head slowly.

Isabel looked frightened before she knew it.

“I have a favor to ask of you. The cat in the backyard…… I’ll get the cat.”

Isabel hurried out holding the bottle of medicine before she heard the answer.

Grace got up in a hurry and followed her.

‘I’m glad I stopped by Karen and Jen’s cabin before I came here.’

Isabel grew poisonous weeds and poisonous insects in their cabin.

Some of them were made to grind ripe poisonous weeds.

So she had some of those medicinal ingredients in her arms.

Isabel’s actions were swift.

She took Grace out and naturally sprayed poison beetle powder into Nicole’s medicine.

“I’ll give this cat the medicine.”

“………why did you do that…….”

But Grace didn’t stop her.

The cat in the backyard came out languidly, thinking she was feeding him as usual.

Isabel took out a beef jerky, crushed a pill in between, and handed it over.

Meooowww—

After a while, the cat that ate beef jerky fell sideways while scratching.

“Now…… what happened?”

“I don’t think he’s dead. Ha-ha- I’m glad you didn’t drink that. I think he’s just paralyzed.”

Isabel wiped the area around her eyes. She seemed very relieved.

“Tell me the details. What on earth did your sister give me?”

“Actually, she has a mental illness. When she meets a stranger, she bewitches them with her good looks and feeds them with poisonous weeds, and she plays such mischievous pranks. Apparently, the medicine she gave Grace was mixed with a large amount of paralyzing drug.”

Isabel sniffed.

“Really, I think of Grace…… like my real mother.… You’re very precious. I wish you didn’t know about her. Isabel is so ashamed of her sister.”

“That’s interesting. Tell me more about your sister.”

Grace said, with no regard for Isabel, who was trembling and crying.

“My sister has an inferiority complex to Isabel. She’s trying to hurt Isabel using the people who’s precious to her. That’s why I kept Grace’s presence secret from the family……. Actually, the reason my family lives in hiding is because my sister keeps causing problems. I don’t know how many times it’s already been.”

“Didn’t you say you lived in hiding because of your parents’ debts?”

“That’s true, too! But it’s also because of her mental illness. Is there anything missing from the house? Something valuable. Look carefully in your drawers. She’s been stealing from a lot of people. My sister must have lost her mind after seeing such a nice mansion.”

Grace usually didn’t even think deeply about what jewels she had.

Grace looked through the bedroom after a very long time.

A couple of brooches were missing.

“There’s really something missing, but…….”

“As expected. She did it again.”

Isabel held Grace’s hand and said eagerly.

“Isabel will find the brooch somehow. So, keep it a secret from my parents. They’re poor people. I’m so worried about my sister. And… forgive her. It’s because she has a disease, she’s not a bad person.”

Grace was silent for a moment, as if in agony. Then she nodded.

“Okay. I won’t harm your sister for now.”

“Thank you, Grace!”

“Anyway, you should get going for today. I need time to think.”

“You should search the house carefully because you don’t know what else she could’ve done. She’s done nasty things at someone else’s house before. For example, killing the animals in the house or making bad rumors.”

Isabel spoke to Grace until the end.

“I’ll send you back.”

Grace said. It was nothing short of a congratulatory order.

“I… Can I come back to play again?””

Isabel said, looking around.

“Even after you found out that Isabel’s older sister was like that…… You won’t hate Isabel?”

“Of course.”

Grace said gracefully.

“As you say, if there’s a problem it’s ‘only your sister.’”

“Ah, I can’t believe I can keep seeing Grace. That alone makes me happy.”

Isabel said pitifully.

“But Isabel.”

Looking back, Grace said to Isabel on the back of her head.

“Do you know Karen and Jen?”

Isabel’s body hardened once again. She turned her head slowly.

“I don’t know them. I’m always with my family and sometimes I secretly come to see Grace. But… My sister sometimes shakes off our parents and sneaks around outside. Believe me…….”

“I see.”

Grace replied. And quietly closed the gate.

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