"After Miss Laeticia came to the Croix estate, she wanted to gain the Duke's favor and produce an offspring. Unfortunately, His Grace paid little attention to us and rarely came into the Miss' chamber." Agnes paused for a second to look at Laeticia's daughter—an unspecified emotion loomed in her eyes.

The little girl again fought against the older maid, opening her mouth and trying to speak—however, only muffled noises escaped her throat.

The plump maid's gaze returned to the floor and continued, "Miss Laeticia was eager to climb the rank and received pressure from the House of Sabran to consolidate the alliance. During this time, she met a young, newly recruited guard."

"Is that so?"

"Y, yes, Your Grace. The guard became infatuated with Miss Laeticia, and she used him to achieve her goal. Soon after, they conceived a child. That guard was the Young Miss Azalea's father."

"Was he the same guard that I caught with her?"

"Yes, milady."

What an unbelievable story. Elaine studied the maid called Agnes Rossi. She could poke many holes through the woman's recount. Within the Croix estate, where the Duke's surveillances were everywhere, how could Laeticia continue her affair for so long without anyone noticing? Gerard was no fool. He could easily deduce if the mistress' pregnancy timeline correlated with his visits. Unfortunately, Laeticia is no longer alive to dispute her maid's absurd claims.

Elaine peeked at Liviane, seeing no reaction from her to Agnes' story. Even she could detect the flaws in Laeticia's former maid's allegation. Elaine doubted someone seasoned like the Duchess would not realize the discrepancies.

"Since you were the one that first notified me of the child's fraudulent lineage, I assume you possess enough evidence to back up your claims?" Liviane inquired. The slight upturn in the corner of her lips made the plump woman's heart jump up her throat.

So the one that informed Estella's mother about the current matter was Agnes. Elaine glanced at the little girl. Like a deflated balloon, Azalea's unyielding facade shattered. Her body slumped backward while her expression froze in shock—tears of anguish streaming down her cheeks. It was a betrayal too great for the child to endure.

"I, I do." Agnes placed a shaking hand inside her dress pocket and pulled out a stack of crumpled letters. "These are correspondences between Miss Laeticia and the guard over the years." She smoothed the items' creases and presented them above her head—her face remained glued to the ground.

"Bring them to me," the Duchess ordered.

"As you wish, Your Grace." A maid stepped forward and accepted the letters from the plump woman's trembling palms. She then returned to her position and offered them to Liviane.

Estella's mother opened a letter and skimmed its contents. Curious, Elaine also picked from the stack and conducted her perusing, only to discover nothing inside. Elaine stared skeptically into the blank paper, then looked to Liviane for answers. The Duchess threw the empty letter at Agnes and ordered, "Bring that maid outside and execute her for the crime of deception."

Two guards near the entrance marched toward Laeticia's former maid, obeying Liviane's command.

"Please wait, milady!" Agnes cried before the guards could reach her—terror clouding her expression. "The letters are not empty! I, I know how to make the words appear! Please let me show you!"

"Stop."

The guards halted their advance.

"I will allow you this last chance."

"Th, thank you, Your Grace!" The plump maid's head again collided with the marble floor. She crawled toward the letter and meekly pleaded, "Please…please light me a candle."

"Do as she requested." Liviane nodded.

"Yes, Your Grace." A maid lit a candle on the candle holder hanging on the chamber's wall. She then extracted the holder and brought it before Agnes.

Laeticia's former maid scrambled to her feet, one hand clutching the blank letter. She straightened the paper and hovered it over the burning candle. Under everyone's intense scrutiny, characters and words slowly appeared on the letter, filling the entire page. "Miss Laeticia wrote these letters using special ink to avoid detection. Only under candlelight would their contents materialize," Agnes explained, handing the paper to Liviane's maid.

The Duchess again accepted the letter. Beside her, Elaine motioned the maid over and copied the plump woman's actions. She began reading as the lines of texts revealed themselves on the page. Inside was an exchange between Laeticia and her lover. She professed her love for the guard and warned him against discussing their relationship with others, even his closest family. The guard, in return, swore to protect their secret with his life.

Elaine closed the letter in disappointment. It was a regular love affair communication and disclosed no additional information. "If these letters traveled between Laeticia and the guard throughout the years, the contents should have already appeared. Why did the pages remain empty until now?" Elaine raised a question that plagued her mind.

"Be, because Miss Laeticia's special ink had another unique property. After the candlelight reveals its message, the ink will disappear again in two hours," the plump maid replied, her voice croaking from previous cries for mercy.

"Special indeed." Elaine's gaze returned to the letter. If Agnes' statements were to believe, then the mistress was meticulous in concealing her affair. However, slivers of doubt still dance around her intuition. She felt the paper material and found no traces of magic remnants. Could this evidence contain fabrication? How would anyone guarantee the letters originated from Laeticia? Elaine peeked at Duchess and noticed a small jeer on her lips. The discovery raised the hair on the back of her neck.