The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 233
After a moment of silence,
“Shall we talk while walking?”
“Alright.”
Nina followed behind Melanie, who had turned around at her words, and began walking slowly.
Melanie’s back looked weighed down, as if she were carrying the accumulated secrets of the mansion.
“…To be precise, there are three types of paintings normally displayed in the long gallery.”
One, family portraits.
Two, portraits of previous heads of house.
Three, private collections.
Melanie explained as she walked.
If family portraits were displayed in the long gallery, the portraits of previous heads would be placed in another space of comparable importance.
Conversely, if the portraits of previous heads were displayed in the long gallery, then the family portraits would be placed near the central staircase or in the receiving room.
The placement of portraits depended on various factors, such as the mansion’s interior design and the family’s traditions.
Originally, the long gallery of House Bayern displayed the portraits of previous heads.
“…Because Master’s father was a stern and authoritarian man.”
So they had originally hung the portraits of the former heads of house in the long gallery, but after the first wife passed and the second wife entered the household, the gallery began to display family portraits instead.
Rumors had spread widely that the second wife, Ash’s birth mother, was constantly creating discord in the household by trying to undercut the heir.
If family portraits were displayed in an important space like the long gallery, it would look harmonious to outsiders.
When they reached the long gallery, Melanie’s expression darkened.
“…But after His Grace inherited the title, he took down all the family portraits.”
“……”
Nina walked inside step by step.
The wide, high walls were filled only with individual portraits.
Among them, the ones of Ash’s father and mother were absent.
“That is all I can tell you.”
“…It’s enough.”
Her mouth felt dry and gritty, as if filled with sand.
The fact that Ash removed the family and parental portraits as soon as he rose to his title made it easy to guess the meaning.
Discord with his parents.
No, it must have been far worse than simple discord.
“Even if my relationship with that boy is more awkward than you realize, do you really think he might be waiting for me?”
Before going to meet Ian.
Judging from what Ash had told her then, perhaps…
‘…No. Don’t overthink it.’
Nina shook her head.
It was best to recognize that this was something she should not touch.
If there were problems deeper than mere family conflict, then it was not something she should uncover or involve herself with.
“Head maid, we will have to completely rearrange the paintings.”
“How shall we proceed?”
“Hang all of Henry’s paintings here. Move the first duke’s portrait to the receiving room, and for the rest, I’ll decide after I take a look.”
Until Melanie explained things, Nina had only thought it a little strange, nothing alarming…
But now that she realized it was a Pandora’s box, an inverse scale one must never touch, it bothered her intensely.
‘The key is to arrange things so no one feels something is off even without family portraits.’
Until now, people probably never noticed anything strange because of the tension between her and Ash.
But going forward, things would be different.
Everyone believed the couple had reconciled and were now close.
* * *
House Bayern’s underground prison.
Hozi walked down the corridor, humming lightly despite the foul, stomach-turning stench clinging to the air.
He stopped in front of a heavy iron door and pushed up his glasses.
Two had already been interrogated, and now only one remained.
They no longer needed information from this last man, since the first two had confessed everything.
The reason Hozi came to see him was because there was something he needed to make the man do.
‘There is too much work to do, so I had better finish this quickly.’
It was a shame, since toys of a baronet level were rare, but it could not be helped.
Clicking his tongue softly, Hozi opened the heavy metal door and stepped inside.
The Azelot knight, who had been trapped for days in the dark, foul-smelling space, jerked his head up.
How long had he endured, tied to a chair in such a place?
His face had already turned blue with fear.
Without even glancing at him, Hozi walked straight toward the array of ‘tools’ hanging on one side of the wall.
