The Woman Edward Never Knew

Third-Person POV

“Any news?”

Edward didn't look up from the report in his hands. Across the desk, Marcus stood holding several documents he had just brought from the investigation office.

“Not yet, Your Grace. We've searched the inns, the residences of her relatives, and several routes leading out of the capital. There's no record of Lady Isabelle Rose leaving the city.”

“She couldn't have simply vanished.”

“It's possible someone helped her leave under another identity.”

Edward set down his pen.

Isabelle's name still appeared in several reports scattered across his desk. Ever since the wedding had taken place without the bride who had originally been chosen, his men had been searching for her. Days had passed, yet every lead had ended in a dead end.

“Investigate the people who worked at the Rose residence again. I want to know who last saw her before she disappeared.”

“Do you suspect the Rose family, Your Grace?”

“I suspect everyone who knows something but chooses to remain silent.”

Marcus lowered his head. “Understood, Your Grace.”

Edward returned his attention to the documents before him.

Something about Isabelle's disappearance didn't sit right with him. She was supposed to marry him, yet she had vanished on the night before the wedding ceremony. There had been no farewell letter, no explanation, not even an apology.

In the past, Edward might have dismissed it as an act of desperation. But now, after discovering several irregularities involving the Rose family's affairs, he was no longer certain that Isabelle's departure had been nothing more than a matter of the heart.

“Marcus.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Don't limit the investigation to Isabelle. Find out who might have had a reason to make her disappear.”

Marcus nodded before leaving the room.

Edward let out a quiet sigh. He had already spent too much time dealing with the matter, while the affairs of House Alistair would not wait for him.

Among the piles of reports, one document caught his attention. It was the household expenditure report for Alistair Manor, prepared by his wife.

Eleanor Genevieve Rose.

Her name still felt unfamiliar when associated with the woman now living in his residence.

Before their marriage, Eleanor had been known as stubborn, easily offended, jealous, and far too obsessed with winning his attention. She was always finding excuses to be near him, looking for opportunities to speak with him, and sometimes even causing a scene simply because he had refused one of her requests.

Yet the woman currently living at Alistair Manor seemed like an entirely different person.

According to the reports he had received over the past few days, Eleanor had taken charge of household management, replaced food suppliers, improved the servants' work schedules, and even uncovered discrepancies in the expenditure records.

These were things Edward would never have imagined Eleanor doing before.

Eleanor has truly changed. Not just her attitude. Even the way she speaks is different, he thought.

Edward picked up the report and reread several sections.

“She's quite meticulous,” he murmured.

A knock sounded before he could continue.

“Come in.”

Robert, the family treasurer, entered carrying a folder. He didn't look particularly pleased.

“Forgive the interruption, Your Grace. I'd like to report on the latest developments regarding Alistair Manor's financial management.”

“If this is about the Duchess's decisions, I've already received her report.”

“That's precisely what I'd like to discuss. Some of the changes the Duchess has made were rather sudden. The department heads have begun following her instructions, and I'm concerned they may start believing that all household decisions now fall under her authority.”

Edward closed the folder he had been reading.

“Didn't I grant her that authority for the next month?”

“You did, Your Grace.”

“Then let her work. I'll evaluate the results once the trial period is over.”

Robert looked as though he wanted to say something, but eventually, he simply lowered his head.

“Very well, Your Grace.”

“And Robert, don't obstruct decisions that fall within her authority simply because you're not accustomed to receiving orders from the Duchess.”

The treasurer's expression tightened slightly. “I understand.”

After Robert left, Edward returned to Eleanor's report.

He disliked changes that took place without his supervision, but he couldn't ignore the results either. At the very least, the woman seemed to understand that managing a residence involved more than simply giving orders to the servants.

Another knock sounded before he could resume working.

“Come in.”

Edward glanced briefly toward the door.

This time, it was Henry.

“Forgive me, Your Grace. There's a report from Alistair Manor.”

“What happened?”

“The Duchess has discovered a room that has been locked for a long time in the east wing.”

Edward immediately raised his head and leaned back in his chair.

“What is she doing there now?”

Henry hesitated before answering.

“The Duchess is trying to open it, Your Grace.”

“Has she found the key?”

“No.”

Edward frowned. “Then what is she doing to open it?”

“I haven't received a complete report yet. However, one of the servants said the Duchess requested several small objects from the storeroom before examining the keyhole. She also asked everyone to move away from the door.”

“Why?”

“She said she needed some quiet to understand the mechanism.”

Edward studied Henry for a moment. “You allowed her to do that?”

“I was there, Your Grace. At first, I assumed the Duchess was simply trying to pick the lock in the usual way. But...” Henry looked confused before continuing. “...her method was different.”

“Different how?”

Henry shook his head. “I can't explain it. She used a thin strip of metal and a small object that she had somehow reshaped. No one understood what she was doing.”

Edward was about to return to his documents when Henry continued.

“And... she managed to open the door.”

His hand stopped above the desk.

“She opened it?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“How?”

“That's what no one can explain. The Duchess didn't use a key, force the hinges, or damage the door. She simply listened through the keyhole, adjusted the position of the object she was using, and then we heard a click from inside.”

Edward fell silent.

“How long did it take her?”

“Less than an hour.”

“And you're telling me no one helped her?”

“No one, Your Grace. I saw it myself.”

For a moment, Edward simply stared at Henry.

He had heard of various methods for opening locked doors. Locksmiths, guards, even thieves all had their own techniques. But Eleanor's actions sounded unlike any method commonly known within the empire.

“Has she entered the room?”

“Not yet, Your Grace. The Duchess instructed everyone not to touch anything inside until it had been inspected. She also asked me to make sure none of the servants took anything.”

Edward lowered his gaze to Eleanor's report, which still lay open on his desk.

The woman didn't just discover a hidden room. She also managed to open it without damaging anything. And more interestingly, she was cautious enough to forbid anyone from touching its contents.

Eleanor... what kind of woman are you, really? he wondered.

“She really did all of that herself?” Edward asked again, seeking confirmation.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Edward studied Henry for a long moment.

His father had once forbidden anyone from entering that room. Even Edward himself had never been given the chance to discover what lay behind its door.

And now, Eleanor had managed to open it without having to destroy anything.

The corner of Edward's mouth lifted slightly.

“Seems my wife has just accomplished something even I never managed to do.”

Edward rose immediately and took his coat from the back of his chair.

“Don't let anyone enter until I arrive.”

“Are you going to inspect it yourself, Your Grace?”

“Of course. There must be a reason that room has remained locked for all these years. I don't want anyone rummaging through its contents before we know what's actually hidden inside.”

Henry bowed. “I'll convey your orders.”

Edward headed toward the door but paused briefly.

“Henry.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Don't tell the Duchess I'm on my way.”

Henry looked slightly surprised. “Would you like to surprise her?”

Edward glanced back with a faint smile.

“I simply want to see my unusual wife's abilities for myself.”

***