Chapter 559: Misunderstanding

Chapter 559: Chapter 306: Misunderstanding

The two were startled. “Miss Maya,” Edward said, “what is this…?”

Maya took a deep breath, as if steeling her resolve. Her gaze was resolute, fixed on Baron as she declared:

“Baron Constantin, please turn yourself in!”

…

An awkward silence descended upon the living room.

Edward was about to speak when Maya cut him off. “I’ve already put sleeping pills in both of your coffees. I’m sorry, Edward… I’m also happy that you’re reunited with your younger brother, but not if he’s the fiend from the newspapers who senselessly murdered a family of three.”

She gripped a kitchen cleaver with both hands, striking a pose that, to Baron’s eyes, was riddled with openings. “Then I say a criminal who robbed others of their happiness has no right to be happy himself!!!”

She turned to Edward. “I’m very sorry, Edward, but even if you come to hate me for this, I absolutely will not let a murderer walk free!!!”

Maya had paced and hesitated in the kitchen for a long while before coming to this decision, but in the end, she had managed to steel her resolve.

Before that, however, she had wanted to hear from Baron himself what he thought of his own sins—to see if he had any desire to atone, any thought of sincere repentance.

That was the reason for her earlier questions.

Unfortunately, Baron’s answer was not what Maya had anticipated. Having taken a psychology course in college, she analyzed his micro-expressions and movements as he spoke. She could tell that not only did he feel no remorse, but after she had asked, “You don’t regret it?” and he had answered, she’d even seen a distinct flash of glee in his eyes.

This told her he would very likely kill again.

Sure enough, upon hearing that sleeping pills had been added to the coffee, Edward instantly felt his eyelids grow heavy… Well, not instantly. He had actually been yawning for a while, but he hadn’t paid it much mind, chalking it up to fatigue from his busy work schedule. Now that Maya had revealed the truth, the combination of the drug’s effect and the power of suggestion was making him genuinely drowsy.

Edward said, “You’ve… misunderstood…”

Having said that, his eyelids drooped shut, and he began to snore.

Maya looked at Baron, her gaze falling on the empty coffee cup before him. “Why haven’t you passed out?”

Baron didn’t know how to explain his identity as one of the Old Race, so he just sighed and said he didn’t like coffee. He also took the opportunity to explain to Maya that the accusations in the newspaper were false. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the paper that named Lankao as the true culprit, so he lacked the evidence to back up his claim.

Just as he’d expected, Maya looked suspicious. She told Baron to stay put, then rushed downstairs, locking the door from the outside behind her. It seemed she was going to verify something.

Locked inside, Baron finally had time to survey the room.

Westminster Cathedral had arranged a two-bedroom apartment. It was a fairly standard layout, even by the standards of his past life, albeit a bit dated. Judging by the sheen on the floorboards and the World War II recruitment poster on the wall, the apartment was at least from his grandfather’s generation.

‘But hey, once the 21st century rolls around, this apartment would be from the tenants’ great-grandfathers’ generation.’

This was a common problem with most apartments in the United Kingdom. The landlords only cared about collecting rent; they couldn’t care less about keeping up with the times. You were supposed to feel honored just to live in London for a few hundred British Pounds a week. Renovations? Not a chance.

While Maya was downstairs, Baron wandered around the apartment. Just as he remembered, there were potted plants and flowers in the corners of the kitchen and living room. It had been the same way back at Lake Castle.

Baron ambled over to the bedrooms. The one with the open door belonged to his cousin, Edward. Its layout was simple, but it contained two beds… Edward must have prepared it for his arrival.

As for the other, tightly closed door… ‘Is she in there?’

Baron hadn’t intentionally asked Edward about her since he’d arrived, because he truly didn’t know what excuse to use to broach the subject.

Yelena knew him too well; she was bound to notice something off in the small details. Although Baron had memory fragments from the body’s original owner, they were just that—fragmentary and incomplete. They were hardly enough for him to seamlessly transition from his identity as Lawbreaker Constantine to that of Yelena’s brother.

Fortunately, Baron had already prepared an excuse: the [Forgetfulness] of the Inner Side had caused him to forget some things as well…

Baron thought about knocking, but after hesitating for a moment with his hand raised, he sat back down on the sofa.

Edward was still fast asleep, snoring loudly. Baron figured that if this were his old university, Edward could have competed for the role of top tenor on the fifth floor of the men’s dorm.

A short while later, Maya came rushing back upstairs, her face flushed as if she’d just run a marathon.

She bowed to Baron in a fluster, stammering, “I-I… I am… so very sorry!!!”

Baron scratched his head awkwardly. “To be fair, it was my fault for having that newspaper on me… Your heart’s in the right place.”

Maya, however, kept apologizing, insisting that to express her remorse, she would cook dinner for a month as penance.

“Penance is going a little too far…” Baron changed the subject. “By the way… is Yelena still resting?”

Between his arrival and Maya’s earlier antics, they had made quite a bit of noise. Logically, Yelena should have noticed something from her room.