Coste and Emond were dead?!
So soon!
Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked at Malinda.
Had he not noticed the earlier clues, he might have suspected those insatiable nobles, or someone in Coste's and Emond's trading companies hoping to seize control amid the chaos. He might even have suspected people who had never been contenders before, but had suddenly spotted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But now, it could only have been Malinda!
Just look at Edwin!
How had this coachman, who had never left 6 Whitebird Street, learned of Coste's and Emond's deaths so quickly and accurately?
His perfectly timed report was enough to set anyone's imagination running.
Coupled with Malinda's renewed display of candor as he delivered his report, it led Arthur to consider even more possibilities.
Those people had already set their sights on 6 Whitebird Street because of Baron Kemail's title. Once news of Coste's and Emond's deaths "accidentally" leaked, what would their trading companies and those previously unqualified contenders do?
They would send more people to watch 6 Whitebird Street!
They would keep this place under constant surveillance!
Because they wanted to establish that Malinda, in her anger, had killed Coste and Emond-men she already had a grudge against, who had now incited her maid against her!
They would eliminate Malinda from the contest for Baron Kemail's title once and for all!
They might even gain more from it!
As these conjectures arose in his mind, Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly.
He recognized the brilliance of Malinda's scheme. She had given those ill-intentioned people ample room for speculation, using the "impossible" to conceal her true objective.
Arthur could easily picture the watchers speculating about which side had killed Coste and Emond. Someone might even jokingly suggest Malinda, only for everyone around them to dismiss it as impossible.