Chapter 13: Find The Killer

.......

"Everything I do is for Zelle and only Zelle. Not you, not father, not anyone!" ---Zach.

.......

"Let's see, H-E-I-R-B-E-R-T Fa-mi-ly..." Detective Val was scouring the internet for any information about Zelle's family.

However, the search engine searched for something else instead.

"Looking for an heir for the family?"

"Family's Heir!"

"Anglo-Welsh Herbert Family!"

"John Herbert,"

"Herbert name meaning and Herbert family history@Ancestor. com"

"Herbert Hoover-Family Life!"

Detective Val made a weird face and massage his forehead, "No, no, no! Not Herbert, Heirbert!"

He exclaimed.

"Heribert-Wakapedia,"

Detective Val facepalm.

With the online search being useless, he has no choice but to give up looking for it easily. "No wonder Sir Zeppelin wanted me to look for it, they couldn't even search it online."

He sighed and took his phone from his pocket. When the ringing sound stopped and was picked up by someone on the other side of the line, detective Val stated, "Hey, I want any report regarding the Heirbert Family or the mansion at the nearby hillside. I need it quickly."

"Yes, sir."

Detective Val hung up the phone and stared outside the window. He dozed off for a bit but was startled awake by a sudden ring on his phone.

He grunted and picked up the phone, "What? Find anything? Send it to---" but before he could continue his sentence, his subordinate gave him an unexpected response. "Sir, there is no history of the Heirbert family except that they own the mansion at the nearby hillside. No name even comes up like Heirbert either, except for the mansion."

"What?" Detective Val was surprised, "What do you mean? What about the rest of the family? Zelle Heirbert?"

"Sir, there is no family history recorded," the subordinate explained, "not even who exactly possessed the mansion or which Heirbert it is... just Heirbert."

Detective Val was dumbfounded. How had an entire family vanished? "Including relatives? At least related to Heirbert?" he inquired again, hoping for a response.

"No sir," the subordinate sighed, "Only a one-sentence word of Heirbert about the mansion." He added, "I also requested the city records about it, but there were none. Should I make a request to the higher-ups?"

Detective Val shook his head, "No, it's just a curiosity, not a legitimate case, I have nothing to say if they will start asking questions."

"Yes, sir."

Detective Val hung up the phone. He was perplexed as to how there was no Heirbert history other than the owner's mansion.

As though they purposefully covered all of their trails and names and left only around the mansion... It's as if they abandoned it because...

"Zelle?" Detective Val was bewildered. "Had they left the mansion for Zelle... But why? And who left it? I thought Zelle was the last Heirbert...?"

Detective Val packed up his notes and decided to visit Zeppelin at his office.

Meanwhile, someone had received a notification on their phone in one of the mansion's rooms. "Hmm? Someone's been looking for Pandora's box," that person chuckled. "I should issue a warning, or that detective will pay the price..."

.......

In the maid's room, Diana was looking at herself in the mirror, wiping the lipstick stain around her lips. She smirked, pleased with herself.

"My, my, it's been so long since I've been here," she laughed in front of the mirror as she tied up her hair. "I miss Zelle~" she sneered.

After preparing herself, Diana left her room and went immediately to Zelle's room, where she found her staring at her window. "Zelle, something on your mind?"

Zelle slightly turned her face to see her and shook her head, "I just felt helpless... I can't even help prepare their funeral and..." She bit her lip.

"And you think it's your fault?" Diana walked towards her. Zelle looked down feeling the guilt, "Everybody says it isn't..."

"But you know that's not true." Diana caressed Zelle's back and whispered into her ears, "They died because of you and you know it. After all, the killer's goal is you, though we still don't know what that killer wants with you."

Tears streamed down Zelle's face as she realized that what Diana said was true, no matter how much everyone denies it... Zelle is well aware of the situation.

"I don't know what to do..." Zelle hid her face behind her hands, "I don't know anything but hide in my room and sketch!" she exclaimed. "I know it! I just---I just---"

"Scared?" Diana raised her eyebrow and grabbed Zelle's hand from her face, "You know there's something only you can do. After all, the killer only wants you."

Zelle frowned, not understanding what she was trying to say.

"You want this to stop right? This killing?" Diana tilted her head, "This way, nobody will get hurt anymore."

Zelle looked up to her and asked, "Y-yes... I w-ant this to stop... What should I do?"

Diana smirked and caressed her hair, "Find the killer yourself. As that killer what he wants, after all, he might listen to you since it's you."

"H-he? H-he w-will?"

Diana nodded, "Killing two women in two nights, I'm guessing it's a pervert man." She smirked, "What do you think?"

Zelle flinched but was comforted by Diana again, "It's okay, he might not hurt you. You are our precious Zelle~"

Zelle pondered as she bit her lip for a moment, "H-how? W-what should I do to find him?"

Diana pointed at her chin as she pouted, "Hmm... Ah!" She whispered in her ears, "So this is what you can do..."

Listening to Diana's suggestion, Zelle was stunned. "Will that work?"

"I don't know," Diana shrugged, "But it's worth to shot!"

Zelle looked down and thought deeply about Diana's suggestion when someone knocked on her door, "Miss Zelle, I got your snacks with me."

Raine slowly opens the door only to find her missus crying with Diana beside her. She was surprised! She instantly put down the tray of snacks to the nearby table and went to slap Diana's hand away from her miss. "What did you do this time?"

Diana rolled her eyes, "What do you mean? I'm only comforting her."

Zelle holds onto Raine's arm, "It's true, Diana is a good person. I didn't cry because of her."

Seeing Zelle pleading, Raine sighed and wiped her missus' tears, "Oh, Zelle, you're too kind." Raine turned to meet Diana's unbothered face, "The miss needs her rest, please get out of the room."

Diana scoffed and left the room as Raine glared at her until she left. Raine asked Zelle, "Did she say anything to you?"

Zelle sweetly smiled at her.

When Diana left the missus' room, as she was walking to the corridor, Aaron passed by here and halted in front of her. She bowed and greeted him, "Sir Aaron..."

Aaron was looking down at her, "Just because father doted on you, doesn't mean you can touch Zelle. Don't forget what happened years ago."

Diana smiled so beautifully at him, "I like Zelle, Sir Aaron. We were only kids back then and I believed that was a manner of playing. Master Zeppelin didn't dote on me, he is simply a decent man who understands and offered me a second chance."

"I will not let him down," she continued.

"Yeah right, slut," Aaron mocked her.

Diana flinched. Aaron didn't bother talking to her anymore and left her in the hallway, as soon as he left, Diana gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "Tsk! Zelle here, Zelle there," She mumbled and turned around to leave.

With anger in her heart, she went to look for the person who gives her warmth and inspiration. And she found him in the library. "Zach..." Diana went in uninvited and sat beside him.

Zach didn't bother looking at her and continued looking for information in one of those books he picked up.

Being ignored, Diana's teardrops started streaming down her cheeks and she stood up to hugged him from the back.

"It appears a maid like you dare to touch his master's son..." Zach grumbled as he closed the book.

"You know we are more than that, Zach!" Diana cuddled her face against his back.

"You seem delusional," Zach sighed.

"No!" Diana yelled, "I'll never forget the day you took my virginity two years ago! We were lovers Zach," she said as she embraced him from behind, her fingers anxiously touching his chest and slowly descending.

However, her hand was stopped by Zach, he remarked, "We were never lovers Diana. Just because we did the one-night stand thing. I shouldn't have done that to you that night."

Diana shook her head, "No! I love it! You asked me to do it with you that night! Even though it was your first time too! We were both amateurs but we learned from that night, right?"

"Yes, I learned a lot from that night," Zach replied, "Including that I shouldn't have asked you."

"Hmm-mm," Diana denied it, "I know you're just saying that. We were lovers, I know. We could have continued our relationship if the master hadn't announced your engagement,"

"There. Are. No. Relationship. Between. Us." Zach stood up and face her, looking at her kneeling in front of him, "It's just a one-night stand. Practice for me so I wouldn't hurt Zelle if we did that... So Zelle would be satisfied if I performed well in bed."

Hearing his painful words, Diana covered her face with her hands and kept sobbing, "You don't mean that! I know you're just saying that because the master instructed you to marry her! Because Zelle likes you, isn't it?! Zelle wanted this right?!"

Zach scowled as he realized how insane she was. Diana wiped her tears and hugged his thigh, "You love me, Zach! I know I shouldn't have hurt Zelle before, but if it wasn't for her, you would be with me! Forever!"

"You're crazy!" Zach pushed her and she fell to the ground, "Everything I do is for Zelle and only Zelle. Not you, not father, not anyone!"

Zach rubbed off the dirt on his clothes given by Diana, "Father may have forgiven you for almost killing Zelle before, but Aaron and I will never do!" He glared at her, "If we found out you're planning malicious things again, we're fcking kill you this time!"

Zach walked out the door and slammed it shut, leaving Diana dazed and strewn across the floor.

She knew she was just a maid's daughter... She knew that for a long time... And she knew she could only look at Zach from far away... Serving the woman he only looked at...

But two years ago, the night before the engagement announcement... She thought her one-sided love was reciprocated...

The shy boy she holds dear asked her to help him do what do adults do. He may be in his early twenties at that time... But he was so innocent he asked a maid like her who just turned eighteen two years ago.

Diana had given him everything. Her heart, soul, and body all for him. She thought that was a start for them...

Because after the engagement, Zach kept coming to visit her every night... At first, she wanted to help him... And he wanted to learn... Together with her...

But that help turned into obsession... That learning turned into lust...

Diana found out Zach also slept with another maid and experimented with what he learned in bed with her to them.

She felt awful. She knew she was being used by him... But she loves him so much... She didn't want to end the relationship she thought they had.

All that hatred and shame she felt... She wanted someone to blame it to...

However, her mother was the head maid... And those maids under her... were trained just like her... How could she fight them? One against others...

And her mother and their master... Were the scariest people she had ever known...

So Diana put the blame on a lamb that was carefree, kind, and adored by everyone else. Pushing that little lamb on the stairs... And when that lamb survived, that lamb forgave her...

Zelle was a wonderful person... So ignorant and bumbling.

If she didn't exist... Zach would be hers... She thought.

Diana wiped her tears away and gritted her teeth as she got up with eyes glaring at the air. "I'm not a child anymore," she grinned, "And if I can't kill her using fists, I can always make her die on her own."

~

KL •Season One• R18GB