---
At my question, Archduke Richard's face stiffened and he rubbed his temples.
“During the banquet, Baron Haydn delivered a message through his servant, saying that he had an important matter to convey, and asking me to meet him in the garden.”
“This letter would have helped prove the Archduke’s innocence.
Why didn’t you hand it over to the police?”
The Archduke sighed slightly.
“He told me not to tell anyone, but to burn the letter as soon as I read it.
This was not unusual among nobles, so I did not bother to do so.”
Although burning a letter after reading it was common practice, the sender naturally sought to destroy evidence. ربتُّ على ذقني، وشعر ببعض القلق.
“I wonder if he's really the Baron?”
“I thought he was the Baron.
I had some trouble with him.”
Vivian's father, Devon Hayden, was a commoner, a poor blacksmith.
He was granted the title of Baron after the marriage of his daughter Vivienne to the Crown Prince, and his control over foreign trade.
The problem was that the baron's merchant fleet was often bringing in prohibited goods.
The 107th Regiment, under the command of the Archduke, also oversaw the border area, causing several conflicts with the Baron's merchant fleet.
There were several suspicious points.
I asked the Archduke.
“Did you check the server who delivered the message?”
“He died in an accident on his way home that night.”
“This is getting more suspicious.”
I raised my eyebrows in disapproval.
All the evidence and witnesses who lured the Archduke to the site of the accident have disappeared.
Could this be just a coincidence?
I could not rule out the possibility that someone had sent letters to the Archduke and the Baron, summoned them to the garden, killed the Baron, and implicated the Archduke.
The Archduke sighed quietly.
“I know what you're thinking.
But there's no evidence left.”
“….”
I was lost in thought.
The Archduke, perhaps aware of my distress, continued in a soothing tone.
“You've done enough.
Why don't you surrender?
Stop this ridiculous farce.”
“No.
It's too early to give up.
Given the circumstances, we can narrow down the suspects.”
I flatly rejected his second attempt to terminate the contract, subtly proposing divorce.
"The Baron, who was stabbed, showed no signs of resistance.
There were no drag marks.
This means that he did not know he was going to die until he was stabbed in a surprise attack."
"so what?"
“It is said that there was strict entry control that day because of the banquet.
This means that the person the Baron wanted to meet knew him well enough to meet him privately in the garden, even among those present.”
“There must be dozens of these people.
Are you going to investigate them all?”
“Absolutely not!”
I shook my head.
“You said motive is important in murder.
We have to investigate these people first.”
“If the motive...”
“Someone wanted the Baron to disappear, or...”
“Or?”
I opened my eyes wide to ask the Archduke and looked at him.
“It must have been someone who wanted the Archduke to disappear.”
In fact, it was the Baron who was murdered, but the murderer deliberately accused the Archduke of the crime in order to eliminate him.
Perhaps, in this novel, the person who most wanted the Archduke dead, the mastermind behind the scenes, was...
'Maybe he was the protagonist.'
I slowly tilted my head, remembering Crown Prince Lawrence's disfigured face in the courtroom.
∗ ∗ ∗
The next morning.
A strange atmosphere descended upon the servants of Archduke Richard's household.
This atmosphere stemmed from the strange sounds that were heard from the Archduke's room late last night.
“Are you going to stab me right away like that?”
“I'm already ready.
Isn't this size enough?
“The racket is... very big and hard...”
The bed creaked, followed by the sound of the fabric being violently torn.
Those who had been monitoring the halls of the Archduke's palace for their night watch said they had stopped suddenly at the door, even though they knew they shouldn't.
Their clear testimony left the Archduchess' servants holding their breath, waiting for the next story.
“You had to start at the back, after all.”
“Wait, wait.
You'll tear him apart. to stop!
It's so powerful!
Do you intend to kill me?
A gasp escaped from the tightly closed door.
It was said that their breaths remained intertwined for a long time afterward.
The servants gasped, their faces red.
“The maid who went to clean Her Excellency’s bedroom at dawn was astonished.”
“Why?
Why?”
“Last night was so intense that the blankets and pillows were torn to pieces, and no place was left untouched.”
“Oh my God…!
I knew the Archduke was a scary person, but… as expected...”
“I heard that Her Excellency the Archduchess is a commoner...does she have a supernatural talent?
That's why she treated the Archduke, who was so cruel, like this-”
Finally, even words that had nothing to do with the truth began to spread about Elena.
A sharp voice dispersed the servants.
"What are you all doing!
Their Excellencies will be arriving soon.
Can't you return to your jobs immediately?"
This was Lady Perona's rebuke.
Her expression as she scolded the worthless servants was completely different from yesterday's, almost serious.
After a moment, the main figures who had caused such a stir in the Archduke's house this morning appeared, arm in arm, smiling.
All the servants swallowed dryly at the sight of their amazing friendliness.
∗ ∗ ∗
I've been having some difficulties since morning.
This was because Archduke Richard moved like a tin robot who lacked intelligence.
“Relax your body, please.”
I whispered quickly to the Archduke, who had been stiff and squeaking ever since I had crossed my arms with him.
“I'm really doing my best.”
“Aren't you physically good at everything?”
“Of course.
I graduated from the military academy with honors, and on the battlefield, I killed dozens of enemies at once, and beheaded an enemy general...”
“Oh, yeah.”
I nodded languidly as he went on about his past exploits.
What skill is this in his use of his body?
His arms and legs have been moving in the same direction ever since.
He frowned, looking annoyed by my reaction.
“Now, you have to stop that and smile.
You have to.”
I used ventriloquism to urge the Archduke, sporting a prominent, practical smile.
He managed to put a smile on his face.
As we went downstairs, the servants lined up and bowed politely.
“Did you two sleep well last night?”
“Sure.
Huh!”
I stopped walking and let out a single scream, holding my waist.
All eyes turned to me immediately.
I quickly smiled at them.
"It's okay.
I sprained my back a little in bed last night."
However, they exchanged awkward glances in the air.
A loud swallowing sound echoed from the back of someone's throat.
My nose wrinkled a little at the thought.
'Is back pain this serious?'
I hurt my back the night before, and I'm reenacting the incident with the Archduke.
I would hold a pillow in place of the victim, and the Archduke would prick it with a wooden stick.
Although he chose a stick with as blunt a point as possible to avoid hurting me, it was extremely difficult to fend off the attacks of a man with military training.
I even tied a pillow behind my back and he stabbed me, which ultimately strained my back.
Not to mention, the pillow was completely torn.
muttered the Archduke, clicking his tongue softly.
“Tsk, how can you continue to confront me when you are so incompetent?”
“It's just my first experience.
I can do better next time.”
I felt exasperated by his comment, which seemed to place blame on me, and I whispered.
Then coughing exploded from everywhere.
'Everyone is coughing.
'Is this the season for a lot of fine dust here?'
I nodded, then headed towards the Archduke's office.
“My name is Albert Duvier.”
The thin, middle-aged man with a monocle said that he had been the butler and estate manager of the Archduke's house for a long time. وبينما كان الأرشيدوق بعيدًا للتحدّث مع فيكتور، الذي زاره فجأة، ناولني ورقة.
“I have gathered some information that might interest you.”
I stared at the thick pile of documents on the Archduke's desk.
'The Archduke's report is very large, but why is mine only one page?'
As I was leafing through the report he had given me, I noticed the expenses for clothing, social events, and maintaining the Archduke's dignity.
After examining the contents, I made a puzzled sound.
“Hmm, is this all in the Archduchess’s budget?”
“This… Of course, there are other items in the budget, but I have narrowed it down to those that Your Excellency, the Archduchess, might be interested in.”
His response was polite but practical.
I shook my head slightly.
“Actually, that's not necessarily true.
I'm just curious to know the general financial situation of the Archduke's House.”
I had back pain from repeating last night's incident, and I felt like I was going to die trying to catch the culprit.
So, I thought whether it would be better to collect any hidden assets in the Archduke's house and then make the contract.
"If that's true, would you like to see the estate report?
It might be a little difficult to read..."
His voice, his trembling face, were laced with distrust of the Archduchess, a commoner, who insisted on seeing documents she did not even understand.
I slowly leaned back on the sofa and crossed my legs.
“When did you start keeping estate reports?”
“Since my arrival, twenty years ago.”
“إذن أعطِني تقارير العشرين عامًا كاملة.”
“Huh?”
Albert craned his neck towards me, as if to say, ‘What is this nonsense?’ I smiled and extended my hand to him.
"immediately."