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Chapter 17
I
woke up in the morning. The continuous knocking on the door for a few minutes
made me unable to stand it anymore. Who the hell is this early in the morning!?
Whereas yesterday I put Henrietta to sleep so I could sleep well.
"Good
morning, Miss Ophelia."
When
I put on the scarf and opened the door, I saw Claude's bright smile. It was a
smile that could make anyone who saw it feel better, but for me right now it
wasn't very pleasant. I'm not a morning person.
"......Inspector."
"Ah,
Claude is enough."
"Then
Claude."
He
came here alone, then he said, "Oops! I've done something rude." He
said, maybe it was because he saw the expression on my face that looked tired.
“This
is indeed still…. …What happened?”
"I've
been rude. At noon, I have to go out to deliver a telegram, so I'm in a
hurry."
Claude
lowered his head and tried to end the conversation. But I wonder why he visited
me in the morning like this. Claude took a step back and blinked blankly as I
tugged at the hem of his robes.
"Ah......"
"Please
tell me. Why did you come here?"
"Ah,
it's really nothing important. I just wanted to ask about the Duke."
"Then
I want to hear more."
I
grabbed the hem of Claude's robe a little tighter. Did Claude see Alexander
crying in my arms last night? All I found was Henrietta, but… As an
investigator, it wouldn't be difficult for him to conceal his presence and
watch from afar.
"Did...
you know that I have access to every part of the Duke's Manor because I have a
search warrant?"
"Yes,
do you want to check my room too?"
I
opened the door wider and asked. Claude laughed out loud.
"No,
another time."
"Whenever
you want it won't be a problem, I-"
"Thank
you. About that... A little while ago, I went to the Duke's room. As expected,
he was furious. Still, I showed him the warrant. After that, he allowed me.
Then.. ."
Claude
paused here for a moment and looked at me. And he patted the back of his neck
as if embarrassed. I also asked,
"......Then?"
"I
opened a drawer and found a fairly old diary. I wanted to take a look, but Duke
kicked me out. He was really strong, I was shocked because he could lift a
grown man so easily."
Claude
blushed as if he was embarrassed by what he said.
"I
didn't know where else to go after being chased away like that, so I wandered
around aimlessly. Then as soon as I realized, I was already in front of Miss
Ophelia's room."
"It
seems Alex really hates it."
"Yeah,
that's normally the case. But I think Duke's overreacting."
Alexander
was the one who didn't blink an eye even when Adrian screamed. Of course, what
Claude said was true. He's a little over the top. I tried not to laugh at the
thought of Claude being picked up by Alexander like a sack.
"That's
like an invasion of privacy. If I were him, I think I'd kick you out too, Sir
Claude."
Ah,
I can't take it anymore. I raised my hand and covered the corner of my lips
that kept rising. And I thought, I want to reveal anything related to the
investigation, but I also don't think I would be comfortable if he dug too deep
into my private life.
"Is
it like that? I'm sorry."
Claude
raised the corners of his eyes. He shook his head, saying that his actions as
an investigator were bad. Leaning against the door, I said,
"When
this case is over, take a vacation. You said you wanted to pay a visit to the
Holy Empire."
"Would
you like to come with me, Miss Ophelia?"
"That's
something we don't know yet."
"You
are too much."
During
the conversation, Claude subconsciously looked back. It has been snowing for
several days, and this morning the weather seems to be getting better. The sun
was shining and the snow on the windowsill was slowly starting to melt.
"The
weather's nice. I think I'll go now."
"Aren't
you going to check my room?"
"It
looks like you just woke up. How could I do something like that? I'm sorry.
Then, I'll be going."
When
Claude finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and placed it on his
forehead. He gave a playful salute and turned around, then left. I, who was
still leaning against the doorway, looked down as the yellow-haired Claude made
his way to the carriage. Then I returned to the room, thinking about the diary.
Then
it hit me. Although he admits that his hobby is reading, we never met near the
library. And there aren't any books in his room, I think the diary he hides is
surprising.
I
leaned against the edge of the bed and looked around the large room. Clenching
my cold hands, I smiled briefly.
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