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Chapter 25 Part 3
Alexander, who had been silently listening to Claude's explanation, suddenly opened his mouth. He didn't hide his disdainful expression and looked at the faces of the investigators one by one.
.
.
.
"I
want to know your names. Even if you are punished, no one will complain. I must
send a letter to His Majesty."
"We
beg you to not do that, Duke."
Investigators
even grabbed Alexander by the legs and knelt down. Alexander ignored all of
them shouting "Forgive us." and "We're sorry."
"This
morning, a telegram from an investigator named Claude arrived. Along with the
wanted leaflet, there was also a permit to kill. The face on the sheet was
exactly like the man who was at this Manor and claimed to be an
investigator."
Alexander
sighed. He came down to the room to catch Cain. But Cain's room was empty. In a
hurry, Alexander went to the village closest to the Manor to find Cain.
He
ordered the knights and guards to search all the villages in the region.
However, they couldn't find any witnesses, or a man wearing clothes similar to
Cain's.
"I
sent many people to look for him. But I still couldn't find him. I became more
and more anxious. So I decided to return to the Manor first. Come to think of
it, when Henrietta died, Claude... No, Cain didn't even have a good
alibi." I quickly arrived and entered the Manor, but my sister wasn't in
the Manor.... ...What would happen if I was even a little late!?"
Alexander
raised his eyes. As if trying not to cry, he tilted his head and turned his
face away. But he couldn't stop the tears from flowing uncontrollably. Thick
tears rolled down his hard, blood-splattered cheeks.
"Please
forgive us, Duke."
Alexander's
cries made the investigators look confused.
They
scratched their short hair, averted gazes, and lowered their heads. Among the
investigators, there was one investigator who glanced at me.
I
lowered my eyes and checked my condition. My hair must be a mess, and because
Cain was choking me, my dress is a mess. Naturally, my dress was torn and tattered
at the neck, a purple fingerprint was visible.
"That's
right! My sister almost died. There might be some truly innocent victims.
Because of your carelessness, people of Arpad…… Urghh."
Alexander
takes out his anger. Just a moment ago, I couldn't even imagine a man smiling
like a maniac and displaying his obsession. But now, the man looked like a boy
who had almost fainted from worrying about his older sister.
As
if possessed by something, I approached Alexander. He, who lowered his head,
noticed that I was approaching him, so he grabbed the hem of my dress gently. I
can't miss his hand. So, I gently rubbed the back of his hand that was gripping
the hem of my dress sleeve.
"Alex,
thank you. Thanks to you, I'm alive."
......Yes,
I will say this now.
I
don't know what Alexander meant, but I know he wants me to remain a victim. I
still don't quite understand what he means by 'don't use magic to kill Cain.'
“……Duke,
I apologize for causing concern.”
Claude
apologized repeatedly with his head bowed to the ground. He must have been a
high-ranking investigator, and since he was confused, the other investigators
must also be at a loss as to what to do.
"I
have sinned! Sorry! Sorry! I will accept any punishment willingly!"
Alexander
cried till the tip of his nose turned red. When he blinked, tears fell from his
long eyelashes. He sighed.
"That
man... ...Cain said that my parents' death was murder. I saw the document with
the Imperial seal with my own two eyes. How could that happen?"
“……Duke,
this is an impolite remark, but I'm still a beginner. An Imperial seal? Of
course, the whole bag was stolen, but…… Oh!”
Claude,
who was thinking about it while tilting his head exclaimed. What? Didn't he say
earlier that only identification, necklaces, and wallets were stolen? Do you
have any self-respect? Well, it's strange that a criminal only takes 3 items in
an emergency like that.
"I
did bring some documents bearing the Imperial seal. I know this is impolite,
but did you read the contents of the documents?"
"I
didn't see it up close. Because I was irritated by his disrespectful
attitude." Alexander replied.
Even
I couldn't read the contents of the document that Cain confidently showed me.
That being said Mother and the Previous Duke's deaths were homicides, it had a
huge impact on me so I didn't pay attention to other things.
"Is
that so? Duke, that document might not have anything to do with the Previous
Duke Arpad. However, the information about the horse carriage accident is true.
At that time, I was only a Class Two Investigator, and I wasn't in charge of
that case, so I I don't know for sure...... However, I've heard of a magical
chemical reaction left behind from the burning bits of the chariot."
"But
maybe it's due to the magic formula used to repair the luxurious
carriage." Add Claude.
He
seemed pretty sure it wasn't a murder.
"How
can you say for sure? You investigators—"
Alexander
muttered in a pitiful tone. Next, the words that Alexander spoke next were
quite shocking.
"Cain
is really a sinner, he doesn't even deserve to be reborn. However, not
everything he says is wrong. It's true that my parents died because of the
murder. I know who did it."
I
can feel my blood flowing. With a hardened face, I looked at Alexander. He was
no longer looking at me. His gaze kept on Claude.
"Huh!
Who's that?"
Claude
swallowed his saliva and asked. He got up from his knees, brushed off the snow
in his lap, and looked at the investigators around him with a serious face.
Alexander raised his tightly closed lips.
"Henrietta.
She is a woman who has worked as a maid here. She confessed to me that it was
she who melted the spokes of the carriage wheels."
My
vigilance loosened. Henrietta?
......Henrietta?
"......Alex,
are you sure about that?"
I
asked him a question hesitantly. It's only been a few years, but I've seen
Henrietta up close. There was no way she could hurt the Previous Duke who had
helped her.
Henrietta,
who said that she wanted to be my personal maid, came to mind. Did she melt the
spokes of the carriage wheels with her clear dog-like eyes? No, could Henrietta
use such powerful magic?
"Sister,
Henrietta came to see me. She was crying in front of me because she couldn't
get over her guilt. I didn't believe her at the time. You know that she'll do
anything to get my attention."
But...
A magical chemical reaction from the scrap carriage.
After
a pause, Alexander spoke again. Claude could only stutter in surprise and take
a breath.
"Then...
It's true that there have been reports of carriage wheels coming off due to
loose joints."
"Isn't
that the result of the melted spokes? Until a moment ago, I wasn't sure myself.
But... Now that you mention magical chemical reactions, the riddle is
solved."
As
soon as Alexander pushed through the final argument, the investigators looked
very agitated. Claude also asked with a confused face,
"B-But,
didn't you say earlier that the maid called Henrietta was killed by Cain?"
"That's
right. Now I can't really blame him for coming here."
Alexander
clicked his tongue and frowned. There are no more sinners in this world who
have to pay the price. He took a deep breath.
"The
more I hear your explanation, the more convinced I am that Henrietta is a
murderer."
"Yeah,
hearing Duke's words, I think I need to do some research about it. As soon as I
get back to—"
"No."
Alexander
interrupted Claude's words.
"What's
the point in bringing up events that happened 3 years ago? I don't want any
useless scandal to sweep the entire Empire. The killer is already dead, if an
investigation is carried out, only evidence will emerge that Henrietta is the
culprit. Am I wrong?"
He
shrugged casually. The investigators behind Claude nodded, what Alexander said
was indeed valid.
"If
that's what the Duke wants......"
In
the end, it was said that it was inconvenient for the two parties to settle
this matter. Claude had an ambiguous expression on his face as if he didn't
know what to do.
However,
once the issue about the investigators spending time with a 'professional
woman' when bringing Cain back was brought up by Alexander, Claude and the
other investigators started acting like loyal dogs to Alexander. Claude even
rubbed his hands like flies and bowed.
"Yes,
Duke. Regarding the Previous Duke Arpad case and this one, let's end it here.
Don't worry, trust me."
"All
right. The case regarding my father was exposed and ends here."
Alexander
didn't say anything else and smiled gently. The investigators cut their palms
and swore in the blood that this would never happen.
Alexander
would remember the names and faces of the investigators who left scars on their
palms, so the story of the murder of the former Duke and Duchess Arpad ended
here. Forever.
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