Previously
A series of child disappearances in Herona worries Rosaline, though the Brows dismiss it as parental negligence. Ash takes charge of the investigation after no bodies are found in the river, suspecting kidnapping despite his rival Jacob's lack of interest.
I greeted Ash, who had come to visit ‘again,’ with a smile.
Do police usually meet witnesses this often during an investigation? At this rate, we’ll become fast friends.
While my date with Arthur ended successfully thanks to this man, the truth was that I wanted to avoid him as much as possible since he kept showing up at all hours to ask uncomfortable questions.
Oh? Wait. What if I tried to make him uncomfortable instead?
I beamed at him.
A man like Ash couldn't possibly like a woman who was full of herself and lived in a fantasy world. So, wouldn't this make him avoid meeting me?
However, instead of turning stern as I expected, Ash stared at me for a moment before replying with a peculiar smile.
Wow…! If it hadn't been me, I would have been dazed by that face and voice just now. Even I was in danger!
Seeing as I felt a little disappointed by that answer, maybe I had half-fallen for him too. Ugh, I need to keep my wits about me.
He lightly brushed off my attack and handed me the bundle he had brought.
I was a bit flustered by the unexpected reason for his visit.
Then, thinking this might be another trap to test me, I quickly worked my brain and summoned my emotions.
Quick, tears! Tears!
Fortunately, tears began to fall at just the right moment.
I opened the bundle he held out and touched the half-burnt items inside with trembling hands.
Baron Tesis’s pipe and family seal, the Baroness’s brooch and wedding ring…
The items left behind by people I had known for over two years were enough to give me a faint shock, even if they weren't my real parents.
I buried my face in my hands and wailed.
It started as an act, but later, I felt genuinely sorrowful for some reason, and the tears flowed naturally.
Then, Ash offered me a handkerchief. To show the dignity of a gentleman even to a woman he didn't particularly like—he truly was a well-bred man!
Swept up in the atmosphere, words I didn't even mean came pouring out.
Well, I suppose that’s enough emotional acting for now.
I wiped my face with the handkerchief, sniffled, and took a deep breath.
Just then, Maya, who had gone to prepare tea and refreshments when Ash arrived, entered the drawing room pushing a tray.
I put on a bright expression to change the mood and offered him some tea.
That’s unexpected. He looks like the type who would elegantly judge the quality of the tea and the butter content of the cookies.
Perhaps because he was a policeman, Ash keenly noticed that Maya’s uniform was of slightly lower quality than those of the Count’s maids.
Every time I see this side of him, my guard goes right back up.
He didn't specifically pry into that ‘channel.’ Of course, I had no intention of telling him anyway.
In any case, I needed to engage in light conversation while we drank tea. What would be a good topic?
When I indirectly asked if this was the only case he was handling, he gave an unexpected answer.
Ash didn't give a straight answer, only offering a shallow nod.
Why did that case I tried to forget appear before me again? Is this what they call fate?
I smiled awkwardly and probed him.
At those words, Ash’s golden eyes turned toward me.
I did not look away from that gaze, which was tinged with a bit of suspicion and wariness.
He uncrossed his legs and set down his teacup. It seemed he wanted me to continue.
Ash pulled a notebook and pen from his coat and scribbled something down.
I felt encouraged that he seemed to be listening to me, and perhaps he had developed some level of trust in me as well, as he shared his own opinion.
This man seemed to have sharper instincts than others. Perhaps he was a born detective.
So, wouldn't he understand the information I was giving him and use it effectively?
I swallowed hard at Ash’s sharp gaze.
I was doing something dangerous right now. It was obviously suspicious for a young lady from a barony to talk as if she knew so much about such crimes. I wasn't unaware of that.
But even so, I couldn't just keep my mouth shut and pretend I didn't know.
Inside the secluded tent of the Mulberry troupe, the voices of the children locked in iron cages seemed to ring in my ears even now.
Gale, the leader of the troupe and head of the criminal organization, would drag me to the tent where those children were locked up and threaten me whenever I made a mistake.
I, who had no choice but to turn away from those children out of fear, felt nauseous whenever those voices sounded like auditory hallucinations. I felt so resentful and pained by my own inability to help them and by our miserable reality.
That was why I couldn't turn away from this matter.