"D-Duke?"
It was less a question and more a threat. Diane broke out in a cold sweat. Fear made it hard to even breathe. But she had already crossed the river, with no turning back.
"I-I was foolish."
Diane sobbed.
"My family's fortunes suddenly declined, and I needed a large sum of money. I couldn't resist the temptation, just once. I really only touched the report once. Please believe me, Duke."
Diane desperately pleaded, her shoulders shaking convulsively.
"The Duchess found out about it. Using that as an excuse, the Duchess…."
"A waste of time."
Yohan rose from his seat. He gave a low command to the police chief standing beside him.
"The charges. Decide them yourself."
"Understood."
Decide the charges yourself. That meant he wouldn't end it with simple embezzlement. He was a man capable of any manipulation if he wanted to hang her on the gallows.
The fear on Diane's tear-streaked face intensified.
"Duke!"
Diane jumped up, knelt before Yohan, and clung to him.
"Please believe me! I was just following orders… that is, the Duchess…."
As if displeased, Yohan frowned, and the police rushed in, dragged Diane away, and forcibly sat her back in the chair.
"Duke!"
Diane cried out shrilly.
"Diane Brooke."
A voice calling her name came from the darkness where the lamplight didn't reach.
The first time her name was called, it was as sweet as she had imagined. It would have been perfect if this weren't an interrogation room. Reality was too cruel.
"So you take me this lightly."
He approached slowly, one hand in his pocket. The sound of his leather shoes was heavy.
The man's face, leaning on the table, was revealed in the light. Cold eyes stared at her clearly from within. Diane stopped breathing.
"I'm very curious how you were with my wife."
"W-wait a minute. Duke. Duke!"
Diane rose to grab the man who was turning away coldly. The officers roughly grabbed and pushed down her shoulders.
Ugh. Diane groaned, but she still cried out for Yohan.
"Duke!!!"
With a clang, the iron door of the interrogation room opened and closed. Diane trembled, her face drained of blood.
"Now, would you like to confirm this, Miss Brooke?"
It was Maurice.
Diane stared blankly at the documents he had placed before her. Details of the funds flowing into the Brooke family, the Fence's statement as an accomplice. Their transaction ledger. Nothing registered in her eyes.
Then, a postcard-sized piece of stationery caught the edge of her vision. Diane reached out and picked it up. Her hands trembled. Her bloodshot eyes were even redder.
Olivia Blanchett.
Immature letters, as if showing off that she had learned to write late.
It was the handwriting of that lowly bastard, not anyone else.
How dare she.
「To Duke Johann Leopold,
I have the Pink Diamond Necklace.
How did I get it?」
"Aaaargh!"
Her breath, roughened by anger, soon turned into a scream. It echoed beyond the interrogation room door and into the dark hallway.
Moving the corruption-ridden Leiden Police Department became easier than before.
The investigation into Diane Brooke began, and the investigation into the disappearance of the maid, who had vanished after leaving Greathill, also gained momentum.
Yohan closed the bribery ledger he had been looking at.
Jack, the Fence on Longbone Street, had meticulously recorded the flow of the stolen goods he had disposed of and the names of the police officers who had paid bribes.
According to the ledger, the jewels Diane had embezzled were passed on to a jeweler.
The 'Gloria' jewelry store, which purchased these items, had been operating by disassembling the stolen goods and creating and selling new designs of jewelry.
However, they had not dared to touch the Pink Diamond Necklace, which had become famous for the tragic story of the twin princesses.
They had no idea that it would lead to such a disaster.
As a result of the search and seizure, the person who bought the necklace was Count Carter Elaine, and his wife, Bianca Elaine, was a woman Olivia had befriended in Britte.
Finally, the mystery was clearly solved.
Yohan felt a sense of futility at the revealed truth. He chuckled.
It felt like being punched in the back of the head by his divorced wife. And in an unguarded state. However, he didn't feel so bad.
Yohan ordered Carter Elaine to be excluded from the investigation. He didn't want Olivia to be caught up in gossip at the end of it.
He simply didn't want to reignite the scandal of his ex-wife, which had only just subsided. That was all.
Of course, Olivia had sent the letter to save Elaine's husband. But the result was the same anyway, so it didn't matter.
Yohan pushed the ledger aside and took out a piece of stationery from the drawer and placed it neatly on top. It was time to write a reply.
To Olivia.
It was the first letter he had ever written to his wife.
The scales of water sparkled on the Bichen River as the morning sun fully rose. After finishing breakfast, Olivia sat on the window sofa and stared at the long gift box Edgar had sent.
The lemon-colored ribbon fluttered gently in the soft early summer breeze. She untied the ribbon around the sky-blue box and opened the lid to reveal a pure white racket.
"Do you like it?"
Madam Marie, who had brought coffee on a silver tray, asked as she placed it on the table.
Olivia, holding the racket she had taken out of the box, looked up at Madam Marie and gave a satisfied smile.
"The grip is good. As if I've been using it all along."
Olivia rose from her seat. Olivia, who took a light swing, admired it repeatedly. It was incomparable to the rackets rented from the hotel.
"I like it."
The weight, which was not too light, was just right, and the size of the head was also perfect.
Something rough was felt at the tip of her hand as she stroked along the smooth oval head. When she turned the racket over, the initials of Olivia Blanchett were embroidered in white thread on the left shoulder. A subtle smile spread across her face.
"Drink your coffee before it gets cold."
Madam Marie, who had been watching Olivia, who was excited like a child, smiled contentedly, picked up the empty tray, and went out.
Until then, Olivia's gaze was fixed on the neatly embroidered initials. The slanted letters looked great. She wanted to go to the court right away and swing the racket.
"Ah, Miss?"
It was then that Anne's urgent cry echoed in the peaceful morning. Olivia looked at Anne, who was running towards her with the racket in her hand. She was flustered, unlike her usual self.
"What's wrong, Anne?"
"A, a letter has arrived."
"A letter?"
Olivia's eyes widened slightly. The only people who knew her address here were Edgar and Elaine. Could it be a letter from Elaine, curious about the necklace?
Olivia put down the racket and received the letter.
"!"
Elegant handwriting on the top of the stationery with a gold border on the white envelope caught her eye.
「Johann Edinburgh Leopold」
Olivia was as surprised as Anne was, and her body stiffened.
"…No way. How did he know?"
Olivia never dreamed that her handwriting was special. She was just newly surprised by Yohan, who had solved the mystery.
"I guess they caught the thief."
Anne's eyes blazed.
"So quickly?"
It had only been three days since she sent the letter to Yohan. Olivia couldn't close her slightly parted lips.
Olivia, who had calmed her breathing, slowly opened the envelope and took out the stationery.
「To Olivia,
Identify yourself next time.」
"…."
There wasn't a single line about the news of Diane Brooke, which she had been curious about. Nor was there any mention of the disposal of the Pink Diamond Necklace.
The blunt reply, as aristocratic as the cold handwriting, was utterly absurd.
"From Yohan?"
Edgar asked Gerald back at the report. He looked surprised.
"Yes."
"The contents?"
"He burned it right away, so I couldn't confirm it."
"I see."
With those words, silence returned.
Edgar turned his gaze out the carriage window. The carriage, which had left the city center, was heading towards the quiet suburbs, which were dyed green. The leaves, which had become darker in color, glistened in the morning sun.
A letter from Yohan…
Edgar leaned deep into his seat and pondered with a languid gaze.
What business did he have with his divorced wife that he would send her a letter in person? Especially at this point, when he was about to get engaged to the princess of Krantz.
What was the reason?
Sunlight poured down through the trees, where the flowers had fallen and the leaves had become more lush. The light that stung his eyes was strangely irritating.
Yohan never moved without a profit. So why was he?
Edgar's question did not go away easily.
The international mail that Olivia had sent through the maid. Was it also sent to Yohan?
But why now?
The carriage had already entered a quiet path, and after running for about ten minutes, a lawn path that was cut as straight as if it had been measured with a ruler spread out on both sides. At the end of the path, a red building stood majestically.
Dumblein Cricket & Tennis Club.
It was today's destination.
While Edgar was pondering, the carriage circled the central fountain and stopped in front of the entrance.
Above the entrance of the ivy-covered building, two crossed rackets and a golden decoration of laurel patterns surrounding them sparkled in the sunlight.
"Welcome, Marquis Lancelot."
The club employee gave a polite greeting to Edgar as he got out of the carriage. He nodded slightly in return. The manager had come out as if he had received a message in advance.
"We've been waiting for you."
"I see."
Edgar smiled and followed the man up the wide stairs leading to the building. He decided to put his thoughts about Yohan aside for a moment.
Henry McDowell, wearing a neatly ironed white shirt, a green cardigan, and white cotton pants, greeted Edgar at a round table with tea and fresh green grapes.
"Welcome."
"It's been a while since I've seen you."
Edgar bowed to the man as soon as he entered the reception room. A formal smile flickered across his face, which was seated by the sunny window.
"Sit down."
"Yes."
Edgar smiled and sat down in a straight posture. Henry looked at him and thought to himself.
You fox.
