-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Interrogation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“What? Those bodies, you mean? Ah~. Quite the premium goods, weren't they? I had a bit of trouble acquiring them myself.”
Donald grinned, his white teeth flashing from beyond the video sphere.
“Hmm? The source, you ask? That's a trade secret... Ah, of course! I'll tell you right away. Hahaha.”
When asked where he got the bodies, he tried to play coy and keep his mouth shut.
But when Edmond quietly threatened him, he quickly tucked his tail.
“Well, you see, I know a good herbalist. The Lauden Mountains over there can be quite profitable if you venture into the restricted areas. But after you esteemed folks paid a visit, I heard some news from that way! Said there were signs of digging in the middle of the mountains, and what did they find but buried bodies...”
Donald rambled on after that, saying something like, ‘You truly must be nobles of great importance! I’ve been in this business for over ten years, but I’ve never seen anything like this before!’ but I wasn't really listening.
After ending the call on the video sphere, we had no choice but to convene another family meeting.
“So... we just stole the bodies of the Crown Prince's assassins, didn't we?”
Isaac looked utterly dumbfounded.
“That's about the long and short of it.”
“...The clean-up crew must have come up empty-handed.”
“Right.”
“And a report would have been filed by now.”
Edmond glanced at the clock. It was nearly three in the morning.
“They've probably already narrowed down the suspects.”
“Wow... We're screwed, aren't we?”
“It's too soon to jump to that conclusion. If even one of the things we've done gets discovered, we're facing summary execution anyway.”
Right. The maximum penalty is death, after all. Adding a crime like ‘grave robbing’ wouldn't change much.
“Emily.”
“Yes.”
“You'll be the first one on their list of suspects.”
“I imagine so.”
“But on the other hand, they won't have any proof.”
“I know. They'll probably try to gauge my reaction first.”
Edmond looked worried.
“Can you handle it?”
“Don't worry, Ed.”
I gave him a reassuring, gentle smile. Unfortunately for Tristan, this was my area of expertise.
***
After a stormy weekend, a hellish Monday arrived. My brothers were still zombies, but I still had to go to work.
“Good morning, Jamie.”
“Morning, Emily. Care for some coffee?”
“Ah, I'm fine, thank you.”
I declined with a light smile, and Jamie shrugged. The hopeless caffeine addict never could understand why I didn't enjoy coffee.
“What did you do over the weekend?”
Jamie asked casually. It probably meant nothing, but with so much to hide, I found myself scrutinizing her.
“Nothing special. I just spent time with my family. How about you, Jamie?”
“Ah, yes. House Walker is famous for being close-knit. Me? I just spent it alone.”
My fellow scribe, Jamie Whissel, was the second daughter of the Whissel County, and since she also had no claim to the title, she was in the same boat as me—needing to work for a living.
Of course, unless her relationship with her family was particularly bad, they would provide an allowance to maintain her dignity...
*'And the Whissel County was one of those families with a particularly bad relationship.'*
If even I, someone not well-versed in high society gossip, knew about it, it must have been common knowledge throughout the empire.
“Anyway, have you heard the rumor?”
Her eyes lit up.
Unlike me, she was well-connected and knew every rumor that circulated in the imperial palace.
“What is it?”
The palace had many eyes and ears. Which meant many things were wildly exaggerated.
Since eighty percent of the rumors Jamie brought were pure fabrication, I wasn't holding my breath.
“They say the Holy See is sending someone.”
“What?”
“Apparently, it's someone quite high-ranking. They're already in a frenzy preparing the official reception.”
Someone from the Holy See?
I frowned slightly.
“They're preparing a grand welcome. Judging by the scale, it must be at least a Cardinal. Wow, the only time I've ever seen a Cardinal was on the Day of the Divine Blessing, and even then, it was from a great distance.”
“Why would the Holy See be sending someone to the imperial palace?”
“That's what I'm saying. After acting so high and mighty all this time.”
Jamie twisted her lips, muttering about how we could never know the true intentions of those lofty gentlemen.
*'...Is it because of the contract renewal?'*
That was possible. The contract was up for renewal this autumn, so they needed to start negotiating the terms.
*'Or is it because of the assassination attempt on Tristan?'*
Either way, the Holy See had certainly done some shady things. Both possibilities seemed plausible.
Criminals always return to the scene of the crime, don't they?
“Ssh!”
Suddenly, Jamie made a sharp sound. It was our signal that the boss was about to arrive.
I hastily grabbed a random document and pretended to examine it closely.
*Click.*
A moment later, the office door opened, and the Crown Prince walked in.
“Greetings to His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Greetings to His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
We offered our greetings, and the Crown Prince, as always, gave a dismissive wave and headed to his desk.
As I sat down and went about my work, I glanced over at Tristan.
He acted as if he had completely forgotten the events of the past weekend. He was so much his usual self that I wondered if riding with him in a carriage up the Lauden Mountains had been a dream.
But then I made eye contact with Werner, who was standing behind him, and he gave me a quick wink.
*'...So it wasn't a dream.'*
Of course, it couldn't have been. Not with all the chaos those dead bodies caused.
*'Hoo. Who would have known? Still, it's a relief I noticed the mark on the back of the neck and could prepare myself. ...Have they figured out that someone from the black market took the bodies? If they trace it from there...'*
One thought led to another. All the while, my hands moved mechanically, getting my work done.
Just then, *thud*, a stack of documents landed in front of me.
I looked up to see Werner handing them to me with a smile. His grayish-white hair, nearly silver, shone brightly in the sunlight today.
“His Highness said there are a few revisions to be made.”
He tapped the top of the documents. A note was written there in small letters.
「Lunchtime, Marlyn Palace.」
It was a note that needed no signature to know who it was from.
***
It goes without saying that the imperial chef's skills are the finest in the capital.
Our mansion's chef is quite talented, of course, but the sophisticated flavor, enhanced with the recently popular spices from the Ortore Kingdom, was truly praiseworthy.
The dessert in particular—a cake topped with figs preserved in sugar—was simply divine.
“Was the meal to your liking?”
“Yes, I enjoyed it very much, thank you.”
My eyes lingered on the unfinished fig cake, but his question was a signal to get down to business, so I put down my fork.
“I'm glad to hear that.”
Werner set down his utensils with perfect etiquette.
“However... if you don't mind my asking, may I inquire as to why you've summoned me here separately?”
Hadn't the Crown Prince already confirmed that the attack in the Lauden Mountains was the Holy See's foolishness? On the surface, there was no reason to call me again.
Yes. On the surface.
Tristan pushed aside his plate, now clean of the fig cake, and spoke.
“The bodies have disappeared.”
“......”
“Avoiding prying eyes, a clean-up crew was sent to the Lauden Mountains at dawn today. But the bodies were gone without a trace.”
It was a good thing my hands were under the table. If my fingertips had trembled, I would have been caught.
“...Could the Holy See have retrieved them?”
“That's a possibility.”
Which meant he was also leaving open the possibility that they hadn't.
“They had the Stigma, but it's a mark that fades quickly. The bodies weren't important enough to risk an unnecessary conflict over.”
He meant that if it had been someone from the Holy See, they would have just let the clean-up crew handle it.
“Only the three people here know the exact location.”
Meaning the suspects were also limited to those three.
“So I must ask, Your Grace. Have you... told anyone what happened that day?”
He was also saying that I was the most suspicious among them.
I kept a practiced smile on my face, though I was despairing inside.
*'Ah~. This is just absurd, no matter how I think about it.'*
My head was already a mess, and now being interrogated like this was starting to make me angry. How could things get this tangled up?
I thought I'd managed to get the bodies cleanly without any loose ends. But of all the bodies to take, they had to be the Crown Prince's.
*'Goes to show there's no such thing as an easy job in this world.'*
Especially when that job is acquiring corpses.
Lamenting inwardly, I abruptly stood up and dropped to my knees on the floor.
Clasping my trembling hands, I bowed my head low.
“Y-Your Highness, I swear I know nothing of this. H-How could I possibly speak of such a matter...!”
“Oh, my. Please rise, my lady.”
Werner helped me to my feet.
“We didn't mean to interrogate you.”
Liar, you're doing exactly that, I thought, but I leaned against him and continued to tremble.
“I wish I could prove my innocence, but how can one prove something they haven't done? I swear to the Lord, I truly know nothing!”
It's not like I actually believed in the Lord, so using his name wouldn't hurt.
“My lady. It was merely a question for confirmation. We don't suspect you, so please don't worry.”
Werner soothed me in a gentle voice. The hand patting my back was also tender.
But his words were a blatant lie.
*'Not suspect me? Please. You probably think I'm the only one of the three who could have leaked the information, which is why you summoned me the moment you got the report, ready to grill me.'*
If I had shown even the slightest hint of guilt, there's no telling how Werner, the Crown Prince's loyal knight, might have changed his tune.
But my performance must have been quite convincing, as both Tristan and Werner seemed confused.
It made sense. Why would a duke's daughter, working as a simple scribe, suddenly have a reason to hide dead bodies?
Unless, of course, she was hiding zombies at home.
The thought made me a little sad.
