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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Password
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-There must be at least a hundred unclaimed bodies piled up in the morgue right now.
“Excellent. We'll go ourselves.”
-Excuse me?
“I’ll contact you again later. That’s all for now.”
-N-no, my lord. Just a moment. Having outsiders enter directly is another matter entirely…. Don’t hang up! Don’t…!
Click.
Edmond mercilessly shut off the video sphere. Hmm. Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear Donald’s desperate cries.
“As you heard, we have less to worry about concerning the bodies.”
“So it seems. Since the Crown Prince is busy right now, it would be best to get this over with.”
“Emily. I know you’ve been busy with work lately, but will you be late again tomorrow?”
I glanced at the clock. It was already the dead of night. My late nights at work had been pushing our family meetings later and later.
It had been a while since I’d even seen Andrea’s smiling face…
“I’m sorry. It’s because of me.”
“There’s no need to apologize. The night holds little meaning for us.”
Ah. He did say they couldn’t sleep. No wonder everyone’s eyes were so bright.
“I’d like to move as quickly as possible. That way, Yulia can begin her research on that unknown drug.”
“Right. Hmm.”
But it seemed unlikely I’d be able to return home at dawn tomorrow. I had to review the list of confirmed guests for the birthday celebration and finalize the seating chart…
“That morgue is probably inside the imperial palace, right?”
“Most likely.”
“It’ll be difficult for me to leave work for good in the middle of the night. But I think I can make time for an hour-long break. How about we meet in front of the morgue?”
“That sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it? It’s not like we’re saying, ‘Let’s meet in front of the clock tower tomorrow.’ We’re meeting in front of a morgue.”
Yulia chuckled as she muttered.
“Then tomorrow at 3 a.m. We’ll meet in front of the morgue.”
“Let’s set a password, too! You never know, right? Hmm, when Emily knocks, what do we say?”
Isaac shot his hand up, but then tilted his head, apparently lacking any good ideas.
“Ooh, I know! We say, ‘Warlocks are,’ and then you, Emily, answer with, ‘real.’ How about that?”
“Isn’t that a little too risky?”
“Ugh. How about ‘Down with,’ ‘the Crown Prince’?”
“We could be accused of treason for that.”
After I shot down his idea again, Isaac slumped over with a sullen face.
“Instead of that, how about this? ‘We are,’ you say.”
I made a fist and held it under Isaac’s chin, as if giving him the floor.
“‘We are’?”
Isaac repeated after me, not knowing what I was getting at.
“‘Family.’”
At my answer, Isaac’s eyes widened.
“This way, it’s not dangerous, and we’ll know it’s each other, right?”
As I finished with a faint smile, Isaac’s eyes reddened as if he were deeply moved.
“Emily… you…!”
He threw his arms around me!
“Huh?”
“You’re such an idiot!”
Yulia then rushed over to join us. I could hear the sound of sniffling.
Confused, I looked over at Edmond.
*What is this? What’s going on? Help me.*
That was the look I gave him, but whatever he thought of it, Edmond just chuckled and shook his head.
“I suppose I have no choice…”
What? What do you have no choice about?
Before I could finish the thought, Edmond joined in, pulling all of us into a tight embrace.
*Is this some kind of revenge? Were they that mad I turned them into zombies…?!*
If that was their goal, they succeeded perfectly. I was suddenly surrounded by three zombies and nearly suffocated to death.
***
“Hmm… I think it’s better to switch these two. Since they don’t get along, it’s best to avoid seating them diagonally from each other…”
“If we do that, then these two will be next to each other. And it’s also a bit… he’s the only baron, surrounded by dukes, marquesses, and counts…”
We were in the middle of a major headache over the seating arrangements for the evening banquet. Jamie and I were meticulously considering the web of tangled social relationships to create the best possible chart.
*Ah, the time…*
It was already 2:40 a.m. I needed to leave soon to arrive on time.
“I’ve been so tired these past few days. How about we take a short break and continue this later?”
Jamie looked at my worn-out face and readily nodded.
“My brain wasn’t working so well anyway. And I haven’t been able to wash for two whole days. Can I go take a shower?”
“Of course. I’m going to… take a walk to clear my head.”
“Take your time. Yaaawn.”
With that, Jamie trudged off toward the on-call room. That was a relief. Things would have gotten complicated if he had asked to join me on my walk.
Thump, thump.
As I walked alone down the empty corridor, various thoughts swirled in my mind.
*After today, at least I won’t have to worry about my wrist falling off anymore.*
Instead, I’d have to be on edge about when they might go berserk. Still, it was better than my wrist just dropping off.
*I just have to be careful around divine power, right? It’s not like we have any reason to go to the Holy See anyway…*
As these thoughts crossed my mind, an unwelcome visitor suddenly appeared.
“Lady Walker?”
“……!”
If I had to name the one person I least wanted to see at this moment, he would undoubtedly be number one.
I forced my grim expression into a neutral one and turned around.
“Sir Werner?”
His ash-gray hair was swallowed by the shadows, looking dark and indistinct.
“Well, what brings you here? To be wandering around at this hour.”
Werner’s eyes curved into a smile as he asked. Like a predator that had just spotted its prey.
I responded nonchalantly.
“I was just taking a short break from working late. You know how busy this time is. What about you, Sir Werner?”
“Something similar. I’m on duty tonight.”
On the surface, it was a normal conversation. But I knew immediately.
His gaze never left me, and beneath his smiling eyes, his expression was cold and sunken. Moreover, he stood blocking the middle of the hallway, preventing me from passing.
It’s all too easy to read negative emotions.
*He’s wary of me.*
But why?
I thought I had proven my innocence back at the academy when I sensed the demonic presence.
*…Did the Crown Prince let something slip?*
There was no other explanation. If so, that was a problem in itself.
*What did he find out?*
Hmm. Even I had to admit there were so many suspicious things about me that I didn’t know where to start.
Yulia’s tap-dancing sickness? The Walker family disappearing every night? Or perhaps he had discovered something strange while investigating the mansion on his own.
*But it can’t be conclusive proof. If it were, he would have confronted me by now. He doesn’t suspect I’m a warlock, either. It’s just enough to rekindle the embers of suspicion…*
I looked at Werner steadily. I didn’t know what cards he held, but it didn’t matter as long as I knew it wasn’t anything decisive.
*I just can’t let him catch my tail.*
I gave him a bright, deliberate smile.
“You always work so hard. It’s thanks to you that people like us can focus on our work with peace of mind, even at this late hour. We are always grateful for your efforts.”
“Your words give me strength. You have a truly kind heart, Lady Walker. Everyone in the imperial palace praises you for being both capable and good-natured.”
Aha. So you’ve been looking into my reputation?
“Is that so? How embarrassing.”
I blushed and brought a hand to my cheek as if flustered.
“……!”
Werner’s eyes widened slightly. It’s a bit awkward to say it myself, but I look more convincing under the night sky.
In the bright sunlight, I’m a pale comparison to my siblings. But under the gentle moonlight, at least, my best features were maximized.
I didn’t quite know why, but it was fortunate I could use it in urgent situations like this.
*Humans are easily swayed by what they see.*
Do I really look like a frail young lady who would be involved in something suspicious?
Now, for the finishing blow.
“Oh. I’ve been meaning to give this to you for a while. I suppose the opportunity has finally come.”
I took a handkerchief from my sleeve.
“This is…?”
“It’s the handkerchief you lent me before. Unfortunately, it got stained… so after some thought, I took the liberty of adding a little embroidery here.”
Of course, the stain was a complete lie. I just needed an excuse to do the embroidery.
“I apologize for embroidering it without your permission. If you’d prefer, I can compensate you with a new one…”
“Oh, no, not at all! This is the first time I’ve received an embroidered handkerchief since I was a squire. Haha, thank you.”
He accepted the handkerchief, looking somewhat bewildered.
*How does it feel? To receive an unexpected kindness from the person you were just suspecting?*
Just as I expected, Werner scratched the back of his neck with an awkward expression. The look on his face said he felt foolish for his unwarranted suspicion.
“Oh, dear. I hope I’m not taking up too much of your time, Sir Werner.”
It was almost 2:50. I couldn’t delay any longer.
“…Not at all. If anything, I’ve been monopolizing your precious time.”
“I was just on a walk to clear my head. I plan to head back after a little while longer.”
“Yes, ma’am. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
Werner gave a slight bow and departed. I watched his retreating back for a moment before starting to walk again.
*Will he follow me?*
For Werner, tailing someone like me, who was no different from a civilian, would be an easy task.
But I had a countermeasure of my own.
“Hoo…”
I closed my eyes and focused my mind. I could feel the location of my blood drop—the one I had infused into the embroidered thread on the handkerchief I returned to Werner.
*He’s moving away.*
Thank goodness. It seemed he didn’t feel the need to follow me for now.
I stood still for a moment, sensing his movement, before slowly starting on my way.
***
Knock, knock.
“We are?”
A voice echoed from beyond the door. It sounded like Isaac.
“Family.”
Clunk.
Our treasure vault revealed itself.
