Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“Oh, no way…”

Without delay, Elysia entered the house through the door.

“Where!”

She could see a woman lying on the floor, bleeding, while a masked man rummaging through the drawers in the living room.

Elysia ran straight to him. Although she was supposed to use magic, she didn’t know why her body went out first.

“Lady…!”

Ryan immediately followed and bit his mouth while trying to call her name.

“Look at the maid first.”

She left the maid to Ryan and kicked the masked man’s belly. The masked man sat on the floor and somehow lost his strength.

Seeing that, she immediately slapped the masked man on the back of the neck, stunning him. She remembered that Ryan had told her to knock and subdue the assassin right away so they wouldn’t be able to commit suicide.

Elysia looked at Ryan with a proud expression.

“…Miss Elysia.”

“Yes?”

“You hit him too hard. If something went wrong, you would have broken the neck and died instantly.”

“Yes…? That, well.”

She was just doing what she learned from Ryan, though it must have been that she couldn’t control her power. She then walked over to the maid.

“She’s already dead.”

“Haa…”

There was something.

All members of Marquisate Blanche were captured. Nevertheless, who killed this maid was someone who would be in trouble if the maid opened her mouth. Elysia remembered the masked man rummaging through the chest of drawers earlier and approached it.

“What was that guy looking for?”

Ryan nodded and walked over to the window, drew the curtains, and locked the door. After that, they together began to rummage the house.

“…I found it.”

“Already?”

Saying so, Ryan brought a box of notes. Elysia picked up a handful and began to examine the sheets one by one.

[ Make her a victim. ]

[The second drawer of the kitchen utensils. ]

[ Magic stone. Let her get it herself. ]

[ Check cat eye color. ]

[ Ask the little sun for help. ]

Anger crept up the more she stared at the note. If not…

[ Administer all remaining amount. ]

Elysia, who picked up the following note, took a long breath, and then she approached the masked man. She then flicked her finger and drenched the masked man with water.

“Kuhuk…!”

As Ryan shoved a piece of cloth into the masked man’s mouth and bound his hands, she lowered her posture to meet the man’s gaze.

“From now on, when I ask, either nod your head or shake your head.”

The man who resisted fiercely turned into a blank expression in the red eyes that captivated him.

“Is this the work of Marquisate Aiden?”

The masked man shook his head.

“You don’t know?”

This time, he nodded his head.

Ryan took off the man’s hood and noticed something about him, “It would be quicker to get there in person. It looks like he has just been given orders.”

Was he looking for a guild…? Elysia pulled out a piece of cloth that was stuck in his mouth.

“What are you looking for?”

“There was an order to incinerate all notes and letters.”

“So, what did you find?”

“Nothing….”

His pronunciation was a little slurred, though there was no problem in communication. Elysia thought that the man was weak to her delusion, and she smiled wryly.

“Should we kill him?”

“…Yes?”

“Even if he goes back to the guild, anyway, he will die.”

Because he couldn’t carry out her request properly and was discovered even on the spot.

“No, don’t go to the guild. Let’s release him like this.”

“Yes?”

It would be possible to find out which family did it with the clues on the note. It would take some time, though. Even though she didn’t know who it was, wouldn’t it be better to let the person behind this think the evidence was gone?

Otherwise, they might try to use a different method.

She met the man’s gaze and used her powers. The man dropped his body as he fell asleep.

“Tie back the mask and take him to the bathroom.”

He must think he slipped. Elysia packed the notes into the bag and moved to take a closer look inside the house. When she opened the door to the closet, she could see a couple of men’s shirts hanging on it.

“Is it the escort knight for Lady Aiden?”

She also saw one pink box under the closet. When Elysia opened the lid of the box, she could see a letter and small items inside.

Hairpins, gloves, and earrings, most of them were ornaments, though there were gloves that seemed particularly expensive. They were lace gloves that were so obvious that she could tell just by looking, which shop they belonged to.

It was an amount that could not be bought even with a maid’s salary for half a year, and it was only sold to nobles.

Either she got it from Lumiere, or she stole it.

Either she received a gift from a lover.

However, the maid’s lover was an escort knight, so she couldn’t afford to buy these things. Thinking that, she put the gloves back into the box and put the whole box in her bag.

“Miss Elysia. She seems to be the one who poisoned you.”

Ryan brought a small bottle of powdered medicine.

Elysia took it right away.

***

As soon as Elysia returned to the mansion, she headed to the office.

“You’re back.”

“You’re early today?”

“You are late.”

“…Is it early evening?”

Cassian said with a brazen face that it was too late, got his body up, and approached her. Though Elysia sprinted past him, she approached the table in the center of the office before pouring out what she had brought.

Lloyd’s voice was heard along with a knock.

“Your Excellency, this is Lloyd.”

“Come in.”

Although Lloyd called for Cassian, it was Elysia who answered.

Cassian sat down on the couch, fiddling with her hair. She left him alone and motioned for Lloyd to come closer to the office.

“Lloyd, come here.”

“…Yes? Yes.”

“The Marquisate.”

Lloyd opened his mouth naturally, as he had often experienced it.

“The Marchioness died in a horse accident five years ago, and there are only two people—the Marquis and the Lady. It’s a family that maintains neutrality, and it’s a family with a long history. The Marquis is not very greedy for power, so he’s not in a good position in politics. The financial space is also reasonable. The Lady’s appearance was outstanding, and it seemed that there were a lot of marriage proposals going on. They have no sons and no proper heirs in their lineage, so they are very popular with the second son of each family.”

“Did the Lady almost die?”

“That’s… I need to do more research.”

Cassian glanced at Lloyd, wondering why he didn’t know. Meanwhile, Lloyd’s face was full of resentment at how he could remember all that.

“Please, escort the Lady.”

“Understood.”

Lloyd nodded his head and paused as he turned to go straight to the investigation. Then, looking at the documents in his arms, he approached Cassian again.

“Your Excellency, this is the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting. I’ll put it on your desk.”

“Did I have a meeting tomorrow?”

“…Yes.”

Asking that, Cassian didn’t even look at him and was playing with her hair. Elysia suddenly laughed as she looked at Lloyd and spoke.

“Lloyd, get off work now.”

Even at her words, Lloyd looked at his Master with a hesitant glance. Seeing that, Elysia stopped examining the items she had placed on the table, and she walked over to Cassian.

“Let Lloyd go, shall we eat?”

“Lloyd, why are you not going yet?”

“Yeeesss—”

He left the office faster than Cassian’s dejected look. When Lloyd left, he sat Elysia on his own leg.

“Not bad.”

“What?”

“You do what you want.”

“Huh…?”

“You told Lloyd to leave work?”

“Because he’s standing so pitiful. Anyway, he’ll always be by your side. Are you planning on giving him more work?”

“You’re too soft on Lloyd.”

“It’s true that Lloyd had a lot of work. The last time I saw, he was doing everything.”

“Should I show you Lloyd’s pay stubs? I wouldn’t say that.”

Elysia nodded her head when she saw Lloyd’s pay stub that Cassian showed her the next day. This was enough, she thought that he could make a room and board in the mansion.

***

Elysia was examining the things she had brought from the dead maid’s house. Since Ryan left the maid’s house the day before and went back because of his mission to follow the masked man, that was why Bug was her escort today.

When inside the mansion, most of the escorts move at a distance, except for Ryan and Bug.

Although Ryan was also more likely to share private conversations with the other knights, Bug…

“Madam, shall I join you?”

He said he would help as she was sorting things out.

“Huh…? It’s okay. Just sit there.”

Bug was just the type to come forward without hesitation. He tended to talk too much, so it was a headache.

At first, she let him talk about Cassian’s past that she didn’t know, though now, he told all the stories. Thanks to this, there were various types of information, including news from the employees of the mansion and rumors from the back alleys.

The problem was that there was no filtering in conveying that information.

Bug glanced at the men’s cuffs in her hands and blinked.

“Are you giving a present to His Excellency?”

“No.”

It was brought from the maid’s house.

“Huh, then maybe…”

Elysia was checking to see if the jeweler’s name was listed, but Bug’s reaction was very strange. Noticing that, she put down what she was holding in her hand and glanced at him.

“Maybe what?”

Although Bug covered his mouth with his big hand, it was already too late. Elysia raised the corner of her lips and tapped her table.

“Speak, quickly.”

“Ah… I can’t say.”

“I mean, it’s really nice for Bug to be honest.”

It was only with Cassian where Bug was fidgeting and hesitating to speak. In particular, Bug misunderstood alone.

For example…

“Nowadays, whenever he goes to the Imperial Palace, there is a Lady chasing him.”

…Like women’s problems.

If she checked directly with Cassian, it was all Bug’s one-sided misunderstanding. Knowing that, she couldn’t help but ask.

Elysia questioned in a low voice.

“Did someone gift Cassian with cufflinks?”

“…Did you know?”

She was just saying anything, but what a great catch. Elysia’s lips twitched as she persisted.

“Did he receive it?”

“Yes? What… Isn’t it polite to receive?”

Bug scratched his cheek and avoided her gaze.

At his reaction, she raised her eyebrows and said, “Bug. If a Lord, who likes me, gives me a ring or something, should I receive it?”

“What—!! Is there such a guy…!”

Elysia stopped explaining when she saw Bug screaming, asking what family Lord that was.

Cufflinks didn’t mean as much as giving a ring as a gift, though it was usually given to someone whom they had a heart to. Moreover, for Bug to know that it was cufflinks meant that Cassian had opened the gift.

Whether he knew what it was or received it without knowing it, he received it in the end.

Elysia muttered in a hoarse voice.

“When is that?”

“Yesterday.”

At his answer, she crosses her legs and touches her feet.

“Which family’s Lady?”

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